There are many reasons to choose a career in medical billing and coding, including a desire to work in the health care environment, possessing a detail-oriented personality, and striving for a career with great potential. Whether you are looking for an excellent employment outlook or would like to improve your financial situation, the medical billing and coding profession may be just what you are looking for, with plentiful job opportunities.

An article published in the February 2008 issue of Revenue Cycle Strategist, the newsletter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, discusses the “massive medical coder shortage.” Citing a survey conducted by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the American Hospital Association, the newsletter reports that one in three employers had unfilled coding positions for four to six months, and 23% had vacancies of seven months to a year.

In the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 edition, The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment in the field of medical records and health information technicians, which includes medical coders, is expected to increase 18% through 2016, faster than average for all occupations “because of the rapid growth in the number of medical tests, treatments, and procedures that will be increasingly scrutinized by health insurance companies, regulators, courts, and consumers.”

For those looking for a field with good earnings potential, salaries are also promising: a 2008 survey conducted by the AHIMA shows that coding professionals averaged $43,359, with those working for consulting services earning the highest salaries, averaging $57,700.

Clearly, the field offers great potential to those with the right training and experience. To learn more about the Blackstone diploma program in Medical Billing & Coding, visit our website. You can also visit our Career Center to explore a variety of resources that you can use to improve your networking abilities, research professional associations and organizations that provide information on the career and certification, and to view links to other relevant websites that offer books, software or journals that can help you build your professional knowledge. 

While nation-wide enrollments in distance education programs have been on the rise for many years, educational institutions are reporting even more dramatic increases in recent months, most likely fueled by the rise in gas prices. Newspapers throughout the country, including The New York Times, have reported statistics from a variety of distance education schools supporting this upward trend.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the average price of gas in the U.S. increased $1.13 per gallon from July 2007 to July 2008. For students who commute back and forth to a campus several times a week, this increase has had a serious impact on their budgets. But by enrolling in a distance education program, students can save both time and money. Financial issues related to commuting to consider when comparing site-based vs. distance learning education include:

• Wear and tear on your car that can lead to huge repair bills
• Parking fees or public transportation fees if you don’t use your car
• Child care fees that you may have to pay while you attend classes
• Extra expenses you might incur for dining out when you are on campus
• Commuting time leading to less time to spend working and earning a salary
• Commuting time resulting in less time to study, perhaps slowing down your educational progress

Finally, you should also consider the value of your personal time when choosing between distance education and site-based programs. For example, if you could trade a half hour commute for a half hour with your family or a half hour doing something you enjoy, would you?

The State University of New York has developed a “distance learning calculator” that you can use to determine how much money you can save by choosing distance education. Try it and see how quickly the costs associated with driving to classes can really add up! 

According to a 2007 survey developed by Robert Half Finance and Accounting, when executives were asked how long it usually takes them to form an opinion about a job candidate in an interview, the mean response was 10 minutes. So how do you make those first 10 minutes count to make the best impression possible? Careerbuilder.com offers the following advice on how to project a positive image:

Know the four most important questions that interviewers want answers to:

1) Why are you here?
2) What can you do for us?
3) Will you fit in?
4) What makes you different from everyone else who is being interviewed?

Interviewers won’t generally ask the above questions, but will pose questions designed to elicit this information, such as:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What do you know about us?
• Why are you looking to change jobs?
• What is your most important accomplishment to date?
• Why should we hire you?

Practice answering these and similar questions, using “stories” that illustrate how you solved a problem, demonstrated your leadership abilities, spearheaded a new initiative, etc.

You should also always research the company before the interview: find out what the company does, what its major products or services are, who their competitors are, etc. In the first few minutes of the interview, show your enthusiasm about working for the company, using the knowledge you gained from your research.

Remember that when you walk in the door, act like you are on a stage, playing the “role” of problem solver, not job seeker. Let the interviewer know why you are there, demonstrate your excitement about the company, and show them how you can help them achieve their goals. 

Are you nearing the end of your paralegal or allied health studies with Blackstone and getting ready to start a job search? You can make yourself a more desirable candidate for any job by having strong computer skills. In many jobs, it is especially important to be familiar with at least two of the Microsoft Office applications: Word and Excel. Knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint and Access, web design programs, or more advanced computer programs can also be a plus that can make you stand out among other job candidates.

You can easily become proficient in a variety of computer applications or enhance other office skills by taking advantage of Blackstone’s Ed2Go online courses, which can help you gain a competitive edge in the job market, whether you are seeking a new position or a promotion. There are hundreds of courses to choose from such as:

• Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, FrontPage, Publisher, Project, Visio, and Windows
• Introduction to PC Troubleshooting
• Photoshop
• Introduction to PHP and MySQL
• Quickbooks
• Effective Business Writing
• Introduction to Business
• Start Your Own Small Business
• Communicating Like a Leader
• Start Your Own Consulting Practice
• Achieving Success with Difficult People
• HIPAA Compliance, and much more!

Each course takes only six weeks to complete, with monthly start dates, including August 20 and September 17. Learn more about Ed2Go online courses.