Career Step Launches New ICD-10 Focused Professional Medical Coding and Billing Career Training Program

Provo, UT, August 01, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Career Step, an online school offering career-focused education, is pleased to announce the release of its new Professional Medical Coding and Billing program. Designed by AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainers and industry experts including Ann Zeisset, RHIT, CCS, CCS-P, and Gail Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P, the new course prepares individuals new to the industry to begin successful careers in medical coding with in-depth instruction in biomedical sciences and the CPT, HCPCS and ICD-10 code sets.

“We are very excited for the release of our new Professional Medical Coding and Billing program,” said Career Step CEO Steve Tober. “Our Program Development team has worked tirelessly alongside a number of industry experts to ensure that our new student ICD-10 training provides the very best curriculum and career preparation. To this end, we already have several corporate partners—among them some of the largest and most respected healthcare employers in the nation—that are using our programs to prepare their employees for the ICD-10 transition.”

In the development of the Professional Medical Coding and Billing program, Career Step partnered with Ann Zeisset, RHIT, CCS, CCS-P, and Gail Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P. Ms. Zeisset is a noted industry author who has been a coding and HIM educator for over 30 years. She specializes in ICD-10-CM/PCS content development and education and serves as author and faculty for the AHIMA ICD-10-CM/PCS Academies to educate trainers on ICD-10. Ms. Smith has also been an HIM professional and educator for over 30 years and has authored several coding publications. In addition, Ms. Smith served as a coding consultant and educator for the American Medical Association (AMA) for several years. Both Ms. Zeisset and Ms. Smith were invaluable to the development of Career Step’s Professional Medical Coding and Billing program and worked closely with the Career Step team to ensure the curriculum prepares graduates for the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) and Certified Professional Coder (CPC) credentials as well as the workforce.

"I am thrilled to be working with Gail and Career Step on this dynamic course curriculum focused on the new ICD-10 coding system," said Ms. Zeisset. "ICD-10 offers greater specificity as well as the ability to improve clinical detail about the patient encounter through more robust data. It is vital that we adequately prepare our new workforce to meet these challenges, and providing students with the level of detail included in this training allows Career Step students to enter the workplace well prepared at a critical time in healthcare."

The new Professional Medical Coding and Billing program includes 565 hours of curriculum and is organized into three sections: Fundamentals, Biomedical Sciences, and Code Training. In the Fundamentals section, topics such as healthcare processes, reimbursement methodologies, and legal issues are covered. Biomedical Sciences covers medical terminology, pathophysiology, anatomy and physiology, and pharmacology, which are all crucial to effective use of the ICD-10 code set. The last section of the course, Code Training, teaches students to use the CPT, HCPCS, and ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code sets with industry codebooks and hands-on practice and experience.

Career Step is also working toward the release of an ICD-10 FastTrack course designed for trained and experienced ICD-9 medical coders looking to prepare for the ICD-10 transition.

For more information on Career Step’s new Professional Medical Coding and Billing program, visit CareerStep.com or call 1-800-411-7073.

About Career Step
Career Step, an online institution providing career-focused education and corporate training, has trained over 85,000 students, has more than 150 partnerships with colleges and universities nationwide, and provides training for several of the most respected healthcare employers in the nation. Career Step is committed to helping students and corporate employees alike gain the skills they need to be successful in the workplace, improving lives and business results through education. The institution's training programs are currently focused in healthcare, administration and technology, and more information can be found at www.careerstep.com or 1-800-246-7836.