A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Certification exams - meggy

Posted: Mar 08, 2012

I'm seriously considering going to school for coding and have started to make plans accordingly. This isn't a big question, but one my husband brought up: Do you take the certification exams online or do you have to travel to a facility to take them? Do you take the exams through your school or through the agency doing the certification? Thanks in advance.

CCS is done at Pearson VUE testing centers - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
All the details are at the AHIMA site, under the "certification" tab.

You can go to pearsonvue/ahima to find out exact locations.

Check the AAPC site to find out about the CPC.

Maybe I need to take a break from this place. It took me exactly 2 minutes to find out the above info.

Not meant personally, OP.

//cranky researcher

Sorry. Thank you for your time. NM - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

I agree with you. You do need to take a break because it was a - Good Question

[ In Reply To ..]
There's nothing wrong with asking a question like that. If you don't want to answer, don't. Someone else will or will at least suggest where the answer may be found.

I hope we have more questions like that on here, and helpful answers from people with good attitudes and who have had enough sleep so that they aren't so critical of those asking the questions.

It doesn't matter just how brilliantly you answer the question if your answer is insulting or demeaning. Yes, please take a break. Come back when you are rested and have a more gracious attitude.

Yep, a valid question. - Grumpy Researcher

[ In Reply To ..]
My point is that there was a quick and easily located answer for her if she had researched on her own.

Given the recent threads here, I'm beginning to wonder if people are understanding the nature of what coders do. Coding requires a different skill set from MT. Coders are researchers and readers. It's not going to be a good fit for every MT out there if they don't like to research on their own.

I wish the OP well in whatever she decides to do.

//Grumpy McGrumperson, over and out
"Wha?" not "grr!"

This is a friendly, supportive - Site

[ In Reply To ..]
Where these questions are naturally asked. Once they get an idea from someone who has been there, they will go on and dig in and get the information that is important to them. Point the way, but don't make people feel bad for asking questions, please. Thank you. Do not answer if you don't want to take the time and then make them feel bad for making you answer and taking your time!

Everybody can have a bad day. Give grumpy a break too. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
We all get grumpy occasionally.

Okay - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Cert Eams in a Nutshell - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
The whole cert thing can be confusing. There are so many choices now.

New coders should plan on getting at least a CPC. It is very helpful in job hunting to have the CCS, as well. That helps you overcome employers' reluctance to hire if you have no experence.

Those are the "traditional" or old-standby certifications. There are newer ones like the CPC-H, CCA, and CCS-P, but I do not recommend aiming for those first. They are either more limited in scope or employers are less famliar with them. You will get more out of the CPC and CCS.

AHIMA exams are offered by Pearson VUE. You can look online to see if there is a test center near you. They are computerized.

AAPC exams are paper & pencil. Local AAPC chapters host them. You can look on the AAPC website to see if there is a chapter near you. They will have educational meetings about once a month. You should plan on attending a few to get a feel for things. They are a good source of jobs.

Schools do not usually offer AAPC exams, although an AAPC exam might be held AT a school by a local chapter. Schools will not hold AHIMA exams. This is important because we have seen some programs that say or imply that they offer cert exams. This sounds convenient and may make you think that it is advantageous or that the school will make sure you pass. However the certification and certifying organization are not recognized in the industry, so you will have wasted your time and money. Tech colleges often offer something like that. There were posts about that in January or February.

Should you plan on being certified? Yes. It is not an option in coding. There are valid compliance reasons for employers needing to have credentialed employees. It is not a political issue as it has been in MT.

Should you plan on certifying through both AHIMA and AAPC? Yes. If you have certifications from both, you will be appealing to an employer no matter which organization the emloyer prefers or feels best represents the abilities required for the job.

Thank you so much for your help and advice. - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
I thought it was a simple question but I see now that it wasn't. I appreciate your taking the time to provide such a comprehensive answer. Happily, I live within a 30-minute drive from both a local AAPC chapter and a Pearson VUE testing center, assuming I get through the course, LOL!

On getting through the course. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
IWhen you say getting through the course, it sounds as though you think it is going to be nearly impossible. People learn and become successful in coding every day. It isn't for everybody, but if you are already an MT you have a very good chance of success. Better than average, in fact, because you have to be smart to do MT and you already know a lot of the material like the language, record and report content, and how medical care happens.

Getting through a course CAN be a problem at some types of schools. Poor schools, schools with completely online teaching modules, schools with no instructors, schools with instructors who are not successful working coders or who are "invisible" presences behind the screen of software, schools that keep cancelling necessary courses due to low enrollment or inability to find an instructor, schools with constant access problems on their online site, schools that employ impossible courses as gatekeepers to keep students out of programs. (They either bore you into quitting or flunk you out.)

Not all programs teach the same thing, so be careful before you enroll. If you enroll in a CCA or CPC program, that is fine if you understand the type of work that will be available to you, but do not expect to pass the CCS with it. Be careful about making a tradeoff in course content for cost thinking you will be able to fill in the difference yourself because that is unlikely. Be careful about thinking you will be the exception to the rule in programs that have low exam pass rates because it is not likely.

A good attitude toward yourself, willingness to do the work required to learn coding, and making an informed choice of programs will help you finish and become successfully employed.

Thanks for your input. I'm just a little - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
nervous about going back to school. I graduated college in '87 and haven't had a course, other than a seminar here and there, in years. On the other hand, I do like research, I love data, and I'm anxious to learn something new and to get out of the house. I love medicine and the language of medicine, but I don't think I have it in me to do much face-to-face contact with patients, although I have done so in the past. I used to love MT because I learned something new every day, but I'm either just not learning anything new or I'm just bored. I need something more challenging.

I have followed the posts on here for a while and most people seem to have success with Andrews, so I will probably enroll with them.

The cost of the program doesn't bother me much. If I'm going to do something, I want to go about it the right way to maximize my chances of success. I have done some salary research at various sites and even as an entry-level coder I can make twice what I am making now as an MT, even if I go with the lowest figure I've found, which I think was 29k annually. It shouldn't take me much time to recoup my costs if I can get even a part-time coding job. I keep visiting the web sites of the hospitals in my area, and I do see coding jobs on their sites, so that is another thing that is encouraging me.

With my present workflow so erratic, I think I'm at a good point to go back to school and still continue to work my MT job. I really have nothing standing in my way at this point, except getting my hubby on board. He wants me to set up a couple of informational interviews just to be certain this is where I want to go with my career. I just have to stop procrastinating and pursue that angle.

If you have been out since 87 - More recent student

[ In Reply To ..]
I would not worry about being out of school since 87. You bring a lot of life learning to the student desk. It is not as though your brain stops learning. That may have been what people believed years ago, but not today.

If you go with a college program, though, be prepared for a shock. Courses are online and involve almost no instructor interaction. No lectures. Little assistance with questions. Lots of busywork intended to take the place of that. You will be on your own.

You are correct about coding income being higher. Also consider that if you decide on a college program that may take 3 years part time instead of a progrm that can be completed in 1 year, you should add the LOST income for 2 years to the cost of school.

Whn you talk to people in the field, you are going to get advice from college-trained coders and HIM sorts that will suggest going to a 2 year AA program in HIT. This is especially true if there is one in your area. That is what they believe you have to do--period. They do not see any other option. That is what they did and so should you.

There is a better option for you that few AHIMA program graduates are aware of. Since you have a college degree, you qualify to do a postbaccalaureate certificate in health information administration that will enable you to sit for the RHIA exam. You can do anything in HIM with that, including code.

Some of those programs are several years long, but I recommend the one at the Univ of Toledo. It is affordable and only about a year.

You could do that instead of coding. You would take coding as part of that anyway.

You could also learn coding first, get certified in that, and then do the RHIA program. You would not have any trouble with the coding in the RHIA program and you might be able to test out of that and some other courses. (I have heard of some Andrews students who did that at different colleges.)

Just suggesting this so you do not get misplaced in an RHIT program if you already have a bachelors degree. It is faster and better to do the RHIA postbac at UT. The job market is better, and for coding becomes exceptional.

Your choices are

Coding (?Andrews) = CPC CCS

BA plus postbac at UT = RHIA

Coding then postbac = RHIA CCS CPC

That last combination leads to some really good jobs. A lot of remote coding and consultant positions want to see that.

You may hear that with your bachelors you can qualify for the RHIA by doing an RHIT program. That is no longer an option. It was eliminated about ten years ago.

Wow. That's a lot to think about. - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
My plan was to initially become a coder, with the thought in the back of my head that I could eventually do something more down the line in HIM if the opportunity was there and I found it interesting. My thinking was that perhaps my employer would pay for any additional education I might need.

I don't think I would touch my local community college with a 10-foot pole. I used to be a dental assistant in another state, but I didn't have any credentials and would need some in this state. I am also pretty rusty. I went to an open house at my CC to see if I could enroll in their two-year program. Despite the fact that I had graduated with a BA with honors and had nearly enough credits for a double major (Psych and English), they still required me to take 18 credits in freshman classes before they would even allow me to apply to the program, and there was no guarantee of getting in. This was last year and they wouldn't even consider me until 2013. And that was true for all of the allied health programs in that CC. I haven't even bothered to look into a HIM program there. There are a lot of good 4-year schools here, but they're expensive.

Thanks for warning me what I might be up against in my informational interviews; I hadn't considered that they would try to talk me into a two-year program.

They will definitely try to talk you into it. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
They will definitely try to sell you on a 2-year program because that is usually all they know about.

Keep in mind that some do not have a clear understanding of the certification requirements. They remember what they had to do years ago and stick to that. If they tell you that you must attend an AHIMA-accredited program for coding or you can't take the certification exam, that is incorrect. There is an accredited-HIT program for the 2-year degree leading to RHIT, but there is no school requirement for the CCS or CCS-P.

If you check what they tell you here with us, you'll be ok.

I think the main thing to remember is that you want to see the kinds of jobs available in your community. Right now, you might not believe that there ARE jobs or that you could qualify for them. Rest assured that there ARE lots of jobs and you CAN qualify for them by doing the things we have talked about here.

We have 3 AAPC local chapters in my area. That is a lot of coders. There are more still who are not affiliated with the AAPC and some who are not affiliated with any organization. Last time I attended a meeting locally, there were 40 or 50 coders there. Some worked for local physician groups affiliated with two large hospitals, some for a very large clinic, and some who worked for the hospitals themselves. My facility alone has 30 or 40 coders in several different types of jobs--I gave up trying to count the exact number. If the other 2 local chapters met on the same night, they would have had more people in attendance (they're larger). And that's not counting the ones who stayed home.

I think I would be better off going to some - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
AAPC chapter meetings to get a broader view of the job/field/opportunities than one or two individuals in the hospitals in my area. Do you have to be a member to attend? Obviously, I would join AAPC once I committed to coding for sure.

AAPC - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
You do not need to be a member to attend the meetings. If you decide to join before you are actually working (if you decide this is what you want), you can obtain a student membership in AAPC at a reduced rate, check out their website, good luck.

The only negative about anything AAPC is there are some really bad schools - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
There are some horrible schools "affiliated with" AAPC. They make all sorts of claims. I've nothing against AAPC at all, but you can get some inferior training if you aren't careful.

I went to an AAPC meeting and they were very helpful. - MTLC

[ In Reply To ..]
The chapter president even had me give my email to the secretary and put me on the mailing list. I get emails about upcoming meetings and even job openings. I am not a member of AAPC.

I am definitely going to attend some. NM - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
:-)

You do not need to be a member to attend some meetings - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
They will welcome you. Email the contact person to explain who you are. Be sure to ask how early you should arrive to have a chance to chat with members. Ask if they know anyone whom you could shadow for a few hours or who could give you a tour of what they do.

That's a great idea. The next mtg is next - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
week. I noticed the topic is radiology coding and offers continuing ed credits. I was thinking of emailing the contact person to see if there would be a more appropriate meeting to attend or if I should just show up at that one.

That is the meeting to attend - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
That is definitely the meeting to attend.

Just email to let them know you plan to attend so they will be sure to look after you.

Will do. Thanks! NM - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
:-)

Very good. We will look forward to hearing about your - Adventure NM

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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