911 Programs Career Training Institute

To whom it may concern,  I have been in the hospital for the past 12 days and just now saw this complaint.  If I could please have 1-2 days to prepare a response it would be greatly appreciated.  I have read the complaint and there are many mistruths.  In fact the rest of her...

class all took and successfullly completed the NHA exam on their first attempt.  I respectfully request an extra one to two days to prepare a proper response.REspectfully,[redacted]

The Medical Coding and Billing curriculum at 911Programs CTI is designed in accordance with the National Health Career Association Standards and Guidelines and our program adheres strictly to these curriculum standards.  Similar to many colleges, certain classes are presented in seminar style in which the students may be in the same classroom with other health care students.  This is not an uncommon practice and in no way a program design flaw.  Nevertheless, to clarify the facts in this case, her class was only combined with EMTs, for two classes during module one:  Infection Control and Intro to Med Terminology—both of which do not differ for different disciplines. In other words, infection control is the same for everyone. The second module which was Anatomy and medical terminology was combined with the CMA students and taught by two nurses.  The Anatomy and Medical Terminology curriculum is the same for both CMA and Medical Billers.  It is in fact true that there was a back order on the Anatomy book, however the students were provided with the material and resources they needed to complete the module and all students were successful on the anatomy exam. The Instructor did not teach from the text, but from the power points and most certainly did not provide the answers to the exam.  The books, although late, were not a waste as they were still needed for ongoing study, coding, field work, the course ending final and National certification examination.The third module (Coding)---Classes were for Medical Coding Students only  -- no other disciplines were combined.The last module; Insurance and Billing consisted of 15 classes, only 4 of which were combined with the CMA class.  These 4 classes were combined because the material is the same for both disciplines and because the focus was on documentation, medical records and claims.  The medical assistants are often responsible for the documentation that is sent to the billers for processing, so it is advantageous for both disciplines to understand each other’s role so that they are more successful in the field.  During these 4 classes, they did in fact have different books, however the chapter content was the same and the power point presentations were derived from both texts combined. It is difficult to respond to the lengthy complaint against the Instructor for the Coding portion of the program because I was not in the classroom and to enter into a “He said, she said” would not be productive. What I have already shared with the complainant is that as part of our Instructor development, her concerns were shared with the instructor so that she is aware of her perception.   Due to the nature of the coding field, the classroom work and questions are designed to help guide the students into finding the answers on their own.   The Paper claim classwork was covered in detail for several reasons, Firstly, some of the classmates asked the instructor to spend more time on the forms in class. Secondly, practicing claim filing is not about whether you write it on paper or type it into the computer. The objective is to teach what information is important and the best way to record the information to minimize claim denials. Whether on paper or electronic, the objective remains the same.  Lastly, the 2012 Administration Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) part of HIPPA which mandated that health care claims be submitted electronically refers to mainly Medicare claims.  Many of the other Insurance companies are still using manual/paper claims. I would like to note that [redacted] has been the instructor since our second MCB class and the materials have not changed - Our pass rate since our very first MCB program on the NHA exam is in fact 86.7%. Only 2 students in our history did not pass on the first try—both passed on the second)—and one was from Class one--which had another instructor.  Our success rate is entirely attributed to the course material we have been providing, the teacher who has been teaching for the past several years, and our methodology which has not changed.  The national average pass rate so far this year is 65% and 911Programs is at 100%. The national average pass rate for 2017 was 74% and 911Programs was 100%.  Furthermore, all 4 testers from her class passed the NHA Certification examination the first time!!  Some of them have expressed gratitude to the program for an overall good experience and for preparing them for their success.  Although I can certainly appreciate that everyone has a right to their opinion and that not all personalities mesh, despite her recent complaints about teaching style, preparedness, organization, and methodology, we maintain the highest pass rate in the country—including those in her class.  [redacted] may be strict at times, but she got the job done.With regards to Company President not listening to her concerns during class time.  [redacted] had just received news of a serious Family Medical Emergency and was rushing to catch a flight to the Florida Hospital. He simply requested that the complaint be submitted in writing by email so that he would have a record of what exactly the issue(s) were and be able to respond to them while he was out of town.  In the absence of a one on one meeting, Email is the preferred method of communication as it creates a paper trail.Finally, the complainant has misunderstood the details regarding the NHA exam.  The instructions in the online classroom were all correct with the exception of the “test form” which had changed from “paper exam” to “online version” this semester. This very simple issue was immediately rectified once a student brought it to my attention.  The class agreed to a test date of Jan 9th because they did not want to wait, however, all students have the option to choose different dates if they need more time or have scheduling conflicts.  As the complainant stated, the students who registered for the NHA were all confirmed ONE WEEK in advance for the exam day of Jan 9th. Only the time slots were assigned the morning before.  The roster was posted at the school and left in a folder for the proctor.  Unfortunately, on the morning of the exam, the students were unable to test due to the NHA website being down.  The NHA felt it would be fixed in time for the next group, which is the real reason the afternoon group was not initially called to cancel.  The NHA exam delay was in no way an error on the part of 911Programs.    The girls that had reported for the exam were very aware of that as they were present when the NHA reported the downed site.  They were all very understanding and a new date was made for them without a problem.  The complainant was not present for testing.  Had she been should would know that the initial confusion on test day was related to the website issues and not the knowledge of the school receptionist.Please note that the complainant was provided with a payment plan to help her with tuition.  She defaulted on her agreement terms, but was allowed to continue to attend class based on the promise she made to meet her obligations.  At this time, she has been given all class materials, utilized class resources and has completed the entire program, including the course final exam.  On 12/29/17, she emailed some concerns and requested clarification for NHA registration, indicating her plan to complete the program.  I responded to this email in and addressed her concerns and also reminded her that financial obligations needed to be met prior to clearance for the NHA exam.  It was this balance reminder that prompted this change of plans and formal complaint.  At this time, she has paid just under 50% of her tuition.  She has expressed that she needs the money and has changed her mind and we empathize, however, she has already received the full service.   Pursuant to the refund policy, grievance policy and course completion policy, that have been signed by the complainant, she is not entitled to a refund of the tuition already paid as she has completed the course in its entirety with the exception of the NHA which she has not yet paid for.  She is also still obligated to complete her payment obligation to the school for tuition and resources.  We would be happy to work out a payment arrangement that would put less of a burden on her so that she can attend to other personal matters.In closing, we acknowledge that there were some bumps along the way due to transition of new staff and a back order on one set of books, but nevertheless, the class was provided with the material and resources needed to succeed.  Not only does our program adhere to the NHA curriculum standards, but we exceed it by providing additional Coding classes to meet the needs of a current market analysis. Although some of this additional training material is not seen on the NHA exam, it is still important in the field.   The mission of 911Programs is not to simply prepare our students for an exam, but to also  prepare them for employ.   I have attached the course contract and policy agreement signed by the complainant.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with any additional concerns, questions, clarifications or documentation.Sincerely,911Programs Administration  .