Medical Coding CPC Certification Mini Guide for Newbies

Medical Coding CPC Certification Mini Guide for Newbies Medical Coding Mini-Guide for Newbies Perhaps you are like many potential students who saw an ad or job listing about becoming a remote Medical Coder CPC® (AAPC Certified Professional Coder) making a great salary by taking a course, and now, you are wondering how you can achieve that goal? You have many questions and think who can help guide your coding journey because you really don’t know where to start? Are these questions you have been thinking about? ● Do I need an accredited college, or will a course be sufficient to learn medical coding? ● Can I afford a course? ● How long will a course take? ● Do I have to attend an in-person school or can I do it all online? ● Should I ask people online their opinions on schools? ● What does a coder do? ● Do I need to know medical terminology & anatomy? ● Do I really need to get certified? ● How do I get certified? ● How can I get a job? ● Can I get a remote job? If this describes you then you are someone who can benefit from this mini-guide on medical coding. Let's Start With An Introduction... Hi! My name is Lori Woods and I have been a certified medical coder CPC® (Certified Professional Coder) since 2014. I work at an online medical coding school Certification Coaching Org (CCO). I work on the Helpdesk answering email tickets for future and current students looking to get enrolled or are enrolled in a medical coding/billing course at CCO. I help admin the CCO Community where all our students take their courses online. Students have access to a private coach area and a public area where they can interact with other students. I post coding-related content for example word of the week, code this, tidbits, articles, fun, trivia, puzzles and free resources, etc. I answer many coding, exam, and course-related questions for potential/current students, free forum, and CCO Community/Club members. I admin CCO social media Facebook (FB) page, (FB) groups, and 5 LinkedIn (LI). Plus, I own a few personal FB groups on medical coding. Working at CCO has led me to gain much insight to answer any questions a potential new coding student is likely to ask and what a new student needs support with during their coding journey. Learn about the CCO staff: Many newly credentialed coders are under the impression they can get certified and instantly get hired working remotely for a higher-than-average wage. I won’t sugarcoat things as that helps no one. The reality is much different and when a new coder realizes this, they can sometimes become very discouraged and give up. The reality is many new coders do get a job coding or related to coding with little to no experience, but these are entry-level and sometimes difficult to find as many employers would prefer a coder have experience already but it is not always possible, they will acquire that perfect candidate and sometimes they will take a chance on a new coder or one with little to no experience depending on their skill set and experience related to the field. Some say that the CRC® credential for Risk Adjustment/HCC coding or even perhaps the CPB® billing credential can be an easier credential to get to break into the medical coding field as a newly credentialed coder. It is not realistic to expect a high starting wage with a remote work-from-home position as a newly credentialed coder working a flexible schedule with little to no real on-the-job experience. Many potential coders are unfortunately persuaded to pursue this career choice by misleading advertisements that led them to believe you can also do childcare while working from home but most all employers will require you to sign an agreement stating you will not provide care for any dependents while working upon being hired for employment. Medical coding takes focus and much attention to detail. Productivity requirements usually are mandated and need to be met daily as well. These are just a couple of the main reasons I would recommend you consider having childcare during working hours even if your employer allows some relaxation of the usual restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, there are still HIPAA (privacy) laws to consider while you are working remotely with patient records. It makes no difference what new career field you transition to you will still encounter the no experience in that field hurdle. For example, just because a student passes the BAR exam to become a lawyer the reality still exists that they have no real experience as a lawyer and will still need to complete a resume and get interviews to get hired at a firm as a lawyer it is not just handed to them because they passed an exam. You may find you have many skills that can transition into your new career field of interest and perhaps getting your resume done professionally can help highlight those skills when it comes time to look for employment. 6 The reality is many newly credentialed coders start in a position that is only related to coding or in a physician's office or hospital as a foot in the door position they can use to be promoted within as people already hired in an organization have the first precedence for job openings that become available. Plus, if you are already working in the organization, you could potentially network with coders and coding managers and perhaps get an opportunity to express to them your interest and qualifications for a coding job should one become available as perhaps knowing you desire that job, they can help you get that interview with advice and recommendations. If you have a bit lower of an expectation than what the national AAPC salary survey says, or what your first job title will be then you may have more success finding your first job and eventually your dream job working from home remotely earning a great salary/wage. What is Medical Coding? A coder’s job entails using medical coding manuals to determine specific and correct medical codes for maximum reimbursement to a provider of medical care to a patient. The main three manuals you will learn to use properly are the CPT® (Current Procedural Terminology) and the ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases) and the HCPCS Level ll (Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System). CPT® is for procedure coding relating to what was done to a patient. ICD-10-CM is for diagnostic coding relating to why a procedure was done to a patient. HCPCS is used to code for supplies, products, and services not in the CPT®. What Do I Need To Learn To Become A Coder? Most coders will want to take and pass a coding certification exam that tells a potential employer you are serious and sufficiently prepared to start your medical coding career. You should have a general knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy which will be very helpful in aiding you to accurately read and interpret a patient's medical record and correctly extract the pertinent information to code for reimbursement to the provider. Extensive knowledge of the coding manuals is essential to pass the certification exams and to code correctly for provider reimbursement as there are many guidelines/rules/instructions for 7 coding and even for specific codes themselves so attention to details such as those mentioned is very important to a coder. Why you need a structured medical coding course with a certified Instructor: It is not about how to prepare but who can help you prepare so you feel confident you can pass your certification exam with ease. You may need someone who can explain complicated concepts, so they are easy to understand, and a good Instructor can do this. A structured course also makes sure you do not miss any important learning concepts you may need to pass your exam. Is it possible to learn on your own? Yes, but do you really want to? Free is awesome! If you're interested in pursuing free YouTube lectures and self-studying during your journey, then go for it. However, if there's one thing I've learned being at CCO which has over 700+ free videos on YouTube over the last 10 years, it's that learning for free requires a lot of time, research, and support along the way. And most free videos simply don't help students that are watching for free which causes quite a bit of frustration along the way. So, if you think you might need a little help understanding any concepts or strategies, you should consider getting certified instructor support. How much time will I need to study and prepare for a certification exam? Most students can complete an 80-hour course in approximately 6 months on average depending on the student and their personal commitment. Many students spend an average of 8 hours or 1 chapter/module a week dedicated to their studies. Students also spend on average approximately 1 month preparing for their certification exam.