Course Texts & Manuals

[moogiepet]

What texts and/or manuals will I be responsible for purchasing after signing up for the Medical Terminology, Anatomy, & Medical Coding Course combo?

What texts and/or manuals are included & shipped to me from CCO (if any)?

I'm within 24 hours of making the purchase of this program after researching quite a bit over the past few months! I'm pretty excited & ready to get started!!

Thanks in advance!!

Dot*

 

[Luna]

For the MTA course you will not need to buy additional books.

For the Medical Coding Course you will need this years coding manuals. The ICD-9-CM volumes 1&2 (all one book), CPT 2013, and HCPCS 2013. Word has that AAPC has the best bundle price for these three coding manuals. If you are a member you get further savings. If you are not already a member, CCO will furnish you with a student enrollment letter that you can use to become an AAPC member at a discount.

When you enroll with CCO, you will get an email that details again what coding manuals you will need. There will also be word on when to expect the textbooks for the courses. Mine usually, arrived within 7 to 14 days. A wonderful thing CCO does, is they provide you with the first chapter in your student area as a download so that you can get started right away.

I would suggest starting with your MTA course first, that way you have time to set up your membership with the AAPC and get your coding manuals ordered. By the time they arrive, you'll have a little bit of medical terminology already under your belt.

I loved the MTA course myself. There are a lot of "bonus" activities and handouts included in the MTA. Take advantage of them.

I'm very excited for you. Below is a link for the Coding Manual Bundle you'll need for the coding courses.

http://www.aapc.com/medical-coding-books/2013/2013-physician-bundle-1.aspx

Is a membership with AAPC worth it right away? For me it has been. I've been able to attend meetings that are introducing me to coders already working in this area. It is a great place to network and know what jobs (and variety of coding jobs) exist in your area. You learn first hand what has worked for others in your area to get into coding. The topics are over my head a little bit but gradually I am catching onto the lingo. The members have been very helpful and want to see others succeed. They have been very positive about job prospects too. I know every AAPC chapter has its own personality, but for the most part, I think joining a local AAPC chapter is beneficial.

Also, AAPC has partnerships with all kinds of other businesses. I have been able to get discounts on purchases at Office Max and Sears and many many others.

Just thought I'd share that with you in case you're wondering if a membership would benefit you now or later.

 

[moogiepet]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, Luna!! I took a medical terminology course about 18 years ago, so I can certainly use a refresher!! Since then, I worked briefly as a temp in an OBGYN office as front desk and/or check-out, in a cardiology office as front desk, several years of retail (while the kids were young), I worked about 3 years in an ophthalmology office and received my COA (Certified Ophthalmic Assistant), then went "behind the scenes" and have been doing billing for DME companies for the past 5 years.

In my current position, I work for a billing company that does DME billing for ASC's all over the US. We receive the documentation already coded by the ASC and we do the data entry and submit claims for payment (we supply the ASC with the DME products). There are other departments that do customer service, auth, resubmit denials, and collections. Our office currently has no one trained or certified in coding...

Our office would benefit from having a CPC on site, but I'm not going to tie myself down to my current employer forever! I am pursuing this certification on my own because I feel like my brain is getting mushy at this point & I'm really itching to gain more knowledge & learn something that will keep my brain firing on all cylinders!! Lol. My employer knows that I'm considering this training & obtaining my CPC and I have their blessing, but they aren't reimbursing me & I don't even know at this point if I will receive ample compensation for this in the form of a wage increase... So, I'm looking at this as a stepping stone to bigger & better opportunities down the road, and at least I'm employed in the medical billing field in the interim!

Again, I want to thank you for your reply & I look forward to getting started!

Dot*

 

[Laureen]

Hi Dot! Welcome aboard! By now you should have gotten your official welcome email with instructions related to books. One correction to Luna's reply that has changed since she enrolled is that you do order your MTA textbook on your own (we reduced the price of the course accordingly). The reason is the publisher was taking weeks to get the books to studetns and when they order on their own it is taking days.

Remember you can reach out to the https://www.cco.us/cco-helpdesk-request/ for any questions you have to get the quickest most up to date reply.

Best wishes on your course I look forward to seeing your progress!

 

[Carolyn Heath]

If you are a Barnes & Noble member, you get a 10% discount on your MTA book plus free shipping. I got this book in January and will be signing up for this course sometime after May. The reason that I am waiting until after May to take the course is that the course is 40 CEUs and I will be ready for my second round of CEUs for AAPC.

 

[Laureen]

Just a point - the CEUs kick in when you pass the last exam of the course. And regarding ordering books we're setting up a private book orderig portal for our students where they can get a discount on books plus free shipping. More to come soon on that.

 

[Carolyn Heath]

Laureen, is the MTA course both a credit course and CEU or CEU only?

 

[Laureen]

If you mean college credit then the answer is no. But is now approved for 40 CEUs! And we just got the Blitz approved for 13 CEUs for those that want to review each year. They take and pass the 150 practice exam and earn 13 CEUs - yeah baby!

 

[Carolyn Heath]

All right! Bring on the CEUs!