Penn Foster - Healthcare Reviews

"Penn Foster is an affordable accredited option for working adults who may have missed out on college opportunities earlier in life. I have completed two career diploma programs through this school and both have launched successful career paths for me. (Pharmacy technician in 2010 and Medical Billing and Coding in 2022) I have nothing but great things to say about this school. SO much so that I am currently talking with student services on getting credits from my previous programs transferred to count towards their Health Care Management Associate's Degree. I am perplexed as to why there are so many negative reviews on here for this school, but from reading through them, it appears they were all mostly written by the same angry individual. Do your research for yourself and talk to a student services rep at pennfoster.edu.Read Less"

"I have nothing good to say about Penn Foster. What they di prey on people who are trying to do something with their own lives. I have a Double Degree. I wanted to update my credentials in medical coding and billing. It has been 10 since I last did this and ICD 10 is new to me. Penn Foster assurred me that I would receive coding information to get my certficate in coding and billing. Nothing was ever sent to me but a bill. They promised to send course materials. Information was never received i also made multiple calls and left messages and no one ever called back but to ask me for money. Penn Foster is a jokeRead Less"

"I definitely would not recommend this program. After working in the medical insurance business as a claims examiner for 14 years with extensive knowledge of CPT, HCPC and ICD codes, going through the program itself was pretty easy. What they don't tell you is that even after passing the AAPC test for a CPC certificate, if you don't have 2 years of actual coding experience on the job, nobody will give you the time of day. All of the prior claims experience meant absolutely nothing. The certification did not mean a thing. Without the prior work experience I could not get a single interview after numerous applications. Due to this, I absolutely WOULD NOT take this program.Read Less"

"Waste of money. No help whatsoever. Their online format is all over the place and not user friendly. I've called there and get attitude on the phone. Theres no teacher to get ahold of. I'm not learning anything and just wasted $700. I dont know the first thing about MB&C and theres no way I can get a job with this crap of education. I shouldve gone with Ashworth."

"I think this is a very good program. I think the online system is pretty well structured and doesn't take long to figure out how to navigate it. I like it alot. I am in a certification program and I am really happy so far with it. I've been in it a few months and everything is going well. I have taken courses at both Penn Foster & also at Ashworth College. First off both are Accredited. Thats soooo important when finding an online school. I have seen people wanting to know which is better Penn Foster or Ashworth since they are similar in price. They are two completely different things though. From the learning end of it, it is hard to say which is better, they are both great. But Ashworth has harder classes than Penn Foster, lets put it that way. I would recommend BOTH though. If you have a hard time learning or learning disabilities then Penn Foster is the one to pick. But again I am recommending BOTH SCHOOLS. I think they both compliment each other.Read Less"

"Penn Foster will not help you, "its a study at your own pace" program let me just say ITS NOT!! you have to call after each course is done to have them unlock it for you but first they give you horrible attitude about it. the "discussion board" they make you do is actual b*******, everyone copies everyone and if they dont like one word you put in the essay they make you redo it. im very very very disappointed with this program."

"I started my Medical Billing and Coding studied with Penn Foster in January 2017. I finished in the beginning of September 2017. I applied for a Medical Claims Rep position in January 2018 and I got the job. My education was very beneficial from Penn Foster. I enjoyed going to school from the comfort of my home. I learned a lot and loved the hands on studies with Coding and electronic health records. Penn Foster will prepare you for the job you are looking for."

"DO NOT GIVE THIS SCHOOL ANY OF YOUR MONEY. This school is absolutely terrible. They make you wait, wait, wait, and wait more. I've waited over three weeks for my proctor exams to be sent to me. I've waited over 20 days for a book to sent to me when I was already told it was shipped out. You call the school, you talk to the a representative on your student portal, no one knows anything. I asked for a breakdown of my 4th semester to be sent to my house because the discount seemed like it should be higher to me, they sent me my cost breakdown for the 1st semester. This college is full of a bunch of incompetent workers. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!! I wish I knew this prior. This school is nothing but a big headache that will add to your stress. YOU CANNOT CLAIM TAXES ON THIS SCHOOL EITHER!!!!!Read Less"

"At first, I wasn't going to submit a report on the school. But finding out they are now charging me money without sending my information off to the VA Is ridiculous. Do not attend this school. The work was really simple not really pertaining specifically to my field of practice. They are now charging me 500 dollars. If they would have sent my enrollment off to the Va I would of had money to send them. Financial aid and their va department sucks."

"Completed the certificate in Health information management. Excellent. Now doing medical billing and coding diploma. The student services are excellent and the education you receive is very comprehensive. I possess a BS degree and over 25 years in health care field so I can say I have been pleased."

"I started the Legal Transcription course for $1200, and they were taking $50 a month out of my bank account. Nearly the entire course was nothing but telling about the court system, which had nothing to do with learning the skill of Legal Transcription. Their tests allowed you to cheat: they would tell you everything you got wrong and then allow you to take it again so you would get a 100. The last four assignments were for actual Legal Transcription, and one of those was writing an essay about one field of law, which taught me nothing about Legal Transcription. So, three assignments were about LT, and for each one, I got the assignment back absolutely covered with red marks by someone showing me the hundred things I got wrong. Then, the course was over. I had been taught absolutely nothing about Legal Transcription. The only thing I was taught was that I knew nothing about Legal Transcription. Then, the course was over, and I can't get a job, I'm not going to even try, because what little I got to do, PennFoster scratched all over it that I was wrong on nearly everything. I was supposed to capitalize things that I didn't know I was. I wasn't supposed to capitalize things that I did. And I have no idea what thousands of words in a contract that I'm supposed to even capitalize, let alone write in any certain format or way. I wasted five months of my time studying about the court system, learning nothing about Legal Transcription, and they now want the rest of their $1200. It was a complete scam. They didn't even try to make a Legal Transcriptionist out of me. They simply took what was in their Paralegal Course, called it Legal Transcription, and they're raking in the dough, but giving nothing of value to anyone. I'm sad. I've since learned from the Consumer Protection Agency that Penn Foster is considered a "diploma mill".Read Less"

"THIS SCHOOL IS A RIP OFF. YEAH YOU LEARN THROUGH BOOKS HOW TO DO THE JOB BUT YOU GET NO HANDS ON TRAINING, NO HELP FINDING A JOB ONCE YOU GRADUATE, NO HELP WITH FINDING PLACES TO TAKE YOUR STATE BOARDS, OR CERTIFICATIONS. YOU PAY TO READ BOOKS AND WATCH ONLINE VIDEOS OF HOW TO THE CAREER YOU WANT WORKS. THIS SCHOOL SUCKS!!!"

"So, as I stated in my review of the Medical Billing and Coding Program for Ashworth College (I am still enrolled in that one), I was looking primarily for an inexpensive online CPC certification course that I would include medical terminology and anatomy. I got that with this program! Advisory for prospective enrollees: You have to know what you're getting into before you sign up and start the coursework. This is a for-profit school so while they are affording you with a low-up front cost and flexibility, you may feel you've lost out on the guidance and direction of a professor and that the program is not as thorough as you would like. Remember this is an online program designed to help you pass a test, not make you a proficient biller, coder or healthcare professional. Just with any other course you take, they can only teach you so much, you'll learn the rest in the real world. On to my review: The course material is presented in a way that's user-friendly and interactive! I wish I had signed up for this course BEFORE starting the Ashworth course but, nonetheless, it's awesome. The material is easily digested as it is broken down into colorful slides and grouped together in sections. Each lesson starts with a projection for the course of the lesson with an overview and review! I love my coursework and I feel I have learned more from my time at Penn Foster than I will with Ashworth. There is very little staff presence but, really, the program is set-up in a way that you shouldn't really need any in depth help. If you see yourself needing serious assistance perhaps you would benefit better from an instructor led virtual program or a classroom setting. (I have a list if you want it.) This course sets up a timeline for you and you can change it (they have an app that allows you make a graduation plan)! So it'll give you projected exam dates and lesson completion dates so that you can see by when you will have completed your program. BUT IF YOU EXPECT THAT YOU WILL FINISH THE PROGRAM BEFORE YOU HAVE MADE THE NECESSARY PAYMENTS YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE THE NECESSARY PAYMENTS BEFORE THEY WILL CONSIDER YOUR PROGRAM COMPLETED. It is self-paced but that is something to think about. You can pay $100 for extensions but if you need more than 17 months to complete this program, you may want to try a classroom. Also, I found that if you are in this program, the Ashworth program is a good aide and vice-versa. Being in the Ashworth program alone was not working. They presented too much info at one time but this one is spaced out so perfectly that you can supplement with lessons from a more intense program like Ashworth that isn't going to give you the WHY or HOW. Penn Fosters delivers good info in a way that makes it fun, almost lol. Now, the cons: So far, I don't see any except that maybe the exams do not cover as much information as I would like. Given we have about 8 sections in a lesson, and each section is about 15 slides, you would think they'd want to cover more material. I am happy that this course prepares you to sit for the AHIMA, NHA, or AAPC exam instead of just the NHA exam that Ashworth leads to. HOWEVER THIS COURSE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE EXAM FEE. You do receive a year membership into AAPC but your exam fee is an out of pocket expense. At the end of both courses I will have CBCS, CPC-A behind my name! And that is really what this is all for!Read Less"

"Lousy is an understatement. This school is basically a mill for cvs and Walgreens. If you really want to learn to be a tech, you should find a real school who's only affiliations are not just retail. This low class ghetto so called school could not teach the aspects needed to garner a real job. So if you are happy earning 25K a year with no hope for promotion, this is your school, if you have higher more lofty goals then find a real school."

"This is the worst school I have ever attended. The "teachers" are graders, they don't actually design the coursework. There is a lot of filler, work that is similar for many of the degrees, that has nothing to do with the content you want; ie, if I wanted to learn how to write or learn MS Office, I would have taken the course for them. The material is not that up-to-date. They encourage you to use tutoring because it is cheaper for them. "Teachers" simply grade and give no guidance at all. I was so frustrated, I wrote a passage in the PF community, and no one bothered to answer it until a month later. I started another course but cancelled it because of the same concerns. I had thought, how bad could it be? Well, I got my answer, worse than I anticipated. If you can afford it, but anywhere but PF. There are many free courses on the Internet that are better. I tried to call administration to air my concerns, but Corinne, who you are supposed to call, is conveniently never in her office. I can't wait until I get the h*** out of there.Read Less"

"I was trying to add more to my bachelors degree and trying to get this diploma but I was mislead and made to think this was a right choice in completing this course. But in reality it was just trying to get a sale and I was in their trap. I got job interviews and people always asked do you have a license to get this job and I would say no because I was made to believe that I was making a right choice but reality I was just giving away money. But reality they tell you what you want to hear, they did an amazing job making me look like a dunce.Read Less"

"The prices and payment plans for this school are very reasonable. Especially with the economical climate as it is. The curriculum is easy to follow, only downfall is I wish they would send the next shipment in a more timely manner. Sometimes I had to take a break just to wait for the next shipment. But overall I completed what was supposed to be a 9 month course in 4 months. I loved the fact that you could work at your own pace and the online library was available as were instructors if needed. Overall a pretty good experience and much more cost efficient then going to a physical campus would have been. I only wish I had read the faqs beforehand to realize that even though I am done with my course I will not get my diploma until my account it paid in full. To me that is reasonable, it was my oversight.Read Less"

"I went for Pharmacy Technician and i LOVED the program. It was challanging especially since it was a field i knew absolutely nothing about but ut was very easy to learn, especially with the help of student services."

"I have only 10 lessons left in the medical office assistant program and I love it. They are helpful, anytime I have an issue they are quick to respond. I have recommended Penn Foster to others and will continue to do so."

"I started med/billing coding classes back in 2009..after health issues and family issues i am almost done...i would highly recomend PENN FOSTER TO ANYONE....the classes, exams, and everything else they offer is great....payments are afforable and you dont have to pass a credit report to take classes...anyone that has had credit trouble deserves a second chance and Penn Foster gave it to me....after I get done with this class I will be taking another class thru them....dont let negative reviews not let u trust this school....Read Less"