Date Posted: Friday,
September 01, 2006
Sponsored By:
We had an excellent response to our survey with 642 readers taking the time to answer our questions. We offered two $50 gift cards to Target to the participants and we are pleased to announce those two winners.
Winner 1 - Francine Acevedo
Winner 2 - Sherri Foote
1. Which organizations do you currently belong to?
AAPC - 75%
AHIMA - 10%
HMBA - .1%
PMI - 1%
MAB - .7%
PAHCS - 1.2%
Other - (please specify) - 12% (including MGMA, AAMA, AAMT and no memberships held)
12% belong to 2 organizations, 2% to 3 organizations, 1% to 4 or more organizations
2. What accreditations (if any) do you hold?
CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P - 79%
CCS, RHIT, RHIA, CCA, CCS-P, CHP, CHPS, CHS - 6%
CMC, CMIS, CMOM - 3%
CHBME, HCFA - 0
CMBS, CMBSI - 1%
CMSCS - 0
Other - (please specify) - 11% (including CPN, PMCC, Compliance Officer, MD, LPN and no accreditations)
15% have 2 accreditations and only 5 respondents have 3 or more accreditations
3. What methods have you used in the past to obtain your CEU requirements? (Please select all that apply)
Conference/workshops - 66%*
Association meetings - 40%*
Webinars - 22%*
Magazine pullouts - 33%*
Online presentations - 24%*
Other - (please specify) - 7%* (including coding scenarios, subscriptions, purchasing reference materials, conducting classes)
4. Which is your preferred method in obtaining CEU's?
Conference/workshops - 53%*
Association meetings - 28%*
Webinars - 14%*
Magazine pullouts - 11%*
Online presentations - 14%*
Other - (please specify) - 2%* (including conducting classes, purchasing reference materials)
5. How much do you spend annually on obtaining your CEU's?
Less than $200 - 34%
$201 - $350 - 29%
$351 - $500 - 13%
More than $501 - 24%
6. How long do you take to complete your annual requirements?
1-3 months - 19%
4-6 months - 15%
7-9 months - 28%
10-12 months - 38%
Note*: Respondents selected multiple options
7. Please leave any general comments you have regarding CEU's:
Below is just a few of the comments we received. Please email editorial@billing-coding.com for a full list.
'Most seminars are too expensive for the average coder to pay for out of pocket. I usually choose meetings that are less costly.
Employers still do not know the importance of certification in coding and how expensive it is to maintain this credential
'I love IMA Consulting for obtaining CEU's. 1st time user and thought it was an excellent challenge
'I do love the conferences. A great way to network.
'Often employers do not give all coding staff monies to spend for CEU. CEU's at chapter meetings are usually free. If I spend money for a conference I try to get the most for my dollar.
'I would like to try on-line CEU opportunities in the near future. Cost is a major factor and since we have 3 CPCs in the office, having the ability to allow more than one attendee for the same price as one is very attractive. Not having to leave the office to obtain the CEUs is also a big plus.
'I'm glad the on-line CEUs are affordable -- especially with clinics cutting back education expenses because of budgetary restraints.
I enjoy doing things in my own home, however the seminars can be interesting.
Since I have two certificates/licenses for which to earn CEU's, it is important for me to have lots of sources to choose from.
'Coding CEU's are the most expensive, outrageous cost of any license renewal I ever seen. I am a RN, I might lose my CPC license because I refuse to pay so much money for CEUs...
'I am limited in attending conferences and workshops because most are out of town and very expensive for a small billing service
'Length of time just depends on when I do things. I get the majority of my CEU's at the national conference with in a weeks time then may not get another one for months.