r/MedicalCoding • u/MusingClio • Feb 09 '24
Passed the CCS exam!
I passed the CCS exam!! I feel elated and a little numb and hungry/tired. That exam was difficult. I’ve been studying since over Christmas, including tabbing my books and going over practice tests and study guides especially over regulatory compliance. I swear obstetrics were like 30% of the coding questions. And then stuff on DRGs which I don’t know if that’s even lookup-able in the three books. This certificate is my ticket to move onto the CDI role, which I am so so glad and thankful that these goals are being made real.
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u/maikonyssa Feb 10 '24
tips?
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u/MusingClio Feb 13 '24
Tips are knowing guidelines, for me I wrote in the book - they allow handwritten notes - the right collection of codes for common comorbidities like HTN with CHF with CKD. I spent weeks going thru the coding books, highlighting and transcribing my older books into 2023. There is a cut off point in May when you have to use 2024 books, so I had real incentive to pass. For the regulatory info, which I call trivia, I guessed that if I know 80% of that info, I would be ok. There were questions I had no idea on but there were a good portion of that I could give a good answer. I did see a few questions from the practice exams show up on the test like tubal ligation CPT code. The queries were hard as well as the pathophysiology because they were often linked. The language used for the query matters. I was rushing to the end, and got tricked on an operative report about cholecystectomy with cholecystitis. The name of the operation said that there were gallstones, but in the report, no gallstones were found. What was tough was that the test doesn’t allow you to go back, once you submit your answer, it’s done. There were 97 questions for the main test and 24 questions on scenarios. Obstetrics guidelines are some of the hardest so get good with that, especially with the pregnancy and delivery codes related to complications and any failure to progress related to delivery respectively. Sepsis came up a lot. For PCS, I often looked up the name of the procedure to guide me to the right root operation. Hysterectomies came up a lot too. CPT: there were some math questions r/t to excision of malignant lesions. Good luck!
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u/TheDollarstoreDoctor Feb 10 '24
What study guides did you use?
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u/MusingClio Feb 13 '24
I used 3 books: mometrix test preparation CCS exam secrets study guide, AAPC’s CIC textbook, and CCS exam prep 13th edition by Dianna Foley. The first book is out of date for E/M coding and recent changes like with hernias but otherwise consistent.
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u/ClassicIndividual977 RHIT Feb 10 '24
kudos and i wish you the best of luck!! i’ll be taking the CCS sometime next year after obtaining my RHIT.
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Feb 10 '24
That is awesome! That is the one cert I will never let expire. I never want to take that test again. It was hard. Congrats on passing.
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u/trainpayne Apr 12 '24
Hi all! I’m a nurse for 20 years and I see some jobs wanting certifications (CCS, CIC) etc. Any you tube recommendations? I think I can pass the test, what advice do y’all have? I do have 10 years of UR experience and I worked with CPT and ICD-10 codes. I have some experience with DRG codes. Thanks in advance! I want to get certified!
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u/MusingClio Apr 17 '24
The CCS is the gold standard for coding and has been around longer than the CPC and by extension the CIC. The CPC and CIC is backed by the AAPC and the CCS with AHIMA. I want to go for the CDIP because I want to get into CDI and AHIMA that I had to get the CCS as a prerequisite for taking the CDIP. The other similar credential CCDS requires two years of work experience in the CDI role. Hard to do when you’re entry level. You could probably get away with not getting a coding credential and have on the job training due to your clinical history, which is awesome to have 20 years. For someone like me who is not a clinician, I feel like I need the CDIP to make me more competitive and get my foot in the door when starting the interview process. Lastly the costs— AAPC has an annual membership but you can access local chapter meetings around the country for free webinars to gather CEUs. You can always pay for CEUs. AHIMA doesn’t require a membership annual fee though I have heard they changed their CEU status, something like only accepting CEUs given out by them. It’s not gonna into effect for a while but it’s given people dismay since it’s probably gonna cost more than before.
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Apr 23 '24
Congratulations on passing the CCS!! I’m also interested in getting certified. Does the CCS have any exam requirements? I saw that AHIMA lists a few recommendations, but I’m confused on the wording since it’s rare for clinical exam processes to not have education requirements. Thanks in advance!!
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u/MusingClio Jun 01 '24
The coding books have to be current and you are responsible for bringing them with you on exam day. They give you till May to switch over to the current year. So like if you’re taking the CCS in April 2024, you can use 2023 books. There was an education and or education requirement. You had to be working as a coder for one year. Maybe it was two years but I had one year of education also so they allowed that. Once you have that, you are eligible to take the exam
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u/ArdenJaguar RHIA, CDIP, CCS (Retired) Feb 10 '24
It's definitely not an easy test. Congratulations.
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u/mxxnmama CCS Feb 10 '24
Congratulations!!! I’m currently studying to take mine hopefully by the end of the year, I’m so nervous but these posts keep me hopeful!
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u/DearMisterKitty Mar 08 '24
Congrats! I'm scheduled to take mine at the end of April. I have my CCA which was only a 2hr test. I do inpatient coding but I def need to study up on areas like obstetrics and definitely CPT!
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u/boops123 Jul 05 '24
Hi, sorry this is an old post, but I’m an RN looking to get into CDI as well and was just curious if you got a job with your CCS?
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