Office Technology Course Descriptions

Prerequisite: SS101 or Equivalent

This course continues emphasis on improvement of keyboarding skills with daily practice drills and speed/accuracy timings. Skill in the preparation of business documents, using current computer software programs, such as letters, memos, forms, tables, manuscripts, and e-mail is developed through practice with source documents. Different sources for document production such as straight copy, shorthand, and transcription are also discussed.

Prerequisite: SS102, SS121

This course continues and expands student exposure to the production of more complex business and legal documents using current office and computer equipment, such as the transcribing machine, word processing and spreadsheet programs, and the Internet. Students will achieve the minimum typing speed of 40 words per minute on five-minute timed writings while striving for a combination of speed and accuracy in document production that is necessary in business today.

Prerequisite: SS102, SS121

This course provides the student with skills in keyboarding case materials, correspondence, forms and medical reports that are chosen from the files of practicing health care providers and other medical facilities. Accuracy and efficiency in keyboarding of these documents are developed.

Prerequisite: SS102

This course focuses on skills in keyboarding legal case materials, correspondence, forms, briefs, and other documents associated with the legal profession. Current appropriate computer software programs and functions are utilized. Increased accuracy and speed in document production are developed through practice drills and regular timings.

Prerequisite: SS101

This course provides the student with skills in transcribing medical reports, each of which relates to a patient with a specific medical condition. These medical reports are taken from inpatients as well as outpatients. Listening and proofreading skills are developed. Use of English language skills (grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and word division) are incorporated into document preparation. Accuracy and efficiency in transcribing documents for the medical field are introduced in order to produce an accurate and well-formatted document.

Prerequisite: SS106

This course provides the students with further skills in transcribing dictation involving systems of the body. The course provides students with competitive transcription skills. The course reinforces and supplements medical terminology and other skills acquired in SS106.

Prerequisite: SS111

This course provides the student with an understanding of how to arrange travel, assist in the arrangement of meetings/conferences, implement cost control methods, and use modern technology, such as the Internet, for researching information for business reports. Topics include business correspondence, record management, and banking procedures. The student will learn how to maintain payroll, employee tax, petty cash and inventory records. Financial instruments will be discussed.

Prerequisite: SS101

This course provides the student with skills in medical billing and practice management on a computer system. Students will be introduced to the basic International Classification of Disease (ICD-4) and Common Procedural Terminology (CPT-4). Input of patient demographics and patient charges for services, as well as posting computerized insurance billings and payments, is presented in the keyboarding laboratory environment.

Prerequisite: SS101

This course provides instruction in word processing utilizing current software programs. The basic operations of word processing programs are covered with the production of a broad variety of business office documents such as letters, memos, manuscripts/reports and tables. Students develop word processing techniques necessary for employment in contemporary business.

Prerequisite: SS101 or CP100

This course provides the student with skills in desktop publishing: the production of artistically typeset documents. Familiarization with equipment, available software, and electronic printing will be emphasized. Students will receive hands-on laboratory training relating to typesetting on the microcomputer. Topics include input, composition, and output in electronic publishing.

Prerequisite: SS101

The study of shorthand characters is presented. Dictation of unfamiliar business letters, at suitable levels of speed and accuracy, are developed.

Prerequisite: SS131

Principles of shorthand theory and business vocabulary are reviewed and developed. Dictation of business documents, at suitable levels of speed and accuracy, are developed. Typewritten transcription of letters with copies and envelopes are produced.

Prerequisite: SS101

Accurate and efficient dictation and transcription skills for legal documents used in litigation, including complaints, answers, affidavits, summonses, verifications and judgments are developed. Envelopes are produced.

Prerequisite: SS201

Accurate and efficient dictation and transcription skills for nonlitigation documents including contracts, powers of attorney, wills, and real estate papers are developed.

Prerequisite: SS211

A discussion of the duties of a legal secretary through the utilization
of a simulated legal office. Preparation of inter-office
memoranda, appellate briefs, pleadings, contracts, wills, business
agreements, and legal business letters is included.

Prerequisite: SS131

This course develops legal vocabulary building for accurate and efficient dictation and transcription of legal correspondence, speeches and legal opinion memoranda.

Prerequisite: SS231

The development of accurate and efficient dictation and transcription of inter-office memoranda, appellate briefs, pleadings, contracts, wills, business agreements, and legal business letters is presented. Computer resources and Internet facilities are provided to students for use in course assignments and research.

Prerequisite: SS101

This course provides the student with an understanding of the responsibilities of the medical secretary in a health care providers office. Billing, insurance forms, appointment scheduling, and medical terminology are discussed. The terminology of disease, operations (surgery) and symptomatology is presented. The historical development of medical records and the functions of the professional association are discussed.

Prerequisite: SS101

This course provides the student with an understanding of the responsibilities of the financial secretary. The areas to be covered include customer relations, securities, stocks, bonds and other types of investments. The relationships among the various components of a financial institution, both national and international, are discussed in relation to the secretary's role. Buying and selling procedures and record keeping as applied to such areas as stock and commodity exchanges are presented. Legal considerations are discussed.

Prerequisite: SS204

This course will equip the students with the necessary knowledge and skills to accurately process patient insurance claims. This is a difficult task considering that insurance health plan options have rapidly expanded from the state and federal changes and modifications that have recently affected the health industry. Students will learn all the aspects of medical insurance, including plan options, and state and federal regulations. They will be able to enter important data to be selected from the medical chart, coding diagnoses and procedures, and in the end, accurately complete the claims. The students also will learn how to follow the payer requirement, collecting payments and manage past due bills.

Prerequisite: SS204

After the completion of this course, students will be able to follow the specific requirements of each health insurance plan and submit the proper documentation. Based on the patient diagnosis, they will achieve the maximum reimbursement, and provide the necessary cash flow to the medical office. During this course, students will learn and practice advanced ICD Coding skills, by using different coding software, such as Medisoft.  They will process claims from Medicare, Medicaid, Worker’s Compensation plans, and will also be able to properly manage the office accounts.  Students will practice with many case summary exercises, based on real patient records, and official ICD upgrades and changes covering new disease entities and diagnosis. At the end of this course students will be prepared for their internships and job placement, by completing their professional portfolios (Cover Letter, Resume, Certificates, Forms completed etc.)

Prerequisite: SS204 Medical Terminology

Billers and Coders are highly trained professionals, who interpret the information from the physicians, therapists, radiologists and report the data in code, so the insurance providers can process the claims and reimburse the medical practice. In this course students will learn the procedural coding, learning how to process the hospital forms and properly bill different providers. In the first part of this course students will learn about evaluation and management coding, anesthesia and surgical coding, pathology and radiology coding, medicine and medicine coding. Coding for specialized surgical procedures of different body systems will be an important part of this course.  In the second part of this course the students will learn and practice in hospital billing using the UN-04 form and different codes, occurrence codes and dates, types of Bill codes, etc. by practicing with the different procedural codes and the specific software, students will acquire billing and coding skills at the highest professional level.  At the end of each chapter, students will prepare various forms and complete different exercises that will be evaluated to assess their competencies.

HIPAA (Patient Privacy) and Electronic Health Records (HER)

Prerequisite: SS204 Medical Terminology

Electronic Health Records as a new field of expertise has already transformed the medical environment by improving management and preventing medical mistakes. This course will introduce the main features of specific software used in the industry (Spring Charts). Students will learn how to function in an administrative role within the clinic by utilizing several managerial features of the software, such as electronic patient scheduling, patient activity tracking, sending and receiving reminders, messages and e-mails. Students will also learn to utilize the electronic face sheet, order tests, document phone calls, create letters and patient correspondence for risk management, and import documents and images into the patient’s chart. In the last part of this course students will learn how to add a new diagnosis and prescribed drugs to the system database. They will create various reports from the patient, evaluate electronic charts, create statistical and management data, etc. At the end of the program, students will be trained and be able to apply their knowledge to a simulated medical office (Productivity Center), where they will work with electronic bulletin boards, send and receive electronic faxes,  access customized websites, archive patient records, and analyze the medical database.

Prerequisite:  SS300, SS305, SS306

This course is one of the most important professional courses in this program and will offer students a real opportunity to work in any medical environment as highly trained medical coders. In this course students will utilize the knowledge and the skills that they have acquired in the classroom and will provide a valuable job experience. This course will help students find a job in their field of expertise. During this course, students will practice with ICD 9/10 coding, CPT and hospital billing and coding. Students will practice in completing and transmitting different claim forms and will follow up with patient and provider claim settlements. During this course students will attend job preparation seminars and will attend review classes. This will prepare them for the AAPC National Certification Exam.