My story – Kate Tierney, CPC-I, CPMA, CPC, CPC-P, CRC, COGC, CGSC, CEMC, CEDC, CBCS, CMAA, CICS, CHI, CEHRS, CPhT
Adventure is where you find it.
My mother was a nurse – I started filing charts in the GP’s office where she worked when I was 16. I always knew I would end up somewhere in the medical field. Growing up, my favorite neighborhood activity was to play “paramedics” – running around helping people and saving lives.
My first “real” job was a pharmacy technician, and I was there when the first computerized pharmacy system was installed in a Skaggs Pharmacy in Tucson, AZ. I started college intent on becoming a pharmacist. After about six months, I figured out it was the business side that really interested me, so I switched my major to business.
I worked for the Leukemia Society for one year as program director, fundraising and speaking about Leukemia to groups in Colorado. That was fun, but I needed something more stable. I was offered a position as a receptionist in an OB-GYN office. A few years later, I took a position as the manager of an office that provided temporary and part-time office space for physicians who were considering leasing space in the Centrum building in the DTC. We had pediatrics, orthopedics, psychiatry, orthodontics, speech therapy, and a “Rolfer”.
Over the years, I have coded for various medical practices as my boys grew up. Plastic surgery, oncology, cardiac rehab, family medicine, and others. I was working for an oncologist during most of the time that my mother was being treated for breast cancer. The opportunity to be with her during every step of that process was one of the greatest blessings of my life.
In 2005, I was offered teaching job with New Horizons Computer Learning Centers who wanted to expand their medical billing and coding options to classroom learning in addition to online classes. This was a natural fit since I have always mentored co-workers and friends, and love to organize and collaborate learning sessions within my employer groups as well as other similar venues. Once the company decided to switch back to an all-online curriculum, I left to work as the manager of Physician Education and Auditing for the Centura Health Physician Group, and worked as an auditor until the decision was made to outsource their coding.
I started the Englewood Chapter of the AAPC in 2005 because we saw a need for a chapter that was closer to the suburban south, Castle Rock and Parker areas. One of my favorite “side” interests is to teach the CPC Exam Review Class for local AAPC Chapters, and present at Chapter meetings and conferences as time and resources permit.
As a single mom for most of the last 25+ years, I often took on some part-time work to supplement my income. Transcription, billing for friends, family, and/or small practices; auditing for a large peer review company (an adventure all on its own), reviewing and editing medical textbooks, (Lipincott Williams & Wilkins, AAPC CPC Certification Study Guide, Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, etc). These are great sources of additional income as well as FREE BOOKS!
During this time, I was appointed to the AAPC National Advisory Board, and met a lot of wonderful people who share my passion for coding.
After Centura, I went to work for Health Language, which had recently been bought out by Wolters Kluwer, and decided to expand my horizons into the wide world of data normalization and medical terminology management. Timing was perfect since we were rushing headlong into ICD-10, and EVERYONE needed ICD-10 training and support. I served on the Wolters Kluwer Coding Advisory Board for 3 years.
Once the ICD-10 flood trickled down, I started to miss the traveling and training, and on the recommendation of a good friend, took a job with Optum as a National Trainer. I am now out and about, teaching and traveling and sharing my passion for coding! Career goals: MET!
Most important piece of advice: NETWORK! Go to chapter meetings, get to know your colleagues, and don’t be afraid to try something new! Step out of your comfort zone and start your next great adventure!
