Health care in America has undergone tremendous change in the recent past, and more changes are promised for the future. These changes have resulted in an ever-increasing demand for qualified medical coders.

Medical coding is far more than assigning numbers to services and diagnoses. Coders abstract information from the patient record and combine it with their knowledge of reimbursement and coding guidelines to optimize physician payment. Coders have been called the "fraud squad" because they optimize but never maximize and code only for services provided to the patient that are documented in the patient record.

There is a demand for skilled coders, and you can be one of those in demand. Put your best efforts into building the foundation of your career as a Medical Coder, and you will be rewarded for a lifetime.

This course is designed to teach you the basics of medical coding in an easy to learn, natural progression. You will learn things such as how to use the CPT and ICD-9-CM in coding procedures and diagnoses. You will learn about modifiers and V Codes, diagnostic coding and reporting guidelines for outpatient services and body system coding, general surgery coding, radiology coding, pathology/lab coding, medicine and you will learn about Medicare`s Level II National Codes and so much more.



This course includes the following elements:

• Video-Based eLearning Lectures Medical Coding Basic; MedCertify
• Textbook: Step-by-Step Medical Coding 2009 Edition; Buck, ISBN 978-1416045663
• Student Workbook: Step-by-Step Medical Coding 2009; Buck, ISBN 978-1416045656
• Textbook: 2009 ICD-9-CM, Volumes 1, 2, 3; Buck, ISBN 978-1416044475
• Textbook: 2009 HCPCS Level II; Buck, ISBN 978-1416052043
• Textbook: 2009 CPT Manual; AMA, ISBN 978-1603590631
• Reference Book: Mosby`s Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing & Health Professions, 8E; AMA, ISBN 978-0323049375

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Show a solid understanding of the medical coding profession
2. Understand and be able to fill out claim forms
3. Know how to file claims with different insurance companies
4. Confidently pursue a career in medical coding

Evaluation of student performance will be based on the following:

1. Online practice exercises
2. Individual module tests