Once you have completed the academic courses, you now have the necessary background to begin learning and applying coding principles. Coding courses you should take include the following topics:
- Basic ICD-9-CM
- Advanced ICD-9-CM
- Basic CPT
- Advanced CPT
- Principles of Reimbursement & Insurance
In virtually every health care provider setting, you will need to use both the ICD-9-CM and CPT coding systems. In addition, because the codes that you assign to a patient’s record will determine how much and whether the patient’s claim gets paid, you should also understand the principles of reimbursement and insurance as they exist in this country today.
In addition to the organized HIT/HIM programs, you can also obtain training in coding from a variety of methods. One of the strongest providers of coding education are the professional associations. Currently, of all professional association offerings, the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) at www.aapc.com provides an independent study program for both ICD-9-CM and CPT coding that is well organized and comprehensive. Other organizations that provide instruction in coding include the AHIMA – www.ahima.org, the American Medical Association (AMA) at www.ama-assn.org, and the American Hospital Association (AHA) at www.aha.org. Regardless of where you obtain your coding classroom training, remember that coding training is an on-going, dynamic process. Although the basic coding principles remain the same, the coding and reimbursement systems themselves are changing each year.
Information on reimbursement and insurance can be obtained through many of the various offerings of all of these professional associations. Other associations that provide seminars and instruction on reimbursement and insurance principles include the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management at www.aaham.org , the National Association of Health Care Access Managers at www.naham.org , the Healthcare Financial Management Association at www.hfma.org and the Health Insurance Association of America at www.hiaa.org. In addition, the HCFA-sponsored interactive website www.medicaretraining.com is an excellent overview of the entire coding and reimbursement process and, it’s free of charge to all users. Be cautioned however, that this website is not a substitute for more formal training and provides an overview only.
