Medical Coding Certificate

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Medical Coding Certificate
27 Semester Credit Hours; Curriculum: 0287
Chair: Anita Taylor, 847-635-1957 or anitat@oakton.edu
The 27-credit coding certificate is a limited enrollment track in the A.A.S. in Health Information Technology Program. The admission requirements are the same as for the A.A.S. program. Contact Arlene Sattler at 847-376-7034 for information regarding minimum requirements to be considered for program admission.
Courses for a Certificate:	Credit Hours
BIO 131 Human Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BIO 132 Human Anatomy and Physiology II	4
HIT 104 Medical Terminology	3
HIT 105 Advanced Medical Terminology	1
HIT 106 Classification of Health Data - ICD-9-CM	3
HIT 120 Evaluation and Management Coding in CPT	1
HIT 121 Fundamentals of Health Information Management	3
HIT 170 CPT Coding	2
HIT 201 Fundamental of Medical Science	3
HIT 260 Reimbursement Issues	3
Total Semester Credit Hours for Certificate	27

Prerequisites:

High school graduation or GED
One year of high school pre-algebra with a minimum grade of C or one semester of college pre-algebra (Oakton - MAT 047 equivalent or higher) with a minimum grade of C; math placement test may be required.
One year of high school biology (with laboratory) with a minimum grade of C or one semester of college biology (Oakton - BIO 101 or equivalent) with a minimum grade of C.
Interview with and consent of HIT faculty.
Satisfactory health as demonstrated and certified by current physical examination.
Entry level competency for EGL 101 as demonstrated by coursework or assessment.
Those admitted to the program will be required to submit proof of medical insurance coverage.

Those admitted to the program will be required to submit proof of medical insurance coverage. Students must receive a minimum grade of C in all HIT courses and in BIO 131 and BIO 132.

Health Career curricula are governed by specific objectives, rules and regulations formulated by the College, accrediting bodies and participating clinical facilities. Students should familiarize themselves with these standards. Students should also be aware that failure to maintain satisfactory progress in technical courses may significantly delay completion of the curriculum or may result in a request for the student to withdraw from the curriculum.

Special Notes:
Students are admitted in the Fall (August) semester only.

BIO 101 is strongly recommended to be taken the summer before admission to the program or before taking BIO 131.

Successful completion of the curriculum qualifies students to take the national certification examination given by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Successful candidates may add the initials CCA (Certified Coding Associate) to their names as proof of their qualifications. After gaining work experience in medical coding, a qualified coder may wish to become a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) by passing the certification examination administered by AHIMA.

A minimum grade of C is required in all courses.

Itemization of Costs:
(2010-2011 Academic Year)
Tuition and fees are subject to change without notice.

District Residents
Application Fee =	$25.00
Tuition for district residents =	$2,527.20
Registration Fees =	$75.00
Lab Fees =	$245.00
Books =	$1,125.00
Graduation Fee =	$25.00
Total Cost of Program for a district resident =	$4,022.20

Out-of-District Residents
Application Fee =	$25.00
Tuition for out-of-district residents =	$7,842.96
Registration Fees =	$75.00
Lab Fees =	$245.00
Books =	$1,125.00
Graduation Fee =	$25.00
Total Cost of Program for an out-of-district resident =	$9,337.96

Out-of-District Residents who wish to enroll in an Oakton program not available at their home institution may apply for a chargeback or joint agreement to attend Oakton at the in-district rate. If you wish to attend Oakton under a joint agreement or chargeback, you need to contact the Admissions Office at your home college. Most colleges require you to apply for a chargeback or joint agreement at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester.

Explanation of tuition and fees:

Oakton has a one-time Application Fee of $25.00.

Oakton Tuition, plus student activity fee for district residents is $93.60 per semester hour. Twenty-seven credit hours multiplied by $93.60 (district residents) = $2,527.20.

Oakton Tuition, plus student activity fee for out-of-district residents of Illinois is $290.48 per semester hour. Twenty-seven credit hours multiplied by $290.48 (out of district residents of Illinois) = $7,842.96.

A Registration Fee of $15.00 is charged each semester.
Number of semesters needed to complete program will depend on number of courses for which a student enrolls per semester. For the purpose of estimating cost:
Five semesters multiplied by $15 = $75.00.

Lab fees for courses in the Coding Certificate total $245.00.

It is not possible to provide the exact cost of Books. A safe estimate would be $125.00 per course. Nine courses multiplied by $125.00 = $1,125.00.

A graduation fee of $25.00 is charged when the student petitions for graduation.

Clinical placements may require a health assessment, certain immunizations, substance abuse testing, specific skill certification (i.e., CPR) and health insurance. These requirements represent an additional program cost to the student, which are not itemized here.

Meet with an Academic Advisor if you Know the Program You Want to Study:
If you know which academic program(s) in which you are interested, make an appointment with an Oakton Academic Advisor. Note, program information will not be provided over the telephone.

Advising and Counseling Center
Room 1130
Des Plaines Campus
1600 East Golf Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60016
847.635.1741

Enrollment Center
Room A100
Skokie Campus
7701 North Lincoln Avenue
Skokie, Illinois 60077
847.635.1400

Oakton’s Advising and Counseling Center created its own form to be used for program research: “Degree/Certificate Estimate Worksheet.” This is the only form which will be completed by Oakton Academic Advisors.

Meet with a Career Counselor if You are Undecided:
If you have not made a decision about the career you want to pursue, make an appointment with a Career Counselor in Oakton’s Career Services. Career Services does not offer walk-in career counseling or career counseling via the telephone.

Career Services is located in Room 1125 on the Des Plaines Campus and career counseling is provided within the Enrollment Center, Room A100 on the Skokie Campus.

Career Services
Des Plaines Campus
1600 East Golf Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60016
847.635.1735

Enrollment Center
Skokie Campus
7701 North Lincoln Avenue
Skokie, Illinois 60077
847.635.1400

Starting and Ending Dates:
Oakton cannot provide the dates that the "training" will begin and end. Many factors can impact the number of semesters a student will need to complete a certificate or associate degree. Factors include the semester in which the student begins his or her studies (fall, spring or summer), the number of courses for which a student enrolls per semester, course prerequisites, or placement into developmental English, reading and/or mathematic courses. The exact number of weeks a specific student would take to complete a specific program varies significantly.

Typically, the Fall semester begins the last week in August and ends mid December. The Spring semester begins the second week in January and ends mid May. The Summer term begins the first or second week in June and ends the last week of July.

Placement Tests and Prerequisites can Impact the Number of Credit Hours Required:
While this page has noted the number of credit hours for a certificate or associate degree, we are unable to state the number of developmental courses that may be required.

Students who wish to enroll in a math or composition course or other courses with math or composition prerequisites must take English and math placement tests (or present appropriate ACT/high school or college transcript data) to meet course prerequisites. In addition, full-time students will be required to take English and math placement tests (or present appropriate ACT/high school or college transcript data) to assist in educational planning and advising.

Placing into developmental courses or needing to complete other required course prerequisites may increase the number of credit hours for any given student. Some registration restrictions may occur based on placement test results.

An exit test is given at the end of each developmental English and English for the Non-Native Speaker course. The results of this exit test are used to determine the next English course placement. Advancement through English for developmental and Non-Native Speaker courses is determined by skill level, not by a predetermined sequence.