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Welcome, AAPC members to another I am AAPC interview. I am Alex McKinley, AAPC, Alex from the AAPC National Office, and we are with Heather Hulk today. Hello, Heather, how are you? Good, how are you? Good, how are you doing? I'm great, thank you. And with I am AAPC, we are here to learn the stories of AAPC members and ... |
didn't know what diagnosis code was. But they asked me some questions and they hired me. I did claims research there and worked my way up through to a coder and had a fascination with cardiology. Wow. He was there for about five years. And the cardiology group that was there left and took their billing back, their codi... |
do you want the next stage? And I did that for four years and in that interim created a really good relationship with the physicians and they gradually started having me code their their cases, trained me in different realms. I was there for five years around that mark and a there was an incident where a biller left un... |
really? And I jumped on it. I jumped on it. I jumped on it. I did that then for an interval. Started meeting with one of the physicians on a regular basis to get my certification in cardiology them and get my certification in the CPC. And I did that for an interval and then... Let me you this Heather. So how did you le... |
it was all I was preparing for the CPC and then I knew I wanted both certifications. So I was preparing for both along the way. Okay. And so you end up taking the CPC in time. What was that experience like? He's intimidating. I'm not gonna lie. We let our nerves get rid of us. But it's a very organized structure. The w... |
sweat, and tears. Yeah, so you went through that crying. I went through that stage of I don't know if this is for me. Maybe I'm going to work, you know, maybe I'll just work in a factory through all those stages. And then after about a week of coming to grips with it, I contacted, you know, talked to the physician and ... |
Heather? I've been very involved with my local chapter actually before it even existed. What was it late 90s? Late 90s, early 2000. Lancaster only had the option to go to Harrisburg and I don't remember if York existed yet or not. But Robin Zinc and Renee again, we're starting up the Lancaster chapter approached me and... |
I've been teaching now at one of our local technical schools. And I drag them to these AAPC events and that's, it's rewarding. Wow, that's great. Thank you so much for doing that. And you know, APC wouldn't be what it is without members who serve. I mean, because you proctor the exams, I'm sure you've done that for yea... |
Heather? I know that that's appealing to some perspective coders. Have you taken that route at all? I have worked from home for eight years now since I've left with the company to fill in Philly. So for eight years I've worked from home. And do you prefer that? Do you think it's overhyped? What are your feelings about ... |
is that the CPCI? The C. C. I. Okay, and how has that helped you? Well, what were your intents with that? The CPCI, my intent originally was, I had a lot of people contacting me to tutor them. And I wanted to at least have the certification to say, yeah, I can tour you or work with you. And I wanted to pursue teaching ... |
take that entry level position and create your relationships because that one relationship can sometimes just excel your career. Don't, and I always say don't overpressure yourself and what I mean by that is I've had some students that you know fail by that one or two points on the exam. Don't give up. Just I have a st... |
you know, I can have a physician who really believes something could be coded in a manner and it's totally not correct. And then you have to look at the compliance end of that. So there's a lot of preparation for those meetings and those meetings can get quite fun. They're passionate, you're passionate, and it's just i... |
don't set your expectations unrealistically. And what I mean by that is an unrealistic from in my opinion is I'm going to work remote. I'm going to only get jobs that are remote. When all you're doing is applying for those type of positions, you're cutting your chances way down. I think you just have to be very open mi... |
new, that that new coder did, that's why they got it. Because it wouldn't even been, you know, I've seen managers create things because somebody just is showing the effort. And I think networking and showing up the APC events for me personally as a manager when I see that I know they have the drive and sometimes honest... |
you know, how are they interacting. And I've approached people the newer, you know, some new members and said, you know, why don't you run for office for this? We need a secretary or we need this and it opened so many doors. Wow, that's so great to hear. Now, did I hear you say you had been to a regional conference? Ye... |
see, it's spelling. But Dr. Zia is like top and interventional radiology. That's how he's the instructor of it. He's become the father coding of it. But he was presenting and my co-worker and I, we were like, we gotta hurry up, we gotta be a front and roll out. I said, we feel like we're seeing a movie star. We actuall... |
absolutely. It's great. I mean, and as you say about the APC, one of the things with the students that they tell them, you know, you do the interview process because they learn both the soft and hard skills. I said, I don't care how much you hate a job in coding. I don't care. Do not burn that bridge. I said, you leave... |
set your goals realistic, make them manageable, and just pursue it because it's accomplishable. I don't give up. Don't give up. If you have your eyes set on that goal, stick with it. Never give up on it. I mean, for example, like I said, I failed my break points and cried for a day was horrible. Oh, man. I didn't quit.... |
Welcome to AAPC starting points where we speak with newly certified members who are working and learn about their journey, how they did it, how they passed their exam and how they found our first job. Today our first interview is Abby Duncan. Abby, how are you? Good, how are you? I am great. Now, Abby, we've spoken bef... |
congratulations. Yeah. I'm sure that was a huge relief. It was. I'm going to back this up a little bit, Abby. So what led you into coding or how did you discover medical coding? Did you have family who worked in the field or anything like that? No, I didn't really have any family. I honestly, I wanted a remote position... |
that is awesome to hear it in. You do have that first job you are working now and you got you will get to that story. I'm real excited to share how you found that first position. But you're basically peeling back the layers of medical coding. It's all new to you. You're looking, you found a career that may work. When d... |
and we always encouraged that before taking the real exam because you want to be sure, right, that you're somewhat prepared and ready to go, some sign that will give you confidence for that. What kind of things did you do to help you have a successful exam? Oh man, you know, I don't want to like it to sound bad or anyt... |
and you're not reading them front to back. It's not like you have to memorize everything in there and tell us how did you use the books because you didn't have any notes in there. How do you utilize them in your exam to be successful? The old school way. So what I'm learning now in my job is they don't use the index at... |
okay, I know that's in the foot and it's part of the toes or connected to the toes in some way because tarsal means toes. Okay, all right. Well, it's in there. It's all packed in and it's not on the paper or paper for a cheat theater or anything. You just have it in your brain. Yeah. Now, for perspective, when it is no... |
maybe had more coding experience in the background because I went like five rounds of interviews and didn't get it. So then I was really kind of yeah I was really like down on myself and then I had that conversation with you and my spirits were like lifted I'm like okay this is not impossible you sent me the links to y... |
I just, with my family dynamic and stuff and my husband wanting to switch career career fields, this is probably the best answer. So yeah, I got the job in, I was offered it in the beginning of March and then just with scheduling and stuff like that I started it last week. So, okay, all right. And did you know anybody ... |
hey, can you come in for an in-person interview with like three of the other supervisors on Monday at 2 p.m. Same day. And'm like I can try to make that work so I did and you really have to want it you really have to want this and go out and just keep asking questions there's always somebody that can help you and Alex ... |
like, make my call a priority or whatever. Because that's those are the words that I kind of used with some of the people in the building department. So. Okay, I want to talk about two things. I want to talk about job interviews and resumes. Let's start with interviews. You had, you mentioned your first series of inter... |
but I did feel like it was a good learning experience to really know how to talk to somebody in the professional world if you will. Yeah. So yeah that that was a good learning experience and I bummed that I still don't have that job yes because it was it was remote and they send all of the equipment to you and that wil... |
like, she knows how to talk to people instead is how they look at it. So when you're critiquing yourself and like the jobs that you have had, it's easy to go down that rabbit hole of, oh, it's not, it's not connected to medical. So the jobs that I was previously applying to with my resume that I had just built using a ... |
because there's lot a lot more planning and coordinating and yes yes yes yes I put all of that in there and they the company that hired me really did say that like that help to just instead of just putting stay-at-home mom like domestic engineer or there you go. Oh boy. Dress it up and tell them everything that you do ... |
just entry level. So places that he knows does coding so that he can get his foot in the door prior to completing his schooling. Now going to school and working is tough but that's what he is doing so that he can eventually become a coder and ironically he applied for a what is it called just data entry. For the same c... |
Welcome to another edition of I am A A P P C and today we have Bridget Wilson with us who is our youngest certified CPC a Bridget. Thanks for today. Thank you. So Bridget, you recently passed the CPC exam. Yes. And you're 15, I understand. Well, congratulations. What was that like to to take that exam? It was very hard... |
it sounds like you must be this amazing daughter who wants to be supportive of your mom. Was that kind of the mentality at first? Like, she's going down this path, maybe I'll just try it with her. But I kind of want to have a stable job on my tradition to go to college. I don't want to be like working in fast food or r... |
this is probably the longest exam you've ever taken. You mentioned that it was stressful and things. What did you do to help prepare you for this exam? I made sure I studied slow. I didn't want to rush and cram everything at the last minute because I know that's not a good way to retain the information. And I feel like... |
you're good with that. Yes. All right. And I'm sure you're learning so much about anatomy and things that will prepare you for your future ambitions. Yeah. That's good. Right. That's awesome to hear. Now, you mentioned when you when you spoke about taking the exam, you mentioned time, you said the word time management.... |
next I want to start going into being employed. So right now I'm trying to finish up and with my course, since I wasn't able to do it all super quickly because I would be cool. And then once I finish, I'm going to start looking for different jobs I can do part-time in. Okay, so if anybody's looking for a part-time code... |
it's exciting to hear that you've taken this path and you have so many options in front of you. And this shows your grit and desire to excel and be committed to, to your future. I'm kind of curious, what do your friends think about all of this? Do they, are they aware of the complexities and how difficult it can be? So... |
Welcome to another broadcast of I am AAPC. I am AAPC Alex from the AAPC National Office. Today I have Jane Larmore from Florida. Hello Jane. Hi Alex, how are you? Great to see you again. Great, great to see you too. And your, I did believe, did we meet in Gainesville? Yes, we did. We met in Gainesville at the Coding Fi... |
really helped me get the ENM down. So you mentioned you have the CPMA. I'm assuming you have the CPC. I have a CPC. Okay. So tell us about all of your certifications. Okay, so I have a COC, a CPC, a CEMC, and a C-P-M-A. Okay. Yes. And how long have you been a member of A-A-P-C for? I have been a member of A-A-P-C- a me... |
not so much? Correct. Yes. And why health care? The health care is very important to me because of my parents and my family and also the dynamics of the coding aspect to make sure that everything is accurate and people are diagnosed with the correct conditions. Healthcare is a very, had a lot of the coding and billing ... |
and no one wanted to even look at my resume. It wasn't being recognized. It wasn't being recognized. No. So yes. So from there, I went and actually I did the old-fashioned way. I went to all the physicians' offices in where I live and I dropped off my resume and I waited and waited. However, no calls. So my husband wen... |
oh I didn't pass. It's not that you didn't pass. It's not that you're not a good coder or if you're currently coding and trying to take CPC or just learning. I believe there's a learning curve in taking a test. And this also will build your strength that you need for the coding and billing aspect of the job because the... |
blood, sweat and tears. Yes. And that makes it all the more sweet when we go through adversity. Yes, it does. And actually, it helped me. I took the CBC and I did the COC a couple of times. It helped me to be a better coder. And I believe that, you know, if you pass it on the first time, that's great. If you don't, jus... |
have more options to work in different places. Yeah. And I'm pulling up the acronyms, you know these better than me, Jane, but COC is the certified outpatient coder. Yes. And where, what kind of environment do they work in inpatient, I guess it's outpatient coder. It's outpatient, they work in ambulatory care centers. ... |
I wanted to know why we were getting certain denials. So that course helped me with leveling visits and helping doctors not get the denials on their visits as well as get into the compliance and auditing. Yes. All right. And we, I think that covers all of them. CPMA. Oh, CPMA. That is the best one. I was like, well, wh... |
so I was really prepared for it. Okay. And any thoughts for you I mean well one you're you're you are a learner your lifelong learner I guess I am. And what what do you see in your future? Are there other certifications that you can stand our website that you thinkthink? Maybe I'd want to do this someday. I think I'm g... |
what words of encouragement would you give to new students who are seeking this career path? And so this is a two-parter seeking this career path and those who are preparing for the exam? Those that are seeking this career path, I would tell them to join as a member of AAPC and to read, I guess, read the guidelines, le... |
you know, taking it multiple times. And I think employers want to see that grit in someone who's committed to figuring things out. Yes. And you've done that. You are that example of that. Yes. Yes. So. That's great. All right. Well, Jane. Thank you so much. I just want before you leave, I would love for you to just giv... |
Welcome to another edition of I am AAPC. Today I have with me, Vanessa Bon Tempe. Vanessa, how are you? I'm doing great, Alex. How about you? I am wonderful, thank you. Vanessa, would you tell us your story, your background professionally, and what led you into this tap? My background is kind of diverse. I started off ... |
then was directed to the AAPC website and started to look through there and decide how you wanted to get certified and what kind of prospects there were for jobs. Tell us about training and how did you prepare for the AAPC exam. What did you go to community college or did you use AAPC's curriculum? I've researched that... |
sometimes get up early in the morning or stay up late at night, take stuff with me in the car when I was running kids around to study there. And it sounds like you had very little health care experience as far as knowing anatomy and medical terminology. Did you, did you have to take those? No, I didn't. I would recomme... |
which for me is very important in the job. If I will get bored if I don't get a chance to grow and learn and do new things. And getting my certification through the AAPC has allowed me that opportunity. I've worked for a wonderful company that has endless ways to grow and learn, and they support us wonderfully. Okay, w... |
Vanessa, that many of our students aspire to as far as seeking employment that offers flexibility to be at home. What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow your path? I won't take the video courses. Again, it will keep you on track. They set up community groups for you to talk to your classmates so you c... |
CPCA, you just came out of certification. So that's how I got in my foot in the door. Now, I did get other interviews. This wasn't the only position I interviewed for. I probably had 10 or 15 other interviews. I had one other offer, but I pulled out people that I used to work with. If they had any health care field con... |
I look at this though I'm interviewing them as much as they're interviewing me. At this point, I was like, I don't want to work. I'm not just trying to get an offer. I want to see if this is a good fit. You know, do you know, do I have what what they need? But also do they have what I need? Do they have the flexibility... |
your current position and how you got there. I love it, and I think that's going to inspire many. It sounds like from what you've said previously that you passed on your first try, is that correct? Yes. Okay, and did you and you mentioned that someone reached out to you because on the Facebook group, did you post in th... |
absolutely. I've been very blessed and I tried to take advantage of the opportunities I had so that I could be where I wanted to be with having the flexibility to work from home and do a job I love and have the possibility to learn for it. In fact, I, when they had APC had the sale for classes recently, I signed up and... |
know your way around because there was a lot of people that had a lot of questions and I think that slowed them down going in and I'm just naturally really curious. So I wanted to know how everything worked. And you know, it enabled me to find all the little pieces of things that would help you. You know, some of the a... |
and you really dug into that for the course even officially took off. Any specific tips for exam prep? Because I know as you get closer to the exam, you're trying to recall some of those things that you might have learned earlier, make sure your books are tabbed and marked. Guidelines, know your guidelines. That for me... |
I mean, you have the facilities that you code and you code those. And we work in teams and sometimes if there's an influx and somebody needs help, we'll go on somebody else's site and help them. But primarily you're on your own, you're left to your own devices and you have seniors that you can go ask questions of. But ... |
you get the kids going and then you actually know here. My schedule, I decided to work it. I start work at 6 a.m. And work till 2 30.30. With a half hour break for lunch. My husband gets the kids off. But I mean, my older three can get themselves off. My sixth grader needs a little bit of help, but not too much. So tha... |
hey, could you clarify this policy know in what in this unusual situation you know how should I handle this and you know they've always been wonderful about it I've never had you know to feel like well why don't you know that or it's oh it's here they're no like hey great thank you for asking you know we love to clarif... |
so we get to go and hear a lot of great music. And now that COVID, you know, we're actually getting out and get to see people again. So for me, it's just that. It's getting together with friends I haven't got to see in a long time. Vanessa, where are you located? I don't think we ever talked about that. Um, just outsid... |
Welcome to another edition of I am AAPC. Today I have Lique Davis with us who is from Hawaii. Lique, how are you? I'm good. How are you? I am great. Thank you so much for being willing to share your story with AAPC members and you submitted your story back when we had HealthCon, HealthCon, 2022, virtual, and I read abo... |
oh, okay. So we ended up searching for programs out here in Hawaii. And at the time, they were known as Hawaii Medical Institute. Now they're known as Hawaii Medical College. So I enrolled in the program, and I did the whole course. We did like anatomy, medical term and like fundamental stuff. And then when it came tim... |
speaking with the providers, what would their issues for. And I ended up having a friend at the time, she told me that their APC had like a three months crash course to get CPC certified. So I was like, okay, why not? You know, I do remember medical term. I do remember my anatomy and then just being, working with Unite... |
but definitely don't leave any question blank. When if you're down to like the last couple minutes of the exam, just fill in whatever bubble because you have a higher chance of getting that right versus you leaving it blank. Yeah, you have zero chance of getting it right if it's right. Right. Oh, man. So you at this ti... |
OK, awesome. Awesome. So tell us how long did it take you to find that first job? And what led to that? Let's hear about it. So that's funny because I got certified September 2015 and of course I was playing everywhere and a lot of companies want that three year experience which is like hard to find you know like I jus... |
you know, it's a lot of it's about networking and relationships and things like that. And obviously that was that for you. The strange thing is your friend was a new coder as well. Yeah. She led you down that path. So did you ever attend local chapter meetings or what and be a part of about of that community in your ar... |
it, and then I ended up working for a little while with Jerry Leon and getting a lot of information and knowledge from her and as well as the others and was amazing it really opened my eyes and I was like dang this it reminds me of like hogboards a little bit like this coding world is so huge and so it's the visiting ... |
the billing one and then just seeing what else comes available and what I also feel interested in because I think the OBGYN too, that sounded interesting to me. But it on like where, where my path takes me as far as the, which specialties I really work with. Yes, the gay, and as you talked about paths opening up doors ... |
my full-time job, we became hybrid. So two days of the week, I go in the office and then the rest of the three days I'm here at home. And that allows me to work on my business as well when I have downtime. And then on the weekends too, like I'll wake up and if I feel like to exercise, I'll go exercise and then I'll do ... |
to the patients and just learn whatever I can learn here. And you mentioned that there were a few other career paths that crossed your mind, one being a teacher and one digital media, kind of that's what I'm doing. So you've got this creative side to you and you've got this teaching side, but also this investigator wan... |
like they're very analytical and they would probably shirk away from saying that they're creative. So, and I don't know what it's like for you and the other coders that you work with, I know what it's like for you because you have all of that, but are, do you feel like many of the coders or the majority of coders are m... |
you know, I'm like always I'm always saying something or bringing up a question or because sometimes like I'll help other coders like message me privately and be like oh thank you for asking that because I was running the same thing and I was like no worries I got you. It's just I think if you ask questions and you're ... |
but that is also a possibility that or a path that I thought about taking eventually as well. Okay, all right, that's a beautiful thing. There's so many opportunities. How has A. P. C. Helped you in your career. Oh my gosh, and a lot of ways just like just, just giving me my multiple jobs that I have, meeting certain i... |
if you prefer to stay in your own home and attend, do it that way if you can, or in person as well. That way you can just be really in the vibe of everything, because it's really fun. When you register for an AP conference and you look at all of the different sessions, what kind of sessions do you look for? Are you loo... |
so many opportunities to speak to other chapters as you're getting your expertise. I'm sure you'll discover those things that can help other coders in health care business monthly or like I said, chapters or maybe even speaking at a conference. Maybe we can see you speaking at a conference instead of attending a confer... |
like there's so much more to it than just a regular here's the sun here's the moon kind of thing. So it helps balance out everything and I think that's why I approach things with both perspective of a logical and intuitive part. That is awesome. Well, Lique, thank you so much for sharing your story. Hang on with me as ... |
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