TrustHCS Academy Graduates The First Class of Students to Supplement Growing Coder Deficit

Springfield, MO, July 17, 2013 -- The TrustHCS Academy has successfully graduated its first class of coding students. The growing deficit of coders needed to fill demand leading up to and looking beyond ICD-10 implementation was the driving force behind the TrustHCS Academy launch.

Over the past several years, the Health Information Management industry has endured a persistent 30% deficit in coding staffing relative to the need of the industry. The results of a recent industry study co-sponsored by the AHIMA Foundation and TrustHCS, indicate that the gap will continue to increase by an additional 23% as a result of the impact of ICD-10 implementation. In an effort to meet the increasing demand, TrustHCS created the TrustHCS Academy – a coder development program designed to prepare new coders to enter the field and increase the ICD-10 skills of seasoned coding professionals.

Coincidentally, the first cohort of students to participate in the TrustHCS Academy includes 50 international coders, employed by India-based, Veldos as well as a domestic cohort of coding students. The international graduates hope to sit for the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) certification exam at the earliest possible opportunity. The domestic cohort is actively working through the TrustHCS academy training.

“Because of the growing domestic shortage, international coders are in high demand. ICD-10 training, dual coding initiatives, EHR and CAC adoption are all projects that demand domestic coders’ time and energy. As a result, our clients are creatively examining alternatives. We are doing everything we can to help, including training coders halfway around the world.” stated Torrey Barnhouse, President of TrustHCS.

TrustHCS educated the international cohort in the same manner it educates many of its domestic students, utilizing on-site, instructor-led training workshops and on-line curriculum developed by Career Step. These workshops emphasize the fundamental coding guidelines, knowledge and skill-building associated with recognized Major Diagnostic Categories (MDC) and the biomedical building blocks of anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, pathophysiology and pharmacology.    This approach provided Veldos and other domestic coders the education they need to prepare for the increased demand created by expected coding productivity dips after October 1, 2014.

The TrustHCS Academy is available to the general public with education / development paths for all levels of students, including those with no coding or HIM background.