|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
You can sit for the exam with NO course. [2008-10-01]
You seem to be confused about the exams and credentials.
You are warning others to be careful of which school they pick because just because you finish a coding course doesn
That's not correct. You can sit for any CODING certification offered by AHIMA or AAPC even if you DON'T finish a coding course. You don't even have to start! They only require a high school diploma. AHIMA doesn't even require experience.
You do need to be careful of what school you pick because some of them don't produce employable coders.
As for you, your course is a 2-year RHIT program. You DO need the course in order to sit for the RHIT exam.
However, an RHIT program is not a degree in management. It is a technical degree. ThatT is for--technician.
It will qualify you to be a worker bee in a medical records environment--the same job people off the street can get. You can put together patient records, shelve and retrieve them, make photocopies to release patient information, check reports for signatures, etc.
A better job would be coding. It pays better and it's more interesting. It takes less time, too. You could do all the coding first, then get a job while you do the rest.
The RHIA is the management degree. There are RHITs who work their way up into management in small facilities, but most of them end up filing records or coding. RHIAs run the show.
CPC-P Exam [2007-11-29]
Congratulations! Can I ask you what all was on the exam, types of questions? I'm graduating next Spring with an AS degree in HIT and I will be taking my RHIT exam. I've been wondering if I should take a coding exam as well to start, like CCA. What's your professional opinion? Is this a good time to get into billing? I've been an MT for almost 10 years now. Thanks!
CPC-P EXAM [2007-11-22]
I passed my exam on the 10th. I am now a CPC-P (Certified Professional Coder - payor)
I'm so excited.
Sandy in GA
Coding exam [2007-08-22]
Sorry to hear about that. I also have been thinking about transitioning to the coding field (and I also am in Georgia!). Mind if I ask what steps you took prior to taking the exam? Did you take a course or train yourself? If school, which course did you take?
Thanks for any info you can provide, and good luck to you on the next go around!
Coding Exam [2007-06-08]
If I may suggest, don't waste your time with the CCA, go for the CCS or higher level..You will get much more respect if you get the higher level certs vs. the entry level..My experience is like yours...Did very well in getting College Cert in Medical Coding...Monitored all hospitals in NY State for jobs to no avail...Checked the AHIMA website since I am a member..Kept on talking to Dept Head at college and he connected me with my only Coding position during Chemo coding..They only used me to catch up. They were a year behind in coding their Chemo charts..after a month i caught up, did some billing/Collections, and then they got a 12yr senior coder to do my job part time at night since the coding was reduced to only 2-3hrs a day once I caught up and was coding present Patient - Physician encounters
Watch out w/ Devry and Rasmussen [2008-10-08]
I started both programs and transferred out of both because of the lack of coding classes - found other schools w/ more in coding. After realizing I wanted to exclusively do codingI also realized it was silly for me to spend so much on an RHIT program. Oh, and RHIT program will allow you to sit for the RHIT exam. RHIA exam requires a 4yr degree.
Nope, not off [2008-10-08]
It may be 50% of all applicants, but that includes non-recent grads with substantial experience. Hence, the failure rate is lower.
The figure I cited was for recent grads and, yes, there is such a breakdown. It figured prominently in the development of the CCA exam--make an easier exam that more new grads could pass.
I never said you can't learn inpatient coding on your own. It's just a lot more difficult, and it proves impossible for most. Very smart people can do it, but others cannot.
About the bootcamp... [2008-10-07]
They have them all over the U.S. each week in different cities. It's basically a seminar that goes over all aspects of coding and then you can take the exam. A friend of mine just did it and obtained a position in a teaching hospital making 45K/year. She did, however, have about 5 years experience with medicare claims that needed to be re-sent to medicare after they'd been denied or something like that. So I'm sure that helped her get the medical billing auditor job she has now.
I certainly don't expect to make that much starting out lol, but it'd be nice to do auditing in the future as I love to investigate things.
The bootcamps cost 1500$ roughly. That doesn't include room/board, just the classes and exam.
Apparently the exam is open book 150 questions.
Certification exams ... [2008-10-07]
To give you an estimate of how difficult it will be to learn inpatient coding and pass the CCS exam on your own, roughly 70% of graduates of college-based coding programs FAIL the CCS and/or CCS-P. The passing score is only about 64% of the questions. That doesn't include the large number of grads who never bother to sit for the exam because they do not believe they will pass it.
It's difficult to learn inpatient coding (CCS) on your own. There is too much involved in it.
You can learn to do simple office coding & billing, where you basically copy the codes a doctor has checked off on a charge ticket, though. A coding and billing text, like Fordney, would do for that. That would,in fact, be a good way to get enough perspective on the occupation to know what direction to go in.
There is no guarantee that you'll pass the exam after a bootcamp, either. Some of them have students who need to attend 2 or 3 times before they can squeak by.
Yes, the AAPC exam IS open book, but you should not think that enables you to look up the information you need. The book that is open is a code book. It's open so that you can look up the codes. It won't give you any handy hints, nor would you have time to look anything up even if they were there.
AHIMA exams tend to focus on hospital coding and AAPC tend to focus on outpatient physician services. Take whichever suits what you want to code.
Starting out in Coding or billing [2008-10-06]
Hi, I've been an MT for about 8 years but would like to learn medical billing and coding procedures. I plan on teaching myself as much as possible (and asking people that I know who are professional coders questions) and then taking the 4 day boot camp & take the CPC-A (apprentice) exam. What would you ladies suggest I start with? A CPC study guide? I am about 90% sure I can obtain a job in my hospital once I actually have a certification.
Thank you so much in advance!
By the way, I already have med term., a&p I and II w/ labs, and have an extensive knowledge about anatomy. The thing I need brushing up on are meds/surgical instruments, etc...
Thanks again for your help!!
She's right, and I know because I'm [2008-10-04]
There are no requirements for any AHIMA coding credentials. In fact there are no accredited coding programs--AHIMA only approves them. Attending one is still not required.
The above information is correct. I have both AHIMA and AAPC coding credentials, as well as an RHIA.
The RHIT requires a 2-year degree from an HIM program accredited by AHIMA.
The RHIA requires a 4-year degree from an HIM program accredited by AHIMA.
A coder who wants to sit for the RHIT or RHIA exam has to take the HIM program, but may be able to test out of a number of courses, depending on the college.
This confusion runs rampant in HIM departments. It's difficult to keep straight.
There is a full explanation on the AHIMA website at www.ahima.org. The AAPC credential requirements are explained on www.aapc.com.
I am in NO way confused.... [2008-10-02]
Iworked in medical records for a few years before working from home, so I know exactly how it runs and what the job duties are because I participated in many of them. I also worked with coders who had worked in the field for 10 years and stillhad to go through an accredited program before being eligible to sit for their exams.
The program that I am taking is heavy in coding, so sorry dear, but I won Also, once I complete all studies that I plan to take I will be eligible for the RHIA exam.
I
Chillax....it's not that serious.... [2008-10-01]
I didn I am not just working on a coding certificate. I I wasn I decided to go with them because of their accredations and the program outline. Let me put it this way, I was just trying to let the OP know to be careful of which school she picks because just because you finish a coding course doesn
You can sit for the exam with NO course. [2008-10-01]
You seem to be confused about the exams and credentials.
You are warning others to be careful of which school they pick because just because you finish a coding course doesn
That's not correct. You can sit for any CODING certification offered by AHIMA or AAPC even if you DON'T finish a coding course. You don't even have to start! They only require a high school diploma. AHIMA doesn't even require experience.
You do need to be careful of what school you pick because some of them don't produce employable coders.
As for you, your course is a 2-year RHIT program. You DO need the course in order to sit for the RHIT exam.
However, an RHIT program is not a degree in management. It is a technical degree. ThatT is for--technician.
It will qualify you to be a worker bee in a medical records environment--the same job people off the street can get. You can put together patient records, shelve and retrieve them, make photocopies to release patient information, check reports for signatures, etc.
A better job would be coding. It pays better and it's more interesting. It takes less time, too. You could do all the coding first, then get a job while you do the rest.
The RHIA is the management degree. There are RHITs who work their way up into management in small facilities, but most of them end up filing records or coding. RHIAs run the show.
They are NOT the only two schools!!!! [2008-09-30]
If you believe Rasmussen and DeVry are the only 2 colleges with online coding courses where you are eligible for the RHIT exam, you were misled.
You do not need an RHIT to code. At most colleges, all the courses that are required for a coding certificate are also part of the RHIT degree program. When you finish them, you get a coding certificate, but you can continue on to get an RHIT. All the courses you took will apply.
They are not the only online programs, either. The AHIMA website lists lots of them. All RHIT programs, and consequently coding certificate programs, are exactly the same--AHIMA requires them to teach the same material.
What they are is far, far MORE EXPENSIVE than a coding certificate or RHIT program at a community college.
You got suckered into attending twice as long as you need to and paying big bucks to do it because you were misled into thinking they were the only programs available online.
San Juan Collge in Farmington, New Mexico, has a good RHIT and coding certificate program around, and it's only $40 a credit hour if you're from out of state. There aren't any extra fees, either. You can do that whole RHIT for about $2560.
E-learning training for billing coding and transcribing [2008-09-26]
I work for the number one E-learning provider in the world. We have been providing students with training since 1991. We offer the cca exam training for coding the cmcp exam training for billing and the RMT and CMT training for transcribers. I would love to work with anyone seeking a great cost effective option to achieve their objectives.
We will not be the cheapest choice. We will be a fraction of the cost of a regular school though. Please call me robert guess 1-800-653-4933 ext 3175 mon-fri 9-6 est time zone for details. Thank you.
We train in a see it do it test it environment allowing you to learn the material at your own pace and supplying you an environment conducive to learning the material and knowledge needed to one pass the exams but allowing you to practice in the environments (a type of flight simulation) which you will see in the real world.
I am currently attending.... [2008-09-25]
Rasmussen College (online). I have quite a ways to go as I am working on a health information degree. I have been an MT for many years but need to move on. Rasmussen and Devry are the only 2 colleges with online courses for coding where you are actually eligibleto sit for the RHIT creditial exam once completed. I'm so excited!!!!
Good luck to you!
Re: coding jobs [2008-08-31]
It can be hard to get a coding job right out of school, and I am always telling people I know with the same question; if you I have known people to work their way in by doing this. I did it myself over a year and a half ago, and I am now the clinic division Billing coordinator for a hospital system. Also, let your schooling intentions be known to those you are applying to.Get all the practice you can with coding, from practice workbooks. There are quite a few available from Ahima, AAPC websites bookstores, Borders online, etc... You need to know what you and once you have one of those, getting a job should be easier. But, the exam is not easy! So again, practice, practice, practice.
CCS and schools [2008-08-29]
Why do you want to take the CCS exam? It's for inpatient coding. Those jobs are usually in-house.
If you're a SAHM, I can see that you need a distance learning program, but if you are going to keep being a SAHM, coding probably isn't a good choice for you now. Coding jobs in general require some on-site time before you can begin working at home. It's difficult to find at-home coding jobs without experience, although there are more at-home jobs coming available now.
Andrews teaches a coding program. It takes about a year. Their grads have been successful with both the CPC and the CCS right out of school. The program teaches to a higher level than programs that just aim for the CCA. They have grads working in good jobs and advancing, too.
Things you can to to improve your prospects. [2008-08-26]
There aren't too many work-at-home jobs for new coders. You might need to bite the bullet and agree to work on-site for a short while.
Start now to prepare yourself to take and pass a CPC, CCS, or CCS-P certification exam when you graduate, because that is the key to getting hired.
In your courses, do not aim for a passing grade, but for a perfect grade. Squeaking by is not enough--the deficit will accumulate.
If your course uses only one coding textbook, get different textbooks and learn everything they teach, too. Work every problem in every textbook, as well as in Clinical Coding Workout, and Marsha Diamond's Medical Coding Practice and Review, and every other review book you can find. You might be able to get them on interlibrary loan.
Find out the certification requirements NOW for both AAPC and AHIMA, so that you won't waste time barking up the wrong tree. Those exams require you to be able to CODE, so that is what you need to learn to do. You need to know the anatomy, pharmacology, lab, and med language cold, but you must be able to code. If you can demonstrate to an employer that you can do that, they may hire you and you can move home quickly.
That's a different story. [2008-08-23]
What you had, then, was a poor documentation issue rather than a coder problem.
Billers have a long tradition of thinking the coders are terrible and also of thinking the job isn't as complicated as it actually is. It's a lot like having the receptionist think the billers' jobs are easy and that she could do it without training because all she sees is typing and she can do that.
That's not saying YOU are seeing it that way, but just pointing out that the situation from the coders' side might not have been quite what you thought.
Coders code only from what is in the documentation. You donled to do so, in which case it was still not ok.
Hospitals are constantly being investigated and sanctioned for this. Just having a supervisor approve it is no guarantee that it's ok--a supervisor and some other corporate sorts from 30 miles south of me are in federal prison right now for doing the same thing.
But, if you are able to know what should have been coded from seeing a bill, then you might be an expert already. In that case, try taking the CCS exam and see what happens. If you pass and can get a job, then you're ahead of the game. If you can't, then you'll know you need more education.
I can say with some certainty that you will not get a job working from home coding inpatient records without on-site experience, even with a CCS. It's even less likely to occur with a CCA, and your chances of being hired at all for inpatient coding with a CCA aren't great. Keeping the job would present a difficulty, too, considering the productivity requirements employers have.
In truth, your chances of getting a job doing remote billing are better. It would certainly be less trouble.
Maybe, maybe not. [2008-08-20]
[quote]My question is, if i can pass the test, do you think I will be able to get a job with my experience?[/quote]
[quote] I worked with Medicare, so the codes had to be correct always, and we had terrible coders that always put in codes that wouldn't pay...[/quote]
It is entirely possible for someone to study on their own and pass the certification exam.
The problem you may have is related to that second quote, in which you say the coders you worked with were terrible because they put in codes that didn't pay. Your experience seems to have been in changing the codes to ones that would pay.
When you changed the codes to ones that would pay, you may have committed fraud, or at least were guilty of abuse. It is a federal criminal act (fraud) to knowingly do that and submit the claim to Medicare. If you don't realize it's wrong, it's only abuse. The penalties for either are severe.
What you might not have realized was that those terrible coders were probably correct. They may have been coding correctly. Those codes cannot be changed. The physician may need to review his documentation practices, perhaps, but the codes cannot be changed. The office may need to issue ABNs for services which are not covered, but the codes cannot be changed. Coming along behind a professinal coder and changing his/her code assignments is not recommended.
The problem you'll have with the exam will be that you have incorrect knowledge and expectations regarding coding. I can tell this because you thought all those coders codes were wrong. That means that *your* thinking is not correct.
If you do decide to apply for a coding job, I recommend you never, ever mention that your experience involved changing coders' codes.
This is not true [2008-08-02]
Your advisor gave you bad information.
First of all, the RHIT credential is not specifically for coding. It's for health information technology in general.
You can and should sit for the RHIT credential immediately after you graduate. Passing that exam does not depend on experience in coding. You should be able to pass it with just what you learned in school. It is an ENTRY LEVEL exam. In fact, the longer you wait, the worse your score will be because you'll forget what you learned.
The AHIMA coding exams, i.e., the CCS, CCS-P, are mastery level exams. AHIMA recommends that you have 2 years of experience before taking them, but it's only a recommendation. Their certification communicates only that you know the material. Students from some coding programs are able to pass them without experience.
The American Association of Professional Coders, however, REQUIRES two years of experience before they will grant the full certification. You can TAKE the exam at any time before that, but you'll get a temporary certification which indicates that you do not have the experience. Their certification communicates to employers and clients that you not only know the material, but that you have significant experience, as well.
If you are considering a career change, get the information you need directly from the source. Don't pass up an excellent career opportunity based on some nonsense spouted by someone at a school who has no more clue than a rabbit about what you intend to study.
Don't take advice given by people, either. Find out the truth for yourself. Both certifying organizations' websites explain exactly what you need to do. www.ahima.org and www.aapc.com
Re: Medical Coding Career [2008-04-24]
I was in your same shoes a couple years ago. Newly single mom of three young kids - one with a disability - and nursing school was no longer possible. Thatt finishe yet, but I am already coding for a clinic. I started there as a receptionit and when they found out what I was in school for I kept getting asked to fill out forms needing codes. More and more later, I am now being transitioned into a billing/coding position, and am able to flex some of my position from home. Plus, since it is work related, my employer will pay for my books, certification exam fee. My advice for newcomers to the field is to get a job at least part time at a clinic, privte doctors office somewhere. That's where most coders I know, and myself, have gotten their foot in the door. And it is well worth it in the end.
CPC-P Exam [2007-11-29]
Congratulations! Can I ask you what all was on the exam, types of questions? I'm graduating next Spring with an AS degree in HIT and I will be taking my RHIT exam. I've been wondering if I should take a coding exam as well to start, like CCA. What's your professional opinion? Is this a good time to get into billing? I've been an MT for almost 10 years now. Thanks!
CPC-P EXAM [2007-11-22]
I passed my exam on the 10th. I am now a CPC-P (Certified Professional Coder - payor)
I'm so excited.
Sandy in GA
meditech vs career step [2007-11-05]
Which of these seem to be better. I would like to pursue coding and billing opportunities. I currently am a Transcriptionist and interested in cross training. Which schools are better equiped to help pass the exam? I checked out both but need some help in determining which one is better. Please any advice would be appreciated. Thank you...
Andrews School [2007-10-18]
Has anyone actually done the Andrews school out there for coding, and if so, do you feel it got you ready for the exam(s)?? Still looking for perfect school to fit lifestyle, work life, but yet advance education/knowledge... Any/all advice appreciated. :-))
Coding schools [2007-10-10]
Will try this again..... has anyone taken the Andrews online coding program and if so, do you feel it prepared you to sit for exam(s)....Still wondering on information out there if anyone would be so kind as to share. See my post below!!! Pleeeaaaasssssee.....Yes I am begging
They have instructors who really know their [2007-10-10]
coding, and are very tough. It seems their teaching is geared toward passing the exam. They know what you need to know to pass it, and they know what you need to be a good coder. I heard other courses don't really have instructors there for you. The instructors at Andrews work as coders and auditors also.
|
|
|