Health Info Management
I’m a second-year HIM and had the chance to listen in on the AHS medical coding town hall. I left feeling really discouraged and honestly unsure if I misunderstood things, or if this is actually where the field is going.
The higher up in the meeting explicitly stated most temporary coding jobs will be eliminated once contracts end because of AI-assisted coding. It also sounded like new hires do only ER coding for a long time before getting trained in day surgery or inpatient. My concern is: if ER is one of the areas most likely to be automated, how are new coders supposed to build real experience before their contracts end? How are new grads supposed to compete for permanent jobs against older temps who already received more training or have competitive skills elsewhere?
I also went into coding largely because I heard it leads to WFH. Now it sounds like WFH is dependent on being fully trained and passing audits, which makes sense in theory, but the audits are 18 years behind, full training is limited by slow stages of years, and all controlled by a group called the Cdi team. There was also mention of a major skill gap among current coders, with some failing audits and needing retraining. That makes me confused about how the same Cdi team is expected to audit, train, retrain, code, and decide who can WFH, especially if some auditors still need more training and leads need an audit themselves. My casual friend said the Cdi auditors can be rude and make you feel stupid when they do not know the answer so that is concerning too. How can anyone feel supported if that is the kind of environment? I’ve also heard from others that some are from Sait who graduated about 2 to 4 years ago and advanced through networking during their practicum/LinkedIn and now get WFH right away while having the authority to send coders home.
I’m very uncomfortable with the idea that newer Cdi auditors with only a few years of experience could have so much authority over any coders’ progression and WFH eligibility. Either they want to set this process up for failure or perhaps they intentionally want to limit learning on purpose so they don't have to invest time and employee development for future AI and RTO.
It makes me wonder why would the Cdi auditors rush to send anyone home when they already have the comfort of working from home? Why would they want to give new hires quality training if they are soon to be easily replaced and discarded? Who even would be checking externally if the auditor audits are qualified?
Maybe that is not the full picture, but from a student perspective it makes the pathway feel based on your patience, luck, connections, and whether you happen to get supportive mentors.
What worries me most is the mixed message. Students are told there is a coder shortage, but at the same time we are hearing about temp role elimination, limited training pathways, slow audits, untrained auditors, replacing coding work, possible RTO, skill gaps among current staff, and no clear route to permanent roles or WFH.
I’m not trying to be negative, and I do appreciate the transparency, but after one town hall I honestly feel like dropping out.
Can any current AHS coders, recent grads, or students explain what it is actually like? Is this just normal in the field, or is coding becoming a dead-end unless you already have experience? Should I keep pursuing coding, or should I start looking more seriously into A&D or private startups?