Advanced Hospital Coding Certificate – Online

Inpatient acute care coding (hospital coding) is one of the best-paying sectors of the coding profession. If you’re already performing some aspect of facility coding, the Advanced Hospital Coding (AHC) Program will fill in the gaps, making you a more marketable employee. These skills are essential to your successful completion of the American Health Information Management Association’s (AHIMA) mastery-level credentialing exam, the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS®).

If you are currently working in a physician’s office or billing service, this program will give you the edge you need to advance in the workplace. Most hospitals will only hire coders with previous exposure to facility coding or who are already certified. Training on the job is a luxury most hospitals are unable to offer. Coders of all levels must undergo continuing education to stay current with the constantly changing regulations.

The AHC program covers advanced, hospital-specific coding and billing procedures and is designed to help students meet the challenge of today’s changing standards. This program will utilize your existing knowledge of medical terminology and healthcare sciences. Your coding skills will be heightened and focused, preparing you for employment testing and successful completion of the CCS exam.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how health information travels within departments of a facility
• Be able to define the roles and responsibilities of a coder in both inpatient and outpatient facilities
• Assign ICD-10-CM/PCS and CPT/ HCPCS Level II codes and modifiers
• Know how to interpret clinical documentation using your knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy/physiology, and disease processes
• Select codes according to Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Sets (UHDDS) definitions and official coding guidelines
• Evaluate the effect of code selection on Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) assignment, and verify DRG assignment based on Prospective Payment System (PPS) definitions
• Indicate Medical Necessity by linking an appropriate diagnosis with the procedure or service provided.
• Understand reimbursement methodologies
• Describe documentation rules and regulations

Prerequisite: The Advanced Hospital Coding program is not an entry-level program. This program is designed specifically for students with previous coding experience or education, and for students who have completed either the ed2go Administrative Medical Specialist with Medical Billing and Coding or the Medical Billing and Coding program by itself.

Advanced Hospital Coding students should have:

• High school diploma/GED
• Minimum two years of experience with medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathology
• ICD-9-CM coding experience or ICD-10-CM/PCS coding experience or previous training
• CPT/HCPCS Level II coding experience or previous training

Requirements: This program is compatible with the Windows XP and later operating systems and IE 7 and later browsers.  It can be taken on either a Mac or a PC; however, most medical offices currently use PCs.  Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Acrobat Reader are required for this program.
 
Click here to download the Acrobat Reader.
Click here to download the Flash Player.
 
Materials included: 

• Coding and Reimbursement for Hospital Inpatient Services
• Professional Review Guide for the CCS/CCS-P Examination (1yr of access to e-book)

Students are responsible for the following:

Students should have the current year’s version of the following materials for the Advanced Hospital Coding & CCS Prep Course.  Before purchasing, please check the AHIMA website for the Allowable Code Books List for the CCS certification examination.
 

Materials:

• Current Procedural Terminology (CPT)
• Healthcare Professional Coding System (HCPCS) Level II
• ICD-10-CM
• ICD-10-PCS

Note: As a current coder seeking more in-depth knowledge, you should already have a set of coding books. They are not provided. You are expected to have your own current year CPT and ICD-10-CM coding books. Optional: Current Year HealthCare Procedural Coding System (HCPCS)
 

View full course syllabus
 

For our online course refund policy, click here.
 

You will receive a password and log-in information via email within 3-5 business days of registering for this course. Course materials are included and will be mailed to you within 10 business days.
 

You have 180 days to complete this course. You must make an 70 or higher as your final grade to successfully complete the course and receive a certificate of completion.
 

There are no refunds for this course.
 

For questions on this course, please contact the online coordinator at online@kennesaw.edu or 470-578-6693.

Financial Aid Options

• MyCAA
• Education Loans