Certified Medical Coding: Physician's Practice Course

Medical coding ensures proper recording of patient medical conditions, verification of physician services, and appropriate reimbursement by insurers for those services. Certified professional coders are an essential part of any physician practice or outpatient clinic. They compile, process and maintain medical records using a standardized numerical coding system known as International Classification of Diseases or ICD-10.

If you are interested in becoming a nationally certified professional coder, then this is the course that will take you there. This course integrates all elements of the coding process, including:    

• Comprehensive overview of ICD-10 coding applications with instruction on proper application of codes    
• Comprehensive overview of CPT coding applications with instruction on proper application of codes    
• Introduction to operative reports    
• Comprehensive introduction to HCPCS coding    
• Boot camp review and administration of CPC^® exam

Module 1. Business of Medicine

• Medical Insurance
• Legal and Ethical Issues
• Medical Records

Module 2. Medical Terminology

• Introduction to Medical Terminology
  
• Dividing and Combining Medical Terms
  
• Abbreviations, Symbols and Special Terms
  

Module 3. Anatomy Review

• Anatomy: Landmarks and Divisions
• Cell and Tissue Anatomy and Pathology

Module 4. Introduction to ICD-10-CM and its Guidelines

• Introduction to ICD-10-CM and Coding for Infections
• ICD-10-CM Coding from Blood to Metabolic Diseases
• ICD-10-CM Coding from Mental Disorders to the Circulatory System
• ICD-10-CM Coding from Digestive to Musculoskeletal
• ICD-10-CM Coding from Genitourinary System to Complications of Pregnancy
• ICD-10-CM Coding from Symptoms to Abnormal Findings
• ICD-10-CM Coding from Morbidity to Health Factors

Module 5. Intro to CPT, Surgery Guidelines, HCPCS Level II, and Modifiers

• Surgical Coding, Part 1
• Surgical Coding, Part 2
• Radiology, Pathology, Anesthesia and Medicine
• Integrating Diagnostic and Procedural Codes
• The Basics of HCPCS Coding

Module 6. Intro to Surgery, Global Period, How to read an Operative report

• Evaluation and Management Coding, Part I
• Evaluation and Management Coding, Part II
• Evaluation and Management Coding, Part III

Module 7. Integumentary System

• Elements of the integumentary system
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Integumentary

Module 8. Musculoskeletal System

• Elements of the Musculoskeletal system
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Musculoskeletal system

Module 9. Respiratory, Hemic and Lymphatic Systems; Mediastinum and Diaphragm

• Elements of the integumentary system
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Respiratory, Hemic and Lymphatic Systems

Module 10. Cardiovascular

• Elements of the Cardiovascular system
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Cardiovascular

Module 11. Digestive System

• Elements of the digestive system
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Digestive

Module 12. Eye and Ear Surgery Systems    

• Elements of the Ear and Eye system
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Ear and Eye

Module 13. Endocrine and Nervous

• Elements of the Endocrine and Nervous system
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Endocrine and Nervous

Module 14. Urinary and Male GU System

• Elements of the Urinary and Male GU System
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Urinary and Male GU System

Module 15. Female GU System and Maternity

• Elements of the Female GU System and Maternity
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Female GU System and Maternity

Module 16. Radiology

• Elements of the Radiology
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Radiology

Module 17. Anesthesia    

• Elements of the Anesthesia        
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Anesthesia

Module 18. Pathology and Laboratory

• Elements of the Pathology and Laboratory system
• Metabolic functions
• CPT Codes Pathology and Laboratory

Download Course Outline (PDF)

It's important you know anatomy and medical terminology to be a successful coder. We recommend taking either of these courses from our partners at ed2go to be successful in this course.

• Human Anatomy and Physiology (Self-Paced Tutorial)
• Medical Terminology: A Word Association Approach (Self-Paced Tutorial)

This course includes two exam vouchers for the AAPC CPC exam which will be given onsite at Towson University immediately following the last class. Learn more about the certification exam.

Darlene Helmer, CPC, ACS-AN, CPC-I, CMPE, MBA is the lead certified instructor for the in-class Certified Medical Coding course. Helmer has gathered a team of experienced subject matter experts who teach this course. She has spent more than four decades in the medical field and owns a healthcare consulting firm that specializes in revenue cycle, which includes coding and auditing.  

Hardware Requirements

• This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
• Webcams are strongly recommended.

Software Requirements

• PC: Windows XP or later.
• Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Microsoft Word (not included in enrollment).
• Windows Media Player.
• Adobe Flash Player. Download the Flash Player.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download the Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.