Free advice and free resources
Hello Radcoder86:
I certainly understand the frustration and disappointment. Many medical coding courses, whether a degree or non-degree structured education, omit many of the practical areas of coding and billing that medical coders encounter in the real world. I suggest a couple of ideas:
1) use the internet and research. You can find out how to use NCCI edits by visiting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at cms.gov and once you are at the site type in NCCI. One of the topics that comes up is "How to Use NCCI Edits". You can also download that instructional booklet using this link:
https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Ed...NProducts/downloads/How-to-Use-NCCI-Tools.pdf . To view the actual NCCI files (published quarterly) search for PTP (Procedure-To-Procedure) or use this link to view both the Hospital files and the Practioner Files:
https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coding/nationalcorrectcodinited/ncci-coding-edits.html . Since the files are so large and divide the CPT and HCPCS codes into two files each, you will have to download two files of the same type (for example "Practioner PTP Edits V22.0...CPT 39599 and CPT 49570" and the second file "Practioner PTP Edits V22.0...CPT 40490 and CPT 00170). The files are named to show the last line of the spreadsheet in which the first CPT or HCPCS code is the one in the last row for column 1 and the second named code is the one that is in column 2 and being compared to column 1". The legend or key has indicators of 0, 1 or 9. If the code pair has the number 0, it means that these two codes can never be billed together by the same provider on the same date of service, regardless of modifier (59). When it has the number 1 next to the code pair, it means that a modifier is allowed, if the documentation supports billing for both.
2) Arrange to do a live internship to gain valuable experience. Reach out to an Xtern site by visiting the AAPC Project Xtern web page and looking up one in your area. Each Xtern site offers hands-on training and mentoring and the Xtern will receive practical training and even earn hours towards removing the apprenticeship status, if they are a CPC-A. Here is the link to look up general information on an internship a site closest to your residence and to locate an Xtern site:
https://www.aapc.com/medical-coding-jobs/project-xtern/
3) There are lots of free or low-cost medical coding material online. There is a free online tool that is very useful for ICD-10-CM coding and here is the link:
http://www.icd10data.com/ . There are YouTube videos that are free to view. Go to YouTube.com and search for "medical coding training" and "CPT coding" and "ICD-10-CM" coding. There are lots of helpful videos if you make the time to go through them. CodeBusters offers free ICD-10-CM training using this link:
http://www.codebusters.com/icd-10-training-ceus . Go to Facebook and look for Facebook pages of groups that are about Medical Coding and Medical Billing.
4) Attend your AAPC Local Chapter meetings. Most of them are free and you will earn CEUs while learning something and have the opportunity to network and pick an experienced coder's brain.
All of these suggestions will require your time, but not your money. The advice I am giving you is based on my own true life experience. Many people were instrumental to my success, but I also had to be bold enough to learn to talk to strangers, to ask for advice from them, and to learn to research a lot on my own. The education I received at a college for medical coding was inadequate and I learned nothing that I could have learned on my own through self-study. The knowledge I gained by learning from others and from researching made me a successful medical coder. I wish you the best.
G. Elizabeth Wilson
Buffalo, NY
