Tales of a Coder Part I: Choosing an Online Medical Coding Training Program

Recently, my friend Bob approached me with an idea. He has decided that he wants to become a medical coder. When he first told me he was interested in exploring coding as a career, I didn’t really think he knew what he was talking about. As Bob itemized the reasons for his interest however, I became more and more convinced it could work.

Bob told me he’s looking for:

• Something challenging that will stretch his brain.
• Something he could potentially do from a home office.
• Something in demand in the market.
• Something he could train for in a year or less.
• Something for which the training expense was affordable for him ($2000 or less.)

Knowing this gentleman fairly well, I think the characteristics he has that will potentially make him a good candidate to train for a coding career are:

• Enjoys reading.
• Has the ability to focus on details.
• Has the ability to retain details.
• Has good communication skills for interacting with physicians, patients & insurance companies.
• Has good computer skills.
• Has an interest in healthcare.

Bob had thought it through pretty well so I agreed to research programs and help him choose one. We narrowed the field down to certificate/diploma programs as he is unwilling to spend the time and money to obtain an associates degree at this point in his life – he is an older adult learner.

I found many training programs out there – so many in fact that I think choosing one can be a time-consuming and potentially difficult task for anyone.

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