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

Medical Coding Education - luvtotype

Posted: Jan 16, 2014

I'm still in the process of researching various online schools, but if I were to sign up with a program within the next couple of weeks, is it feasible to think that I can get through the program and sit and take the CPC exam before the end of year? I've been told that to make myself more marketable job-wise, that I should be certified in ICD-9 and then can go on and take the ICD-10 proficiency exam through AAPC early next year.

Any thoughts?

Plan is ok, but your timeline is off - Almost too late now

[ In Reply To ..]
That advice was time-limited and has expired already. Now, there are several problems with what you ask.

Yes, you can go into coding. No problem with that, but ...

ICD-10 goes into effect in October of 2014, not a year or more.

The increase in jobs is predicted to occur between now and October, when the demand will be there. Not a year or more down the road. Those jobs require ICD-10.

A worthwhile course will take about a year. You could do it much faster, but most people are not that focused. An online college course will lock you into their schedule, so those will require a year or two, and you can't start until next semester, even if they accept you without delay.

Some courses already no longer teach ICD-9, so you would be unable to take AAPC exams until they switched, which is next January, as I recall.

You can do a shorter course, like AAPCs, in a few months, but that does not cover inpatient coding. The places that need more coders to handle ICD-10 are inpatient facilities. However, you would have something.

AHIMA's exams change in the next month or two, but few courses qualifying for their exams can be completed fast enough.

I think when we suggested that plan months ago, we said to get on it right away. Now you know why. You can still go into coding, but at this point you are left with taking a course and certifying AFTER the exams switch.

My plan - mtthree

[ In Reply To ..]
I am currently in medical coding taking an online class at my local community college. That said, it consists of 8 months of education. It's 4 months of basic coding and 4 months of advanced coding to earn a certificate in coding. I have a friend who completed the exact same course I am and have went on to take the CCS exam and she passed it. She now works at home in coding. She got the job with no experience. They took her CCS as the gospel that she knows about coding and started her in an entry level position. I hope to do the same. Best of luck to you.

That is why we tell everyone to get the CCS - Thanks for reinforcing that (nm)

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

Thanks for the feedback! - luvtotype

[ In Reply To ..]
I appreciate all of your advice, and you've given me a lot to think about. Honestly, I hadn't thought about getting into the medical coding field until just a few weeks ago, so I guess in hindsight, I should have thought about it much earlier.

Right now, I'm leaning towards doing outpatient physician coding and want to just concentrate on getting CPC certified. Maybe down the road, I will look at other certifications. Now I just have to decide which online school to take and are looking at AAPC and CodingCertification.Org.

Those are basically the same - but CC.org might be better

[ In Reply To ..]
Please read the CC.com website carefully. They are an AAPC licensed instructor, so they can use that program, and they do. The difference is in the videos, support, or whatever else CC.org includes in their package.

Comparing the two, CC.org comes out on top due to the additional videos, the support they say they offer, the additional practice testing, and especially the 30-day time to cancel. It seems to include everything the AAPC online course has, plus some, for a lower price.

You need to take the Physician Based Medical Coding Course, get the CPC, then get a job. Later, you can take the Facility Based Coding Course, but do not start with that one. It can be harder to get a job with just that because there are fewer jobs to be had and a CPC will do for them.

A word of warning ... you get 12 months to complete it, but under no circumstances should you plan to take that long, expect it to take that long, or let it get out of hand so it ends up taking that long. These courses take 4 months or less because they only contain enough material for that. It is only 20 modules. That is no more than 20 weeks, but probably can be done in 12. This is ONLY PART of the coding spectrum -- physician services. It is basically 1/4 of all of coding, which is why it takes 1/4 the time. Nothing wrong with that, but don't think you need 12 months because other programs take 12. Others take 12 because they contain more (facility coding, inpatient coding, anatomy, pathophysiology, reimbursement methods, etc.).

Also, do not plan on waiting until you finish to see when the next CPC exam will be given or what it will contain. Find your local AAPC chapter NOW and when they offer the next exam. Finish this course by then. You have a year to retake it without charge if you fail.

Really, if you cannot get your act together so you can do this in 4 months, no more than 5, you should not go into coding, because self-direction is a critical component of the work. Too, too many people sign up for these courses intending to do them in their free time, or one evening a week, and never finish because they cannot MAKE time and DO the work. It is all up to your internal, self-motivating, self-directing, self-assessing skills.

Great advice! - luvtotype

[ In Reply To ..]
You've definitely given me a lot to think about, so thank you!

Is the recommendation that someone take an MT & A course at the same time as doing a coding course or start with MT & A first?

I find that I keep going back to CCO because I like her teaching style just in the few YouTube videos that I've seen, and I do like how you're assigned an instructor while taking her courses. Plus, I definitely like the fact that she's an AAPC-licensed instructor.

One of my concerns about CCO's program is that in reading through some other online medical coding forums, that there's not a whole lot mentioned about her programs. Yes, I've read quite a few positive comments about her Blitz videos and Bubble & Highlight method, but nothing in particular about her MT & A or PBC course.

The other thing I'm wondering about is what are the advantages of being ICD-9 certified with the transition to ICD-10 happening this year? I'm sure that I could definitely push myself to take the CPC exam, and pass this year, but then will need to spend another $400 for the ICD-10 proficiency assessment. Maybe I'm better off waiting to take just the coding ICD-10 class? Lots to think about!

Thanks again!

My 2 cents' worth - student

[ In Reply To ..]
This is just my opinion, and I'm only a student, but I can definitely see your point about waiting for ICD-10. It had been my hope to be certified in ICD-9 before the big change . . . well, just like the poster above stated, there has been a big push with hiring and I was hired before I could complete my program. Which is a wonderful opportunity obviously, but now I'm being trained by my facility for ICD-10 and I had to drop out of college because there is just no time to do all of it, and I'm not certified yet. So we are kind of in the same boat -- left with trying to rush for ICD-9 or just test with ICD-10. I know that everyone has said how hard ICD-10 is, and it IS a lot different . . but my opinion is that if you haven't done ICD-9 before you aren't going to know any different. It is a similar process . . so I guess what I'm saying is, don't be afraid of ICD-10. It's different but it's much the same too. I do think coding is a good field to get into, so I think you are smart to be investigating it.

It is $60, not $400 - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Where did you get the information that the AAPC'S ICD-10 recertification is $400??? That is ridiculous. Even the initial certification is only $260, so why would the update be $400?

It is $60. Once you have the CPC, you can update it with the ICD-10. You have until September of 2015 to do that.

You do not need "a course" for it, either. You should be able to do it with a book. However, you will need CEUs for your certification, so an ICD-10 course can supply them.

This is not a matter of learning to code all over again. The code sets are very similar. The numbering system is different to accommodate future expansion. You just need to transition to that. If you are familiar with ICD-9, it takes 5 to 10 hours. You also need to know ICD-9 for a few more years, if not decades.

The MT&A course is for the ICD-10, not the ICD-9 course, which includes the MT and A required for the CPC exam. You therefore do not need it now, so you should not worry about it now. Just get going on what you need NOW.

I would not worry that you have not seen a lot of online comments. The PBC is ... IS ... the AAPC course with added materials and support but at lower cost. Given that why would you still be debating between the two? It seems a no-brainer to me. There aren't any other options out there, either.

I encourage you to get valid facts to help in your decision and not delay further.

Coding Education - Maybe a future coder

[ In Reply To ..]
I am an MT and am in the very early process of deciding on which career to transition into, with coding being one of the possibilities for me. I would suggest looking into AHIMA's online program for coding. I know you can start at any time and do it at your own pace, so you might be able to finish by the end of the year if you start now. It says on their website that the training is for ICD-10. Just something to look into.

Thanks for the suggestion! (nm) - luvtotype

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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