I recently sat down with my friend Manuel who told me about his life as a medical coder. Manuel is married with two daughters. He spends about half of the year living and working as a medical coder from exotic locations like Belize or the Dominican Republic. His previous life in corporate management would have never allowed him to live such an adventurous life. As we spoke, I asked him how others could enjoy both the financial and independent freedom he was enjoying as a remote medical coder. 

Manuel enrolled in some medical coding classes. He became educated, trained, and certified as a medical coder within 9 months. He was offered a job immediately after receiving his certification and began to receive incredible compensation, all while working remote. Here are the 4 steps to becoming a certified remote medical coder.

Step 1 Education- You need to receive your education. The third step in this process involves getting your certification, which requires you to pass a very difficult exam. A good resource to get your education would be here: www.aapc.com that is the American Academy of Professional Coders. You can enroll in their classes anytime and begin your self-paced education online.

Step 2 Training- Now that you have acquired a basic knowledge of medical coding; it is time to put that knowledge into action. Practicing these newly developed skills will be the difference in passing your certification exam. A valuable resource is Practicode, An online resource that gives you real world coding experience using previously coded encounters (redacted of course). 

Step 3 Certification- Exam time has arrived, and you should be completely ready to pass with flying colors! Having received a proper education and taken the time to practice your coding, you can breathe easy knowing you did everything possible to prepare yourself. Schedule your certification exam.

Step 4 Get Hired- Now that you're an in demand, highly educated, trained and certified medical coder, it is time to start making money! There are plenty of options when it comes to starting your career. Make sure the company you work for will allow remote coding, is compensating you fairly, and most importantly has a coding workflow platform that allows you to code quickly and accurately. This will help you earn a lot more and potentially get into the 6-figure range!

Hawaii, Mexico, Maldives, wherever you want to go as a newly hired remote medical coder is up to you! With a constant earning capabilities from anywhere with Internet access, the world is truly your oyster!