Medical Billing Forum
General Category => General Questions => : ruthie72 August 14, 2012, 12:55:59 PM
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Hello fellow billers,
I was wondering if anyone is also coder certified, and if I would be able to just take the exam on AHIMA without any further courses? Has anyone ever done this? Thanks so much. :)
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Have you taken any courses already? Or are you just wondering if you can take the exam based on knowledge?
P.S. I'm not a certified coder. :)
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I am a certified coder through AHIMA. I did not take any courses. I studied the study guide, took the practice exams, and made sure I was familiar with the rules and regulations regarding CPT coding, HCPCS codes, and ICD-9 codes. The AHIMA exam is not like the AAPC so make sure you are aware with how the test is structured.
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I took am a certified medical biller and took coding with my course. I did not want to have to pay thousands of dollars again to take another coding course. How would I get familiar with the structure of the test? What would you suggest? Thanks for you help so much, you have given me encouragement...Did you get the books from AHIMA?
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If I could just butt in a min... There is a difference between CODING and being familiar with Coding for billing. If you are going to actually DO the coding your best course of action is with the CPC through the AAPC or for hosp, AHIMA. Now if you have no intentions of coding (remember you assume greater liability) you do NOT need to become certified but you want to have an overall familiarity of coding process. In other words, if you want to do billing you do NOT need to be a coder. I have a different certification which really would not be any good for actual coding, nor do I want one <g>. I require my clients take care of all coding and for most part it's never been an issue and will be even easier with EMR implemented.
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I agree with Linda with the difference between coding and being familiar with coding for billing. Each organization, AAPC and AHIMA describes the structures of their tests on their websites. They state what they will cover, how much is multiple choice, etc. I would way the pros and cons of both tests and go from there. The question then becomes will you offer that as a service because as Linda mentioned there is a greater liability for coding for a practice.
For me, I was coding for years before I decided to take the exam. So, I knew the a lot of the rules and regulations and I also had the opportunity to perform coding audits. I took the CCS-P through AHIMA only because I wanted to challenge myself with the coding questions. Nothing against the AAPC exam because I heard that it was difficult as well, but with the AHIMA the actual coding portion was not multiple choice at all. That is one thing to consider as well.
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Thank you both very much. I am trying to expand my horizons to make more money. Unfortunately the billing aspect has not worked out for me as well as I would like it to. So, I would like to get coder certified to try and get a job in that field. I am going to try it through AHIMA, thanks so much again for all of your help.
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Don't rule out consulting.. MUCH bigger money than billing and can fill in the gaps :) I do better with the consulting than I do with billing.
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I would love to know more about this? How would I get information? I am in a billing coordinating position right now, I do not do actual billing, but review all of the charts to ensure completion to be sent to the billing/coding department. I catch errors all of the time. If you cal let me know Linda. Thanks so much. Have a wonderful day.. :D
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Consulting is just an add on service to my billing company, I've done it all including credentialing, procedures & policies, compliance reviews/plans, employee job flow studies, training, staffing, and audit's.
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thanks so much for your responses. I actually decided to go through AAPC..I purchased the study guide and 2 practice exams. I take my test in NOVEMBER, wish me luck!
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thanks so much for your responses. I actually decided to go through AAPC..I purchased the study guide and 2 practice exams. I take my test in NOVEMBER, wish me luck!
GOOD LUCK :)
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Thank you so much@@@ I will let you know how I do.