Surgical coding first, at full depth, then CPC exam preparation — so you finish with a credential and a demonstrable specialty, in the order that makes both work.
Surgery is the heaviest-weighted section of the CPC exam, the section candidates run out of time in, and the single skill coding employers say they cannot hire enough of.
So it is strange that most CPC courses treat it as one module among eight.
This program inverts that. You learn surgical coding properly first — specialty by specialty, from real operative reports, with the global package and modifier rules worked until they are automatic. Then you go into CPC exam preparation, where the largest and hardest part of the paper is already familiar and what remains is speed, recall and the sections you have not yet covered.
The effect is compound. Your CPC preparation is more productive because surgery is behind you. And you finish with something most newly certified coders do not have: a credential and a demonstrable specialty, in the specialty employers are shortest of.
Two things in one sequence, cheaper than taking them apart, and in the order that actually makes both work.
AAPC CPC — the Certified Professional Coder credential, awarded by AAPC, the largest coding credentialing body in the United States. It is a physician-side, outpatient credential covering CPT for procedures and services, HCPCS Level II for supplies and drugs, and ICD-10-CM for diagnoses, together with guidelines, compliance and payment fundamentals. It is the credential named most often in Indian medical coding job listings, and for most entry-level applications it is the filter your CV has to pass.
Surgical coding competency — the ability to read an operative report and extract the complete, defensible code set from it: every separately reportable procedure, the correct modifiers, and the diagnosis linkage that supports medical necessity. This is a distinct skill built on anatomy, CPT surgery rules and careful reading, and it does not come from general coding practice.
About the apprentice designation. Pass the CPC exam without qualifying experience and AAPC awards the credential with an -A suffix: CPC-A. AAPC's published removal pathways are two employer letters verifying at least two years of on-the-job coding experience, or proof of 80 contact hours of a coding preparation course plus one employer letter verifying one year. This program is designed to be documentable against the 80-hour route, and we cover the plan from day one rather than letting you discover it at your first interview.
By the end of this program you will be able to:
At Codeshift Healthcare Solutions, our Surgery Coding & CPC Training Program is designed to build strong expertise in CPT surgery coding, surgical guidelines, and comprehensive CPC certification examination preparation.
This program covers the full topic lists of both the Surgery Coding program and the CPC Certification Training program.
Source: AAPC. Verify current details at aapc.com before registering.
| Awarding body | AAPC |
|---|---|
| Format | 100 multiple-choice questions, proctored (AAPC's standard format for most certification exams) |
| Time allowed | 4 hours |
| Passing score | 70% or higher |
| Exam fee | Approximately US $425 for one attempt / US $499 for two attempts — verify current pricing with AAPC |
| Membership | Current AAPC membership required to sit the exam and to maintain the credential |
| Book policy | Open code book |
| Code books | AMA CPT Professional Edition, HCPCS Level II, and ICD-10-CM — current-year editions. Officially published errata permitted. |
| Apprentice removal | Two employer letters verifying 2 years of experience, or proof of 80 contact hours of a coding preparation course plus one employer letter verifying 1 year |
| Recertification | 36 CEUs submitted every two years, plus current AAPC membership |
| Course name | Surgery Coding + CPC |
|---|---|
| Credential targeted | AAPC Certified Professional Coder (CPC) |
| Additional outcome | Multi-specialty surgical coding competency |
| Duration | 60 Days suggested — 30 Surgery + 30 CPC |
| Mode | Online & Classroom (Chennai) |
| Languages | English / Tamil |
| Course kit | CPT Professional, HCPCS Level II, ICD-10-CM |
| Specialties covered | Orthopaedics · General surgery · Digestive · OB/GYN · Urology · ENT · Cardiovascular · Neurosurgery · Ophthalmology |
| Assessments | Module tests, operative report exercises, timed drills, full-length mock exams |
| Prerequisite | None formally; BMCT or equivalent foundation recommended |
| Certificate | Codeshift course completion certificate |
| Placement support | Resume building, mock interviews, hiring-partner referrals |
| Post-course support | Lifetime guideline updates, CEU and recertification guidance |
Anyone can sell you a surgery course and a CPC course. Running surgery first, at full depth, is what makes the CPC phase efficient — and it is the opposite of how these are normally sequenced.
A newly certified CPC with no specialty is one of a very large number of applicants. A newly certified CPC who can code an orthopaedic operative report and defend the modifier choice in writing is not.
Not a module. Not a week. Five weeks, specialty by specialty, from real documents, with written rationale required.
Most institutes let students find out what the apprentice suffix means at their first interview. We build the removal roadmap into the course and document contact hours for the 80-hour pathway.
Sixty continuous days is more efficient for us to run than two separate enrolments, and the pricing reflects that.
Because surgery is the largest and hardest part of the CPC paper, and a single module cannot build it. Teaching it first at full depth means the exam phase is revision and speed work rather than first exposure — and it means you leave with a specialty, not just a certificate.
Formally yes, but if you have no medical or life-science background the first week will be steep. BMCT first, then this, is the sequence we usually recommend. Talk to us and we will give you a straight assessment.
It costs less, takes fewer total days, and the CPC phase is more productive because the surgery work is already done. Separately is only better if your schedule forces a gap between them.
No. The exam is booked and paid separately with AAPC and it is your decision. Most students on this program do sit it, usually within a few weeks of finishing while preparation is fresh.
The -A marks you as an apprentice, awarded when you pass without qualifying experience. AAPC's removal pathways are two employer letters verifying two years of experience, or proof of 80 contact hours of a coding preparation course plus one employer letter verifying one year. We cover the plan from day one.
Yes, to sit the exam and to maintain the credential. It is paid to AAPC separately from your course fee.
Yes
AAPC sells exam access as one-attempt or two-attempt packages, so buying two attempts up front is worth considering.
Yes, run as one sequence.
No. AAPC and AHIMA fees are paid directly to those organisations.
Same syllabus, same assessments. Classroom in Chennai; online live, not pre-recorded.
Guideline updates, CEU guidance, recertification reminders and alumni network access — indefinitely, at no additional charge.
Read what Codeshift students have written about their training on Google, or watch our classes on YouTube.
Every course has a defined next step. Here is where you are, and what comes next.
Tell us your background and where you want to work. We will give you a straight assessment of which course fits — even when the answer is a different one.