Productivity is the Key to Holding On to Remote Work

by  Find-A-Code™
Nov 15th, 2023

The COVID pandemic sent a lot of people home to work remotely. In recent years, however, employers have been working to get their people back into the office. Even medical coders and billers are being asked to return. If you find yourself in such a position, you might not be able to do anything about it. But if there is any possibility of continuing to work remotely, productivity is the key.

Business owners and managers wanting to bring their people back to the office often cite productivity as one of the main issues. There are other issues, including fostering better collaboration and a more team-oriented approach. But at the end of the day, productivity rules. Companies want employees who get the work done on time and up to standard.

Ideal for Remote Work

The thing about both medical coding and billing is that they are ideal for remote work. A coding or billing specialist only needs a computer, access to medical records, and the right resources for looking up medical codes. All the tools are as easily accessible in a remote setting as they are in the office.

Medical coding and billing are ideal for remote work for another reason: flexibility. It is not absolutely essential that coding and billing specialists work from 7:30-4:00, Monday-Friday. What is important is that they get the work done correctly and in time to meet deadlines. So if a coder or biller needs to temporarily rearrange their schedule to accommodate something else, it shouldn't be a big deal.

Best Practices for Remote Work

If productivity is the key to holding on to remote work opportunities, the next thing to know is how to achieve maximum productivity without going back to the office. You do that by employing best practices. There are a lot of them; here are the most important ones for coders and billers:

1. Plan Daily Work

It has been said that failing to plan is planning to fail. It is hard to argue against the principle. Therefore, planning one's daily work is essential. Rather than approaching each day haphazardly in hopes of getting things done, making a plan the night before eliminates the guesswork. Productivity should increase as a result. If you know what you must do and how long you have to do it, you are in a better position.

2. Eliminate Distractions

Next up is eliminating distractions. Unfortunately, distractions are the biggest hindrance to remote work. They come in many forms including pets, family members, social media, the TV, etc. Every distraction pulls a medical coder or biller away from work. Every distraction consumes valuable time.

Remote work experts tend to recommend reducing distractions by creating a dedicated workspace. The thinking is that such a space separates work and family life. Going into that space allows the medical biller or coder to put on their work hat and keep it on for as long as they remain in their work area.

3. Set Realistic Goals

Setting realistic goals, and then meeting them, is a good way to boost productivity. Sharing those goals with coworkers or managers is a way to hold oneself accountable. Between goals and accountability, you can maintain the type of productivity necessary to convince supervisors to let you keep working remotely.

Whether you are looking up ICD-10 codes or trying to wrap your brain around how the latest HIPAA update relates to your current project, you prefer to do what you do remotely. Now you just need to convince your boss that you have the productivity to support it.