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

Getting certified without going to school - MT/Coder

Posted: Sep 29, 2010

Would it be possible to get certified if you have not attended school? I have a friend who has worked as a coder for almost 20 years and has never pursued her certification. Can she just take the test and become certified and still reap the same benefits as someone who completed a course and then became certified? I am trying to convince her to do it and have even offered to help her study but I wanted to make sure she doesn't have to attend school to do so.

Knowledge is knowledge and you either have it or you don't. Of - course also ask whoever is givng the test. nm

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nm

Certification for MT...just my opinion... - cj

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I do not think it is right that some of these companies only hire certified transcriptionists or pay more for one who is. What about the transcriptionists who have been typing for 10+ years and have so much knowledge?? I think that is totally unfair and irresponsible of them for turning down such talent. Years on the job should count BIG TIME.

I know my post is a little off topic to the discussion above, but it reminded me of this. Just my opinion....if anyone wants it.

MTSO might think if you have 10+ years worth of knowledge, take - test, get certified. Should be easy enough for you

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nm

hey... - cj

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someone is using my moniker! That's not me - the cj who has been posting here for some time and is a coder and MT. This is someone else using cj.

I think her employment history speaks for itself! - She deserves to be certified without testing. nm

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.

getting certified - Raine59

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I would think if your friend has that much experience, then she would have a good chance of passing a certification test. I'm sure there are many certified coders out there who just learned on the job and eventually passed the test without ever taking a course. Many of the coding courses available now are relatively new but obviously coders have been around for a long time. Your friend might want to get a review book or two and take some practice tests and brush up on any areas she is not familiar with. Tell her to go for it!!

What are the best books? - MT/Coder

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What would be the best books for her to get? I've heard Carol Buck and Faye Brown's books are pretty good. Any other suggestions?

Certification without school? Of course! - Redpen

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Yes, it's entirely possible to certify without ever having attended school for coding.

Schools are available to almost everyone now because of the internet. Before that, it was difficult to find coding programs. Coders trained on the job, or they might have attended HIM programs somewhere and then learned more coding on the job. Consequently, there are a lot of coders who certified without ever having attended school.

None of the AAPC or AHIMA coding exams require any particular educational background beyond a high school diploma or the equivalent.

Has she been doing inpatient or outpatient coding? If it's inpatient, she can probably just sit for the CCS and do fine because inpatient coding is less affected by payer requirements. In other words, there is one way to do it and everyone does it that way (mostly). That is what the exam will test.

If it's outpatient, she can sit for the CPC. In that case, though, the test is going to be textbook coding. On the job, outpatient coding becomes affected by a lot of facility, CMS, and payer stuff. One of them wants this modifier, one wants another, a third won't pay unless it's this code, etc. It is very difficult for an experienced outpatient coder to get back to basics. This is especially difficult if they never saw textbook coding and cannot differentiate between the basic, textbook coding and whatever-it-is they have been doing on the job.

In both cases, a review is in order. The test requirements are available on the organizations' websites. There are some short practice tests available, too, but I think you have as much or more chance of being discouraged by those as you do of getting a feel for your readiness to take the test!

I usually recommend Faye Brown for ICD-9-CM coding. If she is an inpatient coder, she will recognize this text and will also be familiar with Coding Clinic. That needs to be reviewed, as well. There is a nice review series on the ADVANCE website that is useful for both inpatient and outpatient coders.

The CCS does test CPT coding to some extent. AHIMA has several good CPT texts, and the one from the AMA itself (Principles of CPT Coding) is also good.

For the CPC, I'd recommend just signing up for the first available test. The local AAPC chapter will host it. She will have to join the AAPC, which is not a bad thing at all, so she will know who they are. One free retake within a year is included, so it is not necessary to review endlessly before taking it. She can just take it and, if she doesn't pass, she'll know what to review for the next try.

Of course, if she has not tested yet after 20 years, she may have other things going on that prevent her from feeling courageous enough. I've known coders who had such extreme fear of testing that they balked. The CCS exam, especially, has a fearsome reputation. If this is the case, she should just write to me through linda@andrewsschool.com. I'll be happy to discuss and coach her through it. There is no charge for that, of course. :)

Redpen
Andrews School

Andrews School - ame

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Redpen at Andrews School: Does Andrews School take federal financial aid grants and loans? I doubt it, Career Works does not and I am having a hard time finding any online courses that are accredited by AAPC or AHIMA which is a requirement by most employers I need to brush up to take either the CCS or CPC-H tests. I would much rather take courses on campus anyway.

Not Redpen but - see message

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I'm not Redpen, but I know the answer to that question. Andrews doesn't participate in the Pell or Guaranteed Student Loan Programs but they do work with state programs like WIA and Voc Rehab.

If you would "much rather" take courses on campus, just find one, but make sure to find one that prepares you to be certified. I know people who prefer going to classes instead of studying online. If you like sitting in classes for hours, which I don't but know people who do, don't consider anything else because you won't be happy.

Certification is valued by employers almost across the board, from what I've seen. Having an education that prepares you to take and pass those CPC and CCS exams is more important than anything.

Not Redpen either but - sm

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Not sure where you are getting your information, but "online courses that are accredited by AAPC or AHIMA" is not a requirement of most employers. I can't think of a single one that requires this.

You might be confused. Many employers do ask for certification by AAPC or AHIMA, but that has nothing to do with what school you attended.

It's also impossible to require, because AAPC does not accredit any programs. So, not sure where you got your information.

Just curious, are you a coder now? You say you need to brush up to take the CCS or CPC-H tests. If that's all you need, you should be able to do that on your own. Why would you need to take courses in something you already know?

College coding courses teach entry-level material. They teach to the CCA level, not the CCS. That's why they recommend 3 years of experience before trying the CCS. Just being helpful here, but might suggest that you come up with a better plan than taking college courses to brush up if you expect to pass the CCS.

The CCS and CPC-H aren't the same, by the way. Not sure if you think they're interchangeable, but they aren't.

Neither AAPC nor AHIMA has anything to do with accreditation of schools - They do offer credentials if you pass the tests

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Personally I think it's a great idea to go for credentials with both AAPC and AHIMA. While they don't accredit schools, their credentials are valuable to coders.

Yep. I'm trying to self-study and then get certified. - Check the AHIMA site for cert requirements. nm

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nm

Yes - SM - Anonymous

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It is possible, I work with several women who never took a formal course, learned outpatient coding on the job and passed the CPC exam, one of them is a medical assistant who also codes for her doctors. I have access to Faye Brown through my coding program and received an e-mail today from AHIMA offering some self-study books that look quite good. I know your friend could become certified with that much experience, she probably just needs a little review or maybe a couple of sample practice exams.

Forgot to mention . . . - Redpen

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I'm glad you mentioned the AHIMA review books.

They have several new exam review books which are very good. They are tailored to the exams.

AAPC also has a review book for the CPC.

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