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A little louder, everyone.  :)

We'll leave it here and see if anyone eventually recovers from holiday multi-tasking, shopping, too much cooking, overeating, smiling, pouting, yelling, and whatever it is that Americans do over the holidays to stress themselves out. 

I am only starting Module III, but I am also curious to see what other people think about this. It has crossed my mind as well. 

Lynn,

Are you a member of the FB group Jobs for American Medical Coders? It is a very supportive group of professionals as well as students, and I think you would get a lot of good (supportive, helpful, non-attacking) discussion and feedback on this question if you posted it there.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1393904997583572/

Well, I took my CPC following Module III so that I was "fresh" on CPT.  I am about halfway through Module IV and have not taken the CCS yet, so I can't compare them exactly.

But, I will say I'd be sure to review CPT a lot before going into the CPC now.  The AAPC's study is very helpful in order to prepare.  

My other thought is that I personally wanted to do the CPC first as "practice".  It is only multiple choice, and you get one free retake.  These are both long, intense tests - some folks aren't used to that.  Managing time will be the biggest obstacle.

The CCS on the other hand is a one shot deal.  No free retakes, and the test is both fill-in-the-blank (of sorts) and multiple choice.

I feel a little (I think ;-) more confident going into the CCS now that I have the experience of earning the CPC under my belt.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

-Nicki

Suzanne,

Yes I am a member of that group.  I think I will pose the question there also; thanks for the suggestion.

Nicki:

I can see where having already taken the CPC would be a confidence boost.  I wonder if I am being too practical in thinking I should take CCS first since that's where I am now, study-wise at least.  I guess I need to mull it over a bit more.  Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

Lynn, I think that you will do best if you take the CPC first and the CCS second. As you know, the CPC comes with two opportunities to test. That relieves you of the burden of passing it in one shot, which helps to relax on the exam, and it gives you an opportunity to become familiar with the testing process in the more supportive atmosphere of an AAPC chapter. The CCS is more difficult and is administered under more restrictive and stressful conditions.

 As you know, the CCS exam does include CPC coding, so you would need to review that anyway, even if you had taken the CPC after Module III..  You are also going to need to review the CCS material before you take the CCS. My suggestion is to review for the CPC exam, take it first, then review CCS inpatient material and take the CCS.  It may seem that you need to review more that way, but that review is going to help you on the CCS.

Peggy:

Thanks so much for your advice, it's exactly what I was looking for.  I have waffled back and forth on what to do.  I am going to take the CPC first and then proceed from there to CCS.  I feel like Dorothy trying to find the yellow brick road.... :)  Just gonna click my heels and go!

Thank you for this conversation.  I was kind of wondering the same thing myself, although I'm nowhere remotely close yet.  Happy New Year!