Books

[fludderby]

We is the best place to get the coding book at I have found so many different places I am not sure which one is the best and do they have the 2013 books out yet.  Hope

[DMK]

PMIC, Medical Arts Press, and AmeriFile usually have sales and you can pre-order if they are not already out.  Be sure to shop!  There really isn't a "best" place to buy.  It's the best if you get a good deal!  Also look for the ones that include the information on CD!

[PMRNC]

I'm loving having the codes on my iphone and Ipad     http://www.billingcodinglibrary.com/  excellent prices and our members get a 20% discount.

[fludderby]

What books do I need if I am  going to work with any type of doctor or for right now I am working with a Psychiatrist but I am advertising to all types of doctors, too? And are we suppose to use the ICD-10-CM or ICD-9-CM? What I am trying to find out is do I need CPT, HCPCS, Physicians fee and coding guide, or ICD-9-CM Experts for Physicians or anyone books to code with.   
Hope

[PMRNC]

Many mental health providers still use the DSM, and don't realize there are indeed codes in the DSM that get rejected, so my first advice to my mental health clients is to lose the DSM in regards to coding.   You also ask:

do I need CPT, HCPCS, Physicians fee and coding guide, or ICD-9-CM Experts for Physicians or anyone books to code with

Are you a certified coder? Is coding a part of your contract? I ask because the two are very different. I do not provide coding for various reasons and the most important one is that it's added liability. My clients are responsible for coding and some have a CPC on staff to do that or they providers code using superbills to which the codes are right there.  I do think billing companies even if they are not coding need to be familiar with the codes themselves so they can identify mistakes, fraud, abuse, etc. With that said you will want ICD 9, HCPCS and CPT. Also it's a good idea to begin familiarizing yourself with ICD-10 as well. Another optional book is any book dealing with modifiers, many times providers use the wrong ones or they need to know which one to be used and your job might be to identify the best possible modifier.

[fludderby]

Thank you so much, I am not yet a certified coder I am looking to get grants to do all of that and the class that was suggested by someone in this forum. I did not know there was a difference I went to college for billing and have not been able to get a job so I am trying to open my own business and start that way, my client is a friend and we do not have a contract because I am trying to clean up another billers mess and she is no longer practicing so it is pretty much for experience and a little of money. In college they do not teach you a lot about the process it is more on legal and other things. I can't find someone that is a biller in my area so that I can find that hands on, I really am about to give up but I have invested to much time and about $60,000 in school loans so I do not want to give up and I feel so stupid when I get on this forum because I am learning how little I know and how much I am going to fail, will a lot of people in my life think I am so I guess they are right in a since. Sorry to be so negative I am just very stressed and don't know what to do.
Hope 

[PMRNC]

Yes, the coding is different. If you are going into business and want to add coding to your services, the best advice is to go through the AAPC and become certified. Coding if you are going to be doing it from home or outside the office is a very big liability. I have over 25 years experience with my own billing company and I do not do coding, I leave that to the practice and/or the physicians/my clients.  That is not to say if you don't want to do it you shouldn't, by all means learn coding and get certification so that you are prepared for it better.  The AAPC's website is: http://www.aapc.com/    It is a pretty extensive course but it really is the only certification out there provider's will trust. Courses at school only barely brush on coding mostly for billers who should be able to recognize codes and catch coding errors. A coder has to actually code from the patient's medical chart to which the physician documents.

You can only fail if you give up, please keep that in mind! $60K in student loans is a lot.. and I do NOT want to discourage you so how about a few suggestions? While you put your business together why not look for a position in maybe a hospital, doctors office or even insurance company if you have one near by, get the added hands on experience while you take the time to setup your business. Many of us have had full time jobs when we decided to start up because there are start up expenses you will need. Estimated start up costs are about $5000-$10,000.   I have two girls in college right now with no financial aid.. just the bank of mom and dad  so I do truly empathize with you and the struggles it is to get started with a new career.   

If you can't find a job then you should put together a contract for your friend, make sure your business is registered and you obtained all your business registration requirements, etc. Hold back on marketing further clients until you have decided what direction to go in.   Personally if I were you, I would put off any further schooling and look at your education up-to-date and build off of that. MANY of us billers do NOT do coding.. it raises your insurance and liability. In your contract you make the coding the responsibility of the provider, it's their choice to code the claims or not or hire a CPC or not. I've never had a problem with that.  Networking with some CPC's is an added benefit    If you still want to learn coding, again, I do not want to discourage you, but do not go anywhere but the AAPC or you will be throwing your money away, as their certification really is one of the only ones to be recognized.

There are many who've decided against starting their own business until they have more hands on, and that's a possibility for you too. If you can't find anything in billing you may have to take entry level until you work your way up. Hospital's are always hiring in their administrative offices, filing, reception, billing, records, etc.    So don't give up, just explore all the options.

[fludderby]

Thank you so much I will try this I did not know we had the choice not to code and I like the idea of not coding and letting the client do all of that. I have tried to get hired on at a hospital but they all want experience and that is something I do not have but I will keep at it, Thank you.

Hope

[ruthie72]

That is exactly what I did. I tried my own business, and with no experience, noone even wanted to talk to me. I tried so hard. I am not trying to discourage you, it is different every where. I got lucky and got a job as a billing coordinator at a hospital, which I love and I learn new things every day. I am also going to be taking the coding exam through AAPC in November..I also just took a billing course without the coding, but learned coding through the course. JUSt not certified through it. So, I purchased the book for CPC study guide, 2 practice tests and hopefully in NOV i will be certified..and I am going to try to get at least a year's experience before I try my own business again..SO GOOD LUCK you can do it too!