The Main Differences Between The CPC Exam And The CPC-H Exam

If you are looking into taking either the CPC exam or the CPC-H exam, chances are that you have chosen to seek certification from the AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders) for a reason. Becoming a certified professional coder through the AAPC puts you at a significant advantage, as the organization reports a 20% higher earning potential than those without certification.

Employers are also more likely to opt for a certified coder because the AAPC has a standing reputation of turning out efficient and effective workers. But you probably know this, so let’s address something a little less obvious: the CPC exam versus the CPC-H exam.

Both exams contain 150 multiple choice questions, for which you have 5 hours and 40 minutes to complete. Both exams are open book and give you a single chance to re-take the exam for free. (Even though you can re-take it, study thoroughly the first time to avoid having to sit for another five hours!) AAPC students can take either exam at a $40 discount, paying $260 instead of $300.

Both exams test knowledge in procedural terminology and medical equipment in addition to the standard background in anatomy and physiology. However, the CPC exam prepares the taker for work in a physician’s office, where as the CPC-H exam prepares the taker for work in hospital groups.

According to the AAPC, the following are content areas found on the CPC exam:

• Anesthesia, Radiology, Medicine, Nervous, Endocrine, Digestive, Urinary, Musculoskeletal, Evaluation and Management, Anatomy and Physiology, Mediastinum & Diaphragm, Practice Management, Male/Female Genital, Hemic & Lymphatic, Maternity & Delivery, Eye & Ocular Adnexa, Pathology, Integumentary, Respiratory, Laboratory

The following are content areas found on the CPC-H exam:

• Medical Terminology, Anatomy, Coding Guidelines, Payment Methodologies, Surgery and Modifiers, Code Assignment ICD-9-CM Vols 1 & 2, Compliance

Need help deciding which exam to take. This post outlines the differences between the CPC and CPC-H credential.

What's The Best Way To Prepare For The CPC Exam?

If you are preparing for the CPC exam, chances are that you seek certification to practice medical coding. As with any test, there are certain strategies you can use to help you along in the process leading up to the test. Not everyone passes the CPC exam on the first try and some people fail it many times over. You don't want to be one of those people.

Here are recommended steps in preparing for the CPC exam:

• Set study expectations. First, you have to define for yourself what the “best way” to prepare means. Are you looking for the preparation strategy that maximizes your chances of passing or the one that is the quickest? Without a thorough background in medical coding, you cannot reasonably expect the quickest method.
• Use a study guide. Because medical coding is such a popular industry, the AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders) and many third party vendors offer a variety of official CPC study materials. Like with any other test, a CPC study guide will familiarize you with the level of content the test will require you to know. MCCP has a list of CPC exam study guides here in various price ranges.
• Take advantage of practice exams. Practice exams are strongly recommended by the AAPC itself for everyone – regardless of their medical coding background. Even if you are fluent in medical jargon and human anatomy, being unfamiliar with the nature of the questions and the time crunch of the real test can run you into the ground. Click here for a short list of recommended practice exams.
• Diversify your strategies. Generally speaking, the “best” way to prepare for the CPC exam is a multi-pronged approach: taking coursework to strengthen your content knowledge, using study guides to gauge the content requirements, and taking official CPC practice exams to learn the exam’s format.

While medical coding is a highly specialized field, it is important to treat the CPC exam like any other content-based test. Take time to develop a background in the subject, find out how much of the subject you need to know for the test, and familiarize yourself with the exam itself.

In Regard To Exam Prep Are CPC Certification Study Guides Necessary?

With medical coding on the rise, more and more online resources have turned up for CPC exam preparation. We have links to some of those study guides here.

The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) is one particular organization known for its diverse and effective online tools, one of which is a CPC certification study guide.

A common question Internet users ask is “In regard to exam prep, is the CPC certification study guide necessary?” Much of the time, when people ask if something is necessary, they mean to ask if they can accomplish their objective without it.

Is it possible to pass the CPC exam without the certification study guide? Yes. But is it recommended? Not at all.

Sure, organizations might recommend programs or materials in order to fool people into spending money on things they do not need, but this is not the case here. The CPC exam is the gateway to a successful and stable career in medical coding, and the certification study guide is a critical tool to help a test taker greatly improve chances of passing the exam.

The AAPC highly recommends acquiring the study guide because it blends content knowledge with test taking techniques, making the test taker more likely to pass. If the test taker’s priority is maximizing the chance of passing the CPC exam, then the certification study guide is absolutely necessary. Here’s why:

• A background in medicine and/or coding does not guarantee you will ace the content. The CPC exam draws on areas of medical coding, so general and undisciplined knowledge will do a test taker no good.
• The exam itself has a specific set of requirements, and the study guide acclimates the test taker to these requirements.
• Utilizing the certification study guide will get you “in the zone.” The exam is five hours and forty minutes to answer 150 multiple choice questions, so the more prepared you are for that sort of endurance critical thinking, the better off you will be.

In addition to using a study guide, practice tests are extremely useful in gearing up for the actual test. Some of the smartest and most experienced people out there are bad test takers and practice exams help with this. Additionally building up your medical terminology and anatomy vocabulary can help a ton. See this post on prerequisites for more on building a foundation in medical anatomy.

Do You Need To Take A CPC Preparation Course before Taking The CPC Exam?

Medical coding is a complex career, meeting at a cross section of medicine, number analysis, and insurance billing. This is why breaking into the field is best treated as a thorough learning and testing process.

Like many certification processes in the medical industry, becoming a certified medical coder requires intensive examination. The exam itself has a duration of more than five hours and a blend of medical theory and coding systems. If you are looking to take the CPC exam, it is already sure to be a difficult path.

Thus, it is important to remember that taking short cuts is not the wisest way to approach medical coding certification. Do you need to take a preparation course before the exam? No, but it is strongly recommended.

Here are several critical reasons not to skip out on a preparation course:

1. According to the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), the only reason you should opt out of a preparation course is if you have strong and relevant experience or background in coding and medicine; even then, you still run the risk of having out-dated knowledge.
2. Coursework will require you to have current medical coding texts, and so will the test. Taking a preparation course will motivate you to acquire the right texts ahead of time and familiarize yourself with them.
3. If you pass the test and apply for positions in the medical coding field, it will be advantageous to have taken CPC exam preparation courses. It communicates to prospective employers that you dedicated yourself and invested in the certification process.

Ultimately, it is your decision whether or not to enroll in CPC exam preparation courses. Many test takers who opt out of preparation courses do so because they have interned with medical coders or do not wish to spend the money for courses. If you may be among such people, consider that nothing beats learning on your own accord and making the investment in your future.

Top CPC Practice Exams To Help You Pass The CPC Certification Exam

Some people are fortunate enough to be able to naturally test well. Others on the other hand need a lot of practice, even when they are well versed in the subject material.

Below are a select handful of practice exams you can take in preparation for the CPC certification exam.

If you have trouble with test taking or need a supplement to your CPC preparation courses I highly recommend taking a practice exam immediately prior to taking the actual medical coding CPC exam.

The following practice tests are filled with questions you might encounter on the real exam and should help you identify your weaknesses while refining your test taking strategy.

Top CPC Practice Exams

The Medical Billing & Coding CPC Practice Exam is a top exam provided by a third party. You can take the AAPC practice exams but unless you are a member the MB&C set of practice questions will be a lot cheaper.

What makes this practice exam the best deal in my estimation is that the exam does not only feature the answer key for each question but provides full rationale for the answers. This can help you understand the material better so that you can score better on the real test later on.

Click here to learn more.

CPC Exam Study Guides - Pass The Medical Coding Certification Exam On The First Try

Medical coders do not have to be certified through the AAPC however it is essentially an industry standard that virtually all employers look for in a coding environment.

The AAPC has a collection of study guides and pre-exam documents which have helped many people over the years. They are however expensive, even after the applied member's discount, and they are exhaustive.

This can be a great thing but for those who need the information in a more condensed and affordable product I recommend utilizing one or more of the following CPC exam prep guides.

Medical Coding Video Review Course

The videos in this package are complete and updated. There is almost 10 hours of videos online that you have access to and companion DVDs are mailed to you to watch from your living room TV. It will help you learn medical terminology, medical codes, and prepare you for all aspects of the exam in the most efficient way possible.

This video package also comes with telephone support for questions as well as access to a monthly webinar and it costs a fraction of the official AAPC CPC Preparation Course.

Click here to learn more.

The Official AAPC CPC Certification Study Guide

It's hard to beat the official study guide for the CPC exam than the guide produced by the test administrators.

This guide can be purchased on the AAPC website but it is only available at a discount to AAPC members. If you are not yet a member you can learn more about the official CPC exam study materials and buy the guide through the link below.

Click here to learn more.

The Carol Buck CPC Coding Exam Review

Less expensive than the official AAPC study guide, this guide written by Carol J. Buck, MS, CPC, CPC-H, CCS-P is a fine alternative.

Not everybody finds this guide more useful than the AAPC guide book but many do. It is written in a different style and coming from an outside source it has a different perspective on actually taking the examination.

Considering that this resource is a lot cheaper than the AAPC study book and that so many medical coders have used it in preparation for their certification testing it is worth checking out.

Click here to read more about this study guide.

Additional Exam Prep - The Practice Examination

In addition to a quality exam prep guide book you should also consider taking one or more practice tests. The CPC exam is a long test that costs a lot of money to take. Get it passed the first time and you'll be much happier.

See this page for more information.

Can Taking A CPC Practice Exam Help

Passing the CPC examination is one of the major challenges that you have to face before you can practice in your chosen profession. But this examination alone is sometimes a hindrance in order for you to practice your profession and receive adequate compensation. That is why when you are planning to take the examination in the future, it is important that you take CPC practice exam first to ensure you are more likely to pass on your first try.

Without exception taking a CPC practice exam will provide you with great help. This is because such examination will give you the exact idea on how the examination will look like. In addition to that, this kind of examination will show you the possible questions that you need to answer.

After you spend some time studying for the exam you can get some more information by looking through CPC exam example questions. Ultimately however taking the practice test can also help in building speed and accuracy while studying for the real thing

Of course, see to it that you also do your best when you take this kind of examination. This is to determine if you have higher chance of passing the real CPC exam in the future. You can find such practice examination in many sites and in many local review centers. That is why there is no need to be problematic when it comes to the accessibility of such thing.

No doubts that when you take CPC examination, it will give you the information about the actual test you need to take in the future. In addition to that, this will also give you idea about the chances of passing the examination since this resembles almost the actual test. Make sure that you take advantage of taking this examination for your own and future benefit.

So, take a CPC Practice Exam now, and do your best!

Can You Get Medical Coding Certification Online?

Yes, you can get medical coding certification online.

Basically, there are really simple yet intensive tasks when you take up classes availing medical coding certification online. One of these lessons is learning the basics of procedural and diagnostic coding systems that will always be updated.

Since this is implemented in all jobs that need medical coding, one should spend time signing up for classes that will allow you to take this lesson in an easier and well-structured manner.

Most of these classes that you will take will give you with online coding manuals, which you can review before and after discussions. You will also be taking up various exercises and quizzes that will test your comprehension on these basic subjects.

One should also consider typing, which test you whether you can input basic information in an efficient way. As you are working in the medical field, errors are basically out of the question, so improving your typing skills will also be taken into consideration.

The primary thing that you would like to do is to research programs of medical coding certificate training on the internet in order to identify which are the best when it comes to your educational requirements. One excellent place is the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association), which has a record of qualified schools that provide official medical coding’s distance education certificate program. A lot of these programs are completely offered on the internet. Some of these programs absolutely get you ready for AHIMA certification.

This post goes into much more detail on the requirements for CPC certification.

How Much Does The CPC Exam Cost?

The Certified Professional Coder or CPC license is the main paradigm for health coding in the settings of physician office and usually held over 60,000 specialists for health coding. CPCs are extremely critical to profitable medical trainings and compliant that typically earns 20% over non-certified coders. This CPC also increases your opportunity of being employed and be retained in this competitive work market.

The Certified Professional Coder certainly proven by experience and precise examination. The main purpose of this is to identify if they really identify how to understand a medical diagram and consign the accurate diagnosis (ICD-9), supply (HCPCS Level II) policy, procedure (CPT) and deeply know the clinical services and cases.

Membership fee is $120.00. Completion of the application and paying this annual fee should be achieved.

Then to sit for this CPC examination, the AAPC members are required to submit an application form and pay $300.00 or when you are a student, $260.00 for this exam fee.

Again, before applying for the CPC examination, you have to register to become the member of AAPC. Membership can also cost $100 and with exam rate of $300. Every applicant should also apply 6-8 weeks before the desired date of your desired schedule of exam. If you were not able to pass the exam on the first try, they allow you to have another free re-take of exam.

Upon passing the Certified Professional Coder examination, every examinee will be honoured with the Certified Professional Coding license. This license must then be maintained by an annual membership and the accretion of 18 CEUs every year.

You do make more money as a certified medical coder so it's worth the cost. See this post for more on how much medical coders make.

Do I Have To Take The CPC Exam To Become A Medical Coder?

You can be a medical coder by means of different procedures. Certificate programs usually offered at various medical trade institutions and technical colleges. Generally, it takes 1-2 years to finish the program. Majority employers prefer graduates having associate degrees and most of them also require the applicants to be certified. Enable to be a certified medical coder, every graduate must pass the so-called Certified Professional Coder exam that is mainly administered by the AAPC.

Depending on your preferred school, most programs offer the students the selection of taking their main courses in both classroom or via online. If you desire to file for the CPC examination to be a certified medical coder, you are required to get an associate degree first.

Also, you must have at least improved experience as a medical coder. To become a qualified medical coder, you must take the CPC examination. You also need to work in relation to your medical career at least two years. Usually, training schools offer job placement and internship assistantship to students as well as for graduates. If you’re preferred school offers these kinds of benefits, you must take advantage of these.

You also need to register before taking the CPC exam and become a certified medical coder. You can also register in the AAPC website by clicking the "Locate Exam" selections. Choose your state from the given list and search for it. Choose the nearest test location for you and the exam date you want and check for details. Simply fill out its application form then submit it. You'll also have to shell out the required cost of the exam.

If you are in need of a faster way then see this post on becoming a medical coder as quickly as possible.

How To Study For The CPC Exam?

During an examination, it is significant to consider some factors that will improve your study habits.

Consider where to study for the exam. A quiet place is conducive for studying to avoid unexpected distractions while studying. Make a schedule of your study hours to have a well-organized time management.

It is also a must to register for your examination. Most documents can be found on AAPC website. The AAPC must also receive all your personal details within four weeks, preferably before the schedule of examination.

Since CPC includes medical related questions, it is important to reassess medical terminologies and anatomy next to learning the procedures of your CPT codebooks and ICD-9 CM. Medical terminology is the main aspect that can fully change the way you handle various medical coding.

Understanding medical terminology provides a clearer understanding of code descriptions when studying, leading to more accurate and proper code selection, and teaches anatomy.

It is significant to have successful book selections during the review. Most of the answers are somewhere in the pages of the books. Other review materials relating to medical coding are also beneficial.

Don't study the night before the exam or in short avoid cramming. Give your mind a restful and peaceful sleep without worried feeling of cramming. It is very imperative to be mentally and physically focused for positive thinking during the test so rest is very important. The main purpose of this is also to avoid nervousness that might cause mental block of what you had studied.

With these simple tips, you are assured that you can easily study your CPC examination and advance your career in medical coding.

Quickest Way To Become A Medical Coder

If you are looking for a good job that has potential for advancement then Medical coding is one excellent option. The problem however with most trades is the learning curve.

With medical coding things are no different. It takes a bit of time to become a medical coder and then it takes a lot of work to jumpstart your career.

If you are just out of high school or looking for a quick career change then there are ways to get into medical coding quickly but you will have to do some work and get a little lucky.

Becoming A Medical Coder In Short Order

There are few firm barriers to entry in this profession. You don’t have to be certified to work in medical coding and billing and you don’t have to have a college education. Despite this it is almost always easier to get a good job if you are certified and do have a degree.

The fastest way to become a medical coder is actually quite simple. You have to get hired by a medical facility with a coding and billing department. Chances are good however that that this will be very hard without any credentials of any kind.

Thankfully the CPC certification administered by the AAPC has few requirements which means it is possible to be certified in as little as a couple months.

The Fastest Way To Become A Certified Professional Coder

The fastest way is to simply bypass the degree programs, the associate’s degrees, and the Bachelor’s degrees and simply go for the certification. You need to register for a CPC exam at least one- month out so that leaves you one month to study for the certification exam, take it, and pass it.

To register for the CPC exam make sure you meet the basic CPC certification requirements (which are slim) and then get your hands on the official medical coding books for the current year. The exam will focus on your knowledge of general medical terminology and physical anatomy as well as the standardized codes as defined by CPT, ICD-9-CM, and HCPCS Level II code books.

Most people don’t do it this way but with intensive study over the course of a month and the successful completion of the CPC exam you can almost immediately attain your CPC-A credential. This is an apprentice level credential meaning you are not fully certified until you complete two years of on the job training.

Once you receive your CPC-A credential then you need to take a job in an entry level medical billing and coding office and build up 24 months worth of experience. This will give you a paycheck while you get closer to the full CPC designation.

Most entry level jobs of this nature will pay very low as most employers are looking for CPC credentials as opposed to CPC-A credentials as well as higher education credentials such as an associate’s degree. See this post for more on what type of salary medical coders make.

If you get your CPC-A in short order however you can get an entry level position to gain experience while you work on an Associate’s Degree in your spare time. By doing it this way you can have your full CPC certification, an Associate’s degree, and two years of working experience in just over 24 months. At that point you can then start testing for advanced CPC credentials like the CPC-H or specialty certifications like those aimed at Ambulatory Surgical, Dermatology, or any of the other numerous specialties.

Going at this career head on like this can be a lot of work up front and there will be a large learning curve. You won’t even be making much at first but after 24-30 months you can conceivably have the education, experience, and credentials to get just about any position you want.

Are There CPC Exam Registration Deadlines?

The CPC exam is administered by the AAPC and costs $300 to take. Students of the AAPC exam prep courses can take the exam for a slightly smaller fee but the registration deadlines remain.

To register for the CPC exam you have to be registered at least four weeks in advance. It is not even possible to register for an exam that is less than four weeks out.

The CPC exam is administered at various locations throughout each state. If you are looking to take the exam in a very specific location you may have to wait a long time however there are usually plenty of exam dates to choose from within a few hundred miles of you at any given time.

When you choose a location and date for your CPC exam you will also have to pay in advance. If you do not pay for your exam before the four week registration deadline then you will not get that registration date.