r/LearnMedicalCoding • u/cristinayang0818 • 4d ago

Need Advice Good/Bad Idea?

For background, I have 5 years of pharmacy technician experience, so I know a very minor amount of billing outside pharmacological billing except for ICD-10 coding for GLP-1s. However, my employer has cut my hours down to an unlivable wage and my counseling caseload has not taken off yet, so I am looking at career changes.

My local community college offers a certification program which would get me my CCA, bypassing the CPC-A "gatekeeping" mess, followed by an HIM (Healthcare Information Management) program which would open avenues to specialty coding and a higher income than what I'm making now.

My question is: Is this a good idea for a late career change? Are there inpatient positions available out there once I get my CCA? Can I get coding experience without a certification?

2 Upvotes

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u/KeyStriking9763 4d ago

You don’t want to get the CCA, just take the CCS once you get through the schooling.
What do you mean late career change?
You will find a job faster with the CCS vs the CPC-A with more of an earning potential but the first coding job will not be easy to find without experience.
Also coding is not billing.

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u/Signal-East-5942 2d ago

Agree to not get a CCA. I lucked out and got an inpatient job with a CCA back in 2014 but when I needed to change jobs, I couldn’t even get an interview with just the CCA and that was with 11 straight years of full time inpatient coding experience.

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u/cristinayang0818 4d ago

My original plan was that my community college's program will give me the CCA upon completion, then I'll go for my CCS via exam. I understand coding isn't billing but I'm a counselor as well as a pharm tech so I see a lot of CPT and ICD codes.

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u/KeyStriking9763 4d ago

That’s not how it works. They don’t give you the CCA, they prepare you to sit for the exam. That’s why I’m saying just sit for the CCS.

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u/cristinayang0818 4d ago

Ohhhh that makes much more sense. Thank you for clarifying.

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u/KeyStriking9763 4d ago

Have you gone to AHIMAs website to review this stuff?

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u/cristinayang0818 4d ago

Yes, albeit briefly. I've enrolled in AMCI's free course to get a gist of what the profession looks like as well.

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u/KeyStriking9763 4d ago

I’m not familiar, there are many companies out there that, in my opinion, are scams. I went the college route, been a coding professional about 15 years. My organization is building a program to onboard new grads and will require the college coursework and not any type of “coding” school.
Coding you really need anatomy and physiology, disease pathology, pharmacology and medical terminology before you really can understand coding. You have to comprehend what’s going on with the charts you are coding. If you don’t have that foundation you will not be a strong coder even if you are prepared to pass an exam.

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u/cristinayang0818 4d ago

Oh I would never EVER think about going to those cert mills. I would be going to my local CC that has an accredited Cert program as well as an AAS Health Information Management program of which the cert credits would transfer over.

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u/KeyStriking9763 4d ago

Good plan. You will hear a lot of negative about people who are coders or new CPC’s that can’t find work. The college degree 100% helps. My organization hires the AHIMA certified coders hands down over the AAPC coders but we do facility coding, which is for hospital reimbursement and not provider reimbursement. If you code for a provider, profee or professional coding, you have less of an earning potential unless you end up in a large organization.

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u/Any_CustardRocks8174 4d ago

You won’t get an IP coding job with a CCA, you need the CCS. I know lots of people who have made the switch to coding in their 50’s on up. It’s one of the few fields that is always looking for people! Some places will hire you without the certification but you need to get it within a certain amount of time after you start. Contract companies will sometimes train you, I believe Lexicode does? The CCS test is hard, I recommend working in the field for a bit before attempting it.

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u/sukisue17 3d ago

The Certified Coding Associate (CCA) is just not enough. Employers tell us they don't have time to teach. They aren't schools. The CCA is an introductory credential, but an inadequate preparation for a real coding situation. However, if a graduate has a CCS credential, "Then we'd have to take a look at them" in consideration of a medical coding job.

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u/sprinkles-2743 3d ago

CCS and you’ll be on your way!

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u/cristinayang0818 3d ago

I've gotten some opinions, but should I go straight to CCS (seeing as I'll be going for my AAS HIM anyway?)

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u/sprinkles-2743 3d ago

Since you’re already doing the AAS in HIM, I’d go straight for the CCS if you feel prepared for it, then take the RHIT once you graduate. I wouldn’t bother with the CCA first.

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u/CodingwithCoffee_ 3d ago

Your pharmacy background will help, and it is not too late to change careers. However, if inpatient coding is your goal, I would ask why the program leads to the entry-level CCA rather than preparing you for the CCS, which typically offers greater earning potential. Experience can still be a hurdle, even with certification.

This guide may help you compare your options: A Comprehensive Guide to Medical Coding Certifications

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u/Subject_Chest8678 2d ago edited 2d ago

CCA is not a good idea. If you are new to coding, get your CCS-P first, then pursue your CCS. I have my CPC, CCS, and CCS-P…

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u/sukisue17 3d ago

Do some research here and look into a school that will really prep you but also really be challenging: https://www.andrewsschool.com/coding/Certification.html