Career Step Announces Adjusted Education Tracks for Medical Coding and Billing Students

PROVO, UT, April 29, 2014 (Press-News.org) Career Step, an online provider of career-focused education and corporate training, is releasing a number of adjusted education tracks for students and prospective students preparing for medical coding and billing careers. These changes come on the announcement of the delay of the ICD-10 implementation date and are designed to ensure all Career Step graduates are prepared to earn their credentials and start working upon graduation.

"Our mission and entire focus is, and always will be, to help our students earn their credentials and get jobs," said Career Step CEO Steve Tober. "Even without all of the particulars of the ICD-10 delay finalized, we know it will significantly change the workplace our students face after graduation. With that in mind, we have made the decision that, moving forward, new students will now be enrolled in our ICD-9 training program. We have also developed transition plans for current students--all with the goal of ensuring Career Step graduates are prepared for national certifications and can start working right away."

New students, who will now be enrolled in the ICD-9 training program, will also receive a free enrollment in Career Step's ICD-10 FastTrack program upon graduation. Students who are already enrolled in Career Step's Professional Medical Coding and Billing ICD-10 focused course will have the opportunity to transition to the ICD-9 program or receive a free enrollment in Career Step's ICD-9 for ICD-10 Coders program, depending upon how far they have progressed in their training. Career Step is adjusting students' education paths to ensure graduates have the knowledge and skills they need to sit for industry certifications and start working whenever they graduate.

"Over the past few years, we have evaluated, enhanced, and built a number of programs focused on teaching the ICD-10 code set," said Mike Hodgson, Career Step Executive Vice President of Healthcare Products and Partnerships. "In the event that something like this delay occurred, we also developed a course to teach ICD-10 trained coders how to code in ICD-9. This course expands our offerings to ensure we provide our students and clients the education they need to earn industry credentials and be successful in the workplace--no matter when the ICD-10 transition takes place."

Career Step offers two streamlined programs that prepare already trained coders for the different code sets: ICD-10 FastTrack, which prepares ICD-9 trained coders to use the ICD-10 code set, and ICD-9 for ICD-10 Coders, which teaches ICD-10 trained coders how to effectively use the ICD-9 codes. With these programs, coders will be able to successfully code with either code set, whether their original training prepared them for ICD-9 or ICD-10.

For more information on Career Step's ICD-9 or ICD-10 training, visit CareerStep.com or call 1-800-246-7837.

About Career Step
Career Step, an online provider of career-focused education and corporate training, has trained over 85,000 students, has more than 150 partnerships with colleges and universities nationwide, and provides training for several of the most respected healthcare employers in the nation. Career Step is committed to helping students and corporate employees alike gain the skills they need to be successful in the workplace, improving lives and business results through education. Career Step's training programs are currently focused in healthcare, technology and administration, and more information can be found at http://www.careerstep.com or 1-800-246-7836.