CEUs for the Certified

[Alicia Scott]

CEUs are a way of life for the professional. Once you have a certification it is important to stay on top of how many CEUs you need and how often. There are ways to get CEUs free. This is an excellent place to share how you get your CEUs and track them.

 

[Danielle]

*The AAPC has a monthly magazine called the Coding Edge they offer free CEU's to take a quiz about the magazine online
go to the magazine link through the aapc website and take the multiple choice quiz there

*Monthly meetings through the local chapter offer FREE CEU's

*Occasionally the AAPC will offer a FREE webinar about various subjects we can attend to earn CEU's

*My job being a college instructor we go to the yearly conferences for professional development and CEUS the AAMA, AAPC, AHIMA conferences (not all but all of these organizations offer conferences)

*I am always taking a class to further my education so with each class I submit for CEU approval

*I love getting CEUs I look at it as a game and I have to get as many as I can each year, I love learning and most CEUs I learn something valuable to my career as a coder and instructor!

*How to track CEUs I enter each certificate # into the AAPC website each time then I submit once per year! After I input the CEU certificate number it will tell me how many I have accumulated and how many I still need

 

[Alicia Scott]

What great information Danielle. I would also add that it is important to keep your CEU papers in a folder in the case that you are ever audited. Be mindful of the date that you need your CEUs. The AAPC is pretty good to show you a popup when it gets close to your end date every time you log on to the site. They even offer a payment plan for your membership fee.

Another point to mention is that if you are part of another medical related or educational group your CEUs may transfer. I can use the CEUs I get for my AAPC membership as my educational CEUs for teaching at the college. Before you purchase CEUs confirm that they are approved by the AAPC or AHIMA. The other day I was going to purchase one because it stated AHIMA approved. I decided at the last minute to check with the AAPC and they were NOT accepted there.

Danielle I would love to connect with another college coding instructor. We could bounce ideas off each other. Send me a note at Alicia@CodingCertificaton.org when you have time.

 

[Laureen]

Of course the technology nut nut in me has to share... I don't do paper anymore. I scan everything and I mean everything (or I take a picture of it - like the kids artwork) and it goes into my Evernote program. I can access evernote from my computer, a web browser, my iPad and my phone. You can grab screenshoots and send them to evernote. I use that when I attend a webinar and they give out the CEU at an end. I just make a screenshote of it. Today I was at the ER with my son and needed his SSN which I don't have memorized - I just pulled up evernnote and typed in ssn and up it came. At any rate check it out they have a free version up to a certain amount of room. I know I have all my CEUs in there if I'm ever audited.

 

[Alicia Scott]

I really have to get me a smart phone.....

 

[Laureen]

Well you are a smart woman so you should have a smart phone!

 

[Alicia Scott]

From your mouth to my pocket book!
You know this would be a good time to ask how many people use coding apps on their smart phones and what are they?

 

[Laureen]

I use the free one from findacode.com http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-a-code/id454464888?mt=8

 

[Carolyn Heath]

I will take a look at evernote and see what it has. I'll let you what I think of it. I don't have an iphone--just a computer.

 

[Danielle]

I love evernote I have it on my android tablet , but never thought about putting them in there I am going to have to check into doing it Great idea!

I have coding apps on my phone they come in handy when I am away from my desk or manuals and need to find a code I have E/M, ICD-9-CM, medical dictionary, diagnosis/prognosis, and web MD all in a coding folder on my phone

I need to check out the find a code app-- does it have both ICD, CPT, and HCPCS codes?

 

[Laureen]

Findacode just has ICD-9 and ICD-10 - I use it for the ICD-10 codes.

 

[Danielle]

That is awesome I will be checking that out Thanks for the link

 

[Carolyn Heath]

I will check out FindaCode, too. Laureen, thanks for the sharing the link.