Certified Internal Medicine Coder (CIMC™)
The Certified Internal Medicine Coder (CIMC™) exam was developed by a team of leading internal medicine coding professionals. Those coders with sufficient experience and expertise in internal medicine coding are encouraged to sit for the CIMC™ exam.
The CIMC™ examinee will be tested on:
- Ability to read and abstract physician office notes and procedure notes to apply correct ICD-9-CM, CPT®, HCPCS Level II and modifier coding assignments
- Evaluation and management (both the 1995 and 1997 Documentation Guidelines)
- Rules and regulations of Medicare billing including (but not limited to) incident to, teaching situations, shared visits, consultations and global surgery
- Coding of ancillary procedures performed in an internal medicine practice such as venipuncture, injections, vaccinations, etc.
- Coding of minor surgical procedures performed in an internal medicine practice such as trigger point injections, joint injections, skin tag removals, etc.
- Medical terminology
- Anatomy and physiology
Locate/Schedule an Exam Prepare for Exam
Specialty Exams
- 150 multiple choice questions (proctored)
- 5 hours and 40 minutes to finish the exam
- 1 free retake
- $245.00
- Open code book (manuals)
Reviewed by a Internal Medicine Steering Committee:
- Kelli Annis, CPC®, CEDC, CIMC, CEMC
- Bruce Rappoport, MD, CPC®, CIMC
- Lisa Sowers, CPC®, CIMC, CEMC
- Jill Young, CPC®, CIMC, CEDC
- Carrie Severson, BSN, CPC®, CPC-H®, CPC-I®
- Jackie Stack, CPC®, CPC-I®, CEMC, CFPC, CIMC, CPEDC
Specialty exams aptly measure preparedness for “real-world” coding by being operative/patient-note based. In addition to questions regarding the correct application of ICD-9-CM, CPT®, HCPCS Level II and modifier coding assignments, examinees will also be tested on specialty-specific coding and regulations.
Requirements
- Must schedule examination four weeks in advance
- Must have current AAPC membership
- While there is no requirement, we strongly recommend that the candidate has at least two years of experience in the specialty. Please be aware that these are difficult, high-level examinations not meant for individuals with little, limited or no coding experience
Specialty Exam Preparation
Please be aware that each specialty exam is comprehensive of the facets of its specialty to ensure you are truly a master in your specialized field of coding. It is STRONGLY recommended that you complete the Online Specialty Exam Practicum, which will measure your readiness for the actual exam.
Recognition
Examinees that pass a Specialty certification examination will receive recognition in the Coding Edge within three months of their examination date and will receive a diploma suitable for framing.
Exam Preparation – CIMC™ Online Practicum
(Highly Recommended)
The online practicum includes three hours of streaming audio lectures to discuss trade-specific issues affecting internal medicine coding and three hours of coding simulation with 75 coding scenarios linked to actual patient notes (matching the format of the actual exam).
- One-hour online audio lecture on general E/M coding
- One-hour online audio lecture on procedure coding (CPT®) for internal medicine, family practice and evaluation & management
- One-hour online audio lecture on diagnosis coding (ICD-9-CM) for internal medicine, family practice and evaluation & management
- Downloadable E/M Audit Tool to help with leveling and approved for use during exam
- 75-question online practical exercise coding case studies from medical documentation (question format mimics those on actual exam)
Purchase the Online Practicum
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By purchasing any of these items, you agree to the terms stated within the Refund Policy.
Approved Manuals for Use During Examination
Required References:
- CPT® Books (AMA standard or professional edition ONLY). No other publisher is allowed
- Your choice of ICD-9-CM
- Your choice of HCPCS Level II
Highly Recommended References:
Optional References:
- One reference of your choice
Note:
Any officially published corrections or errata belonging to required references are also permitted. The AAPC uses only the current calendar year codes on all exams. Second attempt exams occurring in the next calendar year will not be permitted to take the previous year’s exam.
Non-Approved Manuals for Use During Examination
Due to the advantages of additional information and/or ease of use, the following references cannot be used during the exam:
- Current Procedural Coding Expert® - Ingenix
- Procedural Coding Professional - Contexo
- Procedural Coding Professional - AAPC
- Procedural Coding Expert - Contexo
- Procedural Coding Expert - AAPC
- CPT® Insider's View - AMA
- CPT® Plus! - PMIC
- Coders' Choice CPT® - PMIC
- ICD-9-CM Easy Coder - Unicor