National Center for Competency Testing

Hi Everyone!

I graduated in Dec 07 from Westwood College recieving a diploma in Medical Billing and Coding. When we took our certification exam it was through NCCT. My certification card says that I bestow the title of National Certified Insurance & Coding Specialist. Ive been told that this is the CCS certification? Does anyone have this same cert? or know anything about it? Im worried that its not a CCS... I started my first coding job in Feb. for a OB/Gyn clinic for a hospital network and I love it and Im doing well at it! If the cert I have is not a CCS...I will be disappointed..being told this since graduating. Besides AHIMA, are there any other places to recieve this cert at?

Thanks for the help and sorry for the long post!

The CCS credential can only be obtained through AHIMA.

Christine K. in Fort Worth, Texas said: Hi Everyone!

I graduated in Dec 07 from Westwood College recieving a diploma in Medical Billing and Coding. When we took our certification exam it was through NCCT. My certification card says that I bestow the title of National Certified Insurance & Coding Specialist. Ive been told that this is the CCS certification? Does anyone have this same cert? or know anything about it? Im worried that its not a CCS... I started my first coding job in Feb. for a OB/Gyn clinic for a hospital network and I love it and Im doing well at it! If the cert I have is not a CCS...I will be disappointed..being told this since graduating. Besides AHIMA, are there any other places to recieve this cert at?

Thanks for the help and sorry for the long post!

hi just wondering if you have a copy of the book reviewer for the ncct test medical billing coding i am in need of help... i been wanting to take a test but i cant afford enough to buy a book so please get back at my email; leelcute01@yahoo.com thanks my name is michelle

I went to school in NY and i was certified by National Center
for competency testing, NCCT , I was not able to get a job as a coder.
I since got Certified by AAPC and NHA and i have been able to find a position...I would reccomend these 2 companies or AHIMA certification...

Good Luck
Mona

I have been a school director for many years,I now work for the labor department.I had used National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) as a testing agency.
I was very disappointed with the quality of their test for Medical Coders and Medical Assistants and students outcomes in finding jobs were very poor, due to the Certifications not being recognized throughout the country.I think they need to improve their quality and their and let industry know who they are.

The two organizations I do like (highly recommend) are AMT www.amtt1.com and NHA www.nhanow.com
NHA also has an online magazine that i just started reading www.hccmag.com

I recently renewed my certfication through National Center for Competency also in Coding , and I very disappointed in locating a position , I would really want to do remote coding , I have been in the Medical field for the past 18 years. I currently working in a billing company ..Any suggestion ,where to begin.

I have seen and herd people not being Rcognized with NCCT certification!!!

I would try to get Certified through the National Healthcareer Association
(NHA) www.nhanow.com not sure if they would have you take another test....Worth a try to ask them ,I also think you will find better success finding a entry level position with it..
LLL

I was certified through NCCT as well in Oct. 2008, along with another classmate. As of this date, neither of us have been able to find a job. No one recognizes NCICS, I am currently studying the study guide for CCS-P as well as continuing to get my degree in HIM. My degree is an Associates, but since it states "billing and coding" I can't get hired for medical records, either!

I have the same certification of Insurance and Coding Specialist, and I want to take the CCS test but am also unsure of how to go about this? You can not get hired as a medical coder with the certification that NCCT has. PLease help!! Do you have to sign up to take it?

faye in Lafayette, Louisiana said: I recently renewed my certfication through National Center for Competency also in Coding , and I very disappointed in locating a position , I would really want to do remote coding , I have been in the Medical field for the past 18 years. I currently working in a billing company ..Any suggestion ,where to begin.

yes contact sharon bock email sbock@evanthomas.com

I graduated in 2006 but did not get certified as a medical coder. I went to Westwood College in Dallas Tx. I wasn't certified because it wasn't offered at that time. I have been looking for a coder job with onsite training. Do you know where I could get used books to study for the coder test and where would I go to take the test? I am desperate. Please email me at tkcollins@live.com thank you

NCCT certification is useless i can not find a job as a biller, i was told AAPC for coding and NHA for billing are the two certifications i need

Gina Renolds in Brooklyn, New York said: NCCT certification is useless i can not find a job as a biller, i was told AAPC for coding and NHA for billing are the two certifications i need

have you prceeded to get this certification? I really need some answers on how I can get certified. where and when as well!!! HELP!!!!!

I am currently offering a medical coding prep course online. Please visit my website www.brookslegacycoding.com. You are correct the NCCT certification is not a national recognized coding certification. My classes are affordable and offered online with live lectures or recorded lectures. Let me help you take your career to the next step!!!

You can go to www.aapc.com and not only get the study materials needed, but they offer e-classes to help you prep for the test, if I remember correctly, and you can register and take the test through them. They also have listings for local chapters for you to start networking.

Thx so much for your input. I will attempt to check this out and get back to you. Thx

HIM Recruiter in Tampa, Florida said: yes contact sharon bock email sbock@evanthomas.com[/QUOTE
Thanks, I will give it try

I ws told to go through ahima.com or aapc.com for recertfication

Thx so much for replying. How do I find out where and when they are testing and how do I get stufy stuff fo r the certification exam?

Tammie in San Antonio, Texas said: have you prceeded to get this certification? I really need some answers on how I can get certified. where and when as well!!! HELP!!!!!

I would contact NHA(National Healthcareer Association) www.nhanow.com
GR

I would contact aapc.com or ahima.org, these are the 2 national certification bodies whose certifications are accepted world-wide. I would also suggest take some practice exams or prep course to prepare for the certification. R. Bassett, CCSP

thanks,will look into it

I ws told aapc.com & ahima.com are accepted nation wide, thanks

Gina Renolds in Brooklyn, New York said: I would contact NHA(National Healthcareer Association) www.nhanow.com
GR

Yes I am a Certified by NHA they a great to deal with! I graduated from Everest College. i been in the field for a year and a half
i was hired two days after graduation. I am proud to be certified by
National HealthCareer Association they send me a news letter every month to keep me updated www.nha2day.com
Vicky

Vicky V223 in Detroit, Michigan said: Yes I am a Certified by NHA they a great to deal with! I graduated from Everest College. i been in the field for a year and a half
i was hired two days after graduation. I am proud to be certified by
National HealthCareer Association they send me a news letter every month to keep me updated www.nha2day.com
Vicky

So Everest Collage is accepted and $40,000 won't be spent in vain?

Whether or not a Certification is accepted is completely up to the EMPLOYER. THERE IS NO NATIONAL CERTIFICATION for medical billing.
Do yourself a favor and research the company/school you are getting your education from and evaluate them based on the curriculum NOT the actual certification or certificate of completion. Some employers will require "A" certification but that does not necessarily mean it will be the one you earn.. Base your decision on the school, the course and the education behind it. Anyone telling you that they offer a National Certification is indeed MISLEADING you. All it means is that it's good throughout the nation, but there is NO "ONE" national certification or even one that is nationally recognized. For coding there are those nationally "recognized"
I'm not saying to NOT get certified, I'm just saying to be careful in choosing your education/career choice based on that individual certification that may or may not be what a particular employer is looking for.

Linda Walker
www.billerswebsite.com

I have my RHIA (through AHIMA--which requires a 4 year degree in Health Information Mgmt.). I also have the CPC (though AAPC) which I took 11 years ago. I know I needed 2 references from people I worked with that were certified through the AAPC. I also had 1 year experience at that point. In order to pass the CCS test you would need to work coding inpatient hospital records for a long period of time. That test is extremely difficult. I have not even taken that and do not plan too(but I work in physician coding and billing (not in medical records dept). I highly recommend figuring out how to get the CPC through AAPC. We will not hire anyone unless they are experienced OR unless they have a CPC (which requires NO degree) or the RHIA/RHIT both require college degrees 4yr/2yr. I also recommend just getting a job in a doctor's office and learning the coding/billing from there too. We look at that as experience even if you are not coding tons of charges each day. So the AAPC with dr. office experience is the best way to go without going to college. AND do not take those online classes or billing courses. We do not acknowlege ANY of them as far as hiring purposes go. You have to have the experience or the credentials I listed. Hope this helps. :)

yes thank you very much for your input. I am currently trying to find the study guides and the coding books that I will need for the test to get certified. Know of anywhere or anyone that would sale them to me? that would help me out. i really want to do what I went to school for as a career. I have 2 teenage boys at home and I am single. So i need something that will set me on my feet. Thank you so much for your help.

Kelly in Katy, Texas said: I have my RHIA (through AHIMA--which requires a 4 year degree in Health Information Mgmt.). I also have the CPC (though AAPC) which I took 11 years ago. I know I needed 2 references from people I worked with that were certified through the AAPC. I also had 1 year experience at that point. In order to pass the CCS test you would need to work coding inpatient hospital records for a long period of time. That test is extremely difficult. I have not even taken that and do not plan too(but I work in physician coding and billing (not in medical records dept). I highly recommend figuring out how to get the CPC through AAPC. We will not hire anyone unless they are experienced OR unless they have a CPC (which requires NO degree) or the RHIA/RHIT both require college degrees 4yr/2yr. I also recommend just getting a job in a doctor's office and learning the coding/billing from there too. We look at that as experience even if you are not coding tons of charges each day. So the AAPC with dr. office experience is the best way to go without going to college. AND do not take those online classes or billing courses. We do not acknowlege ANY of them as far as hiring purposes go. You have to have the experience or the credentials I listed. Hope this helps. :)

THANK YOU FOR THIS INFORMATION.
I AM CURRENTLY GOING TO SCHOOL,STUDYING MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING PROGRAM AT EVEREST INSTITUTE.IT IS A 8 MONTH PROGRAM,WHERE YOU SHOULD LEARN MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY,ANATOMY,PHYSIOLOGY,ASSIGN CODING PROCEDURES,DIAGNOSIS,AND INJECTIONS,ETC,ETC.AND ALSO LEARN BILLING PROCESS.
MY MAIN GOAL WHEN I ENTERED SCHOOL WAS TO BE A MEDICAL CODER IN THE FUTURE,THEY HAD TELL ME,THAT THE CERTIFICATION TYPE I AM GETTING FROM THEM IS THE NCCT. WHICH I LEARNED SEARCHING THAT IS NOT THAT GOOD ANY WAY.SO,I DONT KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO,I AM CONFUSED.SHOULD I TAKE THAT CERTIFICATION NCCT TEST,OR WHEN I GET MY DIPLOMA,I SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE AAPC CERT TEST.HELP PLEASE!

thanks for your answer,I am allready going to a career institute,
the problem is that i am almost finish,and i am unsured if i am going to get any job with just that diploma,because for what i want to do,which is coding,most employers are asking for certifications.So I know I may need to get one some time,otherwise no one would hire me.
Besides that,i want to get experience on more the medical coding career,but employers wont hire you unless you have some experience,but how are you supoust to get that experience if you dont work in the field besides what you learned in school?

Thanks,that is what I have been thinking about also ,because the certfication thatI have is not acknowledge...Thanks for the info

I'm glad I found this website because I graduate this Friday in Medical Billing and Insurance Coding, and I didn't know NCCT certification was no good. I was making plans to take the test now I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm going to check out AAPC and AHIMA and then I'll decide on which test to take. Thanks to everyone for the info on NCCT.

I am thinking of taking medical insurance billing and coding at Everest college in Hayward...I am glad I found this forum before my appointment with Everest rep tommorrow. I would like to be able to work as a medical biller or coder when I complete the program. Is job for this field rare?? Why do I need to get certified after I graduate? Are these test hard?? Please help, I am a mother of two and want something that's more promising and if this is not gonna get me a job I dont want to waste my time on it.

MSphere in BONIFAY, Florida said: So Everest Collage is accepted and $40,000 won't be spent in vain?

Does it really cost this much $40k at Everest college??

PLEASE FIND OUT IF YOUR SCHOOL IS ACCREDITED!!! From my own experience, I know that NCCT Cert is a piece of toilet paper! I graduated from Florida Career College in August 09. Students HAD to take the NCCT as one of our final exam grades....we had to pay $90.00 to take it! Also, GO WITH A SCHOOL THAT HELPS WITH JOB PLACEMENT AND OFFERS EXTERSHIP!!! I got neither.....

I know ,I ws thinking about retesting w/ Ahima ,because most of the jobs require their certification

This is all an eye opener for me. I just finished 7 months in Medical Billing and Coding from High Tech Institute in Orlando. I had one month to learn about Resume writing, Interviewing, OSHA and HIPPA Certifications. I am now starting my externship for 160 hours at a Dr's. office. I was also told that I needed to take the NCCT test with the school for $90.00 and this would help place me in a position. After reading all this information on the site I am definately going to look into AAPC, NHA and AHIMA testing. Thank you so much for all the information, at this point I don't think the NCCT is worth anything. I would like to know where you can get study information about any of these test if anyone has that I would appreciate it. Thanks, LLH

check out the ahima website- it has all the info about the career, testing, etc. Just google "ahima"

check out the AHIMA website- it has all the info

yea for the NHA

hello all i was wondering if any body was certified threw the NHA and found a good job in billing or coding

Hello am about to attend everest school on campus and I am wondering does anyone have any info on them and is there ccs vaild for jobs around the usa and if after u have finished did they place you in a job and how long did it take.

i am a 16 year old who is going to a nursing school by the name of Westmore Academy and i find the training very useful. From i was 10 years old going to primary school i say i wanted to become a nurse.My sister felt sick their was no teacher who have a car to move with her same time no one to say what to do it was, a short abreath was the problem so i send one of my friend to go to the canteen for a plastic bag for her to blow in and out and she did and was good again and then the pricipal of the scholl say u must become a nurse and i say i want to become a nurse and then i have the strong feeling saying going for it. Westmore Academy the school which am attending i see were the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) in the USA is a part of thre school. My hope and wish is to become a certified from the NCCT. sorry about such a long passage. to all persons who want to ecome a nurse please belive in urself and give it a try. my email address is - jamelia_tho@yahoo.com

queen in Woodbridge, Virginia said: Hello am about to attend everest school on campus and I am wondering does anyone have any info on them and is there ccs vaild for jobs around the usa and if after u have finished did they place you in a job and how long did it take.

My wife is in Everest Univ. online and yes it is valid, as for placement, yet to be seem, she has one more year to go...

nancy in Hayward, California said: Does it really cost this much $40k at Everest college??

After all said and done, its about $30k +/- GOV grant and loans will cover it for now. you start paying it back 6 month after your Grad.

New reg on student loans getting pushed in Congress that you only pay 10% of your income on repay and if you don't pay it off after 10 or 20 yrs it is forgiven. (paid-in-full)

I have been looking for a job since October for Medical Billing and Coding. I have not even gotten an interview. I go door to door to Dr's offices once a week and apply on line everyday for jobs. My school is also looking for a job for me. I have decided to go and take the NCCT test just to have a certification on my resume. I hope this will help me land a job and then I can continue to take certification tests from there. I was told by a dr's office the other day that they dont even consider hiring a person without a certification of some kind. I will definetly look into the AAPC, NHA, AHIMA and AMT certification when I am done with the NCCT. Those tests are very expensive to take.

For someone who is NCCT certified, I would HIGHLY recommend you don't take this exam.. You should skip that and go for AAPC or AHIMA certification. It is a waste, and done nothing for me professsionally.

Kelly in Katy, Texas said: I have my RHIA (through AHIMA--which requires a 4 year degree in Health Information Mgmt.). I also have the CPC (though AAPC) which I took 11 years ago. I know I needed 2 references from people I worked with that were certified through the AAPC. I also had 1 year experience at that point. In order to pass the CCS test you would need to work coding inpatient hospital records for a long period of time. That test is extremely difficult. I have not even taken that and do not plan too(but I work in physician coding and billing (not in medical records dept). I highly recommend figuring out how to get the CPC through AAPC. We will not hire anyone unless they are experienced OR unless they have a CPC (which requires NO degree) or the RHIA/RHIT both require college degrees 4yr/2yr. I also recommend just getting a job in a doctor's office and learning the coding/billing from there too. We look at that as experience even if you are not coding tons of charges each day. So the AAPC with dr. office experience is the best way to go without going to college. AND do not take those online classes or billing courses. We do not acknowlege ANY of them as far as hiring purposes go. You have to have the experience or the credentials I listed. Hope this helps. :)

So what about outsourcing. Are alot of medical coders being outsourced??? I want to get my certificate through AAPC but I am afraid that I might not be able to get a job due to getting outsourced. :O{

Vicky V223 in Detroit, Michigan said: Yes I am a Certified by NHA they a great to deal with! I graduated from Everest College. i been in the field for a year and a half
i was hired two days after graduation. I am proud to be certified by
National HealthCareer Association they send me a news letter every month to keep me updated www.nha2day.com
Vicky

Does Everest offer a certification program or do you have to take a 2 year course?

I have a CMC self study through PMI to sell. It has never been used and comes with binder and 10 disc. Any idea's on where I can post an add to sell it?