Well, I did it. I set a goal, I stuck to it, and I'm happy to say I achieved it! I not only took the CPMA and CGIC exams, I also took the CFPC and CEMC certifications exams. It meant a lot of studying for the last couple months, but I passed them all! Someone on the coders group I am on said that passing four exams in two months might be a record. Especially since I took the CFPC on December 30th and the CEMC on December 31st. Even the AAPC rep and the exam proctor thought I was crazy to take two exams back to back, but I had a feeling I could do it.
In my last post, in August, I mentioned how a friend and co-worker quit, and how I did not think they were going to hire someone else. I was wrong, they did hire someone, but she didn't work out. It's been two months since they let her go, and they haven't started advertising replace her, so I am pretty sure they have no intention of filling the position. I am now the sole auditor in the practice, and I was told for now, I will be the only one. So I approached my manager about getting a raise, since I am doing the work of an auditor, and now I hold the certification. I have been auditing for 11 years now, but since I didn't have the CPMA, I didn't push to receive an auditor's salary. But money is tight, and I am pretty sure the school where I teach at night will be closing soon. And honestly, I'm tired of having to work two jobs, it's been 10 years and I am ready to work just one job again. Auditors make roughly $5.00 more an hour than I do, and coders with as many certifications as I now have make $6.00 more an hour than I currently make. My manager did agree with me, and she spoke with the COO of the practice, and she said they are going to discuss it with the board.
While I do not want to leave the practice, I am happy there and I would stay there happily, if they aren't willing to give me a raise and pay me an auditor's salary, I do have other options. With all my new credentials, I have been getting job offers left and right. One in particular sounds very promising, but require I add one one more certification, the CRC. The job would be working for a major insurance company, and they would let me work from home. I'm sure the collies would love that! But I am not ready to leave my current job, I like the people, I like the work I do, and I feel as if the work is important and valuable. So I really hope things go my way, because at this point in my life I am ready to do whatever it takes to become a success.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Making changes...
This past week had some happy moments, but also many sad ones. Two people quit where I work, one was a nice guy, but I didn't know him really well. He left to go back to school, to earn another Master's degree. The other was a friend, and we worked together as a team, as there was just the two of us in our department. She left to work for a naturopath, and it fits her beliefs as she practices reiki. While I am happy for her, and this new opportunity, I miss having her to talk to throughout the workday.
I also strongly suspect that they are not going to fill her position. I know they expect me to train another Coder to help me audit the providers and code the general surgery procedures. While helping all the rest of the staff, the physicians, and management with their coding questions, I am supposed to complete audits, train new physicians, APRNs and physician assistants on coding and documentation, and get all the codes reviewed and billed for the general surgeons. Additionally, I am to schedule and oversee the chart reviews being conducted by insurance companies for risk adjustment. And now, I have to train this other girl, and hope she catches on quickly. But I'm trying to look at the positive, the responsibility falling on me does give me a small measure of job security. And upper management did pay for the training class I wanted to take on Saturdays, which I hope will help me earn my CPMA certification. (Certified professional medical auditor).
I am also studying to take the test for the CGIC, certified gastrointestinal Coder. If I am successful at earning my CPMA and CGIC, I should be getting a good raise, as I am already a CPC. If not, I can pretty much have my pick of coding jobs in my area, or I can start doing coding/auditing from home. I haven't told my employers I am taking these two exams, they are each almost six hours long. I didn't want to have to tell anyone if I failed, so I paid for the exams myself. I just decided I needed to do something to change my life.
While I like my day job, I am so tired of teaching at night. Working one full time job, and one part time job is exhausting, and I've been doing it for over nine years now. CPMAs earn about five thousand more a year than my current salary, and a specialty credential like the CGIC should add another thousand, so I hope to pass the exams and make some positive changes. If I can quit teaching at night, maybe I will finally go back to college and finish my batchelor degree.
I also strongly suspect that they are not going to fill her position. I know they expect me to train another Coder to help me audit the providers and code the general surgery procedures. While helping all the rest of the staff, the physicians, and management with their coding questions, I am supposed to complete audits, train new physicians, APRNs and physician assistants on coding and documentation, and get all the codes reviewed and billed for the general surgeons. Additionally, I am to schedule and oversee the chart reviews being conducted by insurance companies for risk adjustment. And now, I have to train this other girl, and hope she catches on quickly. But I'm trying to look at the positive, the responsibility falling on me does give me a small measure of job security. And upper management did pay for the training class I wanted to take on Saturdays, which I hope will help me earn my CPMA certification. (Certified professional medical auditor).
I am also studying to take the test for the CGIC, certified gastrointestinal Coder. If I am successful at earning my CPMA and CGIC, I should be getting a good raise, as I am already a CPC. If not, I can pretty much have my pick of coding jobs in my area, or I can start doing coding/auditing from home. I haven't told my employers I am taking these two exams, they are each almost six hours long. I didn't want to have to tell anyone if I failed, so I paid for the exams myself. I just decided I needed to do something to change my life.
While I like my day job, I am so tired of teaching at night. Working one full time job, and one part time job is exhausting, and I've been doing it for over nine years now. CPMAs earn about five thousand more a year than my current salary, and a specialty credential like the CGIC should add another thousand, so I hope to pass the exams and make some positive changes. If I can quit teaching at night, maybe I will finally go back to college and finish my batchelor degree.
Friday, July 14, 2017
Why blog?
Blogging isn't always easy, sometimes we have to search for inspiration. We look to current news stories, events, books or movies for ideas to write about. And often, as bloggers, we focus on our writing so we can just forget about the world for a little while. With all the violence, hate, suffering and pain that fills our lives, it's comforting to slip into the world of blogs. Here you can find others that share your passions, and no matter how far apart, you are connected through words and pictures, through shared experiences. Through brief blog posts we are given glimpses of each other's lives, and we get to share our journeys. But there are other reasons to blog, sometimes we blog to sort out our thoughts, to obtain clarity, to share with strangers what we can't share with our friends or families.
Many of us often feel voiceless, or unable to express our true emotions, and we can blog to let it all out. As I sit here pondering the letters on my keyboard, I know somewhere, someone else is doing the same thing. These posts will you tell you the story of who I am, but only as much as I will let you see. There are some truths you don't admit, even to yourself. Maybe that other someone, sitting at his or her own keyboard, will be able to write a post with all the honesty that I am striving to convey.
I've made choices in my life, some I have come to deeply regret, and some are still causing pain. I can't undo those decisions made so long ago, and though I live with the repercussions, I have also learned from them. How much easier it would be to forget, to go on blindly exhibiting the careless behavior that led to my current situation. Since I can't let myself forget, maybe I'll share it here.
So I started a blog that is just for me, just for my thoughts or to record a memory I don't want to forget. How often I will post remains to be seen, but it's nice to have an outlet.
Many of us often feel voiceless, or unable to express our true emotions, and we can blog to let it all out. As I sit here pondering the letters on my keyboard, I know somewhere, someone else is doing the same thing. These posts will you tell you the story of who I am, but only as much as I will let you see. There are some truths you don't admit, even to yourself. Maybe that other someone, sitting at his or her own keyboard, will be able to write a post with all the honesty that I am striving to convey.
I've made choices in my life, some I have come to deeply regret, and some are still causing pain. I can't undo those decisions made so long ago, and though I live with the repercussions, I have also learned from them. How much easier it would be to forget, to go on blindly exhibiting the careless behavior that led to my current situation. Since I can't let myself forget, maybe I'll share it here.
So I started a blog that is just for me, just for my thoughts or to record a memory I don't want to forget. How often I will post remains to be seen, but it's nice to have an outlet.
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