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Medical Coding Certificate

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What can I do with this?

The Medical Coding Certificate

  • Is designed around the national American Academy of Professional Coder’s (AAPC) Certified Professional Coder (CPC) curriculum.
  • Covers Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10-CM) coding.
  • Teaches reviewing and assigning the correct procedure and diagnosis codes for professional (physician) services.

You can use this to:

  • Prepare for a career in a medical billing department at a physician’s office, clinic, or similar positions.

Potential employers recognize that the CPC credential equates with proven mastery of all code sets (CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS), evaluation and management (E/M) principles, surgical coding, and adherence to documentation and coding guidelines.

What will I learn?

  • To utilize software in the completion of Health Information Management (HIM) processes for billing, data collection, and data reporting.
  • To evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic and procedural billing.
  • To apply policies and procedures to the use of data required in healthcare reimbursement.
  • To analyze current regulations and established guidelines in billing systems.

What courses do I take?

Note: Some courses within the major may have a required prerequisite. If you feel you have equivalent knowledge and skills to those included in the prerequisite course through professional experience, licensure, or certification, you have the opportunity to submit a Prerequisite Challenge to be reviewed by the faculty chair. For the Prerequisite Challenge to be considered, you must submit documentation/verification to substantiate the basis for the challenge. Please consult a counselor for more information regarding Prerequisite Challenge.

Complete all of the following courses:

Core Courses

Advisory: ENGL C070

36 hours lecture. This course is designed to prepare the student to recognize human behaviors and communicate effectively with clients and other healthcare providers in the workplace. Topics include verbal, non-verbal communication techniques, listening skills, therapeutic communication skills and communicating with other healthcare providers. This course meets the competency standards for CAAHEP and CCBMA certification.

Advisory: ENGL C070

27 hours lecture. This course is designed to explore the theories, models and principles that serve as guides for ethical behavior within the medical assistant context. The student explores the complexities of the ethical and legal aspects of patient care related to the medical assistant’s practice, all the while emphasizing the importance of principled behavior in personal and professional situations.

Advisory: ENGL C070

27 hours lecture. This course covers concepts and techniques for managing and maintaining manual and electronic health records (EHR). Topics include structure and use of health information including data collection and analysis, data sources/sets, archival systems, and quality and integrity of health care data. The focus of this course is system-wide clinical documentation guidelines and regulatory standards.

Prerequisite: HCRS C150, HCRS C130, HCRS C131, HCRS C132

54 hours lecture. This course enables the student to gain a wide range of skills that may be required in a medical front office which is an area that is constantly changing. It covers basic office procedures, which include receptionist, appointments, scheduling, telephone techniques, interpersonal relations, computer data entry, oral communication, and medico-legal doctrines.

54 hours lecture. This course is designed to familiarize the student with the language of medicine. The components of medical terminology are highly beneficial for any individual with a healthcare employment objective. The course presents the components of medical works including word roots, combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes. Using medical terminology as a focal point, the systems of the body are discussed.

Required Courses

Prerequisite: HCRS C150, HCRS C130, HCRS C131, HCRS C132

54 hours lecture. This course presents the basic functions of the insurance and billing practices for healthcare workers. Topics include management of basic financial activities for healthcare facilities including medical insurance, methods of establishing professional fees, billing laws and regulations, banking, and bookkeeping.

Co-requisite: HCRS C133

36 hours lecture. This course presents a thorough discussion of basic International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding. Procedural coding and International Classification of Diseases provides students with the detailed knowledge to implement the specialized coding needed for billing insurance companies.

Prerequisite: HCRS C135. Advisory: BIOL C121, ENGL C070

72 hours lecture. This course introduces the principles of medical coding related to the three main code books: Current Procedural Terminology, International Classification of Diseases-Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), and Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System, Level II (HCPCS). This course is recommended for anyone who is preparing for a career in medical coding for medical facilities. It is strongly recommended for anyone who is preparing for American Association Professional Coders’ (AAPC) Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification examination.

Prerequisite: HCRS C135, HCRS C145. Co-requisite: HCRS C145. Advisory: BIOL C125

9 hours lecture/80 hours laboratory. This course provides practical experience in applying the concepts, theories, and principles of medical coding related to the three main code books: Current Procedural Terminology, International Classification of Diseases-Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), and Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System, Level II (HCPCS) through a medical coding practical online application system. This course is recommended for anyone who is preparing for a career in medical coding for medical facilities. It is strongly recommended for anyone who is preparing for American Association Professional Coders’ (AAPC) Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification examination.

Program Pathways

Official Catalog Copy

All classes needed for this certificate are available at the following campuses: CC Online

See Counseling for specific help with enrolling and completing this major.

How can I afford it?

This certificate requires 22.0 units and will likely take 2 semesters.

Approximate Total Costs

CA Residents

22.0 units

at $46 per unit

Equals $1,012 in tuition and fees

Plus approximately $1,320* for books and supplies

Total cost $2,332 for 2 semesters

Non-residents

22.0 units

at $329 per unit

Equals $7,238 in tuition and fees

Plus approximately $1,320* for books and supplies

Total cost $8,558 for 2 semesters

*This is an estimate. Actual costs will vary.

Need help? Financial Aid can help with fee waivers and scholarships and other aid. Make sure to fill out your FAFSA every January.

Contact

For general questions

Matthew Wanta
Allied Health
Phone: 760-384-6331
Email: matthew.wanta@cerrocoso.edu

Counseling can provide specific help with enrolling and completing this major.

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