Is this the Final Decision???
The latest news is that every certified coder must take and pass a proficiency exam on ICD-10 to maintain current certification(s). This would be an open book, on-line, timed exam consisting of 75 questions. The cost of the exam will be $60.00 with 1 free retake. The effective date is scheduled to begin October 1, 2012 and will end September 30, 2014.
But some questions that have not been answered are:
If you're not currently certified when this begins, would you take the CPC, CPC-H or CPC-P exam and ICD-10 exam?
How much time will be allowed to complete the exam?
Would the exam be in the convenience of your own home or at a testing site?
Would there be a set of “Specialty Credentials” designated specifically for ICD-10?
Would there be additional CEUs needed?
What resources will the AAPC offer for preparation of the ICD-10 exam?
How would this change effect the rates for membership dues?
Why would the organization make a decision that will take away what has been already earned? It is understood that everyone has to be proficient in ICD-10 coding. In my opionion, this can only be gained by experience and as resources are readily available, the knowledge will be gained through education. It shouldn't be mandatory to take such an exam. If you are currently in the professional you will learn ICD-10 as you go through the on-the-job training and mandatory employee education. Each year, we all have to be compliant with the coding guidelines and learn new coding updates.
Hence, to stay in the profession, there will be no way around learning ICD-10
For those not in the profession, but may be preparing for an exam or going through a course, study guides and resources should be available through the AAPC bookstore & curriculum(s). For future AAPC coding exams(CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P), the level of difficulty should change putting more emphasis on ICD-10coding.
In my opinion, Coders that are currently certified should be grandfathered in. For those that would be interested in making ICD-10 a specialty, then and only then, it should be offered as a specialty exam to gain a specialty credential as it was done with the other AAPC specialties (ORTHO, CARDIO, CEMC, etc.). For future AAPC coding exams(CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P), the level of difficulty should change putting more emphasis on ICD-10 coding.