Healthcare Management- Medical Coding

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S)
Contact Information: Program Office 615-353-3400, Program Site, E-mail: hcmt@nscc.edu

The following business degree at Nashville State Community College is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs: A.A.S. in Healthcare Management.

The mission of the Healthcare Management program is to provide quality education in Healthcare Management, to prepare students for employment in a variety of healthcare settings, to communicate effectively in writing and orally, and to think critically.

The Healthcare Management program prepares students for various entry-level positions within the healthcare setting. The program includes courses that provide the student with business skills as well as ethical, theoretical, and practical issues related to healthcare settings.

The Medical Coding Concentration focuses on the fundamentals of healthcare organizations with specialized training in Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Medical Coding focuses on medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology, fundamentals of medical science and treatment procedures, data classification and coding, and regulations relating to Medicare and insurance documentation.

Graduates of the program should be able to:

• Interpret health record documentation using knowledge of anatomy, physiology, clinical disease processes, pharmacology, and medical terminology to identify diagnoses and/or procedures for code assignment
• Sequence diagnoses and procedures properly according to notations and conventions of the classification system/nomenclature and standard data set definitions (UHDDS)
• Determine when additional clinical information is needed to assign the diagnosis and/or procedural codes
• Determine procedures that are component parts of another reported procedure code
• Assign codes accurately to identify Evaluation and Management (E/M) services
• Append modifiers accurately to procedures or service codes when applicable
• Select correct diagnoses made by provider which justify medical necessity of each procedure based on National Carrier Determinations (NCDs) and Local Carrier Determinations (LCDs)

Admission Requirements

Students must establish placement by transfer credits, college entrance exam scores, or college placement testing.

Career Opportunities

Medical Coding Concentration

• Coding Specialist
• Reimbursement Specialist
• Electronic Health Record Trainer
• Medical Manager

Students may be employed in physician offices, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, hospitals, insurance companies, and rehabilitation facilities.

Grading Policy

A grade of “C” or above must be earned in all HCMT prerequisite courses to meet requirements for enrollment in subsequent Healthcare Management (HCMT) courses. A grade of “C” or above in all HCMT courses must be earned prior to graduation. Students must maintain a grade of “C” or higher in order to progress in the Healthcare Management program.

Transfer/Advising

The A.A.S. degree is designed to prepare a student for employment upon graduation. Some universities, at their discretion, accept some technical courses for transfer. A student who plans to transfer to a university should consult his/her advisor and the receiving university about transfer and articulation policies. Failure to do so could result in loss of transfer credits.

Please see Academic/Faculty Advisor for establishment of Degree Plan (class schedules).

Medical Coding

NOTES:

Courses should be taken in the sequence advised in order to ensure graduation is on schedule.

Additional course requirements: The Tennessee Board of Regents requires that students either demonstrate the appropriate skill levels in math, reading, and/or writing before enrolling in college-level courses or enroll in appropriate co-requisite experiences with college-level courses to develop competency in those skills while performing college-level work. ACT/SAT scores, classic ACCUPLACER test scores, next-generation ACCUPLACER test scores, or other relevant information determine whether a student needs to enroll in co-requisite courses in math, reading, and/or writing (English).

Internships can be an important addition to a student’s formal classroom work. Healthcare Management Internship may substitute for technical courses with the prior approval of the instructor. The Career Services Office will provide the correct course numbers.

* This course is part of the general education core.