# Is CPCO valuable?



## rbapat (Nov 22, 2016)

Hello,

I am looking into getting a compliance certification and wanted to know from people who already have the CPCO credential, is it valuable?  While reviewing some job openings in the area, I came across several positions that require CHC or equivalent.  I'm confused about which one will help me more in my career.  Any advice will be helpful.


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## rjconnell (Nov 23, 2016)

*Cpco*

Your question is directed to people who have the certification already, and I admit I do not. However, I have done some research on this topic. It fully depends on what you would like to do in your career. If you are interested in Coding Compliance then I would say yes, go ahead with this certification. If you are looking for an overall compliance position the CHC credential seems to be the accepted standard. The CHC is expensive and requires CEUs before you can even sit for the exam. In reviewing the practice exam for the CPCO, it seems it will be a lot of the same information needed for CHC. I am just over 1/2 way through my Master's in Healthcare Law and Policy, my school has an agreement that our classes meet the requirements to sit for CHC. When I asked my professors they said the CHC is industry standard, but if I wanted to have both, that was my choice.

I work with individuals who do have the CPCO and are in the coding compliance department and it has helped them when added to CPC and specialty certifications. CPCO is an independent certification in that CPC is not required. There may be a time when it has more clout outside of the coding world, but in looking at the requirements of job postings in compliance the CHC seems to be the one to have.


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## Chelle-Lynn (Nov 23, 2016)

I have my CPCO.  I work for a County Healthcare System.  We have over 100 providers and see approximately 35,000 patients a month.  We have an official Compliance Officer, but in my role as the Coordinator for Billing-Coding-Auditing-Credentialing I have found the knowledge to be invaluable.  If you are interested I would recommend going for it.  Certification can only be a positive!


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## rbapat (Nov 23, 2016)

Thank you both for your responses. 

 I did look into CHC and the requirements are very stringent and I do not meet them at this time, however, it suits perfectly with the direction I want to take.  I am an independent consultant providing billing, coding, auditing and practice management consulting for small to medium sized medical practices.  While working on these,I find that there are so many compliance issues that these practices don't know about and I can really help them.  If CPCO is geared more toward coding compliance, then it is not really worth my time because I already have a CPMA and am currently auditing and educating providers about proper documentation and coding.

My goal is to act as a compliance consultant that can help practices with HIPAA, OIG and other healthcare regulations and CHC falls in line.

Once again, thank you for your advice!


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## Chelle-Lynn (Nov 23, 2016)

The CPCO is for all avenues of compliance, not coding compliance.  It is very in-depth and covers all areas.


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## moodyk13 (Nov 25, 2016)

I'm almost done with the course and slated to take the final Dec 10th. It is pretty in depth in the areas you mentioned: OIG,  HIPAA,  OSHA,  HR,  as well as key enforcement laws,  sited cases,  breakdowns of agencies involved in investigations,  in CMS,  ERISA,  DOL and so forth. 

I've been in a "compliance and auditing" role for a couple of years so fortunately it isn't all brand new. However,  it's a bit overwhelming if like me,  only experience d in one entity of the HC industry because it covers almost all types. Hospitals,  physician specialties,  DME,  SNF,  HHC,  EMTALA,  CL's,  etc.   Of course my experience is with private ambulance and that hasn't been covered yet. Not sure it will be. 

And I've found quite a few discrepancies and errors in the quizes and chapter tests,  so I'm questioning the accuracy of the material and have zero confidence I will pass the exam. Not b/c I won't be prepared,  but in the accuracy of their exam material and answers provided and/or graded.


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## jimbo1231 (Nov 29, 2016)

*Quizes*

I'm glad you mentioned the quizzes in the Study Guide. I found the same thing. In a couple of instances the questions were not covered in the chapter or actually contradicted information in the chapter. Many of the questions were judgment questions putting you in the role of compliance officer which is a good approach if the information is consistent with the chapter you just read. Overall the guide is OK. But AAPC could have done a better job vetting the quizzes.

But I plan to sit for the exam. I have the pre AAPC MCS-P which was very difficult, but unfortunately not much recognized these days.

Jim S .


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## moodyk13 (Dec 6, 2016)

jimbo1231 said:


> I'm glad you mentioned the quizzes in the Study Guide. I found the same thing. In a couple of instances the questions were not covered in the chapter or actually contradicted information in the chapter. Many of the questions were judgment questions putting you in the role of compliance officer which is a good approach if the information is consistent with the chapter you just read. Overall the guide is OK. But AAPC could have done a better job vetting the quizzes.
> 
> But I plan to sit for the exam. I have the pre AAPC MCS-P which was very difficult, but unfortunately not much recognized these days.
> 
> Jim S .



I have submitted a full list of issues/inconsistencies/errors to the developer of the program.  Unfortunately the scope of problems is much broader than I originally thought.  I am waiting to hear back now.  I am scheduled to sit for the exam Saturday - I have no doubt there will be errors on it.  I will come back here and post what their response is.


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## soccerdoc33 (Jan 12, 2017)

*Thank You*

Thank you for the question! I am new to coding and have decided to point myself in the direction of coding compliance so the CPCO is on my radar as is the CHC. This information helps me a lot. 


Adrienne
CPC-A, RHIT


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## suemt (Jan 25, 2017)

rbapat said:


> Thank you both for your responses.
> 
> I did look into CHC and the requirements are very stringent and I do not meet them at this time, however, it suits perfectly with the direction I want to take.  I am an independent consultant providing billing, coding, auditing and practice management consulting for small to medium sized medical practices.  While working on these,I find that there are so many compliance issues that these practices don't know about and I can really help them.  If CPCO is geared more toward coding compliance, then it is not really worth my time because I already have a CPMA and am currently auditing and educating providers about proper documentation and coding.
> 
> ...



Hi!  We do similar work.  I welcome the opportunity to compare notes.  

I have found that the small and medium sized practices are less interested in a string of credentials, especially when you are covering areas besides compliance.  When I was deciding whether or not to add more I realized that it would just be one more thing to keep up with formal fees and CEUs so I decided to collect some of the course materials and books for different areas of specialization, but not actually sit for the exams.  

As has been noted by other posters, often the materials are questionable.  I remember when I first studied for my CPC-H the book was so poorly written, many contradictions, etc. and I was angry that they had the nerve to charge so much for something so poorly put together and not stand behind it.


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## geiser35 (Mar 22, 2017)

*CPCO Exam Follow-Up question...*



moodyk13 said:


> I have submitted a full list of issues/inconsistencies/errors to the developer of the program.  Unfortunately the scope of problems is much broader than I originally thought.  I am waiting to hear back now.  I am scheduled to sit for the exam Saturday - I have no doubt there will be errors on it.  I will come back here and post what their response is.



Hello moodyky13,
I was wondering if you got any feedback from the developer of the program? Thank you, Roseanne


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## lindsey.motter (Oct 23, 2019)

rjconnell said:


> *Cpco*
> 
> Your question is directed to people who have the certification already, and I admit I do not. However, I have done some research on this topic. It fully depends on what you would like to do in your career. If you are interested in Coding Compliance then I would say yes, go ahead with this certification. If you are looking for an overall compliance position the CHC credential seems to be the accepted standard. The CHC is expensive and requires CEUs before you can even sit for the exam. In reviewing the practice exam for the CPCO, it seems it will be a lot of the same information needed for CHC. I am just over 1/2 way through my Master's in Healthcare Law and Policy, my school has an agreement that our classes meet the requirements to sit for CHC. When I asked my professors they said the CHC is industry standard, but if I wanted to have both, that was my choice.
> 
> I work with individuals who do have the CPCO and are in the coding compliance department and it has helped them when added to CPC and specialty certifications. CPCO is an independent certification in that CPC is not required. There may be a time when it has more clout outside of the coding world, but in looking at the requirements of job postings in compliance the CHC seems to be the one to have.



Which program are you taking for your Master's?


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