Frequently Asked Questions
Will I Be Able To Contact My Instructors When I Have Questions?
Experienced instructors are readily available to answer your questions. You will get to know the instructors and they will get to know you, as you work with them on a day-by-day basis. We also have an informal advisory board of health information management or medical records professionals who are available to us. We value their input to our program.
How Does Your Course Compare With Other Programs?
Our goal is to make our program the best in the nation. Our students and graduates tell us they can easily recognize the difference after evaluating several schools. It isn’t the most expensive; it isn’t the least expensive either. It isn’t the longest or shortest program. We just intend for it to be the best.
Someone who has observed graduates of our program since we started
in 1990 told me,“Although your program is not the cheapest, it
is certainly not the most expensive, but it is the best.” He
continued to “sell” me on my program. Although we have no
sales representatives, I was tempted to offer him a job on the spot!
Here’s more of what he said:
$80 - A person could invest
in a program costing $80, attend 6 weeks taking instruction from
someone who may never have even worked in the field. Students learn
little or nothing, waste their time, and have little or no employment
potential.
$700 - Attend for a longer period of time but have
little or no preparation to work in the real world. The program is
usually put together by administrators with no interest in learning
about this career. It’s just a course they offer.
$7,000
- Attend an even longer period of time. Many two-year programs turn
out graduates who know a great deal about medical terminology,
anatomy & physiology and disease processes, but they don’t
know how to put that knowledge to work on the job. Nobody is hiring
medical terminologists. The length of time spent studying is not
always a good indication of the effectiveness of a program.
How Did You Develop
your Program?
We made some choices when we opened in 1990.
We chose to keep putting more quality back into the program. That was
probably the best decision we ever made. In our first years, we
worked until we came up with the proper balance our students needed.
We believe we have that now.
We start with a simple,
step-by-step set of instructions in basic coding. Students then
advance to the intermediate level. The final portion of the program
includes advanced studies many coding specialists have used to
prepare for their certification exams. These materials were highly
effective for these coding/billing experts and are now accomplishing
the same purpose for our students, as a valuable part of our
program. We believe our program is an excellent investment for
those who look forward to a career in medical reimbursement.
How Much Education And Training Does A Medical Coder
Need?
Medical reimbursement requires a great deal more
than a coding book and some medical terms. Medical coders
always have to keep learning. Throughout your career, you will need
to keep up with changes in technology, medical procedures, etc.
You’ve chosen an interesting and challenging career. It is not
for everyone. You may hear stories of people just being hired “off
the street”and given a terminology course. They certainly are not
medical coding specialists. You don’t just pick up a coding
book and thumb through it until you find the right code. Ask the
experts. A few physicians’ offices may still be doing it that
way, but word is spreading about physicians being charged large
monetary penalties due to improper coding. Too much is at risk.
How
Many Cases Will I Code In Your Course?
Students code
hundreds of cases abstracted from actual medical records. The number
of cases isn’t as important as the quality. Our students spend
up to 600 hours coding high-quality material including actual
operative reports and discharge summaries. Our students often have
jobs before they are completely finished with all of the materials we
have available. These quality materials teach you how to do it the
right way. Supervisors don’t have time to train students.
Procedures differ from one facility to the next. The supervisors have
to spend a great deal of time with new employees, no matter how
experienced the new employee happens to be. Those supervisors have a
stressful job already. We have too much respect for them to ask them
to finish training our students for us along with all of their other
duties.
Is Quality or Quantity of Medical Coding More
Important?
Quality is always more important, but you must
have the knowledge and skills to be able to provide your employer or
clients with both. Start slowly and do a good job at what you do. If
you study effectively throughout your time with us, you won’t
feel you have to stop and look up every term you encounter later.
That habit is not going to help you with quality or quantity. Go
slowly and do solid, dependable work. The medical reimbursement
community is a small one. We hear about the quality of work coders
do. Those with poor training or those who do sloppy work quickly run
out of places to apply for employment. Don’t take on more than
you can do. Just a few words from someone who used to work with you
can cause a potential employer to toss your resume - and you’ll
never know what happened. If it happens enough times, you will be
looking for another career.
Will I Be Certified When I
Complete Your Course?
No school can provide you with
certification. That can be obtained only by completing an exam given
by the certifying organization. Certification is a worthy goal.
Although it is not required to be certified in this field, you may
wish to pursue certification after you have completed your training.
Schools are able to issue a certificate of achievement upon
completion of your course This can be framed and hung on the wall. We
do offer such a certificate.
Is Financial Assistance
Available?
Financial Assistance as such is not available
at The Andrews School. We have chosen to assist our students in the
following way:
Cost of tuition is $3,800.We allow students to
enroll with a minimum down payment of $1,000. We allow two years to
pay at no interest.
More questions? Send them to me. E-mail
Linda Andrews at linda@andrewsschool.com or call our student
coordinator at (405) 721-3560.