Deborah Said:

Anybody ever went to Advantage Career Institute in NJ that can tell me about it?

We Answered:

I went to their website and from what I saw, it looks like a private for profit school. You are better off going to your local community, technical or vocational school. It will be WAY less expensive (private school tuition is usually around $14,000 where a local school is around $5,000) and most offer online classes.

And I realize you didn't ask, but a heads up before you decide to pursue this program:

This field has become over saturated with new grads with no experience. And most employers are only hiring coders with at least 2 years experience. The best advice is to start somewhere else in HIM, such as medical records, billing, account follow, data entry or even front desk. Gain much needed medical experience and become more familiar with ICD 9, CPT and reimbursement. After getting your foot in the door, you can leverage for a coding job.

My friend just graduated from her coding program and got a job (right away) at our local university hospital doing account follow up, it isn't coding, but it is a start and she can work her way up, like most of us have done.

Good Luck