TIP Number ONE-Training
Ask the Teaching Institute if they offer training for the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) Exams, which National Career Skills Institute does provide. There are many benefits from achieving the CBCS distinction. The following is from the NHA website https://www.nhanow.com/certifications/billing-coding.
 
Individuals with a CBCS certification from NHA gain access to the knowledge and training they need to prepare for a rewarding and meaningful career as a sought-after Billing & Coding Specialist.
As a CBCS, you may perform some or all of the following tasks:

• Gather/review essential patient information
• Verify required documentation before patient information is released
• Prevent fraud/abuse by auditing billing
• Support coding and billing process
• Assign codes for diagnoses and procedures
• Submit claims for reimbursement
• Coach healthcare providers to achieve optimal reimbursement

Billing & Coding Specialists have an expansive range of opportunities for employment. The skills learned through the NHA CBCS certification are essential to hospitals, physician offices, surgery centers, nursing homes, dental offices, home healthcare agencies, mental health facilities and even insurance companies and consulting firms. Open the door to a rewarding career path by becoming a CBCS. Don’t wait another moment to change your life.
 
TIP Number Two -  On-site or Distance Learning Options
Ask the school if they offer the classes on-site or via distance learning. On-site courses offer benefits such as access to school library, classmate interaction and a quiet study hall. Distance learning provides several unique opportunities. Whether you live in rural Nevada or on the East Coast or in another country, you are able to enroll in a HCBC program. If your work schedule prevents you from taking on-site classes, the Distant Learning option allows you to study at any hour.  NCSI’s HCBC Distant Learning Program is the same curriculum as our on-site courses and you have the ability to get instructor assistance anytime via phone, text, or email.
 
TIP Number Three - On Site Testing
Ask the school if they offer the ability to take the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) Exams conveniently ON-SITE. National Career Skills Institute (NCSI) is a certified NHA test site for graduating students.
 
TIP Number Four – 100% Student Passing Rate
It makes sense to inquire if the students taking the NHA exam actually achieve passing scores. People do not want to spend time and money to fail the test. Many schools offer training, but few of their graduates achieve the national certification. The best advice is to “go with the winner”. National Career Skills Institute has the outstanding achievement record. 100% of the graduates from the NCSI HCBC Program pass the NHA exams!!!! The secret is an outstanding instructor, curriculum that is current and up to date, and a school known for challenging and motivating students.
 

Developing good study skills is one of the keys to achieving academic success.  For most people, their memory needs constant review to retain information that is taught in classes.  On average, 50% of what we learn is forgotten within 20 minutes, another 25% is forgotten within 24 hours, the next 13% is gone within one week, and the little bit that remains is forgotten within a month.  Studying effectively can help you to retain more information, for a longer period of time.  Being able to retain information is important in the school setting since concepts often build on themselves.  If you’ve forgotten the first step, the second and third steps become extremely challenging to complete.

READING

Explore the book first.  Is there a glossary?  Index?  Bibliography?  These are all places you can refer to if you have trouble with one particular topic.

Take it a chapter at a time.  If you are assigned 3 chapters, break the reading up chapter by chapter. The first time you read through a chapter, just skim it.  Pay close attention to the headings and side notes.  Doing this will familiarize you with the content so that when you go back and read completely, you already have a pretty good idea of the main points.

Read the chapter thoroughly, and make notes.  After you have skimmed through the chapter, go back and read through making notes in margins, or highlighting key points.  Be mindful not to highlight the entire chapter (which I catch myself trying to do often!). Try to stick to highlighting information that helps you more fully understand the key points.  Write down any questions that you still have while you are reading.  For some people, it helps to read aloud if they are having trouble understanding a portion of the reading.

Review.  Go back and review your notes and highlighted pieces.  See if you have found the answer to any of the questions that you wrote down.  If you still have questions, pose them to your instructor at the next class.

Repeat for each chapter!

DECIDING WHERE TO STUDY

Everybody is a little different as far as where they feel most comfortable studying.  Whether you prefer the library, your living room, or the kitchen, make sure that it is a place where you can spend the time you need with as little distraction as possible.  Choose a place that has good lighting, temperature, and ventilation.  I prefer a cooler room, since if it is too warm, I tend to want to doze off.

Too much clutter can be a huge distraction.  It will be very hard to find your pen to write notes if it’s constantly getting buried under piles of papers and books.  Organize your area before you begin. Clear your desk of any books, papers, and other items that are not necessary for the class you are preparing to study for.

ORGANIZING YOUR TIME

The general rule of thumb, is to expect to spend 2-4 hours studying for every class hour.  This can vary depending on the subject, so get a feel for it as the class goes on and adjust accordingly.

Spend your time wisely.  Do not attempt to do all the studying for the week in a 10 hour cram session.  Your brain retains information more effectively with shorter periods of study.  For each hour of study time, take a 10-20 minute break.  Eat a light snack if you are hungry during break times, as concentration can be hindered when you are overly hungry.

KEEPING YOUR CONCENTRATION

There are many different ways of keeping yourself on task, and what is effective varies greatly person to person.  Get creative with it if you need to!

Use a timer.  If you catch yourself daydreaming often, try using a kitchen timer to give yourself audio cues.  Set it for every 20 minutes or so (depending on how often you catch yourself) and use it as an audio cue to ask yourself…”Am I on task?”  If so, reset it and move on.  If not, get your head back in the game, reset it and move on.

Try study groups.  Many people benefit by studying in groups.  Set up a time to study with your peers.  That way you can help each other stay on task, and it has the added benefit of two (or more) heads are smarter than one.