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1 Important Information for Certified Coder Boot Camp elearning Version Course Participants 2017 Version Welcome to the Certified Coder Boot Camp elearning! Congratulations on your decision to further your education and work toward achieving your goal, be it professional coding certification or just improved coding skills. These modules promise to be hard work, but at the end of the month, you ll be astounded at how much you ve learned. Please read this document in its entirety to ensure you have everything you need before the start of class. User Access Within 2 3 business days of your class start date, you will receive a Welcome with details on accessing your account and instructions on using the portal. If you have not received an within one week prior to the start of your class start date, please contact elearningsupport@hcpro.com or call HCPro customer service at (800) You may need to check your junk folder or spam folder for this depending on the filter settings of your organization. Technical Requirements and Assistance Using the most up to date software versions is recommended for viewing courses. The minimum system requirements are: Current version of Flash Player ( Windows Internet Explorer 6 and later, Firefox 1.x and later, Google Chrome (latest version), Opera 9.5 and later Macintosh Safari 3 and later, Firefox 1.x and later, Google Chrome (latest version) Mobile Safari in Apple ios 6 and later (performance may vary depending on hardware specs) Note: Due to the length of these courses, mobile use is not recommended. How this Class Works This Boot Camp was designed by experts in this field. Instructors create, review, and update course content and scripts regularly. Scripts are recorded by professional voice actors to enhance the user experience and increase the overall quality of the program. 1

2 Complete biographies of all of the course instructors can be found in your course materials. You ll also be able to our instructors any time by clicking on the Ask the Expert link in the top right of the course screen (detailed below). The Boot Camp is made up of a series of modules. Take the courses in the order they appear in the system (they are also listed numerically), as concepts in early courses are built on as the series progresses. The class is comprised of a combination of lectures and exercises you ll do on your own; answers to the exercises are explained in detail. We have also provided the module slide decks and additional handouts in the Resources tab in each course. Students can print or download these resources at any time during their 60 day access period. Keep in mind that with our elearning Boot Camp, as with any class, you ll get out of the course what you put into it. To truly master the coding concepts covered in the course, it s crucial to complete all the exercises on your own before reviewing the answers. Ask the Expert feature Questions regarding the content of the videos and/or assistance with understanding the practice exercises can be obtained through the Ask the Expert feature located in the Ask the Expert tab in the upper right of the course. You will be able to use this feature at any time during your access to the course. You will typically receive a response to your question within 48 business hours of submission. Please note that problems with accessing the course and/or other technical issues should not be submitted through Ask the Expert. Contact elearningsupport@hcpro.com for any technical issues. If you have a question relevant to specific content, please be sure to reference the course and slide title, question number, or handout to help our experts better understand your question. When it s time for you to get started Keep in mind you ll need space to take notes and open your coding manuals. Be sure to print off any handouts before you re ready to begin if you plan on taking notes on the provided slide decks. Turn off your cell phone, close out of your , and try to let others know you ll be unavailable during the time you ve set aside so that you can focus your energy on listening and watching the lessons. Certified Coder Boot Camp elearning is for individual use only. Participants are not permitted to share usernames and passwords or copy course materials. 2

3 Certificate of Completion and CE credits After you have completed all modules in the Boot Camp, take the Final Exam. Successful completion of this Exam and the course survey is required in order to receive your continuing education certificate. The link to the survey will be available on the passing screen of the Final Exam. DO NOT close out of the Final Exam before completing the survey. After you have completed the survey, you will get an with a link to your certificate. You may need to check your junk folder or spam folder for this e mail depending on the e mail filter settings of your organization. Keep this for your records. CE credits are only available to students who earned their coding certification(s) prior to taking this course. Credentialing organizations do not grant approval for activities completed prior to certification. Coding Manuals You will need a CPT 2017 Professional Edition, a 2017 ICD 10 CM manual, and a 2017 HCPCS Level II manual for the class. You ll also need these books if you plan on taking the CPC exam (see below for more information on how to register for the exam). The Standard version of the CPT manual, CPT Expert, and CPT Plus! are not acceptable for the Boot Camp course. Neither CPT Expert nor CPT Plus! are accepted for the CPC exam. Manuals are available on HCMarketplace AMA s CPT Manual Professional Edition: professional edition 2017 ICD 10 CM Expert for Physicians: 10 cm expert for physicians 2017 HCPCS Level II: level ii expert 2017 Other Materials You ll be referencing more than one open manual and taking notes as you view the course content. Please keep in mind that you will ideally want to view the course in a location that will allow you ample space to conveniently access all of your reference materials. Make sure you have the following available as you watch the videos, review the course material, and complete assignments. A computer with speakers CPT Professional, ICD 10 CM and HCPCS Level II manuals 3

4 Highlighters and sticky (i.e., Post It) notes (to make tabs for your coding manuals) Note paper The following other materials are optional, but may be helpful: A medical dictionary An anatomy book The AMA s Principles of CPT Coding Medical Terminology If you do not already have a solid understanding of medical terminology, it is also strongly recommended that you complete a medical terminology self study course prior to the start of your Boot Camp. We can suggest a couple of options depending on your needs. HCPro offers a basic overview of medical terminology and human anatomy. The materials are ideal for those who have a basic understanding but would like to brush up on their skills. E Learning courses HCPro offers a library of e learning courses on Anatomy and Physiology. The courses are ideal for those who have a basic understanding but would like to brush up on their skills. To place an order, please visit the HCMarketplace or contact our Customer Service department at learning anatomy and physiology for icd 10 coding 1 Workbook Medical Terminology for Health Professions, 8 th Edition by Ann Ehrlich and Carol L. Schroeder offers a comprehensive guide for the beginner. The ISBN number is The book is available on Amazon.com and may also be available from one of your local bookstores. Our course participants who do not have a strong background in medical terminology typically find this book extremely helpful. Preparing for the CPC Exam During class, the instructor will go over various tips and techniques for taking the CPC exam. The AAPC publishes a CPC Examination Study Guide. If you are interested in the AAPC study guide, you may order a copy directly from the AAPC by calling and asking for the education department and tell them you are calling to place an order for a CPC Exam Study Guide or online at: study guide.aspx 4

5 Even if you work in a hospital setting (many of our course participants come from a hospital setting), we still strongly recommend that you register for the CPC exam, not the COC (formerly the CPC H ) exam. Both exams focus heavily on the CPT coding system. However, we consider the CPC exam to be a more appropriate entry level exam, even though it has a professional services orientation. This course focuses heavily on the CPT coding system as designed by the AMA, and has a professional services orientation. However, because outpatient hospital services are reported using the same coding systems (i.e., ICD 10 CM, CPT and HCPCS Level II) as are used for reporting professional services, much of the course is directly applicable to reporting outpatient hospital services. We estimate that about 80% of the material tested on the COC exam is covered by this course. However, there are some COC topics (mostly billing related topics) that are not covered by this course. These include topics such as the use of revenue codes and certain hospital specific Medicare billing requirements. It would be virtually impossible to cover this additional material in one week and still fully cover the entire CPT coding system. For now, we recommend that you focus on CPT, HCPCS Level II and ICD 10 CM diagnosis coding and learn the other hospitalspecific billing material later. If at some point you decide to also pursue COC certification, you can take the COC exam whenever your local AAPC chapter offers an exam administration (the COC and CPC exams may be administered together). The AAPC sells a COC Examination Study Guide that may be helpful for CPCs who want to also become COC certified. You may order online at study guide.aspx You will notice that there is a two year experience requirement to be eligible for the CPC certification. If you do not have at least two years experience, you can still take the CPC exam, however, you should apply for the exam as a CPC Apprentice. If you pass the exam, the AAPC will award you the CPC A (CPC Apprentice). Once you have the required experience, you may apply to the AAPC to have them convert your CPC A credential to CPC (you will not have to retake the exam). For more information: Taking the Certification Exam with a Local AAPC Chapter The AAPC has a very strong local chapter network. Most local chapters hold certification exam administrations on a regular basis. You should be able to find a local chapter exam administration in your area (or at least within driving distance). To locate a local chapter exam administration in your area, search by state at: examination.aspx. If you have questions about registering or joining the AAPC go to or call the AAPC at

6 Cancellation and Transfer Policy For our cancellation and transfer policy, visit our website at Contact Information If you have any question about the Boot Camp program, please contact: Customer Service Phone: (800) Fax: (800) fax E mail: bootcamps@hcpro.com FAQs How long do I have to complete the course? Students have 60 days of access to the class. You must complete the course evaluation in order to get your continuing education/contact hour CEU certificate, so please be sure to complete the course before your access expires. Is there a test I should take after each module? There are accompanying exercises and practice questions for the courses. Answers to the exercises will be reviewed, but no final score will be counted towards the Final Exam. How do I get my CEU certificate? You need to successfully pass the Final Exam and complete the survey. The link to the survey will be available on the passing screen of the Final Exam. DO NOT close out of the Final Exam before completing the survey. You will get an with a link to your certificate. Please add slambert@hcpro.com to your address book/contact list/approved senders list to ensure receipt of your certificate. If in the future you have any questions regarding your CEUs, please contact slambert@hcpro.com rather than using Ask the Expert. 6