HITT 2346 - Advanced Medical Coding

HITT 2346:

Description

Advanced concepts of ICD and CPT coding rules, conventions, and guidelines in complex case studies. Investigation of government regulations and changes in health care reporting.

Prerequisites

HITT 1305, HITT 1441

Corequisites

HITT 1342

Semester Offered
Spring semester only
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 1 Lab Hours 4
Extended Hours
0
Contact Hours
80
State Approval Code
51.0713
Alternate Operations During Campus Closure

In the event of an emergency or announced campus closure due to a natural disaster or pandemic, it may be necessary for Panola College to move to altered operations. During this time, Panola College may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include, but are not limited to: online learning management system (CANVAS), online conferencing, email messaging, and/or an alternate schedule. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor Panola College's website (www.panola.edu) for instructions about continuing courses remotely, CANVAS for each class for course-specific communication, and Panola College email for important general information.

Class Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance of classes and laboratories is required of all students. When a student has been ill or absent from class for approved extracurricular activities, he or she should be allowed, as far as possible, to make up for the missed work. If a student has not actively participated by the census date, they will be dropped by the instructor for non-attendance. This policy applies to courses that are in-person, online, hybrid, and hyflex.

Attendance in online courses is determined by submission of an assignment or participation in an activity. According to federal guidelines, simply logging into a distance learning course without participating in an academic assignment does not constitute attendance. Distance learning is defined as when a majority (more than 50%) of instruction occurs when the instructor and students are in separate physical locations. Students must engage in an academic activity prior to the course census date. 

When an instructor feels that a student has been absent to such a degree as to invalidate the learning experience, the instructor may recommend to the Vice President of Instruction that the student be withdrawn from the course. Instructors may seek to withdraw students for non-attendance after they have accumulated the following number of absences: 

Fall or spring semesters: 

3 or more class meeting times per week - 5 absences

2 class meeting times per week - 3 absences

1 class meeting per week -  2 absences

The student is responsible for seeing that he or she has been officially withdrawn from a class. A student who stops attendance in a class without officially withdrawing from that class will be given a failing grade; consequently, the student must follow official withdrawal procedures in the Admissions/Records Office.

Please note: Health Science and Cosmetology courses may require more stringent attendance policies based on their accreditation agencies. Please see the addendum and/or program handbook for further information concerning attendance.  

Pregnant/Parenting Policy

Panola College welcomes pregnant and parenting students as a part of the student body. This institution is committed to providing support and adaptations for a successful educational experience for pregnant and parenting students. Students experiencing a need for accommodations related to pregnancy or parenting will find a Pregnancy and Parenting Accommodations Request form in the Student Handbook or may request the form from the course instructor.

Instructional Goals and Purposes

The purpose of this course is to provide students with advanced knowledge of how to accurately report diagnoses and procedure codes through the application of official coding guidelines and the use of 3M coding software. Students will learn to effectively identify have understand, and utilize medical codes as they will be applicable to hospital reimbursement in the field of healthcare.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:

  1. Analyze health records to assign principal/secondary diagnoses and procedures.
  2. Assign reimbursement methodologies.
  3. Complete intermediate and advanced coding exercises by applying the coding guidelines of ICD-10-CM/PCS, CPT, and HCPCS level II.
  4. Use 3M computerized software to assign diagnoses and procedure codes and assign appropriate prospective payment system reimbursement categories.
Specific Course Objectives (includes SCANS)

After studying all materials and resources presented in the course, the student will be able to: complete all objectives listed below with a minimum competency of 70% on quizzes and exams. (Lab objectives are listed in italics)

  1. Complete intermediate and advanced coding exercises by applying the coding guidelines of ICD-10-CM/PCS, CPT, and HCPCS level II.
    1. Identify the characteristics and conventions of ICD-10-CM/PCS and CPT through the application of class exercises and exams.
    2. Differentiate between disease specific and organ specific coding guidelines.
    3. Discuss the current CPT organization, structure, and guidelines.
    4. Utilize the principles of ICD-10-CM/PCS, CPT, and HCPCS to complete intermediate physician-based case study coding exercises.
    5. Utilize the principles of ICD-10-CM/PCS, CPT, and HCPCS to complete advanced inpatient case study coding exercises.
    6. Utilize the principles of ICD-10-CM/PCS, CPT, and HCPCS to complete advanced ambulatory case study coding exercises.
    7. Utilize the principles of ICD-10-CM/PCS, CPT, and HCPCS to complete advanced physician-based case study coding exercises.
      (SCANS 1a-iv. 1a-v. 1bi. 1b-ii. 1b-iii. 1b-iv. 1b-v. 1c-i. 1c-ii. 1c-iii. 1c-iv. 1c-v. 2a-i. 2a-iii. 2b-i. 2b-ii. 2b-iv. 2b-vi. 2c-i. 2c-ii. 2c-iii. 2c-iv.)
  2. Use 3M coding software to assign diagnoses and procedure codes.
    1. Complete case studies and coding exercises with the use of 3M coding software.
      (SCANS 1a-iv. 1a-v. 1bi. 1b-ii. 1b-iii. 1b-iv. 1b-v. 1c-i. 1c-ii. 1c-iii. 1c-iv. 1c-v. 2a-i. 2a-iii. 2b-i. 2b-ii. 2b-iv. 2b-vi. 2c-i. 2c-ii. 2c-iii. 2c-iv.)
Course Content

A general description of lecture/discussion topics included in this course are listed in the Learning Outcomes/Specific Course Objectives sections of this syllabus.

Students in all sections of this course will be required to do the following:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of course material by completing midterm examination and final examination under proctor supervision at either Panola College or an official Panola College testing center.
  2. Read all class lecture material, which has been provided in an online format.
  3. Use the current learning management system (LMS) to access assignments and course materials.
  4. Use the current LMS email to communicate with the instructor.
  5. Interact with other students through online discussion groups.
  6. Complete all online assignments.
Methods of Instruction/Course Format/Delivery
  • Students in the Internet class will have access to this course via the current LMS.
  • All assignments will be submitted through the current LMS. After the assignment has been graded, the student will be able to view his or her grades by clicking the Grades link in the left banner.
  • Students should use the Email within the LMS to communicate with the instructor. This email gives you access to the instructor and other classmates without having to remember or type email addresses- you must select a name from the list. If you are not able to contact me using this email, you may use my Panola College email address, contact me by telephone, or stop by my office. I attempt to respond to all email within 24 hours. Please always include a subject line and your name in your email.

Assignments

  1. Chapter Assignments/Case studies (Chapters 1-21)
  2. Coding project

Assessments

  1. Major Exams
  2. Final Exam (compressive)
Course Grade

The grading scale for this course is as follows:

  • Major exams 35%
  • Chapter exercises/case studies 35%
  • Coding Project 5%
  • Final Exam 25%

Letter Grades for the course will be assigned as follows:

  • A: 90-100
  • B: 80-89.9
  • C: 70-79.9
  • D: 60-69.9
  • F: Below 60
Texts Materials, and Supplies
  • Basic ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Exercises, Seventh Edition, Lou Ann Schraffenbuerger and Michelle Dionisio, AHIMA, Copyright 2020
Required Readings
  • Basic ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coding Exercises, Seventh Edition, Lou Ann Schraffenbuerger and Michelle Dionisio, AHIMA, Copyright 2020
Other
SCANS Criteria
  1. Foundation skills are defined in three areas: basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities.
    1. Basic Skills: A worker must read, write, perform arithmetic and mathematical operations, listen, and speak effectively. These skills include:
      1. Reading: locate, understand, and interpret written information in prose and in documents such as manuals, graphs, and schedules.
      2. Writing: communicate thoughts, ideas, information, and messages in writing, and create documents such as letters, directions, manuals, reports, graphs, and flow charts. 
      3. Arithmetic and Mathematical Operations: perform basic computations and approach practical problems by choosing appropriately from a variety of mathematical techniques.
      4. Listening: receive, attend to, interpret, and respond to verbal messages and other cues.
      5. Speaking: Organize ideas and communicate orally.
    2. Thinking Skills: A worker must think creatively, make decisions, solve problems, visualize, know how to learn, and reason effectively. These skills include:
      1. Creative Thinking: generate new ideas.
      2. Decision Making: specify goals and constraints, generate alternatives, consider risks, and evaluate and choose the best alternative.
      3. Problem Solving: recognize problems and devise and implement plan of action.
      4. Visualize ("Seeing Things in the Mind's Eye"): organize and process symbols, pictures, graphs, objects, and other information.
      5. Knowing How to Learn: use efficient learning techniques to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills.
      6. Reasoning: discover a rule or principle underlying the relationship between two or more objects and apply it when solving a problem.
    3. Personal Qualities: A worker must display responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self management, integrity, and honesty.
      1. Responsibility: exert a high level of effort and persevere toward goal attainment.
      2. Self-Esteem: believe in one's own self-worth and maintain a positive view of oneself.
      3. Sociability: demonstrate understanding, friendliness, adaptability, empathy, and politeness in group settings.
      4. Self-Management: assess oneself accurately, set personal goals, monitor progress, and exhibit self-control.
      5. Integrity and Honesty: choose ethical courses of action.
  2. Workplace competencies are defined in five areas: resources, interpersonal skills, information, systems, and technology.
    1. Resources: A worker must identify, organize, plan, and allocate resources effectively.
      1. Time: select goal-relevant activities, rank them, allocate time, and prepare and follow schedules.
      2. Money: Use or prepare budgets, make forecasts, keep records, and make adjustments to meet objectives.
      3. Material and Facilities: Acquire, store, allocate, and use materials or space efficiently. Examples: construct a decision timeline chart; use computer software to plan a project; prepare a budget; conduct a cost/benefits analysis; design an RFP process; write a job description; develop a staffing plan.
    2. Interpersonal Skills: A worker must work with others effectively.
      1. Participate as a Member of a Team: contribute to group effort.
      2. Teach Others New Skills.
      3. Serve Clients/Customers: work to satisfy customer's expectations.
      4. Exercise Leadership: communicate ideas to justify position, persuade and convince others, responsibly challenge existing procedures and policies.
      5. Negotiate: work toward agreements involving exchange of resources, resolve divergent interests.
      6. Work with Diversity: work well with men and women from diverse backgrounds. Examples: collaborate with a group member to solve a problem; work through a group conflict situation, train a colleague; deal with a dissatisfied customer in person; select and use appropriate leadership styles; use effective delegation techniques; conduct an individual or team negotiation; demonstrate an understanding of how people from different cultural backgrounds might behave in various situations.
    3. Information: A worker must be able to acquire and use information.
      1. Acquire and Evaluate Information.
      2. Organize and Maintain Information.
      3. Interpret and Communicate Information.
      4. Use Computers to Process Information. Examples: research and collect data from various sources; develop a form to collect data; develop an inventory record-keeping system; produce a report using graphics; make an oral presentation using various media; use on-line computer databases to research a report; use a computer spreadsheet to develop a budget.
    4. Systems: A worker must understand complex interrelationships.
      1. Understand Systems: know how social, organizational, and technological systems work and operate effectively with them.
      2. Monitor and Correct Performance: distinguish trends, predict impacts on system operations, diagnose deviations in systems' performance and correct malfunctions.
      3. Improve or Design Systems: suggest modifications to existing systems and develop new or alternative systems to improve performance. Examples: draw and interpret an organizational chart; develop a monitoring process; choose a situation needing improvement, break it down, examine it, propose an improvement, and implement it.
    5. Technology: A worker must be able to work with a variety of technologies.
      1. Select Technology: choose procedures, tools or equipment including computers and related technologies.
      2. Apply Technologies to Task: understand overall intent and proper procedures for setup and operation of equipment.
      3. Maintain and Troubleshoot Equipment: Prevent, identify, or solve problems with equipment, including computers and other technologies. Examples: read equipment descriptions and technical specifications to select equipment to meet needs; set up and assemble appropriate equipment from instructions; read and follow directions for troubleshooting and repairing equipment.