Kellogg Community College this month will launch the first session of a new, 10-credit Home Care Coding Specialty course to prepare students for careers in home care coding.

The course will be offered fully online and allow students to complete the 20 learning modules required at their own pace over the course of a single semester. Registration will be offered during an Orientation Session to be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Monday, March 20, in Room E of KCC’s Regional Manufacturing Technology Center campus, located at 405 Hill Brady Road in Battle Creek.

The Orientation Session will give students an opportunity to meet their instructor and a potential employer who will discuss the demands of working as a coding specialist from home and how to be successful in the course. To register for the Orientation Session, contact Workforce Solutions Secretary Melinda Hall at 269-565-2823 or hallm@kellogg.edu.

Home care coding is a growing career field ideal for self-directed, organized individuals interested in working from home. Home care coders review patient records and use a computer to assign alphanumeric codes to each diagnosis so that medical providers can report the data appropriately and be reimbursed for medical expenses.

The Home Care Coding Specialty course at KCC prepares students for the Home Care Coding Specialist – Diagnosis (HCS-D) certification exam offered through the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and Compliance (BMSC). Home care coders who successfully pass the certification exam will be certified by the BMSC and earn their HCS-D credential to demonstrate their coding proficiency.

KCC President Mark O’Connell said KCC is proud to be one of the first community colleges in the nation to offer such a course to prospective students looking for a home care coding career.

“KCC works tirelessly with our many community partners, employers, students and prospective students to ensure we are meeting the needs of our community with the courses and academic and job training programs we offer here at the College,” O’Connell said. “The new Home Care Coding Specialty course beginning this month at KCC epitomizes the College’s commitment to offering high-quality, varied and innovative educational programming that provides our students with the skills they need to secure in-demand jobs while strengthening the base of skilled workers needed by local employers.”

Dr. Jan Karazim, dean of Workforce Development at KCC, said the flexibility offered for Home Care Coding Specialty students and the need they will fill in the workforce makes the course a valuable addition to the College’s already robust selection of career and workforce training opportunities.

“We’ve been hearing from our community partners that home care coding is a growing field and that the need is increasing for a competent, skilled workforce in this area,” Karazim said. “This program will provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue a rewarding career in home care coding and to meet that growing need in Battle Creek and beyond.”

For more information about KCC’s Home Care Coding Specialty course, including tuition costs and technology recommended for Home Care Coding Specialty students, visit www.kellogg.edu/homecarecoding.

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