Ashworth College Reviews of Certificate in Medical Billing & Coding

I've read a lot of negative reviews and decided to post a positive one. I enrolled in Medical Coding/Billing and successfully completed it with GPA 3.7, higher than my undergrad GPA. I took this programs to add to my degree in Social Work and to gain more knowledge within the field of medical billing. I've had nothing but good results from this educational institution. I've received my materials in a timely manner, assignments were graded and recorded in the same fashion. When i had an issue or need... Read More to speak with someone regarding my course work i submitted a ticket and someone responded promptly.The only issue i faced was receiving my diploma after completing my course, i'm sure it was due to so many students graduating and my lack of patience. With that being said, I enjoyed my education experience at Ashworth and I'm considering returning for my Master's Degree. Not to mention graduating debt free.

FOR A COURSE WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN A YEAR, THEY FAILED TO SEND ALL MY MATERIALS ON TIME. THE COURSE I AM TAKING REQUIRES 4 BOOKS WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SUPPLIED BY THE SCHOOL AND WHICH WERE A PART OF MY TUITION, THEY SENT 1 BOOK ON TIME AND THE OTHER 3 ARE ON BACK ORDER AND CAN TAKE APPROX 5 MONTHS BEFORE THEY ARRIVE. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, I AM 50% COMPLETED WITH MY COURSE AND NEED THE OTHER BOOKS IN ORDER COMPLETE FULLY AND NOW I HAVE TO HOLD OFF ON COMPLETING MY COURSE UNTIL... Read More THEY GET THE MATERIALS WHICH IS ALREADY PAID FOR. UNBELIEVABLE.

First of all I did not even enroll. I wanted to get my Medical Bill and Coding Certificate here. At the time the enrollment fee was at a discount, which did show an expiration. I decided I would need to make my decision soon if I wanted to take advantage of this offer. Well unfortunately I was seeing the previous weeks pricing which was lower. After debating on the phone with two different ladies I decided this situation sounds sketchy. Overall poor customer service led to them not getting any of... Read More my money. Then, after further investigation its apparent that others have had service issues and especially text book and class material issues....on to a more legitimate college even if it costs more $$$

I'm a current student but felt the need to inform potential students about this college. Please keep looking. This college is saturated with poor service, rude costumer services, has ignored 90% of my emails, and it's been 6 weeks and am still waiting. My emails have been ignored over several issues. When I call, I am given the run around. I called once more about the issues of my books and the person in the phone yelled at me, saying I was interrupting her. I work in customer service-I didn't do... Read More that. When I tried to say, that isn't true and explain, she yelled at me again. For the rest of the call I had to ask permission to speak. This is COMPLETELY unprofessional and, honestly, hateful. Please take your business to a place that actually gives a crap. Clearly, it isn't this place.

After falling into insurance on multiple occasions, it occurred to me that perhaps I should look for a career in the industry. I like the business working of insurance but I was more interested in the claims process. Having worked on the practitioner/provider relations side of many insurance companies made me curious about the process that led to us receiving, and ultimately rejecting, a claim. So, I happened upon medical billing and coding, which interested me a great deal as I was always curious... Read More about how the procedures were billed and bundled and interpreted. After studying ICD-9 and ICD-10 CM on my own for about two months and CPT codes for about three weeks, I decided I needed to finally get into a course. My criteria for the course were that it had to be completely online. I have a family and I work full-time, I was not going for the college experience, I did that already lol. It must also be affordable, with flexible monthly payment options. We're saving for a house so I cannot afford to pay those grandiose $2500 fees. It also needed to include medical terminology and anatomy, which are VITAL if you want to be a proficient biller or coder. Lastly, it must prepare me to sit for the CPC exam. Ashworth fit all of those but the last one. The certification you're testing for is the CBCS through the NHA. While it is recognized as a valid certification, many employers prefer those offered through AHIMA or AAPC, as they both are the regulators for the code books used in the industry. This meant that I would eventually, once I was financially prepared to do so, go back and take a course that would enable me to sit for the AAPC's CPC exam. On the review of the enrollment process: The key to any for-profit online school is knowing what you're getting into BEFORE you enroll. Do not trust what the representatives of the school tell you. Know that they will misconstrue the facts to get you to enroll, they need the profit. Read the fine print. It cost me $10 upfront to enroll and I pay just $50 a month. That's great but you are given only 5 days to cancel and receive a full refund after you enroll and that's only if you haven't completed ANY coursework, not even the Pre-Test. But if you read the agreements you're signing before you actually commit to this, you shouldn't have any issues with enrollment. Also know that you are not entitled to a refund just because you didn't like the program or never completed any work. You signed the agreement that practically waived your rights to any reimbursement and acknowledged that they will go to collections on you if you do not pay. Also, if you are ahead of schedule, you will have to pay those monthly fee or pay it off in order for the program to be considered complete. These are not issues or hurdles. If you do your homework and read the information in its entirety you'll have an overall pleasant enrollment experience. The Program Itself: They have given you PDF lessons that are mailed out to you and available online but for the majority of the lesson you are reading lists. It is overwhelming and impossible to digest 224 pages of lists. Lesson 1 was torture. It got better in the following lessons but the overall setup is not interactive or even remotely engaging. Most of what you get explains the WHAT, if you are like me and need the bigger picture including the HOW and WHY (which is important to a biller/coder), you'll have to look to other resources found on the web. There is no faculty, professor, or staff presence. If you have a question, you will not be referred to a Medical Coder/Biller or even a healthcare professional. This is scary for two reasons: 1. This is a field that is constantly changing and the material is often convoluted as a result. If you have any issue or need further explanation of a billing or coding scenario, there is no one available to help you understand. 2. This course will not prepare you to be a proficient biller/coder. It will give you the information needed to pass an exam. I was initially excited about starting this course but I have been a little disappointed. Let me put this course in context. If you were unprepared to take the SAT and wanted more practice before taking the SAT, you would take an SAT prep class. In this case, the AAPC sponsored certification courses are the SAT and the Medical Billing and Coding program offered here is the SAT Prep class. This program will not make you a coder and they are not explaining the info well enough for you to truly understand the material hence why they can only offer the NHA exam. So, take this course to get the certification behind your name and to prepare yourself by getting an overview of the medical billing and coding info you need in order to take a more intensive, beneficial, and recognized course offered through an AHIMA/AAPC sponsored class. I enrolled in the same program with Penn Foster the day after starting here and it was the best decision I ever made! I would recommend that one IN CONJUNCTION with this one if you want to truly be a competent coder/biller.

I enrolled with the medical billing and coding program 12 days ago. I was initially able to review all of the documentation that was sent to me. I was able to immediately log into the student portal and access the workspace. However, upon trying to complete the first lesson, the student handbook was mislabeled as career guidebook and did not match up with the correspondence in that lesson. I also could not access the orientation that was recommended that I watch. I sent a ticket in asking for clarification... Read More and received a response several days later that was very vague. I tried to contact the school two previous times by phone, both times I would select my choice on the automated menu and it directed me to the student survey line. Yesterday morning, I sent an email requesting withdrawal and a full refund of the total amount that I paid. I have not received a response. I contacted the school again today, finally reached a human being, proceeded to tell my experience and was transferred unknowingly to the survey line again! I called back, got a new person, and she claimed that I never called that line because no one else has complained, and that i did receive a response about my ticket submission, although it was not the answer I was looking for. I am a previous student of a well known university. I am a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society. I am a member of an elite honors sorority. I take my education very seriously. With that said, the best they could offer was a $400 refund, of which I have paid almost $900 in full for the program! So this has cost me almost $500 in 12 days and I have no resolve. This is highly unacceptable, and I wouldn't recommend Ashworth to my enemy. Proceed very cautiously!!!!!