Home based medical coders are often self employed as independent contractors. This type of work falls somewhere between being an hourly employee and owning your own business.

An independent contractor is an individual who has contracted with a larger organization that provides work to the home based coder for an agreed upon payment. These independent contractors benefit by working from home, having a flexible schedule, and having a steady and reliable income without assuming the large overhead costs and liability that accompany small entrepreneurships.

The contract agreement entered by the home based medical coder and the organization should specify items like:

-Number of Chart Provided/Coded
-Payment
-Accuracy Standards
-Hardware and Software Responsibilities

The number of charts a coder can contract for may depend upon their coding specialty, experience, desired income, and time commitment.

Since rates vary by specialty it is important to know the industry standard for your specific specialty and if you fall within that specialty’s average.

The following is a loose projection home based medical coders can use when negotiating a rate in their contract:

Coding Specialist I:
45 inpatient records daily
2 min/chart or 250/day outpatient and ER records
3.5 min/chart or 130/day ambulatory surgery records

Coding Specialist II:
32 inpatient records daily
2 min/chart or 250/day outpatient and ER records
4 min/chart or 120/day ambulatory surgery records

Coder II:
23 inpatient records daily
3 min/chart or 160/day outpatient and ER records
6 min/chart or 80/day ambulatory surgery records

Coder I:
15 inpatient records daily
4 min/chart or 120/day outpatient and ER records
8 min/chart or 60/day ambulatory surgery records

Home based medical coders who choose to be independent contractors will also need to negotiate their rate of pay. Usually this is a flat rate that is agreed upon in the contract. This rate is then paid on a per chart basis.

Rates of pay are strongly influenced by things like geographical location, coding specialty, experience, and current economic variables. A home based medical coder can use the following as a loose guide to help them in their contract negotiations regarding rates of pay.

Professional Coding/Outpatient:.60 -.75 per chart
Facility Coding/Inpatient:.70 -.85 per. chart
Combination Coding/Both In and Outpatient:.90 – 1.50 per. chart

The rate of charts coded and the rate of pay are the two main influences affecting a home based medical coder’s income. It is important to properly calculate the chart commitment and pay rate and balance it with the amount of time needed to perform the task.

For instance, a medical coder who codes out patient charts may contract for 875 charts each week at a rate of.65 cent per chart. If the week’s commitment is divided by the standard rate of 25 chart per hour the medical coder will need to allot for 35 hours of work time each week (875/25=35). If the medical coder is paid.65 per chart then their weekly income will be $568.75 (875 x.65) and their “hourly” average will be $16.25 ($ 568.75 / 35 hrs).

To hold a profitable home based medical coding job speed and accuracy are of upmost importance. Speed will enable the medical coder to increase their pay and decrease their time commitment. It is possible to achieve “full time pay” working only 20 hours a week, but this takes time to achieve and it is important to remember to maintain accuracy as well.

Most organizations that contract with home based medical coders specify in the contract that the coder must maintain a specific accuracy standard. This standard is usually between 94% – 98% accuracy. Charts that are coded and submitted by the independent contractor are periodically audited to ensure they are being coded correctly. This audit is what produced the accuracy percentage. If accuracy is not maintained the organization may terminate the contract.

Benefits and taxes are other items a home based medical coder must consider prior to becoming an independent contractor.

Benefits such as medical, dental, 401K contributions, vacation, and paid time off are usually not provided since you are considered self employed. Contracting organizations usually do allow for their coder’s to take vacations and sick days, however, since these are usually unpaid they should be budgeted for in advance.

Taxes are also different for the independent contractor. The organization that the medical coder contracts with will usually send their payments out similar to a scheduled paycheck. These checks are paid in gross earning though.

It is the responsibility of the home based medical coder to withhold taxes from each check and set the money aside for payment to the government at the end of the year. When the end of the year arrives the organization will send the coder a 10-99 instead of a W-2 and when filing taxes the independent contractor should file a schedule 1040.

A schedule 1040 allows the home based medical coder to itemize and subtract some items such as medical coding books, computers, internet connections, office supplies, etc. as deductions. Keeping track of work related expenses is important and beneficial come tax time.

Items that are provided by the contracting organization may not be counted as a deduction though. What is provided by an organization and what the home based medical coder is responsible for varies from one organization to another.

Some organizations may provide the medical coding books while other organizations hold the medical coder responsible for their purchase. The most common practice among organization regarding independent medical coders though is to provide them with the medical coding software, a firewall, e-mail, and some technical support.

It is usually the responsibility of the home based medical coder to provide an adequate computer system, medical coding books, an internet connection, and day to day work supplies (paper, pens, etc.)

Technical support is usually limited to the organization’s software, firewall, and e-mail. Hardware failures, internet service interruptions, and items of that nature are usually the responsibility of the independent contractor.

Once a medical coder has informed themselves regarding all of the facts and they are prepared for the specific obligations that accompany home based medical coding and independent contracting they are ready to locate an organization that offers such opportunities.

If searching online avoid searching for phrases such as: “work at home medical coding jobs” and try searching for phrases like “remote medical coding jobs” and “independent contractor medical coding jobs”.

Companies like Avia Code, Med Data, and The Coding Network are just a few that hire home based medical coders as well.

10 year of medical billing and coding experience, home based ER coder, a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and Certified Professional Coder Hospital (CPC-H), the local AAPC Norwalk Chapter founder and president, a Coding instructor and tutor, and founder of the educational website which provides career options, educational advice, and answers to common questions for those starting out in the medical billing and coding fields.enplus-pellets
855mikewins
smart
unicocampania
spr
ediindia
nexisuni
darwininitiative
inaturalist
ec-lille
magazine-services
2007-2013
digaloweb
wbm
paulminors
www
triompheit
bestcars66
zengwei
skywebtech
smartbusinessplan
directscale
egiz
hdfst
hxjiqi
tm
for-me-online
stiftungsparkasse
president
hawkcentral
freepage
bundesverband-rettungshunde
urbanshadow
oakandcove
fuhsd
einszweidreidruck
mpogtop
enea
jualo
stw-ma
inetpsa
frontier-enterprise
digitalhungary
001bokep
goldgenie
enriqueiglesias
orsagronklitt
element84
flamboroughmanor
worcester
biblemapper
businesswire
studiountitled
illesbalears
enlaces
agr
forsythtech
fgynbyv
livhospital
acermi
active8tor
rybbaby
citizen-science
teatromayor
kuac
cpooutlets
oekomodellregionen
fitobimbi
mms-monaco
studiointeract
huxingwl
aguttes
naash
r2x
sadnet
americanairlines
ufu
landgestuetcelle
versacereplica
uasvision
extendedcareproducts
fotostiftung
guestbookcentral
find-your-bride
dirittobancario
cooksmill
targit
198
homedeal
we
lcc
actemium
prostitutionresearch
cretetravel
obsbygg
5336
editors-official
cucn
hwgeneralins
businessprodesigns
theworld
klug-suchen
vba-ev
design4u
esidesign
aim-factory
sobory
westernhealth
allhandsmarketing
pixelsquid
bronte
achi
viscomitalia
myprocespo
socialdocumentary
freegoodiesfordesigners
sabre-france
appointmentor
5422199
colips
isirv
bbuzzart
pslweb
ampliz
cab-station
weeblycloud
info64
5bits
aapy02
lizardpoint
megavision
lifehacker
mazav
internetmarketer
k18hair
webdevbros
massnonprofitnet
convergencetraining
nobonusaffiliates
audioengine
hiddenvalues
fjtax
dreamhost
atlantideadv
swissnoso
expressrefer
plantcitygov
simsmods
cardozolawreview
vmzinc
inchi-trust
beda
jyukunavi
arter
dsw-info
skybitz
yodel
myaamg
thebeachbodycompany
imagefra
oplaadpunten
bimeh-market
prisonadvice
ftc
newshunt360
kriegernet
mpvusa
livzon
bellsdesign
cngb
klassiekemuziek
dit
ne
freenews
ecuworldwide
aurelius
visitherefordshire
horecaexpo
tjflcpw
myrecipemagic
inafed
itpage
familienhotels-stjohann
macysassets
clinicatecma
ujlap
jlpeace
denpo-west
atavion
halva
spri
100best
sabservis
roppongiartnight
currentbody
crea-mg
cnam
bbqhot
pixeltokig