kbrasington
Contributor
am considering doing the practicode since it seems to be impossible to find a coding position while being a CPC-A. Can I do this program twice to remove my A or can I only do it once?
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Wiki Practicode question
- Thread starter kbrasington
- Start date
CodingKing
True Blue
You can only use practicode to count as 1 year for removing the A. Assuming you went through coding courses to become ready to sit for the exam that counts as a year as well
https://www.aapc.com/apprentice/applied-experience.aspx
https://www.aapc.com/apprentice/applied-experience.aspx
HangarPilot
Guest
Only once. Before you buy though, I would do a forum search for "practicode" and see what people are saying. You will find members *very* upset and unhappy with it. Others (like me) ... not thrilled, but find it ok and it serves a purpose.
The highlights:
+It does remove a year from your -A experience requirements.
+It does provide "some" experience in that, perhaps for the first time, you are coding actual charts ... not selecting the best multiple choice answer. Here's the chart, abstract the information you need, fetch the code. You can learn a lot ... however ...
-There is no "training" ... after a short intro video you are turned loose. You will only learn what YOU make of it. For example, when you get a code wrong you will see the correct answer. You can plug that in and move on, or you can "teach yourself" ... look up the code they chose, compare it to the code you chose, and figure out why their code it better. The burden is on YOU to learn anything from this. You can complete the program and learn nothing, or you can learn a lot ... your choice.
-The "rationale" is lacking. Most of the time, the rationale provided for the correct answer is a generic copy-and-paste blurb. When you can't figure out why they say the visit is a 99214 and you think 99213 ... well ... tough cookies. The rational just explains the requirements for a 99214 but doesn't explain why THIS chart is one. While you can learn a lot, when you are stumped on cases like this ... you just have to accept their answer and move on.
-Price! I got it on a rare sale for $50 so maybe that helped temper my opinion. I might be singing a different tune had I paid full price. Probably a fair purchase on sale, but you might be kicking yourself if you pay full price and see what it is you get.
-Repetitive. After your 10th torn meniscus you will be chomping at the bit to code something else! After the 20th, you're about ready to go tear out someone's meniscus! On the other hand, I learned orthopaedics is probably not for me!
There are probably more, but again I suggest you do a forum search and know what you are getting into. When I bought it there wasn't a lot of info so I took a chance during the sale. It seems a lot of people did so and now there are many discussions/complaints about it.
As a "necessary evil" it is ok and serves a purpose. I did learn quite a bit and consider it $50 well spent. It could have been great ... but it's not. If you are easily frustrated I would pass. If you're ok with slogging through some mud to get to your destination, it may be worth it. Good luck!
The highlights:
+It does remove a year from your -A experience requirements.
+It does provide "some" experience in that, perhaps for the first time, you are coding actual charts ... not selecting the best multiple choice answer. Here's the chart, abstract the information you need, fetch the code. You can learn a lot ... however ...
-There is no "training" ... after a short intro video you are turned loose. You will only learn what YOU make of it. For example, when you get a code wrong you will see the correct answer. You can plug that in and move on, or you can "teach yourself" ... look up the code they chose, compare it to the code you chose, and figure out why their code it better. The burden is on YOU to learn anything from this. You can complete the program and learn nothing, or you can learn a lot ... your choice.
-The "rationale" is lacking. Most of the time, the rationale provided for the correct answer is a generic copy-and-paste blurb. When you can't figure out why they say the visit is a 99214 and you think 99213 ... well ... tough cookies. The rational just explains the requirements for a 99214 but doesn't explain why THIS chart is one. While you can learn a lot, when you are stumped on cases like this ... you just have to accept their answer and move on.
-Price! I got it on a rare sale for $50 so maybe that helped temper my opinion. I might be singing a different tune had I paid full price. Probably a fair purchase on sale, but you might be kicking yourself if you pay full price and see what it is you get.
-Repetitive. After your 10th torn meniscus you will be chomping at the bit to code something else! After the 20th, you're about ready to go tear out someone's meniscus! On the other hand, I learned orthopaedics is probably not for me!
There are probably more, but again I suggest you do a forum search and know what you are getting into. When I bought it there wasn't a lot of info so I took a chance during the sale. It seems a lot of people did so and now there are many discussions/complaints about it.
As a "necessary evil" it is ok and serves a purpose. I did learn quite a bit and consider it $50 well spent. It could have been great ... but it's not. If you are easily frustrated I would pass. If you're ok with slogging through some mud to get to your destination, it may be worth it. Good luck!
kbrasington
Contributor
Thank you both for the responses! I took several billing / coding classes before taking the exam so I am either going to have my teacher write a letter or, if she won't, I'll submit my transcripts. As far as the practicode is concerned, I've read good and bad things about it. It does seem to be a necessary evil and I don't really have much of a choice. I appreciate the feedback!