CCS Exam Preparation for Hospital Coders
Course Syllabus (For reference only)
Introduction
1. CCS exam specifics
2. CCS Prep Program specifics
Week 1
Text: AHA – ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook
Ch 2 – Introduction to the ICD-10-CM Classification
Ch 3 – ICD-10-CM Conventions
Ch 4 – Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set
Ch 5 – The Medical Record as a Source Document
Ch 6 – Basic ICD-10-CM Coding Steps
Ch 7 – Basic ICD-10-CM Coding Guidelines
Week 2
Text: AHA – ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook
Ch 8 – Introduction to the ICD-10-PCS Classification
Ch 9 – Basic ICD-10-PCS Coding Steps
Ch 10 – ICD-10-PCS Root Operations in the Medical and Surgical Section
Ch 11 – ICD-10-PCS Procedures in the Medical Surgical and Ancillary Sections
Week 3
Text: AHA – ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook
Ch 12 – Z Codes and External Cause of Morbidity Codes
Ch 13 – Symptoms, Signs, and Ill-Defined Conditions
Ch 14 – Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Ch 16 – Mental Disorders
Week 4
Text: AHA – ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook
Ch 15 – Endocrine, Nutritional, and Metabolic Diseases
Ch 17 – Diseases of the Blood and Blood-Forming Organs and Certain Disorders Involving the
Immune Mechanism
Ch 18 – Diseases of the Nervous System and Sense Organs
Week 5
Text: AHA – ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook
Ch 24 – Complications of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Puerperium
Ch 25 – Abortion and Ectopic Pregnancy
Ch 26 – Congenital Anomalies
Ch 27 – Perinatal Conditions
Week 6
Text: AHA – ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook
Ch 19 – Diseases of the Respiratory System
Ch 20 – Diseases of the Digestive System
Ch 21 – Diseases of the Genitourinary System
Week 7
Text: AHA – ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook
Ch 28 – Diseases of the Circulatory System
Ch 29 – Neoplasms
Week 8
Text: AHA – ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook
Ch 22 – Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue
Ch 23 – Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue
Ch 30 – Injuries
Ch 31 – Burns
Ch 32 – Poisoning, Toxic Effects, Adverse Effects, and Under-dosing of Drugs
Ch 33 – Complications of Surgery and Medical Care
Week 9
Comprehensive Review
UHDDS exercises
Multiple Choice Questions
Week 10
Inpatient case
Multiple Choice Questions
Week 11
Reimbursement Methodology
Multiple Choice Practice Questions
Week 12 and 13
Introduction to CPT Nomenclature Basics
CPT Surgery – General Guidelines
Week 14
CPT Case Studies
Multiple Choice Practice Questions
Week 15
Final Review
Mock Exam
The level of effort to complete this course, start to finish, is equivalent to 39 CEUs. Remember: You have access to the course materials for the full six-month enrollment period and we encourage you to re-review any materials that are helpful to you as you prepare for the exam.
Certificate of Completion
Upon successful completion of the course work, student will be able to download a Libman Education Certificate of Completion.
AHIMA
AHIMA does not award CEUs for credential preparation or review courses.
AAPC
AAPC will not grant CEUs for courses related to non-AAPC credentials.
Eligibility
To enroll in Libman Education’s CCS Exam Prep participants must have a minimum of two years hands-on acute-care hospital coding experience.
Application
The application process will ensure that the student is fully aware of the program requirements and prepared to commit the time necessary to be successful. Our goal is to ensure this is the right program for you at this time.
Step 1. Application
Submit the online application describing your experience and background. It is quick and there is no charge to submit an application.
Step 2. Interview with the instructor
An interview will be scheduled for you with our instructor prior to acceptance to the course. The interview is your opportunity to ask questions and discuss the program and the CCS exam in detail. You will be contacted via email to schedule a convenient time for the phone interview.
Step 3. (Optional) Complete the online Libman Education CCS Skills Assessment
Applicants who do not meet the course eligibility requirements may be asked to complete the Libman Education CCS Skills Assessment. Completing the assessment will provide valuable information to you and to the instructor on your strengths and weaknesses and ascertain your level of foundational ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS and CPT coding skills. By knowing your skill level relative to the CCS, we can ensure that you have a realistic expectation of the level of effort required to be successful on the CCS.
Plan on approximately 2-3 hours to complete the assessment. Once started, you may stop the assessment and continue later. The CCS Skills Assessment is not graded and there is no ‘pass’ or ‘fail.’ There is no charge for the CCS Skills Assessment. Completion of the CCS Skills Assessment does not obligate you to sign up for the program nor Libman Education to accept you into the program.
Step 4. Tuition
Once accepted, you will be invoiced for the tuition. Full payment is required prior to the start of class. Payment plans are available through PayPal Credit.
“Mary Beth York is a dynamite CCS prep instructor. I earned my CCS with her help last year, and landed my (first) coding job shortly thereafter. Today, I received the first audit report of my work, which included ‘compliments’ to the coder (i.e., me!!) for my accuracy! Thank you, Mary Beth!” — Maria Sullivan
“Thank you Mary Beth for your excellent instructions, patience and persistence.” — HIM Director with two new CCS-credentialed staff members
“I couldn’t have done it without Mary Beth. She is an EXCELLENT instructor.” — Riata W. on the CCS Exam Prep
“I have to tell you that Mary Beth is the BOMB!!!!!!! She is great at what she does. I just want to thank all of you for having this course and helping everyone to achieve their goal of becoming certified. I will never forget Mary Beth and her kind words that she offered each week of the course. I enjoyed her class. Mary Beth makes every student feel important!” — Jeannine B., RHIT, CCS, HIM Manager
“I enrolled in Libman’s CCS Prep Course January of this year under the instruction of Mary Beth once again, and after several months of intensive course work and studying, I passed the CCS exam! Mary Beth York is more than just an instructor…she’s a mentor and a coach, and she will be cheering you on and helping you every step of the way. The course was tough with many hours of hard work involved but entirely worth it! I feel such a sense of accomplishment thanks to the mentoring of Mary Beth York.” — Eddy W.
“I took the CCS Exam Prep class with Mary Beth last year & loved it! Successfully passed my CCS!” — Kimberly (Jane) D.
“Thank you Mary Beth! Because of you, I no longer look at the coding book as being bigger than me. You have a methodology for teaching coding that is just awesome.” — Rosemary M. on the CCS for CDI
“I’ve been a CDI nurse for almost 15 years but wanted to take my skill set to a new level. Although this class was long & very labor intensive, it more than prepared me to sit for the CCS exam. I took the exam today & passed it with flying colors on the first try! Thank you Mary Beth York!” — Laura H. on the CCS for CDI
“Relieved and happy to have passed my CCS exam today. Many thanks to Mary Beth York at Libman Education for her hard work and patience and more than preparing me to sit the exam.” — Maria M., BSN,CCDS,CCS, CDI Supervisor
“I just wanted Mary Beth York to know that I have just become a coder. I took the CCS exam prep class a couple of years ago from her. Kaiser has opened up a position for me so I am doing outpatient coding work. Please let Mary Beth know how pleased I was for her helping me in this class. Thank you.” — James G.
“I want to thank you for one of the best experiences of my life. The growth that took place astounds me. Mary Beth is one of the best instructors I have ever had. Not only did I pass the CCS, my scores were 367/400 or 92%. I’m so glad that I met you!”
“I took the Intensive CCS Exam Prep class and I am happy to report that I passed the CCS exam! I know I would not have passed, or even registered to take the exam, had I prepared exclusively on my own. I really liked the virtual classes. I enjoyed the way it was done because you still have the instructor explaining and being able to ask question. Many people I work with have tried to diminish my credential because I took a class to prepare for the exam. I find, due to taking the course, (even with my lack of ‘coding chops’, as one person put it), I have more in-depth knowledge of some subjects than many of the seasoned coders I work with.”
“It was very challenging! I really liked the way it made us think and really get to know these codes better. Great learning tool.”
“I am doing very well since obtaining my CCS thanks to you! I have been working part time remotely for over a year now and loving it! I am still working at the hospital as well full time. Having my CCS certification has opened up so many opportunities for me! It also has made me feel more confident in my daily coding work and am able to help coders (without CCS certification) who seem to struggle with coding accounts. So Kudos to you! I can’t tell you how happy I am to have taken your course and above all appreciated all your support and confidence in me!”
“I really liked the virtual classes. I enjoyed the way it was done because you still have the instructor explaining and being able to ask question.”
“I took the CCS prep class and really enjoyed the whole experience. It was quite a lot of work but Marybeth guided us all in the class very well and was always available for help and advice when we were stuck on any coding scenarios that came up. I felt very prepared for my exam when I went to take it.”
“The class requires a lot of commitment (!) and personal study time that you need to put aside and be willing to do in order to be successful on the class as well as on the exam.”
“This email could not have come at a better time. My boss and I were both talking about expanding our credentials (CCS and RHIT)! So, thank you for this opportunity!”
— Christine A., RN, BSN, Manager of CDI Clinical Education, on an email about the CCS for CDI Exam Prep course
“I have encouraged every coder I know, who has the slightest inclination to sit for the CCS exam, to take the course. Unfortunately, some are deterred by the distance to the classroom setting — the addition of online classes is wonderful. Others are deterred by the amount of homework that is required (I am completely honest when I tell them I spent 4 -5 hours most nights on coding exercises, coding cases, coding clinics, etc.), to them I say, well, I guess you just aren’t ready.”
“I feel that CCS Exam Prep was well worth the cost. I highly recommend this course for coders that feel ready to attempt their CCS certification.”
“I would like to express my personal thanks for your time and effort helping her pass her CCS exam. It was certainly above and beyond expectations, and reflects well on your professionalism and work ethic. Well done!”
“Homework, Homework, Homework — there is a lot of it and it needs to be done to pass the test. Mary Beth also had me reading the guidelines till I was dreaming about them! …This was the best educational experience for my professional development without question. It was a lot of work but well worth it, and would recommend the program to anyone.”
“The course is very demanding especially when working full time. At times I found it hard to keep up with some of the others in the class. And I found the range of material terribly broad — but such is the nature of the exam. Mary Beth is an excellent instructor and gave us full warning of the difficulty of the exam. And she obviously prepared us very well since our group all managed to pass.”
“I thought that the course was great and I would have never have passed the test without the prep class.”
“I am very impressed with your strict guidelines to be accepted into this program. It happens far too often that an education facility will just take students for financial gain or to make their ‘numbers’. You seem very passionate about what you do and I think that is wonderful.”
“I had the good fortune to train with Mary Beth York for the CCS exam and passed in 2009. She is one of the most patient, kind and knowledgeable coding mentors that I have encountered. In addition to CCS training, I completed the Barry Libman online education course ‘Anatomy & Physiology for Coders’ in 2011. I hold Libman Education in high regard. The education I received and the professionalism of the staff has been superb.”
“I am a student from last year and I just took my CCS exam March 26, 2015 and pass with flying colors (370/400). I am truly amazed with MaryBeth’s teaching style and overall serenity. During the class and right before my exam she took the time to calm my nerves and help me to relax so I don’t freak out during the test. She also is able to challenge an individual in such a short amount of time. THANK YOU MaryBeth for changing my life. I am forever grateful!”
“I do very much appreciate the CCS Exam Prep program and what it can do for students if they give 100%. I also appreciate that the class is not over once the weekly classes are complete. The follow-through with mock exam, follow-up calls, and examples is just absolutely wonderful. It is a great program that has been developed and everyone who had a part in that should be commended.”
“Mary Beth went above and beyond my expectations for all the students in our CCS class.”
“I just recently passed the CCS in July. I currently hold a CPC certification but I feel that facility employers favor the CCS. It took me several years to finally take initiative and get the CCS completed! I believe I could not have done that without this class. I do know that as the coding field is just booming I was getting frustrated with some of the coding guidance I was getting. It seems that so many people were advancing to auditing and management positions so quickly that basic coding guidelines were being ignored or not addressed. By going through the class and passing the CCS, my confidence and quality in my coding has improved tremendously!” — Wendy W., CCS
Provided materials: The course tuition includes online access to all course and proprietary study materials.
Participants will also receive a one year subscription to the Virtual Lab (VLab), an $85 value, at no additional charge. This web-based, practical, participatory, coding environment has been selected by Libman Education to provide CCS Exam Prep participants online access to critical resources including Coding Clinic, CPT Assistant, and AHA’s ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Handbook.
Required materials: Each participant in the class is required to purchase (or have access to) the edition-specific textbooks.
- Professional Review Guide Online for the CCS/CCS-P Examination, 2021, 1st Edition
- ICD-10-CM Code Book – 2021
- ICD-10-PCS Code Book – 2021
- CPT® Code Book – 2021
* Please note: It is important that each participant have the correct edition and date of each publication as specified. Failure to have the correct edition and date will result in not being able to complete assignments.
Candidates for the CCS exam are required to bring the correct edition of code books to the test center. Candidates who do not bring the correct code books to the test center will not be allowed to test and will forfeit their exam fees. The allowable code books are published on the AHIMA website (see “2020 List of Allowable Code Books”) https://www.ahima.org/certification-careers/certifications/ccs/
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