Medical Coding and Billing courses at Alvin Community College are offered online to allow students to work at their own pace and schedule. Students may start whenever ready rather than waiting for a course “start date.” Students are given one year to complete the course of study but many students finish in 9 months if about 20-25 hours per week is spent in training. Students obtain the training needed to be prepared to gain national certification through American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). Students receive everything needed to work in an increasingly electronic environment with the integration of electronic health records. Medical coders provide the details for reimbursement and facilitate clinical care and research.
ACC offers two different tracks for Medical Billing and Coding:
The more popular class, Inpatient/Outpatient MC&B prepares students for both “in-hospital” as well as “out of hospital” settings. About 39% of jobs are in hospitals.
The second option is Outpatient Coding which allows graduates to work in non-hospital settings such as clinics, dentists’ offices, nursing care facilities and home healthcare services but not in-hospital settings.
Inpatient and Outpatient Medical Coding and Billing
This program prepares students for both inpatient and outpatient medical coding and billing careers and helps them gain the knowledge and skills required for national certification exams. Students focus on medical terminology, coding standards, and specific code sets. A significant portion of the program will be spent training on the 3M™ Coding and Reimbursement System, which is used by many industry employers and prepares students to transition to the workplace. The program’s online learning platform provides 24/7 access to the curriculum and interactive learning tools, allowing students to study on a schedule that fits individual lifestyles.
In this program, learn how to:
- Accurately “code” medical procedures and diagnoses
- Seek out and retrieve information from medical records for appropriate medical code entry for insurance and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement
- Apply decision-making skills to ensure proper sequencing of the codes that are identified
- Review medical records to convert information from the medical record into alphanumeric coding systems
- Facilitate health care professionals by capturing the details of care including clinical management, morbidity and mortality information, and diagnostic interventions
The U.S. Dept of Labor, January 2009 states, “Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in particularly high demand. Changing government regulations and the growth of managed care have increased the amount of paperwork involved in filing insurance claims. Additionally, health care facilities are having some difficulty attracting qualified workers, primarily because employers prefer trained and experienced technicians prepared to work in an increasingly electronic environment with the integration of electronic health records. Job opportunities may be especially good for coders employed through temporary help agencies or by professional services firms.”
Average Annual Salary
The average annual salary varies with geographic location, years of experience, in-house versus temporary staffing position, and other variables. Medical Coders are often paid based on an annual salary:
- Upper 25% average $40,956 / year
- 50-75% average $37,377 / year
- Bottom 25% average $33,814 / year (Data from January 1, 2009)
Medical Coders generally work in acute care hospitals, nursing care facilities, outpatient facilities and physicians offices, although some companies now outsource to allow coders to work from home. Medical Coders do not have actual physical contact with patients, but work with the patient’s medical record. With the aging of the American public, the demand for medical coding professionals continues to rise because more people seek medical attention. Medical Coders need to be detailed oriented.
Student Traits
Students need to be self-motivated and have self-discipline to pace oneself for the entire course of study. (You may request extensions for an additional fee if needed.) Students need to have good oral and written communication skills. Students should commit to lifelong learning.
Prerequisites and Course Requirements
Students must have a High School diploma or GED equivalency to register for the course. The course includes several units of study. Students must achieve an 85% on each unit in order to progress to the next unit. There is also a mid-term exam to help you know how you are progressing. The student can take the mid-term as often as needed. After completing the theory portion of the course, students request to take the Final Exam. Students receive a new password and username to take the Exam. The Final can be taken up to 3 times. There are 150 questions on the Final Exam.
Textbooks
Textbooks covering the online material are included in the tuition so students will be able to refer back to the material during and/or after the course.
Coding books are updated annually at different times. The ICD-9 is updated in October. The CPT is updated in November and the HCPCS is updated in December. Students will not receive their coding books until they reach the appropriate content in the program of study. If this time falls around updates, shipment may be delayed slightly to ensure the most updated materials are used in the course. If students have outdated books and wish to purchase the updated versions they can do so for an additional cost of $275.00.
Grant or TPEG monies may be available for qualified individuals. We’ll even help you with Resume building when you finish the course so you can jump right into the market. Post-graduation it becomes your responsibility to keep up with professional updates that occur, but you will have access to a graduate support team for one year following completion. Throughout the course students will have access to student support, technical support, and shipping support services.
Upcoming Classes:
INTERNET
Outpatient Coding
Course No. Date(s) Time Day Room Instructor
CEHMED 1000 IN 01/04/2012 - 01/03/2013 TBA TBA Online S Priest
Fee(s): Tuition IN $2,400.00 Tuition OD $2,420.00 Other Fees $55.00
Inpatient / Outpatient Medical Coding and Billing
Course No. Date(s) Time Day Room Instructor
CEHMED 1100 IN 09/01/2011 - 08/31/2012 TBA TBA Online S Priest
Fee(s): Tuition IN $2,600.00 Tuition OD $2,620.00 Other Fees $55.00
For more information about ACC Medical Coding and Billing or to Register for one of these programs,
call 281-756-3787 or email ce@alvincollege.edu.
