Yes They Can: TOP 10 WORK-FROM-HOME HEALTHCARE JOBS Contrary to popular belief, there are many work-from-home healthcare careers available for qualified individuals. The number of virtual nurses is growing as the amount of nurses needed in the next ten years is expected to grow by 20 percent. Additionally, technology in the healthcare industry is growing stronger and becoming more widely accepted. Telehealth RN. A career as a Telehealth RN is like that of a face-to-face RN minus the obvious, as a Telehealth RN works from home. A Telehealth RN has direct client contact via telephone and through remote patient monitoring systems. Additionally, a Telehealth RN will work with patients, their families and other medical health professionals to evaluate patients’ needs. While this job is similar to a regular RN position, a Bachelors Degree in nursing will be required. After earning an online BSN degree, be sure to secure certifications in Telehealth and maybe other areas of study, depending on the position you are applying for. Medical Review Specialist A medical review specialist spends the majority of their day answering customer service inquiries. Additional responsibilities could range from assisting in identifying vulnerabilities in certain systems to performing coding reviews. Most employers require medical review specialists to be knowledgeable in computers and data entry. Likewise, employers expect strong customer service practices and processes from medical review specialists. Medical Writer If you have strong writing skills, becoming a medical writer is a promising work-from-home healthcare career. As a medical writer, one would work on a range of documents 100 percent from home. There are many levels of medical writers, ranging from junior and intermediate writers up to senior and principal level writers. Junior or intermediate healthcare writers focus on writing articles for a wide variety of healthcare topics. Senior or principal medical writers work on writing and editing regulatory documents in the healthcare field. Telephone Triage Nurse A telephone triage nurse has many responsibilities. The job entails much more than answering healthcare questions over the telephone, despite what the job title suggests. A telephone triage nurse is required to assess a patient’s health condition and concerns without being able to physically evaluate him/her in person. In addition, telephone triage nurses must rely heavily on their communication skills as well as all of the information they learned regarding diseases, normal growth and development and more. It is common for a telephone triage nurse to take calls from patients who are trying to contact their physician or other healthcare professionals after office hours, and advise them on steps necessary to treat their healthcare issue. Telephonic Interviewer. A telephonic interviewer conducts interviews with people over the phone to collect and document information regarding a specific healthcare subject matter. For example, one telephonic interviewer may interview people about long-term healthcare insurance. Telephone interviewers must be able to type a minimum of forty-words a minute and may be required to work nights and weekends, the time most surveys are conducted to accommodate work schedules. Case Manager. For a career as a case manager, it is typically standard that candidates meet all the requirements of a registered nurse. Case managers work with physicians and patients to guarantee that proper care and healthcare services are provided and coordinated. A case manager may also be tasked with monitoring and evaluating healthcare to ensure optimal service is being provided. Additionally, case managers are often required to work with a patient’s family, as well as other members of his/her healthcare team. Medical Transcription. Working in medical transcription requires one to transcribe medical records. Patient medical records may include patient history, psychiatric evaluations, physical reports, clinic notes, operative reports, discharge reports and prescription history. Medical records are generally dictated by doctors or nurses. The level of knowledge and experience required for medical transcription is high, as a transcriptionist will need to be able to decipher medical jargon. Also, there may be a quota required of medical transcriptionists, so being able to type at a fast rate is ideal. Medical Coder. If math and numbers are your forte, an occupation as a medical coder may be right for you. A medical coder performs administrative tasks like reviewing and processing medical claims for billing offices. Medical coders also may be responsible for submitting medical claims to billing offices and insurance companies. On a case by case basis, medical coders interact with nurses, doctors or other healthcare professionals to uncover additional information regarding medical claims. Contacting insurance companies may also be tasked to the medical coder. Home Based Radiologist. Believe it or not, even radiologists can work from home. Radiology coding is a procedure where radiologists make sure all of the practices and procedures performed at a specific radiology facility are billed correctly to either the patient or the insurance company. This job requires a background in radiology and knowledge of current procedural terminology, as well as billing codes. As coding makes getting information about a patient easier, it is extremely important to be sure each and every code is correct. As a result, there is no room for error in this line of work. Home-Based Physician. Though there are not as many opportunities for home-based physicians, the career is growing as healthcare technology grows. A home-based physician has the same skill-set of a standard practicing physician with the exception of working face-to-face with patients. Home-based physicians work with patients and families over the phone and via patient monitoring systems. Some home based physicians have the ability to travel and while using a home base. It all depends on the contract the physician has and the healthcare network the physician works for. Source
