Joining the Medical Coding Workforce

The Best Time to Get Started in Medical Coding is Now!

Why? Because the health care indusry is growing, and with President Obabma's plan for health care reform, will grow even more! Currently, the hospitals in the United States employ 5.1 million people. Furthermore, 2.8 million health services jobs are expected to open by 2010, and these positions need to be filled. And with the Patriot Employer Act of 2007, companies are encouraged to hire even more full-time employees, pay them better wages, provide health insurance, and create opportunities that benefit businesses and workers.

However, what's crazy is that a recent survey by the American Hospital Association concluded that about 18% of medical billing and coding positions remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. What does this mean to you? it means, get on the ball, sign up for a medical coding training program near you, and then, join the evergrowing workforce needed to run the expanding health care machine.

Medical Coding Salary

Why do so many employers feel they need to hide their salary range in their advertisements? Probably because they want to make sure your main focus in not so much on the money but on a long term commitment, and being happy.

Perks

Perks can come in form of reimbursement of tuition expenses, flexible working hours, 401(k) contribution, on-site daycare and health clubs, company paid training, mobile phone and/or laptop computer, paid professional membership to associations and institutes, vacation and personal holidays, paid sick-days, car parking expenses, tax deductible expenses, and the possibility of working from home. Many of these factors are intangible benefits - depending on your situation they may be very important, for example the option of working from home for a mother having small kids or a disabled family member to look after.

When responding to a post for possible employment remember that you also want to also ask about...

* any costs affiliated with such offers
* the coding qualifications required
* a coding test as part of the hiring process.

Okay, okay! But HOW MUCH can a medical coder earn? We have just posted the answer.