I just watched my first Webinar! I do feel hip now! I'll be even hipper like the rest of you when I get Twitter going! The Webinar was very informative! I'll be joining in from now on! Thank you very much Laureen, Alicia and the rest of the team!!!
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Webinar!
- Thread starter TheresaR
- Start date
I, too, just watched my first Webinar and enjoyed it. I will be joining in from now on. I love learning new things.
Alicia Scott
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Blitzer
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So glad you guys were there. We really enjoy the webinars. I seem to learn something every time. Nothing like keeping you on your toes by having such great questions. I appreciate Jane being able to join us as a guest. It is one thing to hear from us all the time but another to hear from a student. They have experiences we haven't had for a while.
I have another word for the "E" in E codes and it is used by my instructors when I took my medical coding class in 2010. They called it "Entertainment" codes and it stuck with me when I see the E codes.
Alicia Scott
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I love that Carolyn! 
You have my permission to call the E codes the Entertainment Codes.
Alicia Scott
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Blitzer
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I will do that. Go look up what Z00.0 is in ICD-10-CM
I did and the book says that Z00.0 is for an encounter for general adult medical examination. I have the 2011 ICD-10-CM by Contexo.
Alicia Scott
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Blitzer
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It is going to be a much used code. Funny though isn't it?
This is for Carolyn: Hi there! I see you have CPC-A behind your name! Congrats! Can you share with us, me, your experience with the exam? How long ago did you take it? Have you found a job coding yet? I'm hearing from a lot of people out there that one key to successfully passing the exam is to know your CPT manual backward, forward and inside out! I think Laureen even mentioned somewhere (can't remember if it was in the blitz vids or one of her replay webinars I was watching) but she said she teaches more directly out of the CPT manual rather than a textbook so I have switched to doing that (oh how I wish I could have known about Laureen last June!). Anything more to add?
To answer the first question: I took my CPC exam in June 2011 and used all of my 5 hours 40 minutes. You have two breaks and you can take them anytime, but only one person can take a break at a time. I only took one break and that was a bathroom break. You can bring snacks and a drink into the testing room. I took some fruits for a snack, a bottle of water, and a soft drink. You were given the booklet and a bubble sheet. What I did was to answer the questions in the booklet first and transfer my answers to the bubble sheet. All the questions are multiple-choice. I also started at the back of the booklet. They had questions on medical terminology, HCPCS, coding guidelines, and ICD-9. I worked my way to the front of the book until I finished. So basically, I did the test this way: back, middle, and front. This is the way it is in the CPT book. You can write in the booklet and I underlined key words that I could find. I narrowed the answers just like Laureen taught us (and i did not even use the Blitz videos when I was studying). Like I said in my previous posts, this was my second time I took the exam. When I took a year before which was June 2010, I did not know what to expect and I did not even take a break. What made it different this time was I was more prepared and I took my time studying and using the resources through AAPC. The key word when taking the CPC exam is to relax and think about how you are answering the question. Do not leave any unanswered question. When you pass, you will get a CPC-A if you don't have experience and that "A" can be removed once you get a job and experience.
To answer the second question: I have not found a job in medical coding, but I am still looking. It is hard to find a job in medical coding without experience. I am working with a mentor who has been giving me ideas and she says that in order for you to get a job in medical coding, you have to start at the bottom and that includes receptionist, billing, collections, etc.
To answer the second question: I have not found a job in medical coding, but I am still looking. It is hard to find a job in medical coding without experience. I am working with a mentor who has been giving me ideas and she says that in order for you to get a job in medical coding, you have to start at the bottom and that includes receptionist, billing, collections, etc.
Thank you very much, Carolyn, for your helpful information! That relaxing part is going to be difficult! I'm under a lot of pressure from the sig. other, who thinks one can just breeze through the exam and find a coding job that pays well the following day.
Finding a medical coding job doesn't happen overnight. You just have to find the right employer who will take you on and I am still looking for that right employer.
whoops, sorry, one more question, then I promise I won't pester you again! you mentioned that you are working with a mentor, may I ask how that came about? I'm new to the area I'm living in and I don't know a soul so it might be an extra challenge to find a job as it seems it is often the case of who you know, not what you know (not letting that discourage me though! I'll just have to worker a little harder, and that's ok!)
You are not bothering me at all. I am working with a mentor who is with AHIMA. AHIMA has a mentor program, but you have to be a member of AHIMA to get in the program. They will accept any coding credential. You do not have to take or prepare to take an exam given by AHIMA. That is your choice. I would like to have a certification from AHIMA, but that will have to put on the back burner for right now.