# CPC vs CCS - complete both



## cece.heckman@yahoo.com (May 10, 2013)

Hi all,
I live in Indiana and I am going to take my CPC exam again in August, however I took it twice last year and due to poor preparation and lack of time management I failed it twice, so I am going to try again. However, I have also been looking into taking the CCS exam, and I am wondering which one is better? Should I skip the CPC and just do CCS or should I complete both? I look at postings online and many facilities as for RHIT, RHIA or CCS rather than the CPC. It might be better for me because I already have my foot in the door at a hospital doing registration, but I just want to do something that will boost my salary significantly and give me the best position I can get. Any opinions on either exam or certification?

Thanks all!


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## Med_Coder (May 10, 2013)

*CPC vs CCS*

The CCS exam in through AHIMA and is for inpatient  Coding.  The AHIMA exam that is equivlent to the CPC is the CCS-P.  

Hope this helps.
Laurie Enz, CPC, CPC-H


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## CarmonaEnterprises (May 10, 2013)

*CPC vs CCS*

Hospital coding jobs that require CCS are looking for candidates to have at least 3 years of coding. It is becoming more difficult to get these types of jobs without a foundation and experience of medical coding and to even take the assessment exam your hospital would check your experience. CCS as you know focuses on hospital coding, DRGs, guidelines, etc. The CPC is your ticket to establish your foundation for coding and to fully understand the procedures such as pacemakers placements and replacements and much more. 
Take a look at the AHIMA site as it has requirements to take the CCS certification exams, you may need to take some HIT courses at the AHIMA credentialed schools. Also worth looking into is to see when AHIMA is doing the ICD-10 certifications for the CCS.
While you are working at the hospital, check out to see if there is documentation for your EMR system, like training documents for your revenue cycle department like Allscripts, EPIC Resolute and documentation on computer aided coding. Knowing your EMR system will be a plus when getting a job in coding but the most important thing is to build your foundation for medical coding you will be a good asset to any organization. 
Good luck, Jeff


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## cece.heckman@yahoo.com (May 11, 2013)

That does help, I think I want to do both of them. I am currently looking through policies and procedures for my company and just becoming familiarized with their expectations for the coders. We have just started on EPIC as of April 2013 and I'm very thankful that I take my exam in August, and have already some experience with EPIC on the registration side which should pose as helpful in the long-run!

Thank you again for your responses!


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## 01174155 (May 11, 2013)

*Ccs vs cpc*

Hi:

I'm both an RHIT, CCS.  The CCS is primarily for Inpatient coding.  I currently work and do chart audits/reviews for Cigna/HealthSpring for physician offices.  I'm interested in obtaining the AAPC credentials.  I was planning on taking the CPC but now I"m leaning towards the CPC-H.  I'm told the CPC is primarily for physician office work while the CPC-H is for Ambulatory/Outpatient coding.  I think it would be beneficial to have credentials from both organizations as then some want AHIMA and some want AAPC.

Hope this Helps!!

Elizabeth A. Otto, RHIT, CCS
eaorhitccs@gmail.com
956.254.6494


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## cece.heckman@yahoo.com (May 13, 2013)

Thanks so much. I'm a little worried because AHIMA has some requirements to even qualify for the CCS exam, I took my courses online at PennFoster, do you think that will be sufficient?


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## CarmonaEnterprises (May 14, 2013)

*CPC vs CCS*

EPIC has many modules to use in a hospital organization. The coders would use EPIC Resolute HB to do the hospital coding and EPIC Resolute PB for the professional billing. EPIC Cadence I believe is what you are using to register patients which is very different. The plus is that you are familiar with EPIC and when you become a coder for the hospital there, they would need to change your profile and set you up to access Resolute and the work queues that the claims exist in....food for thought


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