Internal Clinical Coding Audit Course
The Internal Clinical Coding Audit Course aims to primarily train the medical coder for the practice of internal clinical coding auditing.
It is a joint initiative of the Administração Central do Sistema de Saúde (ACSS) and the NOVA National School of Public Health (NOVA NSPH), coordinated by both institutions, and qualifies participants to perform internal clinical coding auditing in ICD-10-CM/PCS.
The next edition will take place from 15 to 18 June 2026.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the course, participants should be able to:
- Recognize the importance of clinical coding and internal auditing of clinical coding within each hospital institution and the health system, in various aspects;
- Understand the auditing process and the related normative framework both theoretically and practically;
- Use techniques to detect and correct non-conformities in clinical coding;
- Utilize tools to support internal clinical coding audits;
- Recognize and apply appropriate behavioral, communicative, and interpersonal skills for internal auditing;
- Understand the role of the medical auditor in ensuring and maintaining the quality of coded information;
- Assume the role of internal auditor in clinical coding, responding accurately and competently to the requirements and expectations involved.
OUR STUDENTS PROFILE
The Internal Audit of Clinical Coding Course is intended for applicants who simultaneously meet all the admission criteria listed below:
- Physicians holding a degree in Medicine and trained in ICD-10-CM/PCS who are not currently performing audit functions;
- A minimum of two years of continuous practice (with no interruptions longer than three months) as a clinical coder;
- Clinical coding of at least 2,000 inpatient episodes over the past 24 months;
- Clinical coding in three or more distinct inpatient medical specialties.
The above information must be verified through an Institutional Declaration specifying the length of service, the total coding volume performed, and confirming that the applicant is not engaged in Clinical Coding Audit activities.
COORDINATION
Vasco Ricoca Peixoto (NOVA NSPH) | Teresa Matias (ACSS)
COURSE SYLLABUS
- Importance and use of clinical coding and internal auditing;
- Fundamentals of internal auditing;
- Types of auditing in clinical coding and most common errors;
- SIMH Auditing;
- Behavioral components in internal clinical coding auditing.
- Course duration
- Less than 6 months
- Format
- In Person
- Language
- Portuguese
Full-time schedule
- Sessions
- Each student must provide their own access to computing devices (laptop or tablet) during the course sessions for use during the classes;
- The CCC evaluation includes intermediate assessments (online) and a final evaluation (in-person);
- A certificate will be awarded by ACSS and ENSP NOVA to participants who successfully complete the course;
- If a participant registers for more than one edition of the course, all registrations will be canceled;
- If necessary, the course dates may be revised due to unforeseen circumstances;
- At the end of the course, the satisfaction level of participants will be evaluated using the ENSP NOVA quality assessment system.
For more information:
Course Secretariat: ccclinica@ensp.unl.pt
Clinical Coding ACSS: codificacaoclinica@acss.min-saude.pt
Consult
REGISTRATIONS
- Registration is done exclusively through an online form, available only during the registration period;
- To register for institutional slots, as mentioned in the letter above, each institution must request the registration link by emailing ccclinica@ensp.unl.pt during the specified period;
- If, after the designated time for registration opening, you cannot see the form, please refresh your browser. The form is optimized for the latest versions of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox;
- Registrations are subject to validation of the submitted details and the corresponding payment;
- Validated registrations will be notified within 5 business days after receiving the payment proof. Unvalidated registrations will be deleted.
Selection
- Each edition runs with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 17 participants;
- In the first phase, only institutional registrations are accepted, following the distribution made by ACSS and communicated by official letter;
- The distribution of institutional spots is done according to the order of request for the registration link;
- In the second phase, registrations are accepted from all interested parties who meet the admission criteria, up to the available vacancies limit (9 regular spots and 5 supplementary spots);
- In the second phase, candidates who meet the admission criteria will be selected in the order of their registration.
Any questions?
Contact us for more information