Test Taking

Specialty Coding Professional and Advanced Coding Specialist Exams

All Advanced Coding Specialist exams are 4 hours long and the Specialty Coding Professional exams are 2.5 hours long. Both sets of exams are mainly scenario-based, meaning that you are given a variety of scenarios that ask you to code them as you would on the job. Our tests are objective, and may include a mix of fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions. In addition, all exams are “open book”, which means that you must bring the following items with you to the exam:

A photo-ID
Current ICD-9-CM book
Current CPT® book
Current HCPCS book

For Advanced Coding Specialist – Anesthesia (ACS-AN) candidates and Specialty Coding Professional - Anesthesia (SCP-AN) candidates, you are also allowed to bring the following:

ASA Crosswalk book. (Note: Only book versions of the Crosswalk are allowed – you will not be able to bring in any laptops or handheld devices with software on them).
ASA Relative Value Guide

For Advanced Coding Specialist - Evaluation and Management Auditing (ACS-EM) candidates, you will only need your CPT® book for the exam.

While sticky notes attached to, or writing inside of, any of the above books is allowed, loose leaf papers are not allowed. You may not share reference books with other test takers and extra copies of the above books will not be provided. Please bring extra writing utensils you may need. Scrap paper will be provided for candidates to use during the exam.

Certified Compliance Professional – Physician Exam

The CCP-P exam is a 2.5 hour long exam. This is an objective exam that contains a mix of multiple choice, true/false, matching and fill-in-the-blank questions. Our most successful candidates for the CCP-P examination have at least two or more years in a compliance environment. As well, they have a clear understanding of the following concepts as they apply to a compliance program:

Fraud and Abuse/Compliance terminology
Components of a Compliance Plan
Compliance Audits and Investigations
Types of Compliance Violations
Penalties
Advisory Opinions and Appeals Procedures

You must bring a photo ID to the exam.

Home Care Coding Specialist – Diagnosis Exam

The Home Care Coding Specialist exam is 2.5 hours long. It is a practical, scenario-based exam, meaning that you are given a variety of scenarios that ask you to code them as you would on the job. The HCS-D examination is multiple choice. It is an "open book" exam, which means you must bring the following with you to the exam:

A photo ID
Current ICD-9-CM book. DecisionHealth offers a comprehensive ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Coding Manual for Home Care Coding. This manual can be used when taking the HCS-D exam.

Home Care Clinical Specialist – OASIS

The Home Care Clinical Specialist exam is 2.5 hours long. It is a practical, scenario-based exam, meaning that you are given a variety of scenarios that ask you to answer the OASIS questions accordingly. The HCS-O examination is multiple choice. Whether taking your examination online or at an in-person conference, you should bring the following resources with you for use during the HCS-O examination attempt:

Wound Care Guidance: http://www.wocn.org/resource/resmgr/docs/guidanceoasis-c.pdf