As demand for health services grows due to an aging population, so will the business of health care and one of its most essential jobs: medical coding, which is expected to increase by 15% in the coming years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As Business Report details in a feature from the current issue, the good news for those who want to take advantage of the increasing demand is that coding doesn’t require a four-year medical degree and certification training is available here in the Capital City.
Sherie Phillips Thomas, a medical coder and health care reimbursement expert in Baton Rouge, became a nationally certified coding specialist in 2000, and her career has since flourished. Now she hopes to provide others the same opportunity through the Louisiana Healthcare Institute on Florida Boulevard, where she trains people to become certified medical coders.
“There is a shortage of highly skilled, certified coders in the area,” she says. “That’s one reason why I wanted to start the institute.”
Louisiana Healthcare Institute offers an eight-month program that prepares students for a national exam to become certified coders. Thomas began the institute in 2014 by training online and in health care facilities.
In April she moved into her own building at 6220 Florida Blvd., Suite B. She is an instructor for two national accrediting bodies: American Health Information Management Association and American Academy of Professional Coders.
What sets Thomas’ program apart from others is that she offers hands-on training once students are certified. Because she still works as a medical coder, students can observe her as she codes her work, and they can practice coding under her supervision.
Although it’s a behind-the-scenes job, coding is vital to the health care industry. Anytime a patient visits a doctor’s office or hospital, the experience is documented by a coder, who must comb through the patient’s record and transcribe all diagnoses, procedures and services into medical codes for insurance billing purposes and record keeping.
Coding ensures proper recording of patient medical conditions, verification of physician services and appropriate reimbursement by insurers for those services. Medical codes are also used to monitor trends in public health, track provider performance and understand patient medical history. While the sheer volume of codes and importance of the job may seem overwhelming, those in the field are passionate about what they do, and say medical coding is a great career with good pay and benefits.
Trudy Rioux, a manager of coding and documentation at Baton Rouge General Medical Center, has worked in the field for more than 30 years. While it can be intense, especially with the ICD-10 update, Rioux says it’s a fulfilling job.
“I’m very passionate about it because I look at every case and every case is different,” she says. “To me, anyone who says it’s boring, then you’re not doing it right.”
The average starting salary is about $38,000 and can increase to $60,000-plus with years of experience, Thomas says. Coding jobs and venue options are abundant: Hospitals, doctor offices, insurance companies, billing companies and even attorneys hire coders. An added perk is the work often can be done remotely.
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