About the Program
The Certificate of Achievement in Medical Coding is for students for who want to pursue a career as medical coders and/or billers. The medical coder and biller is responsible for reviewing patient health records, assigning appropriate codes to diagnoses and procedures performed by the healthcare provider, and submitting claims for reimbursement and collecting payments.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting that the medical coder and biller fields are growing due to an aging population requiring more medical services.
Gainful Employment Information
Certificate of Achievement in Medical Coding:
http://www.butte.edu/academicprograms/
Program Requirements
For current program requirements -> 2024-2025
Program Goal: Local
GE Pattern(s): None
Program Code: 35746.00CA
Program Learning Outcome(s):
Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:
Explain the role and the responsibilities that the medical coder has in the health information management field.
Describe the healthcare industry as it relates to health information management.
Demonstrate a working knowledge of medical terminology as it relates to medical coding.
Analyze healthcare legal and ethical issues in the context of the HIPAA guidelines.
Identify the content and structure of the health record, explain the importance of documentation on code assignment, and describe the impact on the reimbursement.
Interpret coding guidelines and accurately apply diagnosis and procedure codes utilizing ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, CPT, and HCPC.
Unit(s): 3.00
Recommended Prep: Reading Level IV; English Level III; Math Level II
Transfer Status: NT
Contact Hours:
51.00 hours Lecture
Total Course Hours: 51.00
This course explores the specialized language used within the medical profession. Emphasis is placed on the definition, pronunciation and spelling of medical terms with focus on building medical words using prefixes, word roots, suffixes and combining forms. To further advance a working knowledge of these terms, vocabulary is taught in relation to the basic anatomy, physiology and pathology of body systems.
Unit(s): 4.00
Recommended Prep: Reading Level IV; English Level IV; Math Level IV
Transfer Status: CSU/UC
Contact Hours:
51.00 hours Lecture
/ 51.00 hours Lab
Total Course Hours: 102.00
This course is intended for students in programs such as Emergency Medical Services and Health Information Management. Topics include fundamentals of the structure and function of the human body from an organ system perspective: Key concepts and basic principles of the chemistry of life, cells and tissues, cell physiology, structural organization and physiological principles in organ systems, system integration, and homeostasis in health and disease. (Not intended for Nursing students).
Unit(s): 3.00
Recommended Prep: BCIS 84, ability to key 25 wpm, Reading Level IV; English Level III; Math Level II
Transfer Status: CSU
Contact Hours:
42.50 hours Lecture
/ 25.50 hours Lab
Total Course Hours: 68.00
This course is an examination of information and communication technologies used in today's businesses and the impact these technologies are having on today's workplaces. The course will include examination and application of a wide range of information and communication technology tools used to support and enhance business functions and processes. Focus will be placed on solving a variety of business problems, improving organizational productivity, and achieving the goals of business.
Unit(s): 2.00
Recommended Prep: Reading Level IV; English Level IV
Transfer Status: CSU
Contact Hours:
34.00 hours Lecture
Total Course Hours: 34.00
This course is an introduction to the growing, dynamic profession of Health Information Management (HIM) and provides a foundation for those students pursuing the HIM field including medical office administration and medical coding. Foundational topics include the field of HIM; the purpose, evolution, and structure of US healthcare delivery systems; the purpose, organization, and storage of medical health records; the role of information technology in healthcare; the functions and organization of Electronic Health Records (EHR); the legal aspects of health information; and the standardized usage of classification systems to document diagnoses and procedures to support reimbursement methods, data management, and research in healthcare.
Unit(s): 3.00
Recommended Prep: ALH 104 and Reading Level IV; English Level III; Math Level II
Transfer Status: CSU
Contact Hours:
51.00 hours Lecture
Total Course Hours: 51.00
This course introduces students to the medical coding classification systems used in the United States healthcare industry: International Classification of Diseases 10 Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT). Through analysis of case histories and surgical reports, students will learn to distinguish between primary and secondary diagnoses codes, to assign the proper procedural codes, and to explain the importance of accurate medical documentation and clinical records.
Unit(s): 2.00
Recommended Prep: Reading Level IV; English Level IV
Transfer Status: CSU
Contact Hours:
34.00 hours Lecture
Total Course Hours: 34.00
This course introduces students to legal and ethical issues they will encounter while working in the field of Health Information Management (HIM). Topics include an overview of legal issues relating to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), healthcare delivery, ethics, judicial processes, and standards of care. This course also includes bioethical and moral issues related to HIM and how they affect the day-to-day operations of medical offices.
Unit(s): 3.00
Recommended Prep: Reading Level IV; English Level III; Math Level II and ALH 104 and HIM 62
Transfer Status: CSU
Contact Hours:
51.00 hours Lecture
Total Course Hours: 51.00
This course introduces students to the reimbursement methodologies used in healthcare in the United States. The focus of the course will be on the accurate preparation and maintenance of clinical records and medical documentation. Students will analyze insurance plans spanning government and private sectors and learn to properly complete the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services claim form (CMS 1500) used in medical outpatient facilities. Topics include working with specific insurance companies, filing error-free claims, resubmitting denied claims, utilizing effective collection strategies, and handling the appeal process.
Prerequisite(s): HIM 62
Unit(s): 3.00
Recommended Prep: ALH 104 and Reading Level IV; English Level III; Math Level II
Transfer Status: CSU
Contact Hours:
42.50 hours Lecture
/ 25.50 hours Lab
Total Course Hours: 68.00
This is an advanced course in medical coding for both outpatient and inpatient procedures and services. The course will include a brief review of International Classification of Diseases 10 Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT). By following steps in the coding selection and sequencing process, students will assign appropriate procedure and service codes. Students will use the International Classification of Diseases 10 Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) and CPT (including Evaluation & Management Code (E&M), Audits, Modifiers, and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS)) classification systems in this process.
Unit(s): 3.00
Recommended Prep: HIM 56 and HIM 62 and Reading Level IV; English Level III; Math Level II
Transfer Status: CSU
Contact Hours:
51.00 hours Lecture
Total Course Hours: 51.00
This course introduces students to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and their place in healthcare. The curriculum reinforces the relationship between all of the components needed for a complete patient medical record including the clinical, administrative, and reimbursement components. Topics in this class are based on the national curriculum competencies developed by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Cooperative Work Experience Education instructor and employment supervisor
Unit(s): 1.00
- 8.00
Transfer Status: CSU
Contact Hours:
0.00 hours Lecture
Total Course Hours: 0.00
Career Work Experience (CWE) is a course that gives students the opportunity to earn both a grade and units for what they learn on the job related to their vocational major while gaining practical work experience. Students may earn one semester unit of college credit in this course for every sixty hours of unpaid work experience (60-480 hours unpaid) or seventy-five hours of paid work experience (75-600 hours paid). Students may earn a maximum of sixteen units for all types of Work Experience.
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Contacts
Sandy Sloan, Chair
(530) 895-2385
Department Office: BE 116
(530) 895-2371
Counseling and Advising:
(530) 895-2378
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