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Medical Coding CEU Vendors


Vendors Defined: A vendor is the organization responsible for the advertising, marketing and sales of a product or event.

Pre-approved CEUs

Various educational firms have been pre-approved for CEUs through the AAPC for their publications, subscriptions, seminars, etc. All education curriculum is evaluated for relevance to the specific credential. Granting of prior approval in no way constitutes endorsement by the AAPC of the program content, speaker or the program sponsor.

How do I get on the list of approved vendors?

  • All CEU offerings for a fee are considered a commercial business offering. If you are a commercial business offering CEUs for your program, complete the Application for CEU Pre-Approval.

  • If you are a facility or site educator and provide free in-service or “not for profit training” (there is no fee charged to attendees and a net profit is not gained), then complete the Application for CEU Pre-Approval – Inservice. There is no application fee for inservice CEUs. These venues do not show up on the vendor list, as they are generally not open to the public.

  • Note - As an educator, if you pay to purchase a speaker or program the sponsoring organization (vendor) offering the program you must supply the AAPC CEU Prior Approved Certificate, displaying the index number from the AAPC. We do not accept inservice requests on behalf of commercial entities who will not submit for the CEUs.

  • If you are an instructor at a post secondary educational institution, providing approved curriculum, please send the syllabus as proof of course and the number of hours instructing prior to the course beginning. CEUs will be awarded hour for hour. Please select Application for Prior CEU Approval - Instructor, fill this out and submit with other required materials. Currently AAPC does not award CEUs for teaching preparation time.

  • AAPC Workshop presenters can earn one CEU per hour of presentation for approved courses. The AAPC Certificate Index number for presenters is the same as the Index number for the course they are presenting. Preparation time to speak is not currently eligible for CEUs.

When should I submit my Application for CEU Pre-Approval and assignment of a CEUs/Index number?

  • Requests for CEU index numbers will not be awarded retrospectively. A 30 day window is required to process all applications. The process may not take more than a week, however it is not advised to wait too long. Applications are received at the AAPC office and make several stops prior to going to the approval personnel. Delays can also be incurred if the required information is not attached, e.g. speaker resume, course outline or topic timeline.

Methods approved by the AAPC for maintaining credentials are:
AAPC accepts unaltered copies of the original PDF certificate. Exceptions include the name of the participant, the date of the event, and the index or catalog number if these items are not printed on the certificate in advance. Please do not alter these certificates in any other way.
  • Seminar/Workshop
    • Submit an unaltered copy of the original PDF certificate of completion with required index number.
  • Local Chapter Meetings:
    • Submit one certificate of attendance for each preapproved meeting (certificates are available and assigned catalog numbers at chapter meetings). When submitting certificates to the AAPC’s national office, include catalog number and synopsis of information learned..
  • Web/Computer Based Training/Online Test or Quiz:
    • Submit  an unaltered copy of the original PDF certificate of completion with required index number.
  • Audio/Teleconference:
    • Submit  an unaltered copy of the original PDF certificate of completion with required index number.
  • Publications:
    Please visit http://www.aapc.com/education/medical-coding-ceu-policy.aspx to view the AAPC policy for the year the publication was written. The guidelines for each year are explained  and will be honored for CEUs earned in that year. CEU policies apply to the year in which the CEUs are earned, not submitted.
    • Educational Publications:
      • Submit a copy of the title page with one summary per publication.
    • Reference Publications:
      • Submit one coding scenario using information learned from reference material (see sample), one CEU per scenario along with a copy of the title page
  • Self Study Guides:
    • Submit a copy of the title page with one summary per publication.
  • Subscription:
    • Submit a copy of the cover with the subscribers name and one summary.
    • For a subscription with a test . An index number will be provided  with the test.
  • Software:
    • Submit a copy of the title page or cover of  CD  with one summary per software.
  • CPT®, ICD-9-CM, HCPCS:
    • Submit one coding scenario using information learned from reference material (see sample), one CEU per scenario along with a copy of the title page.

Samples

*Note: Due to HIPAA regulations, copied operative reports/audits are no longer accepted for CEUs. If an individual chooses to construct his/her own hypothetical operative note/audit, with no personal identifiers, regarding a fictional patient using a fictional physician (eg patient A and physician C) this would be within privacy parameters and accepted by the AAPC for one CEU per operative report.

Sample #1: Coding Scenario (CPT® and ICD-9-CM)
Sarah was playing softball on Saturday. She was running to a base and twisted her right knee. She went to the doctor’s office to have it checked. The MRI showed a right medial meniscus tear and a possible anterior cruciate ligament tear. The doctor discussed the options with Sarah and explained the risks and benefits. Sarah decided to proceed with surgery instead of physical therapy.

Preop Diagnosis: Right knee medial meniscus tear with possible anterior cruciate ligament tear. Code:
Postop Diagnosis: Right knee medial meniscus tear; with anterior cruciate ligament tear. Diagnosis
844.2
836.0
836.0
Surgery: Arthroscopy, right knee medial menisectomy with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Procedure
29888
29881-51

Sample #2: Publication, Subscription or Software
Summary: Publication—CPT® Changes 2005—An Insiders View

Many new CPT® codes are introduced each year. CPT® Changes 2005—An Insiders View carefully reviews these changes and describes the new procedures. In 2005 new organ and tissue transplant backbench information was released. For example, code 50327 describes venous anastamosis backbench reconstruction of cadaver or living donor renal allograft prior to transplantation. The procedure consists of grafting of the renal vein across the vena cava for transplant purposes. (CPT® Changes 2005—An Insiders View pages 92 and 95)

TCI