By ANSON C. SMITH 

BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College will be offering a five-course program to become a Certified Professional Coder beginning in January.

A CPC takes a healthcare provider’s analysis and procedural phrases and translates them into codes. CPCs must be knowledgeable in the contents of health records in order to properly conduct research and provide correct coding. Physicians rely on these codes to be properly reimbursed for their services.

By the end of this 6-month program, students will have prepared for the CPC exam, attended an Advanced Coding workshop, and completed a mock CPC exam. Afterwards, they will be eligible to take the exam, which is administered at HCC. Topics covered in the program include medical language, terminology, and abbreviations; biology and anatomy basics; and coding guidelines.

The five required courses in the non-credit program are Medical Terminology (online course), Human Anatomy and Biology, Medical Coding ICD-9 and HCPC, Medical Coding CPT, and CPC Exam Review and Exam. Aside from the online course, all classes are held from 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.