Medical Coding is the transformation of verbal descriptions of diseases, injuries, and procedures into alphanumeric designations. The coding of health-related data permits access to medical records by diagnoses and procedures for use in clinical care, research, and education. Currently, reimbursement of hospital and physician claims for Medicare patients depends entirely on the assignment of codes to describe diagnoses, services, and procedures provided.
Today, there are many demands for accurately coded data from the medical record in all types of health care institutions. In addition to their use on claims for reimbursement, codes are included on data sets used to evaluate the processes and outcomes of healthcare. Coded data are also used internally by institutions for quality management activities, case management, planning, marketing, and other administrative and research activities.
The Medical Coding Certificate Program prepares students with entry level skills need to code, classify, and index diagnoses and procedures for the purpose of reimbursement, standardization, retrieval and statistical analysis. Principals in ICD-10 CM/PCS, CPT coding and third-party reimbursement will be emphasized. The courses within the Medical Coding Certificate program are also applicable to the A.A.S in Health Information Technology.
What is Coding Certification?
The American Health Information Management Association’s Council on Certification (COC) administers an entry-level coding certification examination, the CCA (Certified Coding Associate). Programs that meet the criteria for coding approval have been determined by AHIMA to contain the necessary components that would prepare a student to be a competent, entry-level coder. Students who complete an approved coding certificate program should be ready to sit for the CCA exam. In addition, the American Health Information Management Association offers two Coding Specialist Certification Examinations: the CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) and CCS-P (Certified Coding Specialist-Physicians’ Office). These mastery level certification examinations have been established to recognize individuals with specialized, advanced coding competencies. Individuals interested in either of these two mastery-level certifications should gain substantial coding experience before taking either of these examinations. They are not recommended for students who have recently completed a coding certificate program and have no other coding experience.
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