Work from home?

[MedBiller2019]

When I started my school program they promoted this career line as a possible work from home scenario.
As I went through the program I heard it is very hard to actually work from home and the jobs are limited.

I was just wondering if anyone does work from home as a medical biller? Any tips or suggestions as to where to apply for work from home jobs in this field?  I work in a specialists office right now and I love it! But having to shuttle kids around to schools & activities limits my hours I can work in the office.  I know my doctor's don't want anyone working from home.  So I'm curious about maybe being able to pick up extra hours working from home.

Thank you in advance for any help!

[Michele]

We have been doing this for 25+ years.  It was originally located in my home, then we moved it to Alice's.  Now Alice has moved out and I moved in.  So it's always been in one of our homes.  However, we do have 10 employees.  Our offices are located on the property in units that used to be apartments.  This works great for us and allows me to "work from home" but it's not exactly the scenario you are looking for.  We have people contact us looking for a work from home opportunity but we do not hire people to work from home.  It just doesn't work for us.  We don't feel that people can be as productive (for our situation) because they can't access our equipment, etc.  Also we have a daily lunch meeting that is a huge help to keep us all connected, and working as a team.  We do allow our office manager to leave early to pick up her daughter, and then she finishes her work day from home, by working remotely.  But it wouldn't work if she wasn't able to spend 6 hours here. 

Your choices are to 1. start your own billing service and get clients.  or 2.  Find a provider who doesn't physically need you present in the office. 

Sorry, I wish I could be of more help.   Maybe you could see if your current employer would allow you to work most of your time in the office, but (like our office manager) finish your day from home?  If they are happy with your work they may be open to a split situation.

[PMRNC]

Yes indeed it is a very difficult profession to break into for working at home. So many of those online courses advertise this business as a "hot" opportunity to work from home and it's just very deceptive.

Medical billers can work from home, they can do so as an independent contractor or a business or even an employee. BUT..medical offices are not going to hire someone to work from home right out of a billing course. An independent contractor or billing company business owner has a much better chance as long as they have the experience to back it up.

http://billerswebsite.com/medicalbillingblog/?p=131

[kristin]

While some  billing companies will hire people to work from home, it is not common, and  usually you have to have a proven track record (experience) in most cases. The biggest issue is how people look at what "work from home" means. Generally, it means you are working as if you were in an office, but at home instead. No kids to deal with, no distractions, HIPAA compliant work-space/internet connection, etc.

In addition to my regular work running a medical practice, I also work remotely for two billing companies. The reason I was hired with both was I had 20 years experience in my specialty, I have no kids/other obligations during the hours I work for them, and I am able to be HIPAA compliant with my work-space. This is not easy to do for most people.

You say you are already limited with your hours at your job due to your particular situation. Can you tell a potential remote employer that you will be available when they need you to be available, with no other commitments? Meaning, if they need you to do billing for a client from 7pm-10pm each night, you can do that, with absolutely no personal interruptions, just like if you were in an office setting? If the answer is no, then remote work is not an option.