Make sure that the important questions are being asked when you are choosing which Medical Coding School to take your CPC course at. You may be wondering… What is a CPC Certification? CPC is the abbreviation for Certified Professional Coder and is the most recognized Medical Coding certification. Coding Clarified would like to help you find the right school to see you succeed. Weigh out your options and make sure you understand exactly what is included with your CPC course schooling. These questions will help you on your journey to finding the perfect school that offers online Medical Coding courses.
What Type of Learner are you?
This is a question for you. First, you want to determine if online Medical Coding classes are even a good fit for you. You may do better in an in person CPC course. Everyone learns differently, choose what works best for your learning style. If you are a go-getter or a self starter, online classes are a perfect option. There are many perks to completing your CPC Certification online. Coding Clarified is here to help you every step of the way. Any exams that you get less than 80% on, we help you with. We offer audio files that you can take notes from. Our program is self-paced and you can learn on your own time to offer flexibility. The convenience and experience make Coding Clarified one of the best places to learn medical coding. If you need in class accountability then an in person option will be more beneficial to you. Do keep in mind, if it is in person and the class sizes are large, it may not be as 1 on 1 and you may not get the extra help that you need. Remember we are here for our students and we are just one click or a call away.
Is the Medical Coding School Accredited and by Who?
Accredited schools must meet certain standards and are held accountable for their actions. Protect your investment. Be sure that the school you choose is accredited. If something bad happens or the school does not deliver, you can file a complaint and there will be repercussions for them. Coding Clarified is a post secondary school accredited by the Idaho State Board of Education.
Is Your Medical Coding Instructor Certified and Licensed?
It is important to know that the instructor that teaches your online Medical Coding course is CPC Certified, rather than just a CPC-A (Certified Professional Coder- Apprentice). The instructor will have more hands-on experience if they are fully certified and licensed with the AAPC (American Association of Professional Coders). They will be able to teach the online Medical Coding courses more effectively with these credentials.
Is the CPC Exam Voucher and Membership Included in the Cost?
Some schools do not include the AAPC voucher and membership. The CPC exam cost and membership will be $400 and $175 if you need to purchase them separately. If the CPC certification test is not included in your tuition, factor it into the full price to see if the Medical Coding school is still affordable. We include both in our Medical Coding program.
Is your CPC Course Less Than 80 Hours?
This may just be the most important factor in choosing the right Online Medical Coding Classes. We see people struggle with this frequently. If your CPC course is less than 80 hours, the AAPC will require you to get one extra year of educational experience. If you do not have this you will be a CPC-A unless you have the full 40 hours to change your status to CPC. You will struggle to get a job. Prevent this from happening. Find an online Medical Coding class that recognizes the amount of course hours needed. Some students resort to getting a medical billing job if they have less than 80 hours. If you are already in this situation, we now offer a paid Medical Coding internship online.
How am I Going to Gain Experience Once I am Certified?
You must have a game plan for the long run. Coding Clarified offers self-paced online Medical Coding internship for both students. The HCC Internship is available to all students. You will learn how to code chronic ICD-10 conditions, identify risk adjusts and log in to different chart formats with specialties. You will gain the experience needed to be successful and be an asset to the establishment that you will work for in the future. This will build your confidence in the field. Job resources and help with Medical Coding job placement is very important as well. Find out what their process is and what it will look like. If you have an opportunity already lined up or know someone that will be hiring you, you may not need to focus fully on this one. We also have Medical Coding job listings throughout the US posted on our website.
Does Your School Help you Write a Professional Résumé?
This is imperative to success when looking for a Medical Coding job. Your resume will highlight the experience you have and hone in on your skills through school and Practicode. Your resume must be professional and represent yourself appropriately. If the school does not include this, you will want to hire someone to help you with it. We include this in our cost.
Does Your School use the AAPC Curriculum?
Some do not and this is extremely pertinent. Schools that do have this pay extra to purchase the curriculum that is based on what will be on the AAPC CPC Exam. AAPC’s CPC test is the industry standard and what you will need to get certified.
What is Your Pass Rate?
Research their reviews and what people are saying about them. Ask them what their pass rate is. At Coding Clarified, we have a 95% pass rate and we help our students to achieve this.
Are the Books Included?
Some online Medical Coding courses do not include this in the price of tuition. We include all AAPC books as they are universal and the industry standard.
How do I Contact the instructor and What is the Process?
Figure out what form of communication your potential school uses when you would like to get in contact with them while you are a student. What is the waiting time and process like?
What Certification are you Prepping me for?
There are zero billing questions on the CPC exam. If you just want to be a Medical Coder, focus only on coding. You do not need to be certified to be a biller.
Do you offer any financial assistance or scholarships?
If it is a post secondary school you can use your 401(k) to attend. There is no interest or loan costs. We are a licensed provider for the WIOA grant to offer a scholarship for free schooling through the Workforce in 31 US states.
See if your state is included and get more information here. Contact your local Workforce to apply. If you are not approved, we offer financial assistance.
What is the Cost and What is Included?
If you do not qualify for a WIOA Grant, we charge ONLY $3750 and it includes everything except practicode, which is $249.
How Long Will it Take to Complete?
Our Online Medical Coding course is 20 chapters, which is completed on average in 16 weeks but could be done in as little as 10 weeks.
If you are interested in attending Coding Clarified, submit needed info on our contact form and we will send you details.
Join our Facebook groups Medical Coding and Billing Forum and Medical Billing and Coding Forum
We do not want to see you get taken advantage of. We want to see you find the right school. We hope this brings awareness to what you should be asking schools and that it will hold them accountable to raise the bar of Medical Coding education. Do your homework. Don’t just focus on the price solely. You get what you pay for. We have a plethora of resources and offer a support system to help you. Pick the right school for your needs.
“We will find your weak areas and turn them into strengths. We can curve any hurdle. We know what works and what doesn’t work. We don’t cut corners to get there.
Your success is our success. – Janine Mothershed, Owner of Coding Clarified