Friday, July 6, 2012

Taking The CCS Exam


medical coding training at home.

CCS stands for Certified Coding Specialist. The CCS exam is conducted by American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). To take the exam you must have a high school diploma or equivalent credentials. The cost of taking the exam is $299 for AHIMA members and $399 for non-members. The exam has two parts. The first section has 60 questions that are multiple choice (although 10 are ungraded practice). Part two is actual coding scenarios and has 13 questions. The test is 4 hours long and you cannot work on part one after you have moved to part two.

CSS Employment

CCSs are responsible for classifying medical information and patient data, usually in a hospital. These coders:

* Check patients' records and use numeric codes for every procedure and diagnosis.

* Are experts in ICD-9 and CPT coding. (And soon ICD-10)

* Understand pharmacology, disease processes, and medical terminology.

CCS Exam Preparation

When preparing for the CSS exam make sure to check out the AHIMA website they have helpful info on scheduling exams, and preparation tips. When studying for the CCS exam you will find the books listed below helpful. They are all recommended by AHIMA and I was able to find them listed at the lowest prices on Amazon.

Medical coding requires having an education in this area. You need to know the terms that doctors use as well as what the codes mean so that you can appropriately bill people and insurance for the doctor's service. This is a very popular job and there is an ever increasing need for people trained in this area to find work. This job can be done working from home or in the community.

medical coding training at home.