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CCS news - Everyone should

Posted: Sep 02, 2012

Check out the new eligibility requirements for sitting for the CCS that will go into effect on January 1, 2013. No longer just a high school diploma.

: http://www.ahima.org/downloads/pdfs/certification/Candidate_Guide.pdf

Looks like you need to be able to prove you had A&P is the only difference - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
The only difference is the stronger recommendation for experience, since so many people fail the test even with experience, and to make sure that you've had A&P. That makes sense, because any coding course that doesn't include A&P is only an introductory course.

It is saying that - these are required

[ In Reply To ..]
as opposed to strongly recommended. When it was strongly recommended, anyone could sit for the CCS who graduated high school. Now you will be eligible only if you meet these requirements.

I think that's a good change - sm

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There have been too many schools that have been just teaching the bare minimum of coding, with no terminology, no A&P, no insurance reimbursement. Their graduates aren't prepared for certification exams other than maybe the CPC if they're lucky.

They've been getting by promoting the courses as fast or fast/cheap or telling the students they really don't need all of this anyway.

I think this is a good change.

WRONG - it doesn't say that at all - squarepeg

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It says here:

CCS and CCS-P Eligibility Requirements Beginning
January 1, 2013
Candidates must meet one of the following eligibility requirements:
â�¢ By Credential: RHIA, RHIT, or CCS/CCS-P;
OR
â�¢ By Education: Completion of a coding training
program that includes anatomy and
physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology,
medical terminology,
reimbursement methodology, intermediate/
advanced ICD diagnostic/
procedural and CPT coding;
OR
â�¢ By Experience: Minimum of two (2) years of
related coding experience directly
applying codes;
OR
â�¢ By Credential
with Experience: CCA plus one (1) year of coding
experience directly applying codes;
OR
â�¢ Other: Coding credential from other
certifying organization plus one (1)
year coding experience directly
applying code

Actually, you have to have had a coding course which includes these - Seasoned MT/Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
It doesn't matter how much terminology or A&P you think you know or if you had a short terminology course back in the days, those things have to be included in your coding course. Otherwise you are not eligible to take the CCS exam. That makes sense, because increased knowledge of A&P in particular is required in the transition to ICD-10. My first thought was that this is going to completely weed out the too-short, too-fast, too-introductory courses. However, those courses never had enough coding training in them to prepare anyone for the CCS anyway.

This eliminates the new, trendy Coding 'Matchbox' courses - Definitely a good thing

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Remember all those old matchbox MT courses that people took because they were cheap? I agree that this change is going to get rid of the coding version of the matchbox schools. It's going to eliminate any coding course that doesn't teach terminology, A&P, pharmacology, pathology, along with intermediate and advanced coding. That eliminates anyone who takes a community college coding course too I think, because they usually just touch on the basics rather than professional-level intermediate and advanced coding.

It's about time, because the cheap, fast approach has bad results for everyone - History Teaches Us

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Remember back when the market was overrun by MTs who thought you just listened and typed words? They thought that because they took MT courses taught by people who really had no respect for the kind of skills MTs have to have. Now coding is the hot course-of-the-year for the crowd that wants to teach everything faster, cheaper, and easier. Forget quality or the fact that it really does take some time and effort to become a professional medical coder.

We know what happened with MT. Those people couldn't get or keep jobs. They also made us look bad because people looked at their work and thought all MTs did that kind of work. I'm all for keeping the standards higher in medical coding, as they are now. If the level of skills required to even take the credentials test is kept higher, as in these new requirements, that's good for all coders who have a solid education and good skills.

We don't want it to turn out like medical transcription - Agree that quality counts in coding

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Count me in as one who believes that quality of education is going to pay off for new coders. If we do it the cheap, sloppy way and say that's good enough, what are we saying about our future as coders?

If the masses go for casual coding, they will have only themselves to blame - Quality Rules!

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There are always people who take the lazy way of doing anything they do. We can all point to the people we know who do that. Try to show them what they are doing wrong and they are happy to just let you do it for them as long as you don't bother them about it. They aren't interested in learning to do it right. I've tried to help save people from getting fired, but they really didn't want to work that hard. Well, I'll tell you something. Coding the right way is hard work. Not everyone was cut out for it. It's going to be even harder from here on out, because more knowledge than ever is going to be expected. Passing the CCS exam is the first big step, but it doesn't stop there. You have to keep learning. This is no job for lazy people. As someone told me about coding, "Do it right, or don't do it at all."

The First Thing To do: Solid Training; Qualified CCS Instructors - see message

[ In Reply To ..]
The first thing to do if you want to be a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) is to get solid training. Check out the credentials of the instructors Make sure you get an instructor who has both CPC and CCS. Make sure your course is going to cover everything you need to prepare you for the credentials exams. Otherwise you are just wasting your time and money.

I was talking to a lady who took two different coding courses. They were both fairly short and inexpensive, but she has now given up on being a coder altogether. She feels like a failure. She's very smart. There's nothing dumb about her. She just made wrong choices with her education. Like someone said earlier, she took a casual approach to it, and it didn't pay off for her.

I recommend to anyone I talk to that you get the very best, most comprehensive coding education you can get. Don't even consider a coding course unless it has CCS-credentialed instructors. Make sure there is an instructor who can talk from personal experience as a working credentialed coder. That's the kind of instructor who can help you achieve your professional career goals.

The school down the street hires its instructors from its last graduating class - Shocked

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I was shocked to find out that the lady who is teaching the course just graduated. No credentials. No experience. Basically, she couldn't get a job and they needed a teacher, so she's it. From what I've heard, it wasn't that she was that great of a student either. She was just available.

Now all of those new students who didn't check out the qualifications of the instructors are thinking they are learning from an expert.

It's amazing to me that people think they can teach what they don't know - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Doing it right or not doing it at all - Agree

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That sounds like something Redpen would say! I bet she is thrilled with the new CCS requirements, too.

Quality counts in MT as well - no message - Inquiring minds

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No message

You are wrong - small message - sm

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Quality used to be important in medical transcription until the MTSOs decided increased productivity trumps quality. Now there are elements in coding that want to take it the same way. AHIMA's decision is a very wise one. They are making somewhat of a statement that if you don't have a comprehensive coding course behind you that actually includes all of these, you aren't going anywhere. They just aren't buying the cheaper, faster, "Introduction to Coding" courses. They are, in fact as much as saying, "Do it right or don't do it at all." I agree with them.

History teaches us, but not all of us learn - LOL

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Some of us learn the hard way.

Check the coding credentials of the instructors! - More important than anything

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I would have been more impressed if they had said that the coding course had to be taught by instructors who actually have a CCS. This is a good start though.

So what course can you take now? - interested in coding

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So no community college, now what?

The most important step is the first one - finding the right coding course - See message

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You've already heard a discussion of many of the things that should be included in a comprehensive coding course.

It has also been made very clear that the qualifications of your instructor are not something to take lightly.

Some courses don't have credentialed coders at all. Look to make sure that a CCS is teaching the course. Ask if you will have a CCS who has actual on-the-job coding experience.

If a course claims to prepare you just for a CPC, that's only okay if you have a job in mind that only wants a CPC-credentialed coder.

If a course claims to prepare you just for a CCA, just be aware that employers usually want a full CCS, not just a CCA. There is a huge difference between a CCA and a CCS. You could drive a truck through the difference!

My own personal recommendation, as someone who was badly hurt by overseas outsourcing, is to ask one more question. Is this course available to students overseas, that you are training so they can come in and undercut our wages? If so, no thank you. I would not consider any school that is also training people who hope to do my job for half the going rate in the U.S. That's just wrong. It's unethical. It has hurt MT. People made money working against us in MT. Even the idea that those same people will try to get rich doing the same thing with coding, makes me sick.

If you will browse through all of the messages for the last months and read them, you'll be able to make an informed choice.

That definitely makes sense. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm glad they are doing it that way. It makes lots of sense.

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