The Medical Coding Specialist Certificate is to prepare students for employment in the health care information management area. This certificate enables the student to be employed by coding departments, physicians’ offices, health care clinics, emergency care clinics, chiropractic offices, psychiatric clinics, and health insurance companies. The opportunity for Internet coding work is possible after experience is gained.
The Medical Coding Specialist job entails the translation of diagnoses, procedures, services and supplies into numeric/alpha-numerical components for statistical reporting and reimbursement. The Medical Coding Specialist can expect team working experience with medical billing specialists and others on the health care team; this person will need special training in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology as well as a thorough understanding of CPT procedure and ICD-10 diagnosis coding; also necessary knowledge includes an in-depth understanding of third-party reimbursement and overage policies, the review and the abstract of in-patient and out-patient medical records, the ability to utilize new coding standards, HIPAA regulations, the ability to resolve insurance carrier rejects and denials related to coding and coverage issues. The internship will be for one semester for a total of 240 hours.
When students complete this program, they will be able to:
- Utilize technology successfully for the management of health care information.
- Apply sensitivity to client cultural diversity especially in communication.
- Use CPT and ICD-10 medical coding accurately.