If you’re considering a career in medical coding, you may not need a college or university degree. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net Online, most medical records and health information specialists only have a high school diploma or equivalent. At the very least, many of these professionals have at least some real work experience in the field.
Four-year baccalaureate degrees and master’s degrees programs are offered by accredited and respected colleges and universities. These programs include a medical coding degree curriculum. These medical coding degrees are geared to professionals on a fast track to related higher paying positions other than medical coding, such as medical and health services managers, hospital coding managers and health information managers.
Most degreed medical coding professionals favor certification or associate degree programs over four-year degree programs.
What is a Registered Apprenticeship Program?
The Department of Labor (DOL) offers Registered Apprenticeship Programs geared to aspirants with a high school diploma or equivalent. Training for medical coding and related jobs are part of many of these State Programs. Note that most states have Apprenticeship Program websites. Aspirant apprentices should visit these websites for more program information.
What are Medical Coding Certificate Programs?
A Medical Coding Certificate Program is a vocational training program. The Certificate certifies a completion of study program typically offered by a state-supported vocational technical center, a community college continuing education program, as well as private schools. Medical Coding Certificate Programs usually won’t transfer as college credits.
Aspirants should look for a medical coding certificate program where the certification is legitimate and recognized by other health care professions. The right certification can carry as much weight in the job market as any other medical coding degree from a two- or four-year college.
The websites of independent non-governmental certifying organizations are good starting points in searching for the right certificate program. These certifying organizations include the:
- American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
- Professional Association of Healthcare Coding Specialists (PAHCS)
- American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC)
- Board of Medical Specialty Coding (BMSC) and
- National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA).
Types of Medical Coding Certificate Programs include:
- A Certified Coding Associate (CCA) certificate program offers the only Hospital Information Management (HIM) credential that is accredited worldwide by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). The NCCA sets standards to be met by organizations that offer certification programs. CCA certificates attest that recipients are competent in any health care setting including hospitals and physician practices.
- Recipients of Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) certificates typically work in a hospital setting only. They extract information from inpatient and outpatient records and assign codes according to each patient diagnosis and procedure. The coded information is then used primarily for billing insurance providers.
- Recipients of Certified Coding Specialist – Physician-based (CCS-P) certificates work primarily in a physician office setting. They are typically paid higher than medical coding professionals with CCA and CCS certificates. CCS-P recipients are certified in a wider range of medical coding languages such as ICD-9-CM, CPT and HCPCS Level II.
What are Two-Year Medical Coding Associate Degree Programs?
There can be a thin line between a Medical Coding Certificate program and a Two-Year Medical Coding Associate Degree Program. Health care professionals often place these two medical coding degrees on equal footing.
The online database at the website of the Commission on Accreditation for Health Information and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) is a good starting point in searching for an AHIMA-accredited Two-Year Associate Degree Program. For example, a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) Certificate is a type of AHIMA-accredited Two-Year Associate Degree Program.
What are Four-Year Bachelor’s Degree Programs for Medical Coders?
Medical coding degree aspirants can also use the CAHIIM database as a starting point in searching for AHIMA-accredited four-year bachelors degree programs. Some four-year colleges and universities offer medical coding as part of the curriculum for their Health Information Management and Health Information Technology baccalaureate degree programs. Four-year colleges offering these programs include the likes of Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh and Claremont College.
According to health information salary studies, medical coding technicians with four-year college degrees are more likely to advance their career paths beyond coding to become a higher paid health information manager or the equivalent.
Medical coding and other health care professionals can also use the CAHIIM database as a starting point in searching for AHIMA-accredited master’s degree programs.
About our expert. Jan Jacobs has worked in medical offices since the early 1980's. Ms. Jacobs has worked for M.D.'s and D.O.'s in primary care and specialty care. She is employed as a senior medical biller and has been at her current job for nearly 10 years, where she uses three different billing systems.
