1. Virtual Externship
New comers

2. Guidelines/regulations
INTRODUCTION
Systems used in coding
Readings
Exercises
Videos
Documentation
Guidelines/regulations

3. As a new comer taking the virtual externship course, it would be wise to review guidelines, and ICD-10 cm,
CPT manuals. This course consist of coding exercises in every group and section of the ICD-10 cm and CPT
Manuals. Each week is very vital to your learning and understanding, lectures contain a summary of the
Contents for that week, coding exercises, discussion and activities.
Coding exercise are from every category pertaining to the specific group. Diagnoses ICD-10, and surgery
CPT. Do not skip any video, listen and take notes of the advise that expert coders talk about, this will help
You to be accurate in your postings and help you to be able to respond to classmates post. Last but not least
Learn how to manage your time, submitting assignments in a timely matter weighs a lot on your grade you
Don’t what to lose any points. If at anytime you are lost and not sure as what the instructor is asking of you
Please use all student sources to reach out for help.

4. Things that I should have known starting this course
ICD-10 cm manual
Reviewing my guidelines of diagnoses and making sure I understood the sections better, this would have helped me grade better on my coding exercises.
Reviewing my CPT manual familiarizing myself back with the procedures and how to code each section.

5. Cont.; things I would have like to known before starting this course
Code sets; being familiar with code sets ICD-10 and CPT and modifiers
Knowing when to use them and how to recognize when they are needed.
Better study habits that would have probably help me maintain what I HAD READ WHICH IN TURN WOULD GIVE ME BETTER RESULTS IN QUIZS.

6. Cont.; things I would have liked to known before staring this course
Basically, being confident in yourself is a big plus, starting this class is really a big review of what you have learned through the beginning of your studies up until now. If I HAD realized that externship is a recap of my studies as be a medical coder than I would have began reviewing my manuals before classes started.

7. Important points
The definition of a medical coder is a person who has, ethics, analytical, solid anatomy and pathological knowledgeable to research and understand complex coding and medical conditions, not afraid to ask questions when necessary and stand your ground.

8. Challenges that a coder face
Poor documentation from doctors and nurses.
Payer reimbursement issues; these claims may be caused by lack of information in the physicians documentation, poor coding issues, budding, unbundling, caused by lack of guidelines knowledge.
Pressure from providers; doctors whating you to code where as they or the company will benefit more pay than should be.

9. Importance that a coder services to a provider, healthcare workers and compliance officers
Reimbursement perspective coding; coders must make sure that insurance polices guidelines are updated based on the insurance changes. Some insurance covers all procedures and diagnoses, depending on the patients insurance and some procedures are not covered. It is up to the coder to make sure all services, medicines and procedures are properly documented. compliance officers are looking for guidelines to be followed to the letter.

10. Expert coders
When coding a coder needs to know the medical names and every day names of the joints and bones of the body, this is when coding for orthopedic surgery.
The advice that the expert give was to really know and study your musculskelotory in order to be able to code correctly, one way to code correctly is to look back at what the patient has had done previously, this keeps you from coding global periods. You don’t what to charge for surgery that is in an global period ways to make sure that you don’t code inaccurate is to check your notes, have codes for that specific group handy.

11. Expert coders
How to code level for E/m evaluation and management, the expert shows a technique that works very well.
Mark up your section of E/m Coding, this explains how to pick the correct level for E/m. rules for leveling; when it is 3 0f 3 code to the lowest. When it is 2 0f 3 drop the lowest and code to the next lowest.

12. Time management
Basics principles for time management Keep track of your time. Monitor how long it takes for a task to be finished. Plan your day, and how much time it will take. Avoid time wasters, talking on phone, watching to, getting off track stay focused. Using a time log, this will help you stay on track. Prioritizing task, what needs to be done first.

13. What documentation to expect to see in procedures and services
Outpatient services documentation that you will see is, procedural clearance, diagnostics.
General surgery, EM visit. Operative notes, and insurance data.
Orthopedic surgery, consultation/or visit, operative notes, and insurance data.
Specialty services, document type, month of dialysis of new patient, labs, medication log, doctors orders, nurses note, progress notes

14. Documentation
Documentation likely to be seen for E/M is documentation of history; four types of history are;
Problem focused, expanded problem focused, detailed problem focused and comprehensive.
Documentation of examination; four types of examination are, problem focused, expanded problem focused, detailed and comprehensive.
Documentation of decision making; straight, forward, low complexity, moderate complexity and high complexity.

15. Documentation
The documentation most likely to be seen in outpatient would be surgical procedures.
The approach a physician took when performing the surgery is the most important of all when it comes to outpatient coding and documentation, how was the procedure done, in what part of the anatomy did it take place
Lack of documentation is very harmful as well, not having enough information, was it completed, did the surgery have been stopped? Without this documentation a coder cannot be able to code the procedure correctly.

16. Medical billing process
When a patient visits a physician, the patient is evaluated and observation is documented by physician. The information is give to a coder who then assigns the appropriate ICD-10 and CPT procedure codes. These codes enter into a superbill or the patients encounter form. Some doctors use a superbill and circle the diagnosis and treatments codes, once the codes are identified, that is when the billing specialist start their work by reviewing the superbill and impute the codes and information on to a 1500 claim form and it is mailed to the insurance company. If the bill is rejected than the medical insurance specialist follows up to find the reason for rejection. At this point the specialist may reach out to the coder for help. Billing and coders are a team.

17. sources
Virtual library, smarthinking and ask your instructor; these three sources are good for essay, research and questions concerning your homework.

18. resources
Bryant Stratton, online library; here you can chat with a librarian,
You have a career research guide.
Courses guides that guide you through the course resource.
Offers you guidance on APA formatting for papers, essays.
Tutorials on how to find what you need in the library.

19. Valuable sources of information new coders can use to complete the course affectively
I would have to say the most valuable information to use to finish this course successfully would to listen and read all of the lectures, each week there is very valuable information concerning becoming and expert coder and what it takes to achieve your goals. Stay on top of the discussion group participation, and hand in homework on time and complete, read instruction carefully and follow to the letter. Use all sources that Bryant Stratton has for you to reach out for help. Donor be afraid of questions there is no stupid question if you don’t understand. If you have time in between classes review your readings, and excursuses, this will keep you on your toes.

20. Advice as a newcomer, make sure to read and print out introductory documents.
This is where you will find your grade rubric, assignment rubrics and rules and regulations of
The college. The outline of week to week assignments. Check the blackboard for update information
Concerning the lessons, sometimes your instructor will add information to further help students with assignments.