Medical Coding Jobs

Working at a hospital in the medical records department, from my exerience, it depends on the type of coding. There are diagnostic/procedure codes and billing codes.
Our diagnostic coders are certified and have college backgrounds in medical terminology, anatomy and I don't know what all else. Those gals are extremely sharp cookies. They receive transcriptions from the physicians and apply the appropriate codes. Then there is a gal who applies/audits the billing codes for the billing department so that they can bill insurance, medicaid, medicare, private pays, etc. The billing coders don't require the same level of education and can be trained.
The diagnostic coders often work 7 days a week and often work past 8pm. (However, again, this is at a hospital and not a regular doctor's office). They sit in a little room with the door closed because their jobs require so much concentration. For instance, if someone has colon polyps removed, the diagnosis and procedure codes depend on the size and location of the polyps and all that. It's very complicated.
I think your best bet might be to ask actual physician offices what they require of their coders. You could start with your own doctor. That would give you an idea of the background required.
Working in a hospital with a physicians complex attached, I don't know any coders that work from home. I'm a little skeptical of ads you see that say you can do it at home. I'm not saying those opportunities don't actually exist, but all of the coders I know work in the office.

I hope you get some great responses. I'm interested to see them.
Best wishes.

I work in a medical billing office. Our coders applied. Some of them only have a GED so I can't even say they graduated high school.

Those classes are useless, we train all our coders. The only problem you may have is we don't advertise, usually someone tells a friend when we need someone new. Which at the moment is all the time cause the insurance companies are trying everything!! to kick claims so we have one coder for each major insurance company. Just so they only have to deal with the quirks of one company.

Reading Shane's response I can't help but wonder if he is speaking of transcriptionists, they are a completely different animal, no one would hire a transcriptionist that didn't have a degree in it and usually a fair bit of experience.

Same, we teach it on the job because it depends on what kind of office you're working for. No need to know how to code for oncology when you work for a chiropractor or osteopath! I'd learn basic medical billing instead of just coding. But I learned more on the job than anyone I've met who went to school for either!

I went to Everest college for 9 months kind of expensive but i got financial aid, snd i graduated this month, got hired from my internship site. The only thing is they hired me to be an MOA front desk and thats not at all what i went to school for. But im happy i guess i got lucky;] wish you luck theres alot more to learning codeing than just codeing!!!

Do you have a degree? What is it in? Do you have any background medical experience?