Prerequisite courses provide basic information and prepare students for further work in their core coding courses.
Medical Terminology
Medical Terminology courses offers an introduction to medical terms, abbreviations and definitions. Basic medical terminology teaches how to divide terms into word parts for easier memorization and understanding.
Introduction to Health Care
Introduction to Health Care courses provide an overall understanding and history of health care from the early times of Aristotle and Hippocrates to current day. These courses generally cover the structure of systems including hospitals, medical staff, health care employees and insurance.
Anatomy
Anatomy courses cover general body systems and functions. Coding students learn different bones, muscles and organs and how they work together.
Computers
Computer courses in medical coding cover a wide range of topics and are generally divided into several courses such as computer basics, word processing, the Microsoft Suite of products and computer use in health care.
Coding courses include exercises for coding from patient information and cover coding in different settings such as inpatient, outpatient and physician offices.
Basic ICD-9-CM Coding
ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification) includes basics on how to review patient medical information in order to assign inpatient and outpatient diagnoses, and inpatient procedure codes. These classes are generally divided into multiple courses covering basic introductory material to advanced coding of difficult diseases and treatments. The courses also cover an introduction to the incoming ICD-10 coding update.
Basic CPT Coding
CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) covers coding outpatient procedures and coding in settings like physician offices. These courses are also generally divided into introductory and advanced levels. The courses also cover the different levels within the Health Care Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS).
Other required classes give the student a well-rounded understanding of the coding process. In some colleges, these courses may be divided into introductory and advanced courses instead of one course as exampled here.
Health Data
Health data courses cover the storage and retrieval of health information. Courses generally include information on both paper and electronic medical records.
Reimbursement Methodologies
Reimbursement methodology courses cover how codes are used for billing purposes. They cover the history of health care reimbursement, different types of payments systems and Medicare reimbursement.
Pharmacology
Pharmacology courses introduce medical coding students to how drugs relate to treatments, diseases and surgery. Students use pharmaceutical information within the patient record to help identify diseases to code.
Pathophysiology
Students in pathophysiology courses study the disease processes of the different body systems. These courses cover how specific diseases are diagnosed and treated.