Customer Reviews

Independent Medical Coding : The Comprehensive Guidebook for Career Success As a Medical Coder

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a fantastic reference for anyone who is pursuing a career as an independent coder. In this age of "compliance" conscious organizations, anyone working independently needs to now how to organize business practices. This is not a "how to code" book. There are numerous very good coding references. This book addresses coding as a business. Working independently as a consultant, coding education resources and certification. It is an excellent resource and highly recommended to all who are considering pursuing an independent coding practice.

I was very pleased to find this book on Independent Medical Coding. I had been considering just such a career, but didn't know where to begin. This book was exactly what I needed. It gives the experienced coder an alternative career path into entrepeneurship without doing "billing". This book provided me the first stepping stone in what is soon to be my new career. I would like to see the authors do an even more in-depth book, providing even more information about this field. Because books of this nature are so rare, a comprehensive reference would be wonderful, and I would gladly pay extra for the information. The book as written, however, is an excellent resource and I definitely recommend it to anyone already skilled in coding who is interested in working for themselves. Thank you for writing this book!

Book may be helpful for someone already adept at medical coding, though I thought it still lacking in substance and vague non-responsive answers to very important subjects if really going to help someone changing careers. Title suggested help in coding which I needed and I wasted $35.

This book is really a great resource. I have devoured it. There is so much useful information in it and it is the first book I have found on this subject that goes into all it would take to make this a great career move. I was looking for a great home business and I think this book will be a great help. I wish I had found it sooner. Good job for the authors.

The word "comprehensive" in the title is the objectionable term here since this book is essentially a series of short, insufficient passages. There is nothing here that couldn't be found for free on the internet or with a little bit of work reviewing *any* basic "starting your own business books."

I'll be returning this book. Ironically, I'm out the return postage cost, but since the book is really only a handbook and uses a big font, the cost probably won't be much to ship such a small book back. My advice is to not waste your money unless you need a primer on basic business principles and a reference for where to get the medical coder training.

As an at-home Medical biller, this book has helped me to see a way to expand my present income potential. It has great information on were to find more resources and educational opportunities. It gave me lots of marketing ideas. I hope to see future editions with more helpful tools. Having a credentialed and experience coder as an author in Ms. Regan gave me insight into how to contract and expand my business into the coding feild.

As a worker in the health care field, this book will be a wonderful resource for individuals interesting in pursuing a career in the coding field. The book is full of useful information. There are many "coding" books out, but none that detail how to get into the profession, where to get the education, resources, etc. As in the book the Independent Medical Transcriptionist, Avila-Weil has done a great job at putting very useful and lots of information into this career how-to book and I hope there will be future editions that provide additional/updated resources, as the IMT book, which is now in its 3rd edition. I only wish there was more of this book to read. It is the first of its kind for the coding field, and I think that many will find it useful, as I do.

Donna Avila-Weil, Independent Medical Coding (Rayve Productions, 1999)

Looking for information on being a medical coder? This could be an interesting start, but it likely won't complete your education.

Independent Medical Coding spends its first third or so going over some general concepts you'll need to know in coding, though the key word here is "general"; you'll end up using this as a jumping-off point to find more detailed books about the ins and outs of coding.

The rest of the book is devoted to more general discussion on starting your own home-based business, all of which once again is of a general nature and will probably send you searching for more detailed books on the same topic, if you're looking to start your own business rather than code for a company. So this one is worth your time if you're brand-new to the search, but be aware you'll be buying more books after this. ***

Co-authors Donna Avila-Weil, RHIT and Rhonda Regan, CCS, CCS-P combine their expertise in the updated second edition of Independent Medical Coding: The Comprehensive Guidebook for Career Success as a Medical Coder. Independent Medical Coding is an in-depth guide to pursuing medical coding as a career - an excellent opportunity, given that demand for skilled medical coders currently outstrips supply. Chapters cover how to gain the necessary education, as well as cultivating the needed interpersonal and organizational skills; how to become credentialed; specifics on different types of coding systems; how to establish an independent coding business; alternative careers for a coding specialist; and much more. An absolute "must-have" for anyone considering the benefits of a medical coding career.

For anyone starting out or who has been in the business awhile, this is the book to have at your finger-tips. Things change, we need to stay abreast of situations to be our very best!