Professional Medical Coders
The are the individuals who analyze medical records and assign codes to report diagnoses and procedures for reimbursement purposes and medical research in hospitals, physicians' offices and other healthcare facilities. They need understanding of the health record, disease processes, medical procedures, labs, pharmacology and anatomy in addition to the ICD-9 and CPT coding systems.
What Is A Reimbusement Specialist
This individual may work in a healthcare business office where they need an understanding of interactive events and actions throughout the internal and external healthcare systems in order to process patient accounts. Reimbursement specialists examine patient claims and accounts and assign proper charges and codes to process the account efficiently for accurate reimbursement.
Note:
Effective March 28, 2008, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) revised a policy which prevents colleges from offering institutional certificates unless done so through continuing education. All existing institutional certificates that wish to continue must submit a proposal converting their program to a technical certificate, which requires TBR approval. This process takes approximately 60 days from the time the proposal is submitted. We do not foresee any reason why our proposal will be denied, however, we will not have confirmation until late August or early September 2008. We are obligated to inform you concerning the status of the coding certificate program at Volunteer State Community College.
Summary of Requirements
Students are required to take:
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SUMMER SEMESTER
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AHC115
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Medical Terminology
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3
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HIT 225
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Pathophysiology
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3
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FALL SEMESTER
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HIT 115
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Intro to Health Information Technology
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4
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HIT 210
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ICD-CM Coding
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4
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SPRING SEMESTER
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HIT 215
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CPT Coding
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4
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HIT 230
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Reimbursement Methodologies
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3
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Application Deadline May 31st
This certificate will provide skills for eligibility to sit for the CCA exam. The CCA should be viewed as the starting point for an individual entering a new career as a coder. The CCA credential is an excellent supplemental credential or entry level credential for certain outpatient medical environments.
See www.AHIMA.org for certification information.
Professional Coding Credentials
AHIMA Credentials (American Health Information Management Association)
Certified Coding Associate - CCA
Requirements - Coding Education or experience - entry level
Certified Coding Specialist - CCS - master coder
Certified Coding Specialist Physician Based-CCS-P - master coder
Requirements - Coding experience using both ICD and CPT/ Coding Education
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Program Director
Abby Cooper (Abby.Cooper@volstate.edu) 230-3337
Day and Evening Classes available.
