"Become a medical transcriptionist" TV ads now targeting the elderly

[Zamboni]

My guilty pleasure is small claims court TV shows. (Mostly I like to watch the body language to see whether or not I think each person is telling the truth . . . but enough about me.)

The shows are peppered with ads for personal injury and bankruptcy lawyers, of course.  And then there are the usurious loan companies:  "Can't borrow from us in your state because the interest rates we charge are against state law? Looky here: just a quick drive across the border and we can give you money TODAY against next week's paycheck! Just follow this here handy dandy map across the border!" And finally there are the "go back to school and get a great career!" ads.  ecpi, medical transcriptionist, truck driving, and the like. These used to feature testimonials from people who appeared to be in their 20's, 30's, and maybe 40's. 

But holy moly tonight there was a lady clearly beyond normal retirement age giving an ad testimonial about how great it is that she could go to school for just a few months, learn medical billing and coding, and get a better job. Of course, reading all the threads of despair on MMM about how bad of financial shape our adult parents (particularly moms) are in, granny needing career training doesn't really surprise me. But it seems like a sad state of affairs that they are targeting the elderly. 

I don't really know very much about these schools.  I know 3 people, including one of my parents, who went to truck driving schools and ended up with decent jobs. All were in their 20's and 30's at the time. And my brother makes a good living in a trade, which was mostly learned via self-teaching and apprenticeship, although it also hinges on him being really strong, so not an option for granny. Anyone here go to ecpi or another school that advertises during daytime TV?  Did you end up with a good gig?  Would you recommend your school to your grandma?

[Eric]

But holy moly tonight there was a lady clearly beyond normal retirement age giving an ad testimonial about how great it is that she could go to school for just a few months, learn medical billing and coding, and get a better job. Of course, reading all the threads of despair on MMM about how bad of financial shape our adult parents (particularly moms) are in, granny needing career training doesn't really surprise me. But it seems like a sad state of affairs that they are targeting the elderly. 

Was it Sally Struthers?

[Zamboni]

;-) No. And come to think of it "save the children" and all kinds of awesomeness like the abdominizer/chop magic/shamwow do NOT get advertising time during court shows.

It's all personal injury, worker's comp, mesothelioma, disability & medicare claims, bankruptcy, borrow more money, and go to school for a couple of months = become a professional schemes.

[The Pigeon]

Ha ha, ECPI!
There's a super funny parody song about this school!
Be sure you listen to the lyrics!

https://youtu.be/5NubnCvuoYU?t=1m2s

-Pigeon

[Dicey]

My MIL lives with us. She has Alzheimer's and sometimes I plunk her down in front of the TV for a brief respite. I usually turn on HGTV, but sometimes she switches to Court TV. I tell her we have a "No Shouting" policy in this house and ask her to her change the channel.

But I digressed, sorry. I hate the sound of these ads. Ugh. I hate it any time I see anyone being ripped off, especially older folks with limited means.

[Zamboni]

^^Loved the jammin' guitar solo!  I'm sure many a starving musician has thought "man, we should all just give up getting a record contract and call ecpi!"

^America's court with Judge Kevin Ross doesn't have much shouting.  He doesn't allow it and doesn't yell, plus he explains the law, which I like. He does have tacky cases sometimes like they all have. He's my favorite with People's court as my second (sometimes she gets mad and yells). Judge Mathis is third, not a yeller more likely to crack a joke, probably a tie with Judge Judy. I will watch Judge Judy although she does tend to yell and doesn't always explain the law. Believe it or not there are at least two additional small claims court TV shows that air daily (one has a committee of three judges and the other has a young female judge.) Seriously I could watch 7 hours straight of small claims daily if I wanted just via my little antennae (no cable or sat TV for me.) Don't watch the paternity or divorce court shows at all.

And yes, it seems to me that they just want Granny to plunk down her life savings on tuition for their little sham school.  Makes me ill.

But I'm curious about this: anyone here do medical billing and coding? Anyone?  Bueller?

[Zehirah]

I do medical transcription from home (which is different to coding).  It suits me/us for now for several reasons:
- I set my own hours and I work as few or as many hours per week as I want.
- I can work around family commitments including therapy appointments for my ASD child, student-free days, family celebrations and school holidays (as I'm married to a teacher).  When my kids were tiny I could work at night when they were in bed so I didn't have to worry about childcare (working when they were up and about with no other adult home would never work)
- I am using my brain and doing some good instead of stuffing envelopes.
- if I'm sick with a headcold, I can still work with tissues stuffed up my nose as I don't have to worry about spreading my germs to workmates.  If one of my kids is home sick, I can still work and don't need to take the day off.

(note that every company has different requirements, eg employee vs IC, send you files vs work from a pool, fixed shifts vs set-your-own-roster vs work whenever you want, etc).

BUT this is what I tell everyone who asks me about it.  It's not the job for everyone.  It's still a job with good days and bad days and days you just can't be bothered.  It's not a job you can do for a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon as the pay per line is low (and in the US, apparently a LOT lower than I make here in Australia) - you make money through the sheer volume of work you can get done in a week while still being accurate.  As an IC, I don't get sick pay, superannuation or paid time off.  But I am free at any time to say "I'm not available between these dates as we are going away".  A deal breaker for some but swings and roundabouts for others.

The ads make it look like it's a walk in the park when in reality, most doctors speak about as clearly as they write, ie, not very!  You have to try to decipher mumblers, gum chewers, paper shuffling right next to the mic, noisy background conversations, dictating right next to ringing phones and beeping machines and strong accents.   

It's not just "type what you hear" - a large part is researching and verifying what you think you hear to make sure drug names and dosages are correct, addresses are correct, etc.  Patient care and privacy are at stake or else your job is.  You don't want to lose your job because the doctor kept swapping between "left" and "right" or you typed 15 mg when it should be a 50 mg dose and you didn't research or leave a note for the doctor to confirm it.  You also need (or be willing to learn) decent spelling and grammar so you can turn what they say into a document that makes sense.

You can't be on automatic pilot and you can't learn enough to get started in a matter of weeks.  I completed an online course back in 2008 and it took me 9 months at roughly 20-25 hours per week.  I know the course I did is a lot longer now and you still do most of your actual learning once you start working in the real world.  It's a bit like gaining the skills to drive a car, getting your licence and THEN you really learn how to drive.  I've been in the job now for over six years and I am still learning every day whether it's a new drug or procedure to research or a new client who wants things done a different way or a new doctor whose dictating style and accent you need to get familiar with.

Most newbies who start at the place I work fall into one of two groups:  they quit within the first two months or so because it's not what they imagined, or they stick in the job for years.  You can try researching beforehand but:
a) the most prominent MT forums are full of dissatisfied whiners - those who love the job are too busy working making money or living life to bother feeding the trolls.
b) the schools (big ones in the US are Career Step and Andrews, I believe) will inflate potential earnings to entice students.
c) until you do it, it's hard to predict if you'll like the job itself - listening to descriptions of injuries or procedures or bodily functions grosses some people out, others can't handle the sound of someone chewing gum or coughing or yawning or urinating (yep, the occasional doc will dictate from the bathroom!), others just find it monotonous and boring.

[Zamboni]

Wow that is very interesting, thanks!

I've paid for transcription of international audio interviews, and it seemed like a bargain to me at the time since I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to transcribe those myself even though I type pretty fast (not to mention that some of the folks did have very strong accents and some of the audio quality was not great.) Throw in medical terminology and getting things like dosages right and it seems like a highly skilled job to me.

But jobs like MT, billing, and coding are not really marketed that way in these TV advertisements. They make it sound like you can be completely unskilled and they will train you. At a minimum you'd have to have good typing skills first, and that alone takes months to master. Just dealing with my own parents, who are both college grads, neither of them have any typing skills or computer literacy. It seems like they are now marketing their school to a group that is least likely to have aptitude for the jobs available. :-(

[KMMK]

Wow that is very interesting, thanks!

I've paid for transcription of international audio interviews, and it seemed like a bargain to me at the time since I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to transcribe those myself even though I type pretty fast (not to mention that some of the folks did have very strong accents and some of the audio quality was not great.) Throw in medical terminology and getting things like dosages right and it seems like a highly skilled job to me.

But jobs like MT, billing, and coding are not really marketed that way in these TV advertisements. They make it sound like you can be completely unskilled and they will train you. At a minimum you'd have to have good typing skills first, and that alone takes months to master. Just dealing with my own parents, who are both college grads, neither of them have any typing skills or computer literacy. It seems like they are now marketing their school to a group that is least likely to have aptitude for the jobs available. :-(

The computer skills thing is so true. When I worked corporately I did a lot of training and a lot of the job was similar to this - medical, reading doctor writing, data entry, etc. We could train people adequately on our software and requirements re: the medical side, but if people had poor computer skills that just made it so much harder. It takes years to be a fast typer and to find computers intuitive to use. And in the majority of cases older people had weaker computer skills than younger people.

[FinancialIndependent]

I do medical billing and coding for a living.  I own a Healthcare Practice Management Consulting and Medical Billing company and I have 13 employees who do medical billing and coding all day (I am based in the USA).  Our company also goes into private physician practices and other healthcare entities who are struggling with their billing and collections and create new processes and re-train employees to operate more efficiently and effectively.  I am a Certified Professional Coder and Certified Professional Coding Instructor through the predominant professional association for our industry. 

Here is my opinion of these organizations.  Most of these schools make me SICK!  The private schools are VERY expensive for a 9 - 24 month program that generally gives students an introduction to all areas of working in a medical practice.  Most of the programs include several months of either online or classroom instruction, and then an unpaid practicum that provides them with a bit of hands-on experience.  I have hired people fresh out of these schools,  and the students coming out of these programs are only marginally better prepared to work in this field than those we hire from other industries and train ourselves. 

These schools specialize in marketing largely to marginalized individuals who are eager to believe that pursuing a career in medical billing and coding will get them out of the cycle of living on welfare and/or working in minimum-wage jobs.  Sadly, these schools are much more successful in their marketing efforts than they are producing graduates who are adequately prepared for the job market.  Most of the students I see coming out these schools still start at the entry-level, making a starting wage of $8.00 - $10.00 per hour (in my area, which is relatively low-COLA).  It's bad enough that they've spent 9 - 24 months of their time in sub-par programs, but now they are saddled with PRIVATE STUDENT LOAN DEBT of anywhere from $10K - $25K.  This is very difficult to pay off when you're only making $10.00/hour. 

The other demographic that these schools target are people who want to work from home so they can have flexible hours and be able to stay home with their kids while earning an decent income.  The problem with this is that someone who comes out of one of these schools with no experience working in the field is NOT ANYWHERE CLOSE to being prepared to work from home without supervision.  Medical billing and coding work is very specialized and requires a great deal of technical knowledge and YEARS of experience to be able to do it independently from home.  Out of my 13 employees, I only have one who works from home full-time.  She has been in the field for over 25 years, and was previously my Operations Manager.  Her husband's job moved her 5 hours away, and in order to keep her, I agreed to let her work from home.  She is very hard-working, dependable and trustworthy, so it works well for her.  There is only one other employee in my company who has the experience and knowledge necessary to do this from home, and she has been doing it for over 25 years as well. 

A physician or other healthcare practitioner's life-blood depends on his or her ability to collect money for the services they render in a timely manner.  Therefore they are VERY particular with regard to who they hire to handle this process for them.  It is very unlikely that someone with no experience will be able to handle this task.  Therefore they will have to go out into the work force and get a few years' experience before attempting to do something like this on their own.

Medical transcription is a very difficult field to get into right now - at least in the US.  For the past few years, the Federal Government has been providing subsidies to physicians and other healthcare practices to implement Electronic Health Records (EHR's).  Many of these EHR's are template driven, or have voice-to-text recognition that virtually eliminates the need for a medical transcriptionist.  There are a few private practice physicians who are holding out and staying with paper medical records, but the majority of practices across the US have either moved to EHR's or will in the very near future.  Under the ACA, the Federal Government is now penalizing healthcare providers who are not using EHR's.  For an experienced Medical Transcriptionist who has many years of experience and a strong professional network, they may be able to achieve success in working independently.  For most others, working in hospitals is where the majority of transcription work will be found.  Gone are the days (for most at least) where you could charge $0.12 per line for transcription services and make a very good living doing it. 

Medical billing and coding is a field with very high demand, and it is a good fit for many people.  If someone were interested in getting into this field, I would recommend doing two things.  The first thing is to try to find any job in the healthcare industry that will allow you exposure to the healthcare field and give you some experience.  Whether it be as a receptionist, insurance verification person, or collections, getting your foot in the door is the first step to success.  Once you get into the field and begin networking with people who have the job you are interested in doing, you can begin asking them about ways to get into that type of job yourself.  If you are interested in good education in this field, then you can also research your local public community colleges.  Many community colleges have classes in this field of study, and are MUCH less expensive than the private schools.  Many of these community colleges also offer Associates Degrees in Health Information Technology or Medical Office Management or something similar that will be better recognized by employers than just a certificate from a private school in the same field of study.   

[Zamboni]

This is great information.  Thank you for posting!

[Dicey]

Medical billing and coding is a field with very high demand, and it is a good fit for many people.  If someone were interested in getting into this field, I would recommend doing two things.  The first thing is to try to find any job in the healthcare industry that will allow you exposure to the healthcare field and give you some experience.  Whether it be as a receptionist, insurance verification person, or collections, getting your foot in the door is the first step to success.  Once you get into the field and begin networking with people who have the job you are interested in doing, you can begin asking them about ways to get into that type of job yourself.  If you are interested in good education in this field, then you can also research your local public community colleges.  Many community colleges have classes in this field of study, and are MUCH less expensive than the private schools.  Many of these community colleges also offer Associates Degrees in Health Information Technology or Medical Office Management or something similar that will be better recognized by employers than just a certificate from a private school in the same field of study.

Wow, FI! It looks like you joined the MMM club specifically to help others out with your specialized knowledge. Good on you and thanks for taking the time and making the effort. I love this community and hope you will too.  Welcome!

[Zamboni]

Aha, I just saw the ad that sparked this thread again!  I ran during Judge Judy.  Opens with an elderly woman holding up a check for the camera that looks to be a good amount of money.  Then she talks about being trained in medical billing and coding in "just a few months." 

Here is the institution that ran the ad:
http://www.living-arts-college.edu/medical/medicalbilling.php

[Ysera]

Medical billing and coding is a field with very high demand, and it is a good fit for many people.  If someone were interested in getting into this field, I would recommend doing two things.  The first thing is to try to find any job in the healthcare industry that will allow you exposure to the healthcare field and give you some experience.  Whether it be as a receptionist, insurance verification person, or collections, getting your foot in the door is the first step to success.  Once you get into the field and begin networking with people who have the job you are interested in doing, you can begin asking them about ways to get into that type of job yourself.  If you are interested in good education in this field, then you can also research your local public community colleges.  Many community colleges have classes in this field of study, and are MUCH less expensive than the private schools.  Many of these community colleges also offer Associates Degrees in Health Information Technology or Medical Office Management or something similar that will be better recognized by employers than just a certificate from a private school in the same field of study.

Very good information. Thank you for posting this.