Why I joined Fathom: Mary Gellhause

‍From time to time, Fathom invites recent hires to share their experience in deciding to join our team. In this blog, Mary Gellhause, Medical Coding Auditor, tells the story of her decision to join Fathom and how she got started in the world of medical coding.

Full disclosure — I didn't start out with the intention of becoming a medical coder. 

I started in the healthcare industry in 1999 by answering phones and taking messages, then moved up to referrals and billing. I wasn't super passionate about working in healthcare back then, but everything changed when I found coding.

The person who really got me into the coding world was my mom. She was also a coder and saw the potential for growth in this industry early on. Because of her, I started coding for a local private Orthopedic group. Learning the ropes there made me want to hone my skills in this specialty, and long story short, I found the work fascinating and fell in love with coding.

After spending a few years in the Orthopedic field, I wanted to expand my skill set and branch out to different specificities. I ended up in Consulting and Auditing, where I found out just how expansive coding is. There are different specialties, like E/M, Cardiology, Neurology, and Oncology (to name a few), and a ton of certifications to hone your expertise.  

Changing healthcare for the better

After reading Fathom's take on AI in the coding realm, I instantly knew I wanted and needed to be part of this amazing solution. 

I joined Fathom's Coding Quality team in March this year and love it. I work from home and have done so for 11 years, which has taught me the importance of being regimented. Once I walk into my office, a switch flips, and I'm in work mode. It would be easy to get distracted, but I treat it as if I'm at an off-site facility. The one exception to this rule is that my two main consultants, my pups Bennie and Billy, are by my side all day!

I was always interested in digging deeper to find the answers to how and why things come together. Now, working at Fathom and being part of this team, I've been able to experience first-hand how things begin to come together -- and it's pretty amazing! Even though I haven't been part of the team for long, I've already experienced limitless support. My favorite part of life at Fathom is how often I learn from my peers and the camaraderie I get to be part of daily. You never feel as if you're alone in the dark, struggling to figure out a problem. Someone is always willing to lend a hand and help you out.  

My knowledge is always appreciated and considered, no matter what area it's in. After being in the industry for over 25 years, this is the first company I've been with that genuinely practices what it preaches: Fathom pushes the envelope and achieves astonishing results.

Combining auditing and AI to improve the long-term lives of physicians and coders is something I hadn't thought was possible, and it's fantastic to make that happen. I'm excited to see how Fathom will grow and transform this industry into a more streamlined, efficient product. I genuinely feel lucky to be part of this fantastic team here at Fathom.