Interview with Tara L. Conklin
CPC
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What is your name?
Tara L. Conklin
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Where are you from?
Born and raised in Colorado, but have been a bit of a nomad since I left home at 19.
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What is your favorite activity?
Watching movies and reading.
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Do you have any hobbies?
Scrapbooking, painting/drawing and writing.
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What credentials do you hold?
CPC
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What organizations do you belong to and how have they helped your career?
The AAPC has helped my career by providing the added edge to gaining a step or two on the Lateral Coding Ladder. It doesn’t automatically come with respect; that is something you have to earn no matter who you are. But a coding certification is usually the first thing a potential employer or client looks for when turning to someone for coding assistance. Having my CPC has allowed me to get my foot in the door with several employers that otherwise may not have considered me at all. Once I got in the door it was up to me to prove my worth and do the best job I can.
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How did you get into the field of medical billing and coding?
After I had my youngest son, I wanted to get a job working at home. I originally turned to transcription as my older sister had successfully been transcribing from home for years. So having absolutely no prior medical knowledge I enrolled in the only school in South Jersey that was offering a transcribing course at the time (2000). It ended up being a Medical Office Assistant course which provided a little piece of all aspects of working in a medical office. During the course the subject of “medical coding” really sparked my interest. Hmmm, there’s a code for each procedure and diagnosis and it’s the coder’s job to figure out which ones are correct? How intriguing. After school, I worked as a medical biller for awhile. It didn’t take long to realize I did not like fighting with insurance companies to pay for claims I didn’t know how to fight. That’s when I turned to Laureen Jandroep, a woman who owned a billing company not far from me, who had decided to begin offering a coding course. Ooo, that coding thing again. I jumped on it. I was one of five of her first students in her first coding class. She gave us all the knowledge and ammunition we needed to take the CPC board exam. I passed it on my first try. Since then it’s been straight up. Thanks Laureen!
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What is your current position?
Radiology Coder for a Consulting Group in Largo Fl and provide Independent coding and consultation in multiple specialties.
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What is one of your accomplishments in this field that you are most proud of?
In my many travels I ended up at an outpatient clinic in a small rural town in Georgia. I was the only certified coder to have ever been hired in the 70 years the clinic was in operation. Prior to my arrival the coding had been done by two employees who were “self-taught” coders. Within the first month I discovered multiple coding and documentation errors potentially putting the clinic in danger of a fraud audit. In a matter of three months I had discovered almost $2 million in yearly revenue being lost simply because of erroneous information and lack of education to the staff and physicians. I was able to correct the past 18 months worth of Medicare claims for our Cardiologists catheter and interventional surgeries and found over $15,000 in additional revenue. He was very grateful.
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What do you find most exciting about this field?
Learning something new every day and being able to pass on what I have learned to other people. Also… being able to fight an insurance claim now and get it paid!
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What do you find most frustrating?
What’s good for the goose doesn’t have to be good for the gander. Physicians have to adhere to the same rules and laws, but the insurance companies can make them up as they go along. On the flip side, coding, billing and documentation are the foundation for getting physicians paid but it’s not part of their education and many don’t get it or think they need it.
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What do you feel the future holds for this field?
It’s up in the air. Coding will always be around in one way or another simply because people will always be getting sick and need a physician to take care for them. Coders are probably the most important person in a medical office/hospital. The more things change, the more I see our doctors, insurance companies and perhaps even our governments turning to coders to provide some stability and direction.
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What would you tell someone just starting out in this field?
Accept the fact this field is constantly changing. Being able to adapt to those changes is a crucial part of becoming a great coder. Regardless of what part you play in the world of medicine things are always changing. I tell students and coders alike “If I ever get to the point where I think I know everything, or say “this is the way it’s always been done”, then it’s time for me to hang up my hat and call it a day.” Also, be willing to learn from anyone. In the six years I have been certified I have had students fresh out of school teach me new things. Likewise, I’ve taught seasoned coders with 20 years experience a thing or two. You never know where you’re going to find a valuable piece of information.
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Who do you consider a mentor?
The people I consider mentors most likely don’t know they are. Stan Szelazek & Dr.Zielske have taught me almost everything I know about Interventional Radiology and I have never met either one of them. Debra Jones, for helping teach me to keep a business head about me when I want to shoot from the hip.
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What is your favorite billing or coding product?
(We’re trying to link to products available on the CRN Shoppe http://www.crnshoppe.com)
CodeCorrect and the Interventional Radiology Users Guide by the SCVIR.
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What is your affiliation with the CRN and how has that helped you?
I started out as a student and then became a remote instructor for the CRN -Institute Physicians Coding Course. Now I participate in several aspects of CRN , including this newsletter. I met Laureen 7 years ago before I knew what this was all about and before CRN was born. She’s been a wonderful mentor in her own right and a very dear friend!