Is It Time to Let Coders and Billers Permanently Work From Home?

by  Find-A-Code™
Dec 19th, 2023

Sending employees home to work was the norm during the COVID pandemic. But now that the pandemic is largely behind us, companies are calling their people back to the office. This includes medical coders and billers who have been enjoying the benefits of remote work all along. But has the time come for a new employment model? Is it time to let medical coders and billers work from home permanently?

There are obviously some industries for which remote work is not appropriate. Hospitality is one of them. It is impossible for restaurant servers and hotel housekeepers to work from home. But other industries, like medical coding and billing, are a different matter entirely. They involve tasks that are mainly computer oriented and not patient facing.

Considering the Benefits of Remote Work

Bringing medical coders and billers back to the office is something that shouldn't be done simply because an expert in another industry believes bringing people back increases productivity. It may or may not. Rather, a better way to approach it is for a healthcare provider to look at its own circumstances before, during, and after COVID.

It is also important to consider the benefits of remote work for employees themselves. Why? Because if they perceive those benefits as being important enough, they might also be willing to look for a new job that allows them to work from home.

Here are some of the benefits to consider:

• Greater Flexibility – If nothing else, working from home offers a ton of flexibility. Medical coders and billers can work their schedules around other things. Flexibility makes them more available to their families. It gives them more opportunities to be involved in their communities.
• Greater Earning Potential – Not being tied to an office can provide the flexibility a coder or biller needs to pursue additional education and certifications. With every new certification comes the potential to earn more money.
• Increased Productivity – It is no secret that many workers claim to be more productive in a remote environment. When that's the case for medical coders and billers, healthcare providers enjoy a more consistent payment stream because more bills are going out in a shorter amount of time.

Of course, all of this is rooted in the assumption that remote medical coders and billers are getting their work done. If offering employees the opportunity to work from home ultimately leads to lower productivity, something needs to change. That could mean bringing employees back to the office.

From the Employer's Perspective

Not all the benefits of remote work go to employees. Some are reaped by those employers willing to let their workers stay at home. For example, employers may discover more stability and lower turnover rates by implementing a permanent remote work policy. And what healthcare provider doesn't want lower turnover?

New technologies are yet another consideration. If nothing else, the pandemic forced the healthcare industry to embrace technologies it had been long resistant to. Now that those technologies have become mainstream, they have also become key to facilitating remote work on a large scale. Healthcare providers already have the technologies in play. They might just as well utilize them in a way that will boost employee loyalty and satisfaction.

This post has barely scratched the surface on the idea of letting medical coders and billers work from home permanently. There is a lot more to discuss and think about. In the meantime, permanent remote work is now on the table. It is an idea that is not going away for the simple fact that employees want remote work opportunities.