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Are you thinking that Medical coding certification is not that much important and it doesn’t add any value to your medical coding career?
If your answer is YES! My dear friend this post Is exclusively made for you only, trust me after reading this post you will realize how Medical coding certifications are important and I will tell you how can everyone get their certification in eleven easy steps
Medical coding certification plays a privileged role in Medical coding career, The average salary of Medical coding is mostly dependent upon the type of certification you write, Career growth and hikes are truly lying on the certification only, that is why I can say that Medical coding certification is directly proportional to the Medical coding career
If you are very new and don’t know anything about Medical coding let me try to explain what Medical coding is
Medical coding is the transformation of Medical data ( Diagnosis, Surgical Procedures, etc.) into an alphanumerical numbers, we should do Medical coding for the purpose of Health insurance claims
Medical coding career is the fastest-growing career from the past few years it has plenty of jobs available in the market, But the employment gap is still unfilled. In Medical coding employee pay role is very descent and it is a learning-friendly Field. Even in this pandemic situation also medical coders receives high salaries by doing WFH (Work from Home). Medical coding is an evergreen field that never touches Recession.
Medical coding certification:
Medical coding certification is an objective exam that is conducted by some of the biggest academies like AAPC & AHIMA in the USA, The certification adds an advantage to the professional career
There are a lot of certifications are out there in the industry but few of them are most popular and highly efficient, however, taking a particular certification is completely depending on the department that the employee is working in and what they want to become
It is very suggestible that the employee has to write the certification which is very familiar to his/her field or on the coding division which he/she more passionate about, wrong choices might land you into the negative result and your certification might become useless
When choosing the certification to write you have to consider another key factor that is Country, which means every country has a specific medical coding certification exam, let’s say if an employee is whishing to work in America or interested in USA Medical coding then the employee must write American Medical coding certification similarly If an employee is interested in Australian coding he/she has to write the Australian Medical coding certification only
There is another important factor that is Company, Many companies accept all the kinds of certifications But there are some of the companies that specifically accept only a few certifications, If you are wishing to work in a particular company you have to write the Medical coding certification which is preferred by that particular company
Medical coding certification Academies :
Medical coding certifications are has been conducted and organized by many academics, Each academy will provide different types of certifications based upon the various departments in Medical coding
The most popular academies are
AAPC – USA
AHIMA – USA
HIMMA – Australia
AAPC Academy :
American Academy of Professional Coders it was founded in 1988, AAPC will provide training and certification in Medical coding for various departments
AAPC is one of the most famous training academies in the USA, It consistently maintains the quality over the Medical coding certification and changes its examination patterns according to the latest trends
AAPC will act as a big brother in the Medical coding industry, Most of the AAPC certification has been accepted by many companies in India, Most of the MNC’s believe in AAPC certifications and that is why the employees who are having AAPC certification will get their dream job promotions very easily
AAPC will improve the Medical coder’s credibility by giving valuable training that connects us to the new trends in Medical coding, They will conduct of lot amazing webinars and virtual events to enlighten the Medical coding skills in the employees
The exams conducted by the AAPC’S are a bit hard but not difficult, those who approach conceptual learning can easily qualify for the exams conducted by the AAPC
AHIMA Academy :
American Health Information Management Association, was founded in the year 1928, The main aim of AHIMA is to promote Quality, privacy, and security of Medical records
AHIMA is a backbone authority for Medical coding in the USA, AHIMA will frequently update its guidelines to maintain the efficiency of Medical coding
Most of the AHIMA certification has been accepted by many companies in Arab countries like Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, etc, Most of the companies in gulf countries give priority to AHIMA certifications and that is why the employees who are having AHIMA certification will have a great chance of getting their dream job in Foreign countries
AHIMA Conducts a lot of virtual events throughout the year to make their students up to date at the latest Medical coding trends
The exams conducted by AHIMA are not that much difficult, if we follow a systematic process then it is very easy to get through the exam
Medical coding certification types :
We are already discussed that there are many certifications are out there in the Medical coding industry I would like to discuss the two important certifications
CPC ( Certified Professional coder ) By AAPC
CCS ( Certified Coding Specialist ) By AHIMA
The other most popular certifications from AAPC are
COC ( Certified Outpatient coder ) – This certification is related to the Outpatient department
CIC ( Certified Inpatient Coder ) – This certification is related to the Inpatient department
CRC ( Certified Risk Adjustment Coder ) – This certification is related to the HCC Department department
The other most popular certifications from AHIMA are
CCA ( Certified Coding Associate ) This is certification related to all the Medical coding
Medical coding certification courses :
Let’s take a detailed overview of Medical coding certifications CPC & CCS
Certified Professional coder by AAPC :
It is the ultimate Medical coding certification for every Medical coder, AAPC is making standards so high for this certification, This is the most important certification preferred by most the Medical coding companies in India
CPC is the best Medical coding certification to get start the Medical coding career
Medical coding certification CPC exam pattern :
Let’s discuss the detailed overview of the CPC exam
Total time: 4 Hours
Total Marks: 100 Marks
Qualifying Mark: 70/100
Negative Marking: No Negative marking
Books: AAPC will provide the books
Stationary: AAPC will provide Pencils, Eraser
Exam mode: OMR will be given along with a Question paper to write the exam
Prohibited things in the examination hall
Mobile phones, Video/Photo cameras
Electronic watches & Fitness bands
Own materials and books other than AAPC
Being late for the exam
Trying to copy the answers
Asking Extra time to answer the questions
Chapters & Marks of CPC Exam:
Surgery series: We have 6 sub-concepts in the Surgery CPT section
10,000 Series – 06 Marks
20,000 Series – 06 Marks
30,000 Series – 06 Marks
40,000 Series – 06 Marks
50,000 Series – 06 Marks
60,000 Series – 06 Marks
Total – 36 Marks
From the surgery CPT section We will get 36 Questions and each question carries one mark
Radiology, Pathology, Medicine & Anesthesia series :
70,000 Series – 06 Marks
80,000 Series – 06 Marks
90,000 Series – 06 Marks
Anesthesia – 04 Marks
Total – 22 Marks
From this CPT section, We will get 22 Questions and each question carries one mark
E&M, Anatomy & Medicinal terminology series :
E&M Series – 06 Marks
Anatomy – 04 Marks
ICD 10 – 05 Marks
Medicinal terminology – 04 Marks
Total – 19 Marks
From this section, We will get 19 Questions and each question carries one mark
HCPCS, Compliance & Regulatory, Coding Guidelines series :
HCPCS – 03 Marks
Compliance & Regulator – 03 Marks
Coding Guidelines – 07 Marks
Total – 13 Marks
From this section, We will get 13 Questions and each question carries one mark
Case studies: This is the New section added to the CPC Exam 2022
10 Case studies – 10 Marks
The total marks of the exam 100
Qualifying percentage: 70%
Qualifying Mark: 70 Marks
Online Medical coding certification :
The people who are taking the online CPC exam will remain a 2 part exam—two hours will be given to answer 50 questions in each session.
Session 1: 50 Questions ( Time 2 hours)
Session 2: 50 Questions ( Time 2 hours)
The qualifying mark and distributions of marks will be the same for both online and offline modes
Certified Coding Specialist by AHIMA :
It is a good Medical coding certification, AHIMA is keeping standards good for this certification, This is the most important certification preferred most the Medical coding companies in Gulf countries
CCS is the best Medical coding certification to get start a Medical coding career in Foreign countries
Medical coding certification CCS exam pattern :
Let’s discuss the detailed overview of the CCS exam
We have two parts for the CPC exam, Part one is objective questions and chapter two chart scenarios
Chapters & Marks of CCS exam :
Coding knowledge and skills -51.9%
Coding documentation – 10.1%
Provider queries – 8.9%
Regulatory compliance – 29.1%
The qualifying mark for CCS is 300
Medical coding certification cost :
The Medical coding certification cost for CPC is 710 USD that means 58,000 to 60,000 INR it varies from time to time according to the dollar rate
The Medical coding certification cost for CCS is 330 USD that means 28,000 to 30,000 INR it varies from time to time according to the dollar rate
Medical coding certification salary :
Since we have a huge demand for Medical coding in India The salaries will be rewarded as high
Medical coding salary for freshers is ranging from 1,50000-2,00000 Rs per anum, If the employee is having a certification like CPC or CCS the salary will be much more and ranges from 1,75000- 2,50000 Rs anum, Medical coding salary in India per month for freshers ranges from 12,500 to 21,000 Rs (Includes certification as well)
Medical coding CPC exam training academies in Andhra Pradesh
Way to Medical coding Academy, Vijayawada
Training Methodology: Online & Prerecorded
Course access support: Lifetime access
Course duration: Lifetime duration
Course upgrades: Content will be updated every year
Doubt clarification support: Yes providing WhatsApp support
Ikya Global, Vijayawada
Detail status: Unknown
11 Easy steps for Medical coding certification :
Step 1: Choose the department which is more passionate for you to work
Step 2: Choose the country in which you are interested in
Step 3: Choose the company you want to work
Step 4: Select a Medical coding certification from the above process
Step 5 :Take the training from academies
Step 6: Learn the concepts systematically
Step 7 : Learn how to manage time
Step 8 : Be quick and accurate in the exam
Step 9 : Have a positive mindset
Step 10 :Practice many mock papers
Step 11 : Schedule and write the exam
Commonly asked questions :
What medical coding certification is best?
All the certifications are equal however the choice has to depend upon the department which employee is selecting, for general instance CPC is the best one
How do I become a certified medical coder?
First of all you have to decide which certification you are wishing to write, then take the training related to that certification and schedule the exam, if you are qualified you are tagged as a certified medical coder
How long does it take to become a medical coder?
It Is depending upon the individual persons however for general it requires two months of training and preparation
Is medical coding exam open book?
Yes, it is an open book exam, you should refer the books for the answers
What is a medical coder salary?
For certified members it ranges from 20,000 INR to 50,000 INR per month for freshers
What are the certifications for medical coding?
There are lot of certification in Medical coding, in that CPC & CCS are most privileged certifications
Is Medical Coding a good Career 2022?
Yes, it is the best career in 2022, to know why read our blog post Fool proof guide to medical coding
Conclusion :
Medical coding certification is an objective exam that is conducted by some of the biggest academies like AAPC & AHIMA
The most popular academies are AAPC – USA , AHIMA – USA
The most popular certifications are CPC & CCS
Overview of CPC & CCS Examination pattern
Courses and training cost of Medical coding certification
Medical coding certification salary ranges from 20,000 to 50,000 INR per month 11 step process to get through the exam