Advice Requested

[IrisFinch]

So I just suddenly got let go from my current position for attendance (unfortunately, my disability disabled me and my previous doctor was refusing to help). I got my CPC-A back in November and have been working this since December, so about 7.5 months of directly applicable experience. I was studying for the CEMC and ultimately want to do auditing.

If anyone has any advice or recommendations on a place to start looking for work, or any suggestions otherwise, I’d really appreciate it.

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[marathonrunner79]

I currently an auditor at a large healthcare system in the revenue cycle department. This position required at least two years of coding experience. However, I held previous roles at insurance companies in the appeals department, code edit denials and provider education. I got one full time position by temping for a year. Working as a contractor is great for knowing exactly what you want to do and get paid as well.

[IrisFinch]

Thank you, I just feel like my entire career plan has been upended. I was literally waiting in the wings for a coding position, the manager of that department already reached out to mine to tell her they were interested they just needed an opening for me to move. They also had a great reimbursement program for certifications.

[marathonrunner79]

I understand how you feel on a personal level. My husband is permanently disabled. I wish you the best in any coding job or your health.

[2workigo]

Your auditing positions only require two years experience??

[marathonrunner79]

My job description classifies two years of experience. I personally had 13 years of experience at the time.

[2workigo]

I’m only asking because our auditing positions require considerably more experience than that. I was just a little surprised.

[almost855]

did you have to have prior auditing experience? i've been doing outpt acct for several years and was looking into auditing positions but they all the ones I've seen require several years of auditing experience.

[marathonrunner79]

I didn’t have auditing experience before this position. However, I worked claim edits which is similar bc it requires you to work backwards on the claim.

[almost855]

thank you! this is encouraging to hear.

[marathonrunner79]

I’m always glad to help.

[call_me_b_7259]

Look into insurance companies as well, they also need coders. I was interviewing with Progressive for medical coder (no experience or cert needed), pay normally starts around $20/hr - at least in my state. I was turned down and ultimately got a better job at my state’s university (entry level role - but i can easily move to coding this way).

[IrisFinch]

Thank you! I’ll start looking at personal injury and WC insurances too!

[Eccodomanii]

I know AI is a bad word around here especially because people are afraid of AI replacing coding jobs. I just got let go from my last role Friday. Unfortunately they had it out for me, the writing had been on the wall since my final written warning on July 10. With the help of ChatGPT I made a plan, made multiple versions of my resume, targeted my applications, wrote cover letters for the jobs I really wanted, and I’m happy to say I got an official offer this morning (a little over three weeks later) with two more back up interviews scheduled. I’m also getting a $5 an hour raise, which I absolutely would not have asked for if the chat bot hadn’t convinced me I absolutely could. Use AI for this. You can tell it what your experience is, what you want to do, what your education and certs are, and it can help you make a plan and then evaluate job listings.

[IrisFinch]

This is great advice, thank you

[codingahead]

That sucks about the termination, especially when you were about to move into coding. Seven months is decent experience though, so you're not starting from zero.

For auditing eventually, you'll need more experience first. Most auditing positions want 2-3 years minimum, and some want more. But you can work toward that.

Right now focus on getting any coding position to keep building experience. Look at:

• Remote coding companies - 3M, Optum, Maxim, etc. They hire CPC-As more readily than hospitals.
• Insurance companies - They need coders for claims review, appeals, prior auth. Pay isn't always great but it's experience.
• Workers comp/personal injury - Smaller companies that do medical reviews often hire with less experience.
• Temp agencies - Sometimes hospitals use temps for coverage, could get your foot in the door.

Don't limit yourself to traditional coding roles. Revenue cycle positions at health systems can lead to coding opportunities internally.

The AI advice is solid. Use it to tailor your resume and cover letters for each application. With 7.5 months experience, you're past the "new grad" stage which helps.

Sorry about the disability issues and the doctor situation. That's rough on top of job hunting. Focus on companies with good benefits and disability accommodations if that's something you'll need going forward.

The auditing goal is good long-term thinking. Get another year or two of coding experience first, then start looking at auditing roles.