Many professions, including Medical Coding rely on standards such as Certification or even Licensure.

Take Medical Doctors for example. There are hundreds of Medical Schools that prepare Medical Doctors for Licensing Examinations. The very best Medical Schools have produced very average Doctors and the most average Medical Schools have produced exceptional Doctors. The same is true for Attorneys and Law Schools, Pilots, Accountants, Engineers, Architects, and more.

No single organization contributes anything "proprietary" to the knowledge base of Medical Coding. Therefore, the cost of training is not an indicator of quality or success. Be extremely vigilant of marketing tactics that may influence training decisions at excessive cost.

Medical Coding knowledge and proficiency is based on the industry domain and the following basic categories:

• The industry standard Code Sets (CPT, HCPCS, ICD 10 CM, and ICD 10 PCS)
• Regulatory Requirements (HIPAA, False Claims Act, Affordable Care Act, EMTALA,, and more)
• Payer Policy and Requirements (CMS and Medicare and Medicaid, Commercial Insurance Plans and their contracts, Workers Compensation laws, etc.)
• Industry Practices, Processes, and Resources (Claims and Revenue Cycle processes, Records and Billing Managements systems, and more)
  
  

No single training source provides anything uniquely developed and controlled by that organization. All training is based on the compiling of the essential skills and concepts of the industry and then communicating them in a way to ensure understanding and proficiency. Mastery is the goal.

A well designed training program with such resources as mentors being available will prepare an aspiring professional for success.

A well trained candidate will be able to pass any certification assessment since it is based on the common domain of industry practices, processes, and information.

The self proclaimed "leader" and excessively expensive training option has no shame about having information that is 5 to 8 years out of date on their site in May of 2023

You see, AAOMCP has been the hands down leader in HCC / Risk Adjustment Training for well over a decade. Long before a certification existed.

That self proclaimed leader states that "currently" there are  3,518 ICD codes that indicate HCC's in the HHS HCC Model. (A model that they refer to incorrectly in name) That has not been accurate since the 2015 transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10.

They also state that there are 3,034 ICD codes that indicate HCC in the CMS HCC Model. That too has been inaccurate since the transition in 2015 In addition, in May of 2023 they refer to 79 HCCs. Well, the HCCs moved to 86 HCCs in 2019-2020 (V 24)  and in 2023 (V 28) that number has changed to 115 HCCs.

The new learner cannot possibly know that this information is simply many years obsolete and when influenced by a barrage of other misleading and emotionally triggering marketing tactics is lured into paying premium prices for substandard material.

The self proclaimed "leader" only provides an instructor with their highest price tier. And then even that is limited and shared across all students at one time. A set time for one hour. Once a week. For 16 weeks. That hour is open to all in the course.

AAOMCP provides Live Instructors 365 days a year.