CUL8R

Is there such thing as a SANE nurse working as an independent contractor providing services to hospitals that hire them or are all SANE nurses employees of some capacity in one hospital. If there is such a thing as being an independent contractor, who pays you? Thanks!

Hi coopman712, I'm in the same place you are and I think there is plenty of opportunity particularly if you get your certification in ICD-10. I started researching nurse coders a while ago and found there's a new career out there related to the new requirements by The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services and the transition to ICD-10. It's called Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist. Do a google search since putting all the details about this nontraditional nursing career path would take a few pages! Anyway, the route I'm taking is to begin by getting my certification in coding (ICD-10CM & ICD-10PCS) then a certification in Clinical Documentation Improvement. I joined the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists and they offer the certification credential. I have not yet but plan to join AHIMA and/or AACP to obtain certification in coding through them. All of these associations are recognized by employers. Be careful, there are some "schools" out there offering certification to nurses in these areas that are not recognized. HCPro offers online BootCamp classes for these which is what I'm in the middle of now. They are not cheap but after a lot of researching and comparing, it was the best choice for me.