NC Online. Health Information Technology Program. Program Newsletter March Important Dates. Contact HIT Online Faculty

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1 Program Newsletter March 2013 NC Online Health Information Technology Program Important Dates March Final Exams March 29 School Holiday April 2 June 13 - Spring Term April 12 AHIMA Open House Tour May 27 School Holiday Contact HIT Online Faculty Patt Peterson, MA, RHIA Assistant Professor, & HIT Program Coordinator ppeterson@nc.edu or at Come on Spring!!!!!!! It seems like Winter just can t take a hint it s time to go. I am so looking forward to turning off my furnace. What are you looking forward to doing this spring? As we all hunker down and ride out the last of winter s snow and wind it is time to start planning ahead: register for classes, determine when/where you ll do your practicum, fill out graduation paperwork, and look for that first job. A big heartfelt congratulations to our HIT students that are graduating at the end of this term, we wish you all the best; and Shannon Baxa, MS, RHIA, PMP Assistant Professor, Full-time HIT Faculty sbaxa@nc.edu or at ext 3032 Angela Campbell, RHIA Coding Instructor, Part-time HIT Faculty acampbell@nc.edu Donna Thompson, MBA, RHIT Coding Instructor, Part-time HIT Faculty dthompson1@nc.edu Nicole Garcia Student Advisor

2 please stay in touch! Professor Peterson HIT Online Editor Are you registered for spring classes yet? You should be registered for your spring classes by now if not, please contact student adviser services and get assistance in signing up for the classes you need to take for spring term! If you aren t sure what to take, a discussion with the student advisor, or your instructor can help to clear things up for you. The most popular courses fill quickly, which is why Automatic Registration is a good idea. You can register yourself online in Web Advisor: Sign in to Web Advisor using your user ID and passcode Click on the express register option Select the correct term (Spring 2013) Choose your classes With Automatic Registration you can still do add/drop should you need to during add/drop week of each term. Not sure what to take next? Contact your student advisor and discuss your course load and sequencing concerns. Advising-NCOnline@nc.edu Hello Everyone, A Note from Nicole My Name is Nicole Garcia and I am the Academic Advisor for NC Online, I have been with Northwestern College for four years and have been an Academic Advisor for two years. I enjoy working with students as they achieve their educational goals, and I am looking forward to working with all of you as you progress through your program. If you have any questions please give me a call at or me at ngarcia@nc.edu

3 STUDENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Course Equivalents Q: I was going over the spreadsheet that Ms. Peterson gave the class and I was cross-referencing it with my current program evaluation and some of the items are not matching up. In my program evaluation I show HITC. 200, HITC. 225, HITC. 275, and CPTR. 125 which are not listed on the HIT Online Course Progression. On the progression spreadsheet I see COLL. 102, HITC. 205, HITC. 290, and HITC. 270 which is not showing up on my current program evaluation. Did some of the courses change names? A: Dear Student: Thanks for asking! Yes, some of the courses have been refreshed with new content, so depending on the catalog that the student is under they would take either HITC 200 (original supervision course) or HITC 205 the new supervision & finance course. In your case, if you already took 200 then you have satisfied your transcript requirements, but if you have not yet taken HITC 200, you will take the replacement class which is HITC 205, the course equivalent is HITC 200/205. HITC 275 is now HITC 290, so the course equivalent is HITC 275/290. HITC 270 is the new RHIT Exam Prep course, it is required for students with newer catalogs, but under an older catalog it didn t exist (so you don t have to take it). However, we created HITC 003 which is a 0 credit course so that you can get prepared for the exam too. The course equivalent is HITC 003/270. Starting this summer, a new HIT Health Legal course will launch HITC 245, which replaces the current health law course HLTH 240, so the course equivalent is HLTH 240/HITC 245. And so on Hope the explanation helps. Speak to your student advisor for specifics regarding your catalog/transcript requirements at Advising-NCOnline@nc.edu IT s Official! We are going to ICD-10-CM/PCS! How does this impact my courses and RHIT Exam? Background on the coding classification change from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS To continue receiving both government and private insurance payments for patient treatment, every U.S. healthcare provider must comply with the HHS switch to ICD-10-CM beginning October 1, Many facilities are doing dual coding now to anticipate how the change to ICD10 will affect their case mix.

4 There are a number of differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10, but the one difference that seems to get everyone s attention is the expansion of code sets (the total number of to choose from). The new coding system supports greater specificity of code selection: ICD-9-CM 14,000 diagnosis 4,000 procedure ICD-10- CM/PCS 68,000 diagnosis 87,000 procedure Life Science is the Basis for Success ICD-10 radically changes coding and reimbursement requirements. Deeper knowledge of anatomy, pathology, and pharmacology are necessary. Fortunately, at Northwestern College, we have you covered with three courses of A&P, two courses of Pathology, and a full course on Pharmacology. The deeper knowledge base of human anatomy is required to be successful with the ICD-10 code sets. When do we make the switch in our coding courses? For students graduating in summer or fall, they should complete the coding series (Coding I IV) by summer term. Beginning with the fall term, we will introduce the new coding courses which will have ICD-10 as primary (today s courses have ICD-9 as primary). For students graduating during the change, you will need to take supplemental courses in ICD-10-CM/PCS to keep current in your professional knowledge. Your text books have both ICD-9 and ICD-10 coding scenarios, and the two online encoders that we use in the AHIMA Virtual Lab: 3M and QuadraMed both have ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCS so feel free to practice outside classroom instruction since you have these tools available to you. When does the RHIT Exam change? The RHIT Exam is expected to convert to ICD-10-CM/PCS for the coding portion of the exam around March Students taking their exam prior to then need to be well versed on ICD-9-CM. Students taking their exam after March 2014 need to be well versed on ICD-10-CM/PCS. I m graduating next spring or summer (in 2014) what do I do about coding courses?

5 Fortunately, you have time! Ideally, all four courses should take place during Fall 2013 Spring 2014 terms so that you are fully trained on ICD-10. Not fair! Students who are trained during a time of coding change often feel like it isn t fair, but other generations of HIT students have made it through; and you will too. The switch from ICD-8 to ICD-9 occurred when I was a student in college and it was tough to purchase both sets of coding books and have to learn both methods, but in the long run it made us stronger candidates for new jobs since we were trained on the old and new coding rules, and the same will be true for you. At least you don t have to lug around six coding books the encoder is an easy source of internet access to the ICD-10. Also, Northwestern College provides all alumni with the opportunity to audit courses (at no cost) for up to five years from graduation. After you graduate you can take the coding courses again if you feel you need more exposure. You would need to pay for textbooks, but tuition is waived. Stay open to new ways of doing things, and celebrate this exciting time to start a career in health information technology! Welcome to our new Coding Instructors!!! It is my great pleasure to introduce two new coding instructors to the Northwestern College HIT Online program! Angie Campbell, RHIA, lives in Westfield, Illinois. She is an experienced online coding educator, and also is the Medical Insurance Manager for Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston. She is an AHIMA certified ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer and looks forward to rewriting the coding courses and teaching our online students. Angie received her HIM degree as an online student at Stephen s College, and is dedicating to being fully engaged with her students to give them a great experience in learning how to code. Donna L. Thompson, MBA, CISM, RHIT, lives in Dyer, Indiana. She has several years of experience teaching in online environments. In addition to teaching, she is also a HIM Consultant. Donna is an AHIMA certified ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer and will be working on curriculum design of the new coding courses and teaching our students. Donna is a RHIT and has a master s degree from Keller University. Both instructors are members of the Illinois Health Information Management Association (ILHIMA) so you may meet them there if you attend the state association meeting.

6 Do you live in the Chicago Area? Attend the AHIMA Open House for Students! View from the AHIMA Breakroom AHIMA cordially invites you to attend an open house at AHIMA! Visit with key individuals that work at AHIMA and learn more about the national association. Light snacks and beverages will be offered. There will be two separate sessions so that you can choose to attend one or the other. Please RSVP so that a seat can be reserved for you (room is limited). AHIMA Open House & Student Tour Friday, April 12th 233 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 2100 (21 st floor) Chicago, IL Select a Session: Morning Session: 9:00 am 12:00 pm Afternoon Session: 1:00 pm 4:00 pm Please reserve a space by ing: ppeterson@nc.edu: Yes, I will be attending the AHIMA Open House: (am) (pm) session. Student Name: Phone: Do you use Facebook? Visit: and Like the Northwestern College Facebook group.