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CareerStep or AAPC - Maya

Posted: Feb 08, 2015

I know this question has been asked in the past, but most replies are 3-4 years old. Looking at both programs, anybody taken either course? Which would be the better of the two? Also has anyone who has graduated from the CareerStep program gained employment with IOD? Thank you for your input!

There are posts below on this very page about - both of them.

[ In Reply To ..]
Not sure why you feel nothing has been said about them in 3 or 4 years, because they are discussed below on this page and on previous month's pages. There are even comments about the IOD arrangement on this page.

I took the AAPC course. It was offered by my employer. I did Andrews previously. Compared to what Andrews taught, the AAPC course seemed skimpy, but it only covered outpatient coding. It was fine for that, I guess. The materials were accurate and almost everyone passed the CPC afterward. I recommend Andrews because it maximizes your opportunities and employability, but if you are strapped for cash and only interested in outpatient, AAPC is not a bad choice.

Thanks but - Maya

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks, and yes I read everything on the page but I there was no definite answer to the quality of education received from either program. Everything came back to Andrews, could really care less that Careerstep offers free laptops seems gimmicky.

I was just trying to find out from those who took the programs if they felt prepared. In my area most jobs are related to outpatient and acute care so I think the AAPC will cover that. The reason I was looking at Careerstep was their new deal with IOD, I wanted to know if anyone HAD gained employment through them, or was this another gimmick.

Acute care is inpatient coding. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
The AAPC course does NOT prepare you for acute care, which is inpatient, coding. It only covers strictly outpatient. It covers only physician services.

There had been a 25% unemployment rate for new CPC-As. That has improved a bit, it seems, but it is still a risk.

You won't find many negative opinions about programs that might sue you for saying them, you know.

I am aware - Maya

[ In Reply To ..]
I am aware of that....so this is not a complete course?
https://www.aapc.com/certification/cic-inpatient-coding.aspx

From their site the offer physician, outpatient and inpatient certifications.

Explanation - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
AAPC offers their original course, the CPC, which covers physician office (outpatient) coding. That is their basic course. Most people start with that for very good reasons. It covers anything done in physician's office, as well as their professional services performed outside their office, like when they do surgery or see patients in a hospital.

Their COC, which was their CPC-H, covers what a facility like a hospital would code and bill for outpatient events like radiology, lab, surgery, and others done on people who are not admitted to inpatient status.

The CIC, their newest certification, is just a few months old. According to what they say, it covers inpatient coding.
:/
To put this into perspective for you, these 3 courses -- that appeal to you because they each cost less -- are each less than one-third of what Andrews teaches. In addition, Andrews covers the material you must take before being allowed to sit for the CCS: AP, pathophysiology, reimbursement methods, etc. (The list is on the AHIMA website.)

This sounds like a bargain until you add the cost of all 3 AAPC courses, which then EXCEEDS Andrews, and has no instructors, and realize that you can't sit for the CCS. The preferred credential in hospitals is the CCS. Hospital HIM is staffed by AHIMA credentialed individuals, for the most part. Many of them do not recognize AAPC credentials, which have the reputation of being less stringent because -- having several of both I can tell you -- they are.

I think it is unwise to expect to get a Iniche job in just hospital outpatient or just in inpatient, because those are the smallest areas in coding. You want to be able to take ANY job, not just a few specialized jobs.

I would not want to be trying to get a first job with a credential no one has heard of yet, either.

If you choose AAPC, take the CPC course, but recognize that it is less than one-third of the story.

Thank you - Maya

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you for the info

Maya - BTDT

[ In Reply To ..]
If you are on the coding boards long enough you will learn that Andrews pops up all the time, as it did in this thread, even though your questions did not pertain to them at all. I did the Career Step course and would not recommend it unless you are very good at independent study and possess a lot of self discipline. It's been a while, but at the time their course material contained quite a few mistakes. I am not familiar with IOD. AAPC is a well respected program. You might also want to look into some the programs offered by AHIMA.

Thank you - Maya

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you for your honest opinion! That is what I was trying to figure out, everything always came back to Andrews. I checked into the AHIMA program and it is still under-construction for the ICD10 I believe. The only reason I looked at CareerStep was due to they are AHIMA approved and looked like a comprehensive program. I thank you for your input, just thinking of changing careers for the "golden years".

Why everything seems to go back to Andrews. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
You hear a lot about Andrews here because there are a number of successful grads here and some of them have had enough experience to be able to compare programs.

If you look at the responses you got, no one told you to go to Andrews. They just used them in comparison, and they did that because you did not seem to understand what the job market is like, what will appeal to employers, what the certification requirements are, or what the courses contain.

You also aren't aware that some people who offer advice here took the Brand X course and could never get a job.

If you want to take that AAPC course, do so. Come back in 6 months and tell us about your experience. I would love to hear a success story.

Just FYI, AHIMA approval does not mean a program is good or that others are not good. It also does no t mean that you will meet the requirements for the CCS or CCS-P when you finish. AHIMA's own course does not meet the requirements. Many of their approved programs do not meet them.

If you want to do inpatient acute care coding, you need a CCS. Period.

Yes, AAPC is respected, but only in outpatient venues. Many AHIMA members do not respect them. Hospital HIM is staffed by AHIMA members. If you want a job there, it would behoove you to be a credentialed member, too. You are not going to get very far by thumbing your nose at them.

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