Hello all, I am proud and excited to say I passed my CCS exam on the first try! I will reiterate what others before me have posted and that is be prepared to feel like you are flying out of the country or trying to get back in. I had my books checked, which was expected, and my 2 forms of ID but then the vein scanning of both of my hands was a little...whoa! I had to scan both hands multiple times and then they took my picture as well. I could not bring anything in to the exam room except my drivers license and my books. I didn't get frisked but I had to show them my pockets to ensure I wasn't hiding anything. I then was brought to another room where a woman scanned my hand again and handed me the dry erase pad with markers. She then walked me to my cubicle and signed me in to the computer.
I found the test itself easier than the CPC but that may have been because it was not as long. It is not easy by any means but I definitely feel like Pietro's class on DRGs was my saving grace. I was well prepared for all of the questions regarding DRGs, APCs, and CC/MCC. You must have the ICD-10-CM code book that has the CC/MCC info in it. The book we get with Andrews does have that information and it is invaluable. The education we received here at Andrews more than prepares you for this test. There were a few questions on information technology that threw me for a loop but I was pretty confident on most of them to know if I got a few wrong I was still going to be okay. I finished with a little more than hour left so I started to review my exam and changed 2 or 3 questions but about halfway through I started to panic and thought that sometimes your first answer is the right one and was nervous that I might start second guessing myself so I just ended my review halfway through, took a deep breath and hit End Exam. I had to raise my hand to have someone come get me, they scanned my hand again upon leaving the exam room and scanned me one more time for good measure before handing me the printout with my results with the beautiful words PASSED on it.
The one thing I cannot stress enough is all the work, feedback, rationales that we get from all of the wonderful instructors here at Andrews does pay off. There were a few times in Module IV that I thought, "is this sinking in?" I kept plugging along and when I graduated I knew that I was ready. I was still scared out of my wits but deep down I knew I received a top-notch education and I could do this. For those of you that think you bit off more than you can chew and want to give up... Don't. Keep swimming because the reward of having dual credentials is pure bliss.
Congratulations Donna! I have to say again and can't stress the IMPORTANCE of taking Pietro's 3-hour session on DRGs. It is his thoroughness on the subject that leads to a much better understanding of the IPPS/OPPS system and why DRGs are so important for inpatient coding. I also think the reason the CCS seems less complicated is because it is multiple choice; whereas, before, parts of it were written in. I agree, I found the CCS much easier than the CPC exam. I think Pietro's DRG information should be incorporated in the curriculum for Andrews, that is how vital the information is that he provides. This is one area of learning that needs a little more depth, in my opinion. I do appreciate the referral given to students/graduates for Pietro's CCS prep because without this I probably wouldn't have had the wonderful experience of his DRG session. This has benefited a lot of people.
Wendy
Congratulations, Donna!! Fantastic news and fantastic info on test-taking. I really appreciate everyone's take on the CCS test-taking experience!
Donna,
Thank you so much for sharing your CCS experience. I am nearing the end of the course and will be studying to take this exam soon I hope! I feel much more comfortable knowing what others have experienced.
Also thanks Wendy for stressing the importance of DRGs and Pietro's class.
Congratulations to both of you for passing the exams and having both of these credentials!
Congratulations, Donna! And thank you so much for sharing your experience with us.