Re: Medical Billing and Coding-How Do I Start

[Steve Verno]

You're free to take exception to what I said, I'm fine with that, but do you mean to say it doesnt happen?  What I said is what another of my fellow coding and billing instructors also told me about his class.  An instructor of a massage therapy class also said the same thing.  It may just be something at this school.  My son receives assistance from the State and he is a 4.0 student in his classes but he goes to a different college.

What I said is based on my findings as a coding and billing instructor for a professional institution.

I did not say YOU did this.

One student I had, who received financial help from the State to get her off Medicaid, arrived to class 30-45 minutes late for every class she was in.  I know she was outside smoking cigarettes with her friends when I arrived an hour before the start of class, so there was no reason for her being late.  When she arrived to class,  she would go to the back of the class, and instead of listening to the subject matter, she would text message on her blackberry.  She left during the first break and would never come back to class. In total time, she spent 20 minutes out of a 4 hour class  She was administatively dropped from the class.  She did this in other classes she was in.  I had another student whose mother brought her to class.  The student said she was leavng for the evening and not staying in class.  The mother was real embarrased about her daughters attitude.  The mother was interested in taking the class.

Not only did I observe the trend by the financialy assisted students, this was also observed by the students who paid out of pocket for their training. They made angry comments about this and took their observations and complaints to the Department Head and Dean of Admissions.  MY observations and comments were backed up through attendance records, homework results, and test results.  These were turned in to be used when the students filed appeals of their low grades.  I kept very accurate records of attendance, class performance and test grade scores.

Now, is this the same where you are learning, maybe not. is this the same for all students receiving financial help, maybe not.  .  I will say there are exceptions to everything.  One student who was receiving help excelled in one of my classes.  She was early to class. turned in her homework on time, did excellent in class on her daily tests. She worked in an office and would come in upset and would say, "These people I work with are idiots."  "No one I work with has any training. " She woul always ask me questions as to whether wha she did was correct and she was.  I would smile and let her know that she was a huge asset to this company.  She was first place in the class and on the Deans list.  She scored in the mid 90s on her final test.  I was so proud of her and still am. 

 

[Steve Verno]

The only thing that matters is the training you underwent. 

As a practice manager, I would rather hire someone that underwent training and then certification.

To my providers, they didnt care if someone had a certificate, diploma or degree. What is important to them and to me is whether you can do the work.

I would interview many.  The worst were those with a degree because when questioned on the basics, they couldnt answer the questions or pass the pre-employment test.  Their resume said they knew the subject matter but when tested on that subject, they failed miserably.  For example, a resume said they were an expert on Medicare.  They were given the reimbursement manual and asked to look up the fee for 12001.  They couldnt do it, so this put what they said they could do into question.  One resume said they were experienced with Excell spreadsheet.  They were given a spreadsheet to work with and told to total a column.  They couldnt do it.   I once interviewed a student in a degree program.  she said hey just finished the anatomy classes and she said she scored 100% on her test. I asked her where the radial bone was located.  She pointed to her ankle.  Maybe in her body but the rest of us have it in our arm.

I used to teach degree students.  Some failed because they didnt take the training seriously.  The failures missed classes. didnt do their homework and failed the required tests.  I even had one student that received a 49% on the test.  She appealed the grade demanding a 100%. Her reason.. her other instructors gave her a 100% in their classes, logically, as her professor, I should have given her a 100% as well.  I provided her test scores, attendance records, homework and what homework was missing along with written requets for the work, and I and showed how he earned the 49%.  She lost her appeal.  She missed many classes causing her to fail the tests that were scheduled. She even missed several tests and makeups.   

In some areas, employers are so fed up with the poor quality of students being graduated, they are not hiring those graduates.  The biggest excuse being made by the graduate is, "They didnt teach me that in class."  I had one student use that excuse when appealing their failed test.  What she didnt know is that the subject she said I didnt teach, was on the course syllabus, and the training schedule for that day, not to mention the course outline.  I showed that she missed that class.  Her appeal was denied.   I also showed an employer I taught that particular subject but the employee/former student also accused me of not teaching that particular topic.  Again, the student missed the class. 

ON a side note, what I saw was that the students who paid ou of pocket attended every class and scored high on the tests. The students who had someone else pay such as unemployment or the State, did poorly.  So, no matter which type of training you undergo, do the best that you can.  Again, what is important is that you know what to do.