CCS - Explore Further Coding Opportunities through Professional Certification

CCSs are skilled in classifying medical data from patient records, generally in a hospital setting. These coding practitioners:

• Review patients’ records and assign numeric codes for each diagnosis and procedure
• Possess expertise in the ICD-9-CM and CPT coding systems
• Are knowledgeable about medical terminology, disease processes, and pharmacology.

Different facilities and institutions make use of a CCSs' skills:

• Hospitals and medical providers take the coded data created by CCSs to insurance companies—or to the government in the case of Medicare and Medicaid recipients—for reimbursement of expenses
• Researchers and public health officials also use this data to monitor patterns and explore new interventions

Coding accuracy is highly important to healthcare organizations, and has an impact on revenues and describing health outcomes. In fact, certification has become an implicit industry standard. Accordingly, the CCS credential demonstrates a practitioner's tested data quality and integrity skills, and mastery of coding proficiency. Professionals experienced in coding inpatient and outpatient records should consider obtaining this certification.

Eligibility Requirements

CCS exam candidates must have earned a high school diploma from a United States high school or have an equivalent educational background.

Although not required, it is strongly recommended that candidates have at least three years of on-the-job experience in:

• Hospital-based inpatient coding for multiple case types (for example, circulatory, pregnancy, neoplasms, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, respiratory, and endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, and immunity disorders)
• Hospital-based Ambulatory/Outpatient Care coding for multiple case types (for example, eye, musculoskeletal, integumentary, ENT, injury and poisoning, cardiac catheter, interventional radiology, and pain management)
AND
• Completed coursework in anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology, or demonstrated proficiency in these areas

Exam Information

• Applying for the Exam
• Exam Fees
• Application Checklist
• Exam Scoring/Passing Scores
• Annual Exam Pass Rates

Applying for the Exam

Submitting an Application

Before submitting an application, carefully review the information contained in this guide. It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure eligibility before submitting the application. Applicants who are determined to be ineligible and submit an ineligible application or request withdrawal of their application, will receive a refund of the application fee minus a $75 processing fee.

Applicants may register online or by submitting a paper application.

Exam Application Checklist

• Read Candidate Guide
• Apply for exam
  • Register Online
  • Exam Application
  • Special Accommodations Form - Form A and B
• Submit all paperwork necessary (transcripts, resume, other documentation)
• Upon receipt of authorization to test (ATT), read it completely
• Schedule exam with Pearson Vue
  
• Verify what materials are needed at the testing center
• Verify time and date of exam

Exam Preparation Information

• Exam Specifications
• New Item Types - Effective July 7, 2011
  
• Exam Content Outline
• 2006 Job Analysis
• Cognitive Levels
• Procedures for Coding  Cases
• Exam Scoring/Passing Scores
• Recommended Resources

Exam Notice

The CCS exam is based on ICD-9-CM codes effective October 1, 2010, and CPT codes effective January 1, 2011. Only the American Medical Association CPT codebook is permitted.

Beginning July 7, 2011 candidates must bring the 2011 versions of ICD-9-CM Volumes 1 through 3 and CPT coding books to the testing center. Only the American Medical Association CPT code book is permitted. A medical dictionary is optional.

Candidates who report to the test center with incorrect code books (i.e. incorrect version, books not on the list of allowable code books) will not be permitted to test and will forfeit their exam application fee.

• List of Allowable Codebooks

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Multiple Choice Section - The multiple choice section will consist of 81 single response multiple-choice items (63 "scored" and 18 "pre-test" items). Pre-test items are unscored items that are included in the examination to assess the item's performance prior to using it for operational use in a future examination. The pre-test items are scrambled randomly throughout the examination and do not count toward the candidate's score.

Multiple Select Section - The multiple select section will consist of 8 multiple response items (6 "scored" and 2 "pre-test" items). Pre-test items are unscored items.

Fill in the Blank Section (Medical Record Cases) - The fill in the blank section will consist of 12 medical record cases, which contains six outpatient records and six inpatient records.

Inpatient diagnoses and procedures are to be coded with ICD-9-CM volumes 1-3; ambulatory care diagnoses are to be coded with ICD-9-CM volumes 1 and 2; and ambulatory care procedures with CPT. 

The total testing time for the exams is 4 hours

Please refer to the link posted above "New Item Types - Effective July 7, 2011" 

Guide to New CCS and CCS-P Item Types (click the thumbnails below to view the video guides)  

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Exam Content Outline

A certification examination is based on an explicit set of competencies. These competencies were determined by job analysis surveys of hospital-based coders (for the CCS exam) . The competencies are divided into domains and tasks as shown in the PDF below. Examinations test only content pertaining to the following competencies.

• CCS Exam Content Outline

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CCS Resources

• CCS Recommended Resources

Every test question on AHIMA's certification examinations must be referenced to a valid, credible, and current resource. AHIMA's construction committee members and item writers most commonly use the following:

• Garvin, Jennifer. CCS Exam Preparation, 3rd ed.. AHIMA
• Brown, Faye. ICD-9-CM Coding Handbook with Answers. AHA Press
• Odem-Wesley, Barbara; Brown, Diann. Documentation for Medical Records. AHIMA Press.
• Clinical Coding Workout Practice Exercises for Skill Development, AHIMA.
  
• Coders' Desk Reference. Ingenix.
• Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM. AHA Press
• CPT Assistant. American Medical Association (AMA).
• Johns, Merida L. Heatlh Information Management Technology: An Applied Approach. AHIMA 2011.
  
•  Principles of CPT Coding. American Medical Association (AMA).
• Principles of ICD-9-CM Coding. American Medical Association (AMA).
• Schraffenberger, Lou Ann. Basic ICD-9-Cm Coding. 2011 edition. AHIMA
  
•  Smith, Gail. Basic Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and HCPCS Coding, 2011 edition. AHIMA .

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CCS and CCS-P Examinations FAQs

How much does the exam cost?

The application fee for the CCS and the CCS-P exam is $299.00 for AHIMA members and $399.00 for non-members.

What are the examination specifications?

The exam specifications will be structured as follows:

CCS Exam

Multiple Choice Section - The multiple choice section will consist of 81 single response multiple-choice items (63 "scored" and 18 "pre-test" items). Pre-test items are unscored items that are included in the examination to assess the item's performance prior to using it for operational use in a future examination. The pre-test items are scrambled randomly throughout the examination and do not count toward the candidate's score.

Multiple Select Section - The multiple select section will consist of 8 multiple response items (6 "scored" and 2 "pre-test" items). Pre-test items are unscored items.

Fill in the Blank Section (Medical Record Cases) - The fill in the blank section will consist of 12 medical record cases, which contains six outpatient records and six inpatient records.

Inpatient diagnoses and procedures are to be coded with ICD-9-CM volumes 1-3; ambulatory care diagnoses are to be coded with ICD-9-CM volumes 1 and 2; and ambulatory care procedures with CPT. 

CCS-P

Multiple Choice Section - The multiple choice section will consist of 88 single response multiple-choice items (70 "scored" and 18 "pre-test" items). Pre-test items are unscored items that are included in the examination to assess the item's performance prior to using it for operational use in a future examination. The pre-test items are scrambled randomly throughout the examination and do not count toward the candidate's score.

Multiple Select Section - The multiple select section will consist of 8 multiple response items (6 "scored" and 2 "pre-test" items). Pre-test items are unscored items.

Fill in the Blank Section (Medical Record Cases) - The fill in the blank section will consist of 13 medical record cases, which requires you to perform diagnostic (ICD-9-CM) and procedural (CPT and HCPCS Level II) coding for physician services.

How long is the testing time for the exams?

The total testing time for the CCS/CCS-P exam is four hours there will be no breaks.

When can I expect to receive my score report?

Immediate scoring for the 2011 exam will be available when a sufficient candidate volume has been reached.  The passing score will be set and score reports will be mailed to candidates.  Once the passing scores have been established, immediate scoring will be available at all testing centers.

What is the passing score for the CCS/CCS-P Exam?

The passing score reflects the minimum number of questions and codes needed to be answered correctly to pass. The methodology used to set the original minimum passing score is the modified Angoff procedure. This universally accepted psychometric procedure uses content experts to estimate the passing probability of each item on the examination. The Examination Construction Committee follows strict guidelines in selecting all questions used on each examination form to ensure that all versions of the exam are parallel in difficulty. To adjust for fluctuations in examination difficulty across time, statistical equating is performed, and the passing score may vary slightly from one testing period to the next. Passing scores will be published when sufficient candidate volume is reached on AHIMA’s Web site. 

What is an “eligibility period”?

A candidate’s eligibility period is defined in the Authorization to Test letter (ATT) as a four-month window in which candidates are required to schedule their exam appointment.  Candidates who fail to schedule an examination appointment within their eligibility period indicated in their ATT will forfeit their application fee. A complete application and examination fee are required to reapply for the examination.

After I send my application and fee, how soon will I get my Authorization to Test (ATT)?

Pearson Vue will send an ATT letter to the candidate once all application materials are complete and eligibility has been confirmed. If the application is incomplete, the candidate will be sent further instructions for completion of the application. Candidates who are determined to be ineligible, submit an ineligible application, or request the withdrawal of their application, will receive a refund of their application fee less a $75 processing fee.   Please allow one to two weeks for processing from the time you submit your completed application to the time you receive your ATT which will allow you to make an appointment to schedule the exam. All applicants are strongly encouraged to send the application and fee via a traceable method.

How soon can I re-test if I failed the exam?

Candidates who have taken the exam and were unsuccessful must wait a minimum of 91 days between administrations.  To retake an exam, the candidate must reapply by submitting a current application with the appropriate fee. 

How long does it take to process an examination application refund?

Examination refund requests take 6-8 weeks to process.