MED 297 - Medicine Coding

COURSE OVERVIEW: This is a comprehensive course in internal medicine coding intended for those students who are currently enrolled in the field of medical coding and billing and is an essential course in the curriculum for the program in Medical Coding. This course covers; the internal medicine terminology/abbreviations (suffixes & prefixes), general principles of medical records documentation, internal medicine ICD-9(diagnosis) & CPT/HCPCS (procedural) codes, internal medicine modifiers, as well as the medical necessity/coverage issues for internal medicine. Upon the completion of this course you will be able to identify different procedural codes for E/M services and a variety of invasive & noninvasive procedures & lab tests in different areas including; psychiatric services, cardiovascular & pulmonary services, gastroenterology, ophthalmology & ENT services. You will also be introduced to CPT codes for scanning & imaging techniques (X-Ray, MRI, CAT scan, Ultrasound imaging, Mammograms, SPECT & Xenon scan, Echocardiography, etc.) You will finally master the guidelines for the documentation of evaluation & management services with emphasis on internal medicine examination of different systems/body areas.

TIME FRAME: This is a five-semester hour course. This course is allotted ten weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the ten-week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course, or the day which you notify me that your textbook has arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. Extensions of time are permitted if needed with my and/or departmental approval. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded five semester hours of credit. We will cover chapters 1-10. Other topics may be included at my discretion. This is a tentative schedule that we will attempt to follow:

Book 1: Coding & Medicare for INTERNAL MEDICINE coding utility book. The Medical Management Institute. ISBN # 1-58383-364-1.

EXAMS: There are two examinations for this course, a mid-term exam and a final exam. Both tests cover material in the textbook, Coding & Medicare Utility Book INTERNAL MEDICINE by MMI . The mid-term covers chapters 1-5 and the final covers chapters 6-10.

The mid-term examination must be taken by the end of the 5th week in the course.

Both exams are programmed and are located in the classroom for this course. The examinations are "open book" objective type. You will have one (1) day to complete your exam, once you access it from the classroom. To access the exam, you must send me an email and request to have access to the exam. Upon registration, you will receive your email address. I will then program your access in. You will receive an email back from me telling you that you are now authorized to go ahead and to access your exam. To access, you will come into the classroom, click on testing, and click on the exam you are taking. You will need your User ID and PASSWORD to access the exam. The exam will appear on your screen. Once you access the exam, you have 24 hours to submit your answers. The program provides me the exact date and time that you accessed the exam. The program also notifies me of the exact date and time that you submitted your answers. Thus, the program is timing you. When you are ready, go back into the classroom and click in your responses and then click submit. Shortly, you will receive the exam in your email box with your computed score. You will also know what questions, if any, that you missed, and what the correct answer is. I also receive a copy of your exam and your score.

GRADING SCALE: Letter grades will be determined using the following percentages:

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: Your instructor for this course is Dr. Sari Metwalli, MS, MD.

1) MS in Forensic Sciences and Doctor of Medicine (MD).
2) Post-Baccalaureate Studies in Biology-CSUSM (California State University-San Marcos).
3) Current, Lead Medical Assistant Instructor, United Education Institute-Chula Vista, CA.
4) Current, Adjunct Instructor-Medical Coding & Billing Program, University of California-San Diego Extension.
5) Current, Adjunct Professor of Forensic Science, National University-La Jolla, CA.
6) Current, Clinical Assistant Professor/Physician Mentor, International University of Health Sciences- School of Medicine.
7) Current member of American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
8) Certified Medical Assisting Instructor by the State of California.
9) Certified CPR, BLS, and First Aid Instructor by the American Heart Association.

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may address them to drsarimetwalli@yahoo.com