Program Information

This certificate program prepares you for an entry-level position as a coder in an acute care hospital, ambulatory care, physician office, long-term care and other health care settings.

Students who earn the Medical Coding Specialist Certificate are eligible to sit for the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) examination given by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). For more information on the CCA credential, as well as the other coding credentials, CCS and CCS-P, go to http://www.sbcc.edu/hit/website/coding_credentials.html

As a Medical Coding Specialist, you are a valuable member of the health information team who ensures that valid codes are applied to medical diagnoses and procedures to facilitate reimbursement, analysis of patient outcomes and research. Successful completing of the program provides you with a working knowledge of:

• Patient clinical record content, both inpatient and outpatient

• Physiological changes and altered functions in the human body resulting from disease processes.

• ICD-9-CM, CPT/HCPCS diagnostic and procedural coding systems, and common coding errors.

• Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs), Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS), Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APCs), components of fee setting, optimizing reimbursement based on insurance specifications.

• Basic pharmacological terminology and concepts, drug categories and their uses, mechanisms of drug action, dosage forms and routes of administration.

• Data quality impact and characteristics, including validity, reliability, completeness, legibility, currency, timeliness and accessibility.

• Encoders and groupers, their benefits and limitations.

• Legal aspects of heath care, confidentiality requirements.

• Microcomputer applications and topics related to computers in health care.

Online Learning

Courses in the Health Information Technology Program are offered totally online. All course content and exams are delivered online. Students interested in pursuing a degree must be highly motivated, independent learners, possessing excellent organizational and time management skills. Students must have email and Internet access.  No on-campus attendance is required.

Since this an entirely online program, students must be familiar with how to use the internet, email, uploading and downloading files, and the use of various common word processing programs.

Accreditation/Certification

The HIT Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), in cooperation with the Council on Accreditation of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). As a graduate, students are eligible to apply for writing the national examination for certification as a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT).

Please go to our website for the instructions on applying to our program: http://www.sbcc.edu/hit/website/Admissions.html

Prerequisites/Transcript Evaluations

Instructions for Completing a Transcript Evaluation can be found at http://www.sbcc.edu/hit/website/transcript_evaluations.html

Financial Aid

SBCC's financial information is available online at: http://www.sbcc.edu/financialaid or call the office at: (805) 965-0581 x 2417. Advance planning is required to complete the necessary paperwork in short timeframes!

For information on Board of Governors Fee Waivers, scholarships, etc., please go to: http://www.sbcc.edu/financialresources/

Orientation

Once you have registered and have received confirmation from Admissions, please send an email to HITCIM@sbcc.edu and provide the HIT/CIM Department with your email address.  Logon and orientation information will then be emailed  to you. During the first week of class, you will complete online orientation exercises designed to familiarize you with the course and the online classroom. If you have any problems or difficulties with one or more of these steps, contact the HIT/CIM Department at HITCIM@sbcc.edu.

Textbooks

Textbooks are available for online order at http://www.sbccbooks.com once you have registered and the online bookstore has opened for the semester.

Medical Coding Specialist Certificate Requirements
The following reflects the recommended order:http://www.sbcc.edu/apply/files/cert/medcod.pdf. Check out specific prerequisites and corequisites at http://www.sbcc.edu/hit/website/prereqs.html.

Please note that HIT 102 is a new requirement as of Fall 2009. Students enrolled in Spring 2009 or Summer 2009 and who stay enrolled each Fall and Spring until they graduate will not be subject to this new requirement.

Grade Requirements

Students must complete all department requirements with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0. Pass grading is not permitted in a student’s major area of study.

Candidates must complete at least 20% of the HIT/CIM program requirements through SBCC.

Recommended Course Loads

Students who are newcomers to online learning or have a low comfort level with computers may want to limit their first semester to 3 units.  Students who work full-time and have family and personal commitments are advised to limit enrollment to 6 units per semester. Students who work 20 hours per week and have family and personal commitments are advised to limit enrollment to 9 units per semester. It is recommended that students limit their enrollment in SBCC's short 6 week summer session to one HIT/CIM class.

For more information, go to http://www.sbcc.edu/hit/website/course_load.html

Additional Information

For additional information, please contact:

Health Information Technology
Santa Barbara City College
721 Cliff Drive
Santa Barbara, CA 93109-2394
(805) 965-0581 x 2851
hitcim@sbcc.edu

Dr. Gwyer Schuyler
HIT/CIM Academic Counselor/Dept. Chair
Santa Barbara City College
721 Cliff Drive,
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
(805) 965-0581 x 2569
Fax: (805) 560-0591 ATT: Gwyer
schuyler@sbcc.edu