Medical Office Assistant & Professional Medical Billing & Coding (CPC-A)

This is a two-part program that starts with medical billing, computer, and office procedures to get the student prepared for a medical office position. The second part of the program will prepare the student to become nationally certified as a CPC-A (Certified Professional Coder Apprentice). This certification is sponsored by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). The AAPC is a nationally recognized organization offering professional accreditation, education, recognition, and networking opportunities to medical coders

Medical billing is the process of submitting and following up on claims with health insurance companies to receive payment for services rendered by a healthcare provider.

The medical biller needs to understand how to read medical records and, like the medical coder, be familiar with CPT®, HCPCS Level II, and ICD-10-CM codes.

The primary job of a medical coder is to review clinical documentation to extract and translate billable information into medical codes using CPT®, ICD-10- CM, and HCPCS Level II classification systems. Medical classification, or medical coding, is the process of translating medical reports into codes used within the healthcare industry.

While medical billers’ duties vary based on where they work, they typically fulfill front-end and back-end jobs that include gathering patient information, entering charges, verifying health plan coverage, securing prior authorizations, collecting copays, and “scrubbing” claims to ensure that procedure, diagnosis, and modifier codes are accurate before transmitting claims to payers and posting payments.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:

• Demonstrate critical thinking skills while applying knowledge of specialized medical terminologies, insurance, and regulation systems.
• Define basic health insurance terminology relating to medical billing and the claims process.
• Apply security & privacy concepts according to HIPAA guidelines.
• Apply a variety of computer skills necessary to prepare documents related to billing, coding, and health care settings.
• Utilize the ICD-10(-CM) manual when given patient medical information to assign the correct codes for claims purposes.
• Utilize the CPT and HCPCS code books to correctly assign the code for the medical procedure or service as documented in the medical record.

Specifications