Health Data, Workforce Development
Four Social Media Stars of Medical Coding and Health Information
You’ve probably seen their posts on LinkedIn, heard their voice on a podcast, or watched their videos on YouTube.
They’re the coding and health information (HI) gurus leveraging social media to provide coding education, build brand awareness, or expand their professional networks. Here are four of them to know:
Victoria Moll, CPC, COC, CPMA, CRC, CPRC, CFPC
Attracting New HI Professionals to the Industry
Where you’ll find her:
Q: How and why do you leverage social media?
A: I’ve always worked in auditing and educational roles and knew I wanted to eventually become an independent educator. I also really enjoy public speaking. While I was working at Penn State Health, I started a YouTube channel on the side. Then the pandemic happened, and we were all at home. People were looking for popular work-from-home jobs and started searching for medical coding on YouTube.
At the time, nobody was really doing what I was doing. My YouTube channel started taking off, and I started developing and selling online courses and certification prep. That’s when I started doing online education full-time. Now, I generate revenue from three primary sources: YouTube ads, online courses, and affiliate marketing. What I earn now is several times more than what I was making as an auditor.
In addition to YouTube, I post funny observations about the industry on TikTok and Instagram—for example, providers always wanting to bill a 99215. Or if there’s a trending audio, I’ll try and make it about medical coding. One video I made about transcription errors went viral. I also do a lot of coding demos like how to look up the code for chest pain. My goal with using social media is to keep it real and share realistic expectations about a career in medical coding. I also want to make medical coding education engaging and entertaining.
Q: What feedback do you get from people?
A: People often tell me that my tips helped them pass the certification exam. I also get a lot of inquiries from people who are curious about the industry—for example, nurses who don’t want to work in patient care anymore.
Q: How many people subscribe to your YouTube channel?
A: I have 115,000 subscribers and gain 3,000-4,000 subscribers each month. YouTube even gave me its Silver Play Button award once I surpassed the 100,000-subscriber mark.
Q: Do you have advice for others wanting to follow in your footsteps?
A: Do your homework. Start small. Present at local AHIMA chapter meetings to build your personal brand. Before using YouTube, I read YouTube Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Following and Making Money as a Video Influencer and The YouTube Formula: How Anyone Can Unlock the Algorithm to Drive Views, Build an Audience, and Grow Revenue. Focus on making good content and remember it doesn’t need to be perfect. Also choose topics wisely. I monitor discussion forums, look at YouTube analytics, and also use the Answer the Public website to see what people search and to identify related terms.
Karen Weintraub, MA, AHFI, CPC-P, CPMA, CDC
Preventing Healthcare Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
Where you’ll find her:
Q: How and why do you leverage social media?
A: I went to school for criminal justice and began my career at a local police department doing data analytics on crime. After several subsequent analytics-related jobs, I applied for an investigator position at an insurance company, got the job, and learned healthcare and coding.
However, it wasn’t until I joined my current company (Healthcare Fraud Shield), a startup at the time, that I started using social media to raise brand awareness. Healthcare Fraud Shield provides an AI-driven fraud, waste, and abuse solution, and I post related news articles and original content on LinkedIn and Twitter. I also host a podcast (Healthcare Fraud Shield: The Podcast) as another way to connect with people. The podcast covers specific codes or fraud schemes.
Q: How do you come up with story and podcast ideas?
A: I use Google alerts and web crawlers to look for specific content. There’s an endless pool of topics stemming from fraud schemes, client discussions, and policy changes. Every time Healthcare Fraud Shield creates a new artificial intelligence algorithm to identify potential fraud, waste, and abuse, that’s also a contender for an article or podcast. I present the potential for fraud, describe the coding involved, and provide tips to stay compliant. For example, we just published an article on the newly approved drug for Alzheimer’s, helping people understand prescribing criteria and the potential for fraud.
Q: What do you like most about using social media?
A: If your content is solid, it lends credibility to you as a person and to your company.
Q: Do you have advice for others wanting to follow in your footsteps?
A: First, post often. Don’t put pressure on yourself to always post written content. You can post videos or images, too. Second, interact with other people. Interactions broaden your audience. Third, don’t blur the line between personal and professional unless you can do it in a way that connects the two. If you share a personal story, intertwine it with a business lesson.
Toni Elhoms, CCS, CPC, CPMA, CRC
Developing the Next Generation of Medical and Legal Consultants
Where you’ll find her:
Q: How and why do you leverage social media?
A: I currently own and run a business advisory company focusing on revenue integrity, practice management, litigation support, and public speaking. I originally launched my podcast (Alpha Coding Podcast) to get my name out there and build trust with potential clients. I dropped weekly episodes every Monday for two years, and I grew my business tenfold.
My current plan is to use LinkedIn to promote my new weekly newsletter focusing on short-form educational content for coders, billers, and auditors who want to get into medical and legal consulting.
Q: How do you provide “short form” coding content? Isn’t it hard to distill complex coding topics into a few paragraphs?
A: I make it relatable and digestible. For example, when posting about the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, I don’t just post a link to the Federal Register. Instead, I focus on the top five takeaways and why they’re important to doctors who continue to struggle to keep their doors open. I also try to personalize the content. If you’re providing education about a particular code, do you know someone who has that disease? The personal angle drives more engagement.
Q: Do you have advice for others wanting to follow in your footsteps?
A: Focus on thought leadership. Don’t try to sell something. You don’t need to promote yourself. When you’re giving good tips, people will come to you.
Sonal Patel, BA, CPMA, CPC, CMC
Reinventing Yourself and Your HI Career
Where you’ll find her:
Q: How and why do you leverage social media?
A: I worked for law firms for six years as an expert consultant and became very active on LinkedIn during the pandemic. What LinkedIn did for me was attract clients that I brought to my employer.
However, I eventually realized I could work with these clients directly and have the same impact. That’s when I decided to start my own company, SP Collaborative, LLC, that provides medical coding reviews, content creation, quality assurance audits, and collaborative solutions. I currently post content related to healthcare compliance, and I also produce a 30- to 60-minute weekly podcast (Paint the Medical Picture) that focuses on the OIG Work Plan; fraud, waste, and abuse; coding compliance; or other healthcare news.
Q: Who typically listens to your podcast?
A: My podcast has about 80,000 subscribers, and people listen to it in 64 different countries, including India, Iraq, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. I also attract people from AI companies hoping to learn how to ensure compliance and teach their AI technology to be more effective.
Q: Do you have advice for others wanting to follow in your footsteps?
A: There’s so much opportunity to leverage social media and become who you want to be. You want to be the next best leader in medical coding? Reinvent yourself as the next trusted leader and resource. Or use LinkedIn to convert your side hustle into your own company and see where it takes you. Don’t focus too much on the number of subscribers, connections, or listeners. Produce good content, and let the algorithms do the work.
Editor’s note: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as an endorsement by AHIMA for these individuals and their services.
Lisa A. Eramo, MA, is a freelance healthcare writer based in Cranston, RI.