F r e q u e n t l y  A s k e d Q u e s t i o n s

Q: How does your course compare with other self study courses?

A: This is an “apples and oranges” type of question.  The CMC course is the ONLY Medical Coding Certification course presented in an interactive DVD format.  There are no other Medical Coding Certification programs available in this format.  This unique approach to medical coding education allows for the classroom to come to you and by doing so allows for you to focus on the material in the comfort and privacy of your home or office.  The course is presented in a one-on-one format tailoring the instruction directly to you, given personally by Frank Vidal MMC; the only Master Medical Coder in the USA.

Q: How is the course structured and what does it include?

A: The Certified Medical Coder course takes a truly unique approach to medical coding education.  While other programs may focus solely on the coding books alone and include other subjects that are not necessarily related to medical coding, the CMC course is the most COMPREHENSIVE medical coding education available today. The CMC course focuses on true medical coding, its structure, its purpose AND its application, resulting not just in knowing how to look up a code, but what that code MEANS, WHY it is there and WHAT is it supposed to accomplish.  In order to accomplish this task, the profession of a Certified Medical Coder was strictly defined and requirements for realizing this profession were integrated into the course itself. The course consists of 8 interactive DVD based modules containing lecture, theory, application and reviews – a comprehensive package designed to ensure that the student actually LEARNS medical coding, not just codes.  Each module has a final examination that must be taken on the testing page of the Frank Vidal website and passed before taking the final exam for the next module. Upon successful completion of all of the modules the student automatically qualifies for, and is sent the Certified Medical Coder Examination packet – a unique concept on its own – since it is the ONLY medical coding certification exam that is not multiple-choice. The exam is designed to measure what you learned and how you can apply what you learned, not just create a vehicle to track student usage for a fee. By the way, the CMC exam is INCLUDED in your course; there is no additional “testing fee”.

Q: What can I expect from the IAMC after becoming a CMC?

A: One of the many truly unique aspects of being a CMC is the “CMC for life” philosophy of the IAMC.  Once a person passes their CMC examination and becomes a Certified Medical Coder, they receive coding support for LIFE. This support comes in two forms:  e-mail support from the IAMC U.S. Headquarters or the “CMC hotline” a new service being developed by the IAMC.  The CMC hotline will be a web-based forum that will allow for CMC’s to communicate directly with IAMC coders AND with other CMC’s in the field. This allows for CMC’s in different areas of the country to share experiences and information with each other. The support given to CMC’s is by far the most valuable asset in your portfolio, after your CMC diploma.

Q: I’m interested in getting into the Medical Billing field, how can this course benefit me?

A: Remember, medical billing is the transportation of CODED information.  There is no medical billing without medical coding.  Whether your interest is in starting a medical billing company or in becoming a medical biller for a medical practice, Medical Coding education is a MUST.  You can not achieve any significant goals in the arena of medical billing without medical coding education, specifically a CMC education.

Q: When I pass the CMC exam, will I be board certified?

A: This is an area of special interest to all of us at Frank Vidal medical Coding and the IAMC.  There has been a long standing “myth” that certain medical coding certification exams are “board” exams, or that certain certifications are “recognized” by a particular state or even on a National level.  The fact of the matter is that Medical Coding isn’t a tracked, regulated or even recognized career, by government standards; there IS NO BOARD.  All medical coding certifications are voluntary and are issued by private companies that have no affiliation with ANY government body, at any level.  This is why it is so important that the quality of the education reflect the standards that one wishes to set for the profession.  Medical Coders are a vital and crucial part of the healthcare industry, as well as the most rapidly growing career opportunity in the healthcare market.  If nobody else is willing to set the standard for excellence, WE WILL!

Q: Why should I consider being certified by the IAMC as opposed to some of the other  organizations?

A: That answer is simple; THE QUALITY OF THE EDUCATION. If you are investing time and money to get certified, what you expect is an education.  Make no mistake about it, the prestige and recognition that a medical coder can obtain is not based on the piece of paper certifying them, but on the application of coding knowledge in the field.  Healthcare practitioners have become more savvy and educated over the last 10-15 years, and depending on the ignorance of the market in order to generate business is not now, and has never been something that the IAMC has tolerated.  Healthcare practitioners have substantial coding needs, SUBSTANTIAL and there is a severe lack of properly educated coders in the field.  Healthcare providers are all to used to being pitched a great sales game by billing companies and coders, only to find that these services providers didn’t know what they were doing. This fact became so well established that it led to a phenomenon called “The six month rule”. The six month rule is named as such because that is roughly how long it takes for a doctor to realize that their billing company and/or coder doesn’t know what they are doing. This MUST stop. The only solution to the problem is, again, education, and the IAMC’s focus on education and post certification support are what will help to erase the six month rule from existence. Remember, it’s not enough to learn medical coding, you’ve got to understand it. The IAMC focuses its educational criteria not just on WHAT the codes are, but WHY they are. HOW are codes assigned? What purpose does coding medical encounters serve? Without understanding these vital questions, the proper function of medical coding can never be fully implemented. THAT is why getting certified by the IAMC is important. 

Don’t worry about who is “better known”, worry about who “knows better”.

Q: Why haven’t I heard of the IAMC before?

A: Don’t confuse lack of publicity with lack of existence. The IAMC has been around for a long time, and there are reasons why a public presence wasn’t decided on up until now. In a world of voluntary coding certifications, many different scenarios develop.   (remember, medical coding certification is NOT regulated by any government agency or sponsored by any “official” entity [like the A.M.A.]) When an organization does not have established educational criteria to comply with, they develop their own. That’s part of the problem with coding certification today, and the main reason why the IAMC decided to take this unique approach to the situation.  The IAMC is an organization that focuses on one thing, and one thing only:  EDUCATION.  Education, and all of the ramifications of the concept including, understanding, application, concept , etc. Up until now, to a certain degree, YOU didn’t find the IAMC, they found YOU. The IAMC recognizes coding excellence in terms of application, and the time has come for the unique and comprehensive educational criteria of the IAMC to be made available to everyone who wants to learn true coding.