New Medical Billing update course offered at VGCC Main Campus

Vance-Granville Community College is now registering students for a course that helps area medical billing and coding professionals stay up-to-date in response to changes in the industry. “Medical Billing Transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10,” a 72-hour course, will be held on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6 until 9 p.m., June 21 through Sept. 13, on the college’s main campus in Vance County.

 

“This course will provide the medical billing and coding employee the groundwork needed to start the lengthy process of changes coming to the medical billing world,” said Marianne Miller, the course’s instructor. According to the American Academy of Professional Coders, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has mandated that medical coders and billers switch from the ninth revision (ICD-9) to the tenth revision (ICD-10) of the International Classification of Diseases system to report health care diagnoses and procedures, effective Oct. 1, 2013. “The course will introduce the student to the major differences between the two, how to translate an ICD-9 code to an ICD-10 code, and a basic review of the anatomy and physiology needed to code properly in ICD-10 software,” Miller added. “This course is meant to be an introduction to ICD-10 and provide direction, but it is not intended to be a substitute for in-depth training needed to be a qualified medical coder.”

 

In addition to this course, VGCC offers the Medical Coding certificate program, which consists of four courses: Medical Terminology; Medical Coding; Medical Insurance, Billing and Chart Abstracting; and Medical Coding Certification Exam Preparation.

 

The cost of this course includes a $175 registration fee and a $3 security/access fee. An ICD-10 textbook is required for the class.

 

For more information and to register, call VGCC Computer Center coordinator Laura Peace at (252) 738-3417.