Classified advertisements that shout, “Work at Home!,” “Be Your Own Boss!,” or “Unlimited Earning Potential!” are ubiquitous, and unfortunately, all-too-common in the online medical coding certification field. These ads – often found in newspapers and magazines, online job posting sites or in spam email – make big promises but rarely deliver. The harsh reality is that some business opportunities and work-at-home schemes, such as those commonly found in the medical billing and coding job market can be deceptive and fraudulent. These types of businesses are regularly listed in the Federal Trade Commission’s top ten categories of consumer fraud complaints and the Better Business Bureau’s top ten scams list.
It is in your best interest to know the most common medical coding certificate scams if you plan on pursuing a job in this field. Certification is not necessary for employment as a medical coder, but many employers will only hire employees who are, in fact, credentialed. Your greatest chance at gaining employment is enrolling in a valid program that leads to certification. Investing hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a certificate from a bogus school will not lead to employment, let alone the lucrative career you may have been promised.
Common Scams: Fiction vs. Fact
There are many medical coding scams, but the following cons, and permutations of them, are the most common. Learn to separate the fiction the scammers want you to believe from the cold, hard facts.
You Don’t Need an Education
Fiction: There is such high demand that you do not need a costly education to begin working right away and earning $40,000 to $60,000 per year as a medical coder. There is a complete medical coding or medical coding and billing package that has everything you need to begin working immediately as a medical coder or biller, including coding and billing software as well as a list of doctors or other potential clients.
Fact: Common complaints include buggy software that does not work, works poorly or needs frequent updates that come at a price from the vendor. Also, the contact list is usually outdated, inaccurate and basically useless, anyway. Doctors, hospitals and other employers simply do not hire uneducated or inexperienced billers or coders.
Start Your Own Business/Work at Home
Fiction: Fork over several thousand dollars and you will receive training and a complete package to start a business or begin medical coding at home. Some of these vendors may even offer billing and administration support for your new business – for a small fee, naturally.
Fact: There are no short cuts. Most medical coders have to be educated and certified by recognized organizations in the field and work at an office or other medical setting for some amount of time to gain experience and prove themselves competent before being able to work from home. Owning your own business involves more than simply handing over payment to a third party. Unfortunately, once an unscrupulous scammer has your credit card information, there is a greater chance that unauthorized charges and fees may appear on your statement.
All Medical Coding Schools are Created Equal
Fiction: All schools and programs that offer medical coding certification are alike. Those that offer certification in the least amount of time for the least money are the best bargain. You can begin working at home immediately upon graduation.
Fact: Medical coding programs that are credentialed are the best option, with established standards in medical coding education that can lead to certification and a better chance of landing a job. You usually will not be able to work at home immediately, as previously noted. Do not trust schools and programs that promise certification in less than six or nine months. These diploma programs are typically several hundred dollars. Two-year programs usually run for several thousands of dollars. Be wary of programs that seem either much more or much less than the average. Carefully look over any financing terms before signing.
Red Flag Rundown
Now that you know the most common scams, here is a quick rundown of red flags to look for when evaluating an online medical coding certificate program:
- The program does not list a physical address or phone number
- A course that lasts for less than six- to nine months
- A program or package that asks you to hand over large sums of money up front
- A program that promises a certain income after graduation
- A course list that does not cover a broad range of topics, like ICD-9 coding, anatomy and physiology, health care laws and ethics, and insurance abuse and fraud
- A program that is not certified by one of the professional organizations that offer certification
How to Avoid Becoming a Scam Victim
To safeguard yourself from becoming a scam victim, check that the program in which you are interested is accredited – a good first step when evaluating whether or not a program is legitimate and reputable. Check the websites of these organizations for databases where you can search accredited schools and programs:
Look for online forums where students or participants in the program post feedback for an honest, unbiased evaluation. You can also call doctors and hospitals in the area and ask them about the programs attended by the medical coders they have hired.
Always be wary of any suspicious emails and never click on links in emails from people you do not know. Check them out first by running a search with the relevant keyword (the name of the school or program offering certification) and “scam” or “complaint.”
Additionally, use these resources to check for complaints or reports before enrolling in an online medical coding certificate program:
You may also contact these agencies to report an organization that you think may have conned you.
About our expert. Jan Jacobs has worked in medical offices since the early 1980's. Ms. Jacobs has worked for M.D.'s and D.O.'s in primary care and specialty care. She is employed as a senior medical biller and has been at her current job for nearly 10 years, where she uses three different billing systems.
