Most medical practices have heard of AAPC or the American Academy of Professional Coders, the question remains what certification if any is the best for your practice? As you may already know, the certification can make a bad employee good but can make a good employee better. Having a certificate does nothing for an individual that does not stay current with ever changing coding rules and procedures. It also does not give the employee a better work ethic or attitude.
The most frustrating thing for me as a former Medical Practice Administrator is a biller or coder with a poor attitude. I understand that many billers lack the desire or skills to interact with employees and patients on a daily basis but this was unacceptable in my practice. I would rather have a coding specialist that has a positive attitude and is willing to do what is necessary to improve OUR practice, even if that means they have to do some AR follow-up. The one thing that I have noticed with Certification is that it adds a level of confidence or arrogance to a coder that is not sometimes not present when the certification is not present. Having a coding certificate does less for your practice than it does for your employee and that is a fact. Certification is in no way a bad thing but you have to be prepared to pay more and may have to worry about losing them to another organizaton. From a coders perspective, obtaining certification does add value and increase your knowledge which is always the ultimate goal.
From a practice’s perspective a good coder does not need some letters behind their name to make them a better coder. The question is really concerning whether or not they are actually coding correctly. And know that just because they are certified, that does not mean that they are actually coding correctly or within compliance. If you are unsure of your coders ability then it would be wise to have an outside company perform a coding audit to ensure their competence.
