Wiki Are the Practice Exam same as the real-life-chart coding and they are good for coding activities preparedness?

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Camduong69

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Hello;
I got the CPC but not doing the coding job currently. I am looking for the way that I can practice coding as in the real-life-job, but don't want to purchase for the Practice code due to financial budget issue. Do you think if I use my purchased Practice Exams to code from scratch (not base on the optional answer) is the good way to practice? are the real charts most likely same as those Practice Exams? Please advice me the best way to do the practice for later job-assignments.
Thank you Everyone for your advices.
 
In my personal opinion, the practice exams are designed to help you practice to take the CPC, and are not necessarily the same as real world coding. What can get tricky in real world coding are things like carrier policy, NCCI edits, unclear documentation, etc. None of that is part of the CPC or practice exams. Additionally, the exact responsibilities of a coder can vary a lot from employer to employer and even from different positions within the same employer. Some coders work denials. Some code everything from scratch. Some scrub claims already coded by the clinician. Some only code diagnoses. Some code only E&M. Some work in a subspecialty. There could be 1000 different things people employed as "medical coders" do.
Feel free to use the practice exams as a way to keep your brain active, but don't think it is the same as real world coding.
My suggestion if you are not able to find a coding job yet is to find another job in a healthcare organization that is at least coding adjacent. Patient registration, medical records, medical billing, front desk, customer service, etc. Everything you learn at that position will make you a better coder. Good luck!
 
csperoni said:
In my personal opinion, the practice exams are designed to help you practice to take the CPC, and are not necessarily the same as real world coding. What can get tricky in real world coding are things like carrier policy, NCCI edits, unclear documentation, etc. None of that is part of the CPC or practice exams. Additionally, the exact responsibilities of a coder can vary a lot from employer to employer and even from different positions within the same employer. Some coders work denials. Some code everything from scratch. Some scrub claims already coded by the clinician. Some only code diagnoses. Some code only E&M. Some work in a subspecialty. There could be 1000 different things people employed as "medical coders" do.
Feel free to use the practice exams as a way to keep your brain active, but don't think it is the same as real world coding.
My suggestion if you are not able to find a coding job yet is to find another job in a healthcare organization that is at least coding adjacent. Patient registration, medical records, medical billing, front desk, customer service, etc. Everything you learn at that position will make you a better coder. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Hi Christine; I appreciate your honest opinion. I have been doing the billing job for more than 3 years and also doing the scrub claims already coded, just verifying if it is the correct and billable dx codes or if it should be the primary dx codes, etc. It is really hard to break into a coding job that it always requires productivity coding experience. I want to be ready when the opportunity comes. Thank you very much.
 
It's not even close to the same in my viewpoint. Christine's advice is spot-on. I probably would not waste money paying for the practice exams, they will help you pass a test not give "real-world" experience unfortunately.
Practicing to be able to look up codes correctly, move through the index, book, etc. is great. Everyone must also keep up on any changes to codes which you can do by practicing and reading the guidelines. Keeping your basic knowledge should be done by all. If you are already working on scrubbing edits and diagnoses, that's great. If you are already doing that, does your employer have a coding team? Would you be able to shadow an experienced coder or possibly "practice" some cases that are redacted and get feedback?

This may be a better option: https://my.ahima.org/store/product?id=66083
 
amyjph said:
It's not even close to the same in my viewpoint. Christine's advice is spot-on. I probably would not waste money paying for the practice exams, they will help you pass a test not give "real-world" experience unfortunately.
Practicing to be able to look up codes correctly, move through the index, book, etc. is great. Everyone must also keep up on any changes to codes which you can do by practicing and reading the guidelines. Keeping your basic knowledge should be done by all. If you are already working on scrubbing edits and diagnoses, that's great. If you are already doing that, does your employer have a coding team? Would you be able to shadow an experienced coder or possibly "practice" some cases that are redacted and get feedback?

This may be a better option: https://my.ahima.org/store/product?id=66083
Click to expand...
Hi amyjph; my employer doesn’t do the coding part. I studied for the exam by practice the eliminating technique, which has its downside. You are right with the basic knowledge from the guideline, but when apply it to practice I found myself confusing. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
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