COC (Formerly CPC-H) study guide
COC (Formerly CPC-H) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Outpatient Coder (COC™) - the credential formerly known as CPC-H - is the outpatient hospital and facility coding certification offered by AAPC. It validates that a coder can assign ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes, CPT® procedure codes, and HCPCS Level II supply codes accurately for outpatient encounters such as same-day surgery, endoscopy, emergency department visits, observation services, and hospital-based clinic diagnostics and therapeutics, in compliance with official guidelines and payer requirements. The COC (Formerly CPC-H) study guide has 4 sections and about 1,295 words.
01Core Outpatient Coding Knowledge: ICD-10-CM, CPT®, and HCPCS Level II
Outpatient coding rests on three code sets working in sequence. ICD-10-CM supplies the diagnosis and the reason for the encounter; CPT® (Category I plus Category II and III) supplies procedures and services; HCPCS Level II supplies what CPT does not cover - drugs (J codes), supplies, C codes for OPPS reporting, G codes for specific Medicare services, and modifiers.
336 words, about 2 min02Outpatient Documentation and Compliance
In facility outpatient coding, you code from the hospital record - ED note, operative report, nursing notes, medication administration record, order sets - not from the physician’s professional claim. Facility coders assign diagnoses and facility visit levels; the physician’s office bills the professional side.
323 words, about 2 min03Facility-Based Outpatient Services: Same-Day Surgery, Endoscopy, ED, and Observation
These settings all bill on the UB-04 under OPPS, but the rules diverge quickly. Report procedures in CPT on the surgical revenue code, but remember OPPS packages many items into the primary procedure - routine supplies, recovery, and status-indicator-N drugs pay nothing separately.
302 words, about 2 min04Revenue Cycle and Reimbursement: Revenue Codes, APC Assignment, and Denial Prevention
A facility claim is a pairing exercise. Every line carries a four-digit revenue code describing what the hospital did (0450 ED, 0510 clinic, 0360 OR, 0490 ambulatory surgery, 0636 drugs, 0270/0271 supplies, 0275 implants, 0760 treatment room) plus the HCPCS or CPT that describes the service.
334 words, about 2 min