Certificate
Diploma

Diploma Brochure

The Certificate and Diploma of the Professional Association of Clinical Coders-UK

The Professional Association of Clinical Coders offers two qualifications, a certificate level examination and the Diploma of the Professional Association of Clinical Coders.

The Certificate and the Diploma of the Professional Association of Clinical Coders will give clinical coding professionals the edge they need in this highly competitive field. Qualified clinical coders are more trusted, and more readily hired at higher salaries. Professionals who have proven that they know their job and possess the skills to do their job well are likely to have better job opportunities.

Since the inception of the National Clinical Coding Qualification (NCCQ) in 1998, many clinical coders have earned the recognition and rewards gained from achieving a basic formal qualification in clinical coding. The Certificate and Diploma of he Professional Association of Clinical Coders will enable those individuals and others to demonstrate that they possess a higher level of clinical coding skill and thereby develop their careers and earning potential further. Employers are increasingly looking to hire better qualified staff to support the business needs of their organisations.

Certificate Level Examination

The Certificate level examination is a practical clinical coding examination. The purpose of the examination is to demonstrate clinical coding proficiency. It will test the candidate’s ability to apply National Standard clinical coding rules by assignment of the correct clinical codes.

Prerequisites:
There are no prerequisites (Whilst there are no prerequisites, candidates are advised that the certificate tests clinical coding skills at a higher level than the NCCQ).
Candidates do not need to be a member of the Association.

Examination structure:
2 practical papers with a break between.
There is no theory paper in this examination.

Costs:
Examination: £200.00

Examination Date and Venue
Provisional date: November 2009

Further Information
Further information regarding the syllabus, bibliography, examination structure and application procedure etc will be announced shortly

The Diploma of the Professional Association of Clinical Coders

The Diploma of the Professional Association of Clinical Coders is run in collaboration with Kingston University, London. The Diploma consists of the Disease Representation Module of the Foundation Degree in Health Informatics of Kingston University and further practical and theory work which will be assessed though both an assignment and examination. Students doing the Diploma will have access to distance learning material facilities through the Universities e-learning facility to support their practical and theory work. The purpose of the Diploma is to demonstrate clinical coding proficiency and professional clinical classifications knowledge. It will test the candidate’s ability to apply rules and assign the correct code, assess the candidates professional knowledge about clinical classifications, the use of statistical data and the ability to research information to support an individuals learning and professional development.

Prerequisites
Whilst the Diploma is an obvious next step for those coders who have already achieved ACC status, the NCCQ is not a prerequisite for the diploma, however it is strongly recommended that you are at an equivalent level or above.
You do not need to be a member of the Association to take the Diploma.

Costs:
Diploma package (disease representation module, online support for coding practical and theory and examination): £500.00

Further Information
Further information regarding the syllabus, bibliography, course structure, start date and application procedure will be announced shortly