Wiki Need Tips on Getting Hired at Doctor's office

[ElyseGrad11]

Let me start off with my journey... it has been a long one.
I started pursuing medical billing and coding in 2013 and finally got a Claims job last year, only to be laid off this year. I have experience in claims, Accounts Receivable, and sending medical records by mail and electroncially, and as a health and life benefit administrator (dealing mainly with eligibility).

I'm certified as a CPC ( did the online program to get the A off) and have the ICD-10-CM certificate of proficiency. I have to other smaller certifications related to medical billing and coding.

Am I qualified to do medical billing and coding in a specialty office, or medical insurance verification?

I don't want to come across as whiny or sarcastic. I'm serious and somewhat frustrated. It took me so long to get to claims and I feel like I have to sort of start over. What are managers looking for? I absolutely love dealing with billing and medical insurance. I would love to code. This is my dream job.

Am I getting too easily frustrated? I feel like the doors keep shutting and I have applied eveywhere possible near me.

 

[HangarPilot]

... Am I qualified to do medical billing and coding in a specialty office, or medical insurance verification? ...

Certainly. But as you've discovered, being "qualified" doesn't seem to be enough sometimes. Try to put yourself in the employer's shoes for a moment. Small doctor's practices and even many small group practices employ ONE biller/coder. So even if they love your resume, they simply have no place for you. If they do have an opening, it's because that one person is leaving/retiring. Not to be overly dramatic, but this single person has the potential to make or break the business. If they know their stuff, the money flows ... if they are clueless, well, bad things happen. They're going to want a person with serious years of experience.

As you move up the food chain to larger and larger group practices your odds improve. There's a huge group practice near me with every specialty. They have around 6-7 coders so it's easier for them to bring on a new person and the "training burden" they represent. There's plenty of other people to take up the slack while they are coming up to speed. That's just not the case with smaller offices.

That said, I think you have two great options:
1) Look for larger group practices or multi-specialty groups. Places where you'd be part of a team of billers/coders. These groups also tend to split out roles more: billers, coders, revenue specialists, etc. That means even more opportunities. You might also consider insurance companies if there are any near you.
2) If you have few large practices near you or you just want to work in a smaller office, try looking into "Front Office" or "Check-in/Check-out" work. Often the Front Office does the insurance verification and gets somewhat involved in the accounts (copays, back-balances, etc.). It wouldn't pay as well as billing/coding but it would be a "get your foot in the door" option. In a year or two when you've mastered their computer system and proven how awesome you are, you can start dropping hints about working in the billing office! You might also consider something like "Referral Coordinator" given your experience with medical records and insurance verification.

Hang in there ... you may need to keep casting your net wide and wider, but you'll eventually catch something!

 

[ElyseGrad11]

Thank you for your response! It was very encouraging and you gave some really good suggestions I never thought of.