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Suggestions for new MM coders! - Coder

Posted: Mar 23, 2014

I'll start off with some office supply suggestions.

Code books have really thin pages, and really teeny writing, so you will want to highlight a FEW choice items. This has to be done *modestly* without ruining them. Regular highlighters will bleed through. Too much highlighting and note-writing will ruin them.

AHIMA and AAPC have different requirements for writing in books. Be sure to review that before you staple, paste, glue, tape, write, or highlight. Otherwise, you will have to buy a new book for the exam.

The best highlighter now is the Sharpie Gel. Look those up on Amazon. The least expensive choice is Sharpie number 1780475, a set of 3 in yellow, orange and pink, for 4.44. They are like soft, transparent crayons. No bleeding at all. They are bright enough that you can SEE the highlighting. I love them...they are like adult crayons.

Another great option is Zebra Eco Zebrite Double-Ended Chisel/finepoint. There is a set of 5 on Amazon for 4.99.

Dry Bible highlighters do not work well at all. They are very hard to see.

Thanks Coder! - Presuming the exams allow highlighting then? (nm)

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Yes, they do allow minimal highlighting & notes - Coder

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The link is hard to find. I put the AAPC's below.

Note the #2 pencils. Suggest you study with them.

Note that only AMA CPT basic and Professional books are allowed. The CPT Expert from Optum Ingenix is not allowed. However, Optum Ingenix Expert editions of HCPCS and ICD are allowed. This is difficult to grasp, but MM should give you the right ones.

Sweet! I already have the AMA CPT Pro version. - Just need ICD-10 now.

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Luckily I haven't written anything in it at all yet.

I will hold off on getting the ICD-10 in case MM provides.

Thanks for all your advice - you have been great.

Take a peek at the exam requirements. - Yes, before you begin.

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The post above mentioned that both AHIMA and the AAPC have restrictions on books and what can be in them. I recommend printing out or bookmarking the exam requirements and reviewing them every week or so. Get really familiar with them. Otherwise, you will get up to test time and discover that you didn't or did do something wrong.

The tips for the AAPC exams are below. They are given in a classroom or conference room, usually, at a local hospital or college. Your test performance later will be better if you study under "test" conditions. At a table, not on the couch or in bed. Work for efficiency and speed from day 1 *with a timer*! (Habituate yourself to being timed and it will not bother you. You will also finish the exam in time.) Have only bottled water to drink, not coffee in a cup. Nibble only hard candy that is the same as you will take to the exam. They recommend lemon or peppermint. Choose one and nibble only that; it will literally help you access the knowledge you are storing away.

Get 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. You need REM dream time to store what you are learning. If you keep waking up or sleep in short spurts, you will not learn. Avoid alcohol entirely and caffeine after noon, both of which interfere with sleep and thus impede learning.

I suspect you will be taking the AAPC exam first, but if it is the CCA, check the exam requirements on the AHIMA website. They give exams only in test centers, with rigid conditions, no beverages or candy, and strictly limited breaks.

Good advice, thanks! - sm

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I can't wait to find out what certification they will point us towards so I can bone up.

how often are these tests given? - East MT

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thanks

When - Coder

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AAPC local chapters give them a few times a year, depending on the demand. find your local chapters on their website. There is a list of upcoming exams there, too. Large city areas have a lot. We have at least 7 to 8 within driving distance of an hour or so.

AHIMA you can take anytime, but you should start with AAPC's CPC.

sweet thanks! - East MT

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x

Certification - future MM coder

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I asked what certification we would be working toward and was told on my offer call that certification will not be necessary. If we want to be certified we could check on that ourselves. Maybe I misunderstood. She mentioned learning the computer program that MModal has developed. We will have to see since this will be the first group trained.

OK, that just means they wont require it. - You can aim for the CPC

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No problem. You can aim for the CPC.

If they required it, i.e., made the 2-year job contingent on certification, they would have to drop you if you didn't pass the exam.

Since they are training you, though, they will know your capabilities. They don't need the exam to prove it.

I should point out that in this field, there is a belief that passing certification exams is very difficult, especially on the first try. This is especially true of the CCS, which comes with the assumption that nobody can pass it without 2 or more years of experience. The failure rate even then is very high.

Nonetheless, you should aim for the CPC as soon as it switches to ICD-10, which I think is January of 2015.

You are SERIOUSLY going to say no problem? - For reals?

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Oh, and by the way -- the assumption that you can not pass the CCS examination without two years of experience is based on the fact that you aren't even allowed to take it without two years experience unless you have a prior certification or completion of an approved coding program. These M*Modal coders will have neither.

Hmm, can you quote exactly where it says - "approved coding program"?

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I would like to see where you got that, because I have never seen it.

The belief about the 2 years of experience does not stem from the testing requirements. Those requirements are only a year old. They were instituted in January of 2013 BECAUSE OF the belief that nobody could pass the test without 2 years of work experience.

A new graduate above just passed. I wonder what school she attended.

Unbelievable - See AHIMA eligability FAQ

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I have no interest in the "belief" of the testing requirements. I do, however, know what they are, and one of them is two years experience unless they have completed a coder training program which includes the following: A&P, pathophysiology, pharmacology, medical terminology, reimbursement methadology, ICD and CPT coding. Are you familiar with AHIMA?

Common misconception - mo

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Your quote does not say "approved course." AHIMA does not approve coding courses.

The only courses AHIMA "approves" are RHIT/RHIA courses, which one would need to take in order to sit for the RHIT or RHIA exam. That is not optional.

That being said, most coding courses will only teach enough for the CCA. The only course I've found that teaches enough for the CCS (and has students pass) is Andrews, and they're not "approved" by AHIMA in any way.

It used to be that one could even self-study for the CCS test through AHIMA (much like AAPC has for the CPC); however, I don't know if AHIMA has updated their materials yet to be sufficient for the exam.

Semantics, you just like to argue - I am not arguing with you further

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No, they do not "approve" courses, but they absolutely can turn you down if you can not document that your coding program meets those above-stated requirements.

Well, two people have that pesky problem with - "semantics."

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Maybe there is something to it.

Or maybe you both are too quick to pass judgment - Whatever

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nm

No - mo

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We just know what we're talking about.

Well - mo

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It's not semantics -- it's reality and what you are spouting is an untruth.

If you tell people they need an approved coding course, guess what? They will never find one because they DO NOT Exist.

I would prefer that potential coding students not waste their time because you think this is just about "semantics."

Also, I only made the one post -- you weren't arguing with me, just some one else who knows better.

I am not "spouting" anything - I did not say AHIMA recommended

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You have to APPLY to take the CCS. On that application, you have to document that you have completed a coding program that includes those subjects. Your application has to be APPROVED. THAT is what I meant by an approved coding program. It has to be approved by them before you can even sit for their test.

Corkscrew logic - mo

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Holy hat in a tree! And you tried to call me out on semantics?

There is a VAST difference between taking an approved program and having an application for a test approved.

I'm going to give you a short overview because I really can't tell if you're serious or just pulling my chain.

1) An approved course (whether it be coding, accounting, engineering, what have you) means that X institution has reviewed a course, it's materials, etc, compared them to their list of requirements and/or regulations for said course and, if it meets their criteria, will put an approval on the whole course.

2) Submitting an application to take a test that has a list of educational requirements to X institution and then having that institution run down the check list of courses one needs to have taken before taking the test just means that a person, if they meet the criteria to test, can take the test.

Having your test application approved does not mean your course was approved at the same time. They are two separate processes with different requirements and outcomes.

Again, approved coding courses do not exist.

You will get no argument from me - That there are no AHIMA-approved

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coding courses. However, they have to approve your application for the CCS, if you are qualifying through education, based on the criteria that the course you took, WHATEVER it was, meets those criteria.

Having your application approved - Means your course met

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Their requirements to take the test. AHIMA does not approve courses.

And I really do not care if you believe it or not - I misspoke

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It happens. I am not ignorant, like you try to make me out to be, and I am not deliberately trying to lead new people astray, into taking some coding course that does not even exist. I WAS trying to be helpful, which is a rare commodity on this board evidently.

Ah, yes! Those are the requirements I remember. - sm

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Notice it does not say " approved program." It says you have to complete a program containing those subjects.

The difference is significant because AHIMA does have a list of "approved" programs. You donot have to take one of them to qualify, and some of the approved progranms, including AHIMA's own online course, don't contain enough to qualify.

None of this is relevant to the current conversation - And I do not see your point

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I thought we were talking to the M*Modal employees about certification. You want to make this argument about semantics? Well, argue to yourself. I am concerned that the new coders get the information they need.

Then be sure you give them - correct information.

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NM

Well... I will be aiming for the CCA (I think) - another future MM coder.

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After my 2 years of "indentured servitude" I should then be eligible for the CCS, I believe!

Please aim for the CPC - The CCA is useless

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If you get your CPC, you can sit for the CCS in a year, or two years coding without any credential at all.

Really? How come? - I must have misunderstood.

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I was under the impression that anything "less" than CCS was basically more or less even stevens. I guess I thought the CCA, since it was AHIMA, would maybe have been the one to aim for.

So what is the difference practically speaking between the CPC and the CCA? I know CPC is AAPC and CCA is AHIMA; that is about it as far as those two.

No - The CPC is more outpatient

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The CCS is geared more towards inpatient. Evidently there is a feud that I was not aware of, so I will not say which is better . . it probably depends on what you plan to do, but employers will not hire the CCA. The CPC is a pretty versatile certification to have and should open doors for you.

CCA credential - newly certified coder

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I have both the CCA and the RHIT. I earned the CCA first but was unable to even get an interview. Once I earned my RHIT I had 3 job interviews for coding. The CCA though can be a stepping stone to other certifications. Both AHIMA and AAPC offer coding certifications.

Comparison - sm

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AAPC certs are not less than AHIMA. They are completely different.

AAPC focuses on outpatient physician services. The CPC is plain outpatient, or everything doctors do in offices, etc. The CPC-H is the physician part of procedures done in facilities, which also extends to facility coding, but only outpatient procedures. The CPC-H does not mean you can do inpatient coding.

AHIMA's CCS covers inpatient coding. The CCS-P covers the facility side of outpatient procedures done in facilities.

The CCA is kind of a learner's permit. The failure rate for AHIMA coding programs was so high they created the CCA to give students something. It has not really caught on with employers because it announces the wrong message, which is that you took coding, but didn't learn enough to pass the CCS, and you really, really want them to give you lots of on the job training and monitoring, because now you are ready to start learning how to code.

There are some situations where it is ok. WGU, for instance, has an RHIA program that requires students to at least pass the CCA. That is fine, because the RHIA will get them a job, no problem. The CCA just marks them as RHIAs who did, in fact, learn to code at least that well. (Many RHIAs can't code hardly at all.)

A coder, on the other hand, will not have the RHIA. They rely on credentials to get the job. You want a credential that demonstrates mastery level, not one that says you are really, really motivated to start learning. Mastery level are the CCS, CCS-P, CPC, and CPC-H.

AAPC credentials are not substandard. AHIMA doesn't even touch physician services, so there is nothing to compare.

There are several organizations that offer mostly unrecognized credentials. You do have to watch out for those.

Aaaah, I get it now! - Great explanation.

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Yeah, funny, I actually got the CCA into my head because I saw that WGU offered that as part of its program. So I took that to mean it (CCA) maybe had more credibility.

I will have to wait and see what we will be coding at MM, inpatient or outpatient, before I decide what cert would make sense to take.

What about taking both CPC and CCS, would that be ridiculous? Would that make me look like a coding dabbler, jack of all trades, master of none?

Not ridiculous at all - mo

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Your best bet would be to get CPC and CCS. It will tell an employer that you can do anything -- outpatient/inpatient, whatever.

This is also one of those fields where more credentials can make you look better, instead of like a perpetual student. Just make sure you're getting them for an end purpose (match credentials to your career goals). CPC/CCS is a great place to start.

Dabbling? I hope not! - CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CPC-H

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No, lots of people have several. It just means that you are proficient in all of them. I need every one of mine for the work I do.

Wow, you have got the bases covered, baby! - Very interesting, thanks.

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Aaaand... good night to all.

ICD-10 deadline - WXYZ

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The transition is October 2014, not January 2015.

ICD-10 transition for the CPC exam is January 2015. sm - Laurie G.

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Yes, the transition to ICD-10 is October 2014. However, the CCS exam (inpatient) transitions to ICD-10 in April, and the CPC transitions in January. I believe that's what the previous poster was referring to.

That's what I figured all along - This is bad news for you

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I wonder what the coders who say that certification is mandatory for every coder will say now? Listen -- it sounds like they are going to basically just train you how to use their encoder. And that is fine, for them. But you need to know how to code via the book so that you can pass certification exams, so please, PLEASE practice that on your own. That way you actually can leave if you want to, and not be stuck in a situation you do not want to be. Promise me you will do that.

Well, I for one promise! The pay is upgraded upon certification. - another future MM coder

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So, I don't think many of the graduates will be wasting any time getting their certifications, lol! But thank you for your concern. I will definitely be doing extra studying on top of whatever they provide.

Like, it would be great if we all could access AHIMA's virtual 3M encoder, but since MM is clearly not a college, I doubt that will be the case. It remains to be see what resources we will be provided with, though. Will know more tomorrow...

Don't worry about the encoder - Seriously study the book

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What happens is, people become very encoder dependent and it becomes more difficult for them to code from the book as time goes on. So study the book. Please. I implore you. I'm being serious.

OK, I will - I promise! - Thanks!

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:)

No, really, there is no benefit to using 3M encoder. - Silly

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You need to learn to code from the books because cert exams use the books.

Coders who use encoders have trouble switching back to books for the exams. That is one of the fallacies behind the 2 years of experience thing.

If you can code from the books, you can adapt to an encoder insde of a half hour.

Haha - ok, yes that was silly. - Do not know what I was thinking.

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I would RATHER learn from a book anyways. With the book in hand, you can actually tangibly see how the system is laid out.

I guess I thought knowing how to use the 3M encoder might help in terms of future employability, since we will be using Fluency for Coding software. But it is jumping the gun to start thinking about that now. I haven't even started training, lol.

I understand that - However...

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You will have experience with one, and if you have good certifications, that should do the trick.

3M is not the only encoder and - Not the Holy Grail

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There are others. The main competitor is QuadraMed.

It is not "bad news" at all! - Geesh!

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Please stop trying to discredit these students and their program.

If they are not getting any sort of education - except encoder training

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That is bad news. It is extremely difficult to learn coding on your own.

You do not know what they will - or will not get!

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Maybe folks ought to avoid speculating on this, since they don't know anything about it.

if thats true then what is the point of the "upon certification" - section of the offer letter?

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Maybe you aren't REQUIRED but you get a pay bump for having one. Personally i'm going for it to make top dollar. Why wouldn't you?

We should get clarification - on what is meant

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by not necessary. For the training? If you wanted to move up after you finished their training I am sure they would require certification at that point.

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