Wiki Women in Medical Coding/Billing and HIM field generally- a gender ratio question

Thevina

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I'm so new to this field that I've only just completed my online course and will be sitting for the CPC in March and AHIMA's CCA in April. Somehow until just a few weeks ago, it didn't jump out at me just how women-centric this field appears to be. I've been trying to find research papers that might indicate the history of this and to why this is, but haven't found much. I'd love to hear anecdotal 'whys' about this, not for any real reason other than it makes me suspicious in terms of salary generally. Many (most?) fields in the U.S. that are dominated by women aren't areas which are traditionally high-paying, nor seen as particularly valuable by those who have been the status quo of determining what is valuable (ie: middle aged white men). Is this field the exception? How did women find this as a promising field (especially prior to the internet and electronic data explosion) and then (and now) come to it in droves?

If nothing else, perhaps once I'm certified and job-hunting, I'll take my independent academic researching background and see what I can find and perhaps write a paper on it! ?

I welcome any feedback on this topic, as well as links/resources that could provide historical background as to how women have come (or always did) to dominate this particular area of the healthcare world in the U.S.

Also, I'd like to thank the AAPC for making me feel so welcome in this professional organization. ?
 
Hi

Yes you can make decent good money with this certification degree CPC and CCA. You can work at hospital, colleges, doctor's office, clinic, lab, or insurance companies or at home. It seems income is between 40-70,000 and higher with more experience and depends on location in the US. But you need to gain some coding experience ..or start networking at the local AAPC and AHIMA chapter meetings.

I hope this helps you!

T Thivierge
 
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