MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
ADVANCED CPT PROCEDURAL CODING
1 Semester Credit Hour
SYLLABUS AND COURSE OUTLINE
SPRING 2008
Instructor: Eileen C. Cassidy, MA, CCS-P
COURSE TITLE: Advanced CPT Coding
COURSE NUMBER: MR 214
.
Course Catalog Description: This course covers current versions of CPT Procedural
Coding and HCPCS, with a review of code clinical scenarios related to body systems.
Prerequisites: MR104 CPT Procedural Coding, MR105 International Classification
Systems, AH110 Professional Practice Experience 1 MC.
Corequisites: MR215 Advanced ICD-9-CM Coding and AH111 Professional Practice
Experience 2 MC (Spring Semester)
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course, the student will:
1. Assign CPT-4/HCPCS codes to services/procedures provided by physicians at an
advanced level skill.
2. Explain the relationship between coding and reimbursement. Identify the components
of a superbill.
3. Abstract the necessary data from physician notes and operative reports
demonstrating/documenting medical necessity.
4. Identify and explain general medical billing practices.
5. Identify the important aspects of the Healthcare Fraud and Abuse legislation.
6. Explain the necessity of a corporate compliance plan
Method of Evaluation:
The overall grade for the course is based on the student's performance examinations,
homework, and any special projects that may be assigned. All work presented will be
evaluated on the basis of timeliness, accuracy of content, grammar and spelling.
Online Exams: 50%
Homework: (including Discussion Board) 25%
Proctored Final Exam 25%
Homework/Discussion Board Participation
Homework will be assigned on a weekly basis (week runs from Sunday, 12:01 a.m. to
Saturday, 11:59 p.m.) and will consist of a textbook reading assignment, and a
textbook exercise assignment. The reading assignment is time consuming and the
student is advised to have a dictionary at hand while reading. Do not try to do the
exercises without reading the material first. The textbook exercise must be completed
and submitted through the Digital Dropbox to the instructor by the due date to receive
credit. However, all students will receive the answers to the exercise assignment at the
end of the week. No credit will be given for exercise answers submitted after the
answers have been revealed to the class. Submission in any form other than the
Digital Dropbox will not be accepted. The Discussion Board is the course
equivalent of the student raising his/her hand and asking or answering a question.
Each week there will be Discussion Board questions raised, and students are
encouraged to participate in the discussion by either answering a question or posting a
question pertaining to the week’s assignments. Rather than answering a single
student’s question by email, I suggest students post their questions on the Discussion
Board so that all students may benefit from the answers. Each student must either post
an original comment or must post a response to another’s comment in the Discussion
Board at least once a week. However, student does not need to participate at a
particular time.
Online Testing Policy
All tests in this online course are administered on Blackboard. Examinations will be
timed and be available for a limited number of days. Students are to prepare to take the
test by reading and studying the appropriate material.
Sit down to take the test during the open testing time with all materials needed/allowed
at your fingertips and in a quiet setting. If that is a problem, consider taking the test in
the College’s computer lab. Allow enough uninterrupted time to complete the test. If
you are experiencing problems with your Internet provider or computer, please take the
test in one of the College’s labs.
The test will cover several chapters (see course outline) and consist of a theory portion
(which will test the student’s understanding of coding guidelines and textbook reading
assignments) and a practical portion (in which the student will code procedures using
the CPT. Once beginning the test you may not stop or start over. The test will be timed
and you will be given a one-minute warning but the computer will not lock up at the end
of the time. It is the student’s responsibility to SUBMIT the test within the allowed
test time.
All tests will be timed with a penalty (to be given on the test instructions) for exceeding
the allowed time. Student must take the test during its availability (usually 1 week)
using the allowed reference materials and observing the College’s honesty policy,
Resetting a test for a student with a justified explanation will be done only once per
student per course, but no test will be reset after the availability of the test has
expired. Immediately upon completion of the test, the student may view his/her score,
but the entire test with corrections will not be available for viewing until the test
availability is over. The instructor will re-grade and award any additional points
necessary due to incorrect formatting of answers or inappropriate sequencing of codes.
A student experiencing technical problems while taking an exam must contact the email
and Blackboard technical online support at 1-866-361-8865 and also email the
instructor immediately.
A student who does not take an exam during its availability will receive a zero score.
One last important note: You may not discuss any test (in person or
electronically) with another classmate or anyone else before, during, or after you
take the test until every student in the class has taken the test. You are not
allowed to print any part of a test.
At the end of the semester, the lowest test grade will be dropped; however, that does
not include the Final Exam
The cumulative Final Exam is the only test which must be taken in a proctored setting.
At least 1 week before the final exam, a date, time, and room number on the Utica
campus will be given where I will be present to give the final exam. It will be given in a
computer lab, taken online and timed. You must bring all your own references. If
circumstances do not permit you to be present at that time, special circumstances will
be arranged where you may take it in a college computer lab, Library, or Sylvan
Learning Center where it must be proctored by an approved outsider. It will not be reset
for any reason.
Course policies regarding attendance, testing and grading:
Each student will receive a course syllabus indicating the content, objectives, and
outline of the course. Each student is expected to complete the course requirements
within the time frame specified. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with
the instructor. Any student not completing the assignments for two successive
weeks will be dropped from the course.
Grades for the above will be averaged and the final letter grade for the course will be
assigned as follows:
90-100
A
80-89
B
70-79
C
60-69
D
0-60
F
Health Information Technology students are required to obtain a minimum grade
of C in the course to qualify for graduation.
Textbooks Requirements
Advanced Case Study Workbook by MedBooks
CPT 2008 *, American Medical Association*
HCPCS 2008 Medicare’s National Level II **
If you took MR104 last semester and have the 2007 books it will be okay to use them.
Just let me know on homework assignments which year book you are using. In a work
situation it is NEVER acceptable to use a previous year book since codes change
annually. If you plan on taking any certification exams this year, you will need a current
edition.
AHIMA’s Virtual Lab will be introduced and accessed during the semester for encoder
and grouper instruction.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has any type of disability that may affect
participation in this class or require some special accommodation. Students who
notified me regarding accommodation needs in a previous semester must do so again
each subsequent semester. No accommodations can be provided until this notification
takes place and you have fulfilled the other requirements that will be explained to you.
Communication
The instructor will check and answer emails on a regular basis, usually daily. All
communication between the instructor and the student will be through MVCC e-mail
system. The instructor will respond to all student emails within 48 hours of being sent. If
the instructor is going to be away from the email system for any period of time, the
students will be informed in advance. Student must use good English grammar, as
opposed to net acronyms, including appropriate capitalization and correct spelling. Just
as he/she would be communicating with insurance companies and medical personnel in
the future, student should practice composing professional email correspondence.