CPC certification 2023 all you need to know

Definition of CPC

CPC is defined as Certified Professional Coder in medical coding .CPC certification is provided by American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).

The Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certifies that you have knowledge and skill in coding medical services and procedures performed by physicians.

Prerequisite Courses for CPC Training:

As medical coders need to understand anatomy, pathophysiology, and medical terminology therefore 3-in-1 course, Foundations in Medicine — are prerequisites for new CPC students.

You should have active AAPC Membership before scheduling your exam .

Exemption

• for healthcare experience: If your educational or employment background have provided you with working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology, you are exempt from these prerequisites.
• for experienced medical coders: If you have been working in healthcare, grandfathered into a medical coding role in a physician practice before certifications became an industry standard, you may register directly for the CPC exam.

CPC exam

The CPC exam is a test of medical coding proficiency consisting of 100 multiple-choice questions that assess 17 areas of knowledge. Most questions present a coding scenario to test proper application of CPT^® procedure codes, HCPCS Level II procedure and supply codes, and ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes.

Duration of the Exam is four hours and you have to attempt 70 percent correct answers in order to pass the exam.

Exam Fees And Type

There are two options for attempting exam :

How to prepare for the exam ?

CPC Exam Preparation Course

The CPC Certification Preparation Course is an entry-level course that brings together foundational coding knowledge, including medical terminology and anatomy.

The CPC Certification Prep Course teaches fundamental medical coding skills for professional services (physicians, mid-level providers, etc) and prepares you to take AAPC's CPC exam.

The course covers CPT, HCPCS and ICD-10-CM coding with hands-on practice coding real world, redacted medical records using CPT^®, ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II code sets. Assures a broad knowledge in reviewing and assigning the correct procedure and diagnosis codes for professional (physician) services.

Breakdown of the 100-question CPC exam

Passing the CPC exam requires you to correctly answer a minimum of 70 questions from the domains below. The CPC test will rely on a level of understanding that enables you to identify the domain.

Medical terminology (4 questions)
These questions will assess your knowledge of medical terminology for all systems in the human body.

Anatomy (4 questions)
These questions will assess your knowledge of anatomy for all systems in the human body.

Compliance and regulatory (3 questions)
This section will test your knowledge of compliance and regulations which pertain to services covered under Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D; applying coding to payment policy; place of service reporting; fraud and abuse; NCCI edits; NCDs/LCDs; HIPAA; ABNs; and RVUs.

Coding guidelines (7 questions)
This section will address the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, CPT® coding guidelines and parenthetical notes, and modifier use.

ICD-10-CM (5 questions)
This area will test your proficiency in diagnosis coding within all the chapters of ICD-10-CM, as well as thorough knowledge of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. Additionally, diagnosis questions will appear in other sections of the exam from the CPT® categories.

HCPCS Level II (3 questions)
This section will test your knowledge on HCPCS Level II coding and includes questions focusing on modifiers, supplies, medications, and professional services for Medicare patients.

CPT^®

10000 series codes (6 questions)
The 10,000 series CPT® part of the exam relates to surgical procedures performed on the integumentary system, which includes skin, subcutaneous, and accessory structures, as well as nails, pilonidal cysts, repairs, destruction, and breast.

20000 series codes (6 questions)
The 20000 series CPT® portion will home in on surgical procedures performed on the musculoskeletal system from head to toe. Specifically, these areas include the head, neck, back and flank, spine, abdomen, shoulder, arm, hand and fingers, pelvis and hip, leg, foot, and toes.

30000 series codes (6 questions)
The 30000 series CPT® section focuses on surgical procedures performed on the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, the hemic and lymphatic systems, and the mediastinum and diaphragm.

40000 series codes (6 questions)
Your knowledge of the 40000 series CPT® section covers surgical procedures performed on the digestive system, which will focus on these areas: lips, mouth, palate and uvula, salivary gland and ducts, pharynx, adenoids, and tonsils, esophagus, stomach, intestines, appendix, rectum, anus, liver, biliary tract, pancreas, abdomen, peritoneum, and omentum.

50000 series codes (6 questions)
The 50000 series CPT® section tests your knowledge pertaining to surgical procedures performed on the urinary system, the male reproductive system, the female reproductive system, including maternity and delivery, and the endocrine system.

60000 series codes (6 questions)
The 60000 series CPT® section involves surgical procedures performed on the nervous system and will include codes pertaining to the skull, meninges, brain, spine, spinal cord, extracranial nerves, peripheral nerves, autonomic nervous system.

Radiology codes (6 questions)
These questions will focus on both diagnostic and interventional radiology, including diagnostic ultrasound, radiologic guidance, mammography, bone and joint studies, radiation oncology, and nuclear medicine.

Pathology and laboratory codes (6 questions)
This section will test your knowledge of organ and disease panels, drug testing, therapeutic drug assays, evocation/suppression testing, consultations, urinalysis, molecular pathology, MAAA, chemistry, hematology and coagulation, immunology, transfusions, microbiology, anatomic pathology, cytopathology, cytogenetic studies, surgical pathology, in vivo and reproductive.

Medicine (6 questions)
This will cover numerous specialty-specific coding scenarios, as well as immunizations, biofeedback, dialysis, central nervous system assessments, health and behavior assessments, hydration, medical nutrition, therapeutic and diagnostic administration, chemotherapy administration, photodynamic therapy, osteopathic manipulative treatment, patient education and training, non-face-to-face nonphysician services, and moderate sedation.

E/M (6 questions)
This area will assess your coding proficiency related to place and level of services, such as office/other outpatient, hospital observation, hospital inpatient, consultations, emergency department, critical care, nursing facility, domiciliary and rest homes, and home services. It will also include questions directed at preventive medicine, non-face-to-face services, neonatal and pediatric critical care, intensive care, prolonged services, chronic care, transitional care, case management, and care plan oversight.

Anesthesia (4 questions)
The questions related to anesthesia will pertain to time reporting, qualifying circumstances, physical status modifiers, anesthesia for surgical, diagnostic and obstetric services.

Cases (10 cases, 1 question each)
Each case will test your ability to accurately code medical record documentation using CPT®, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II codes.

Course Syllabus : Download the CPC Preparation Course Syllabus