| Education Required |  | Certified medical coders are trained in the anatomy and physiology of the human body and disease processes in order to understand the etiology, pathology, symptoms, signs, diagnostic studies, treatment modalities, and prognosis of diseases and procedures to be coded.
Coders may choose to receive an associate or bachelor's degree in health information management offered at over 200 colleges and universities across the country. Some educational institutions also offer a coding certificate program. The American Health Information Management Association, in seeking to approve high-quality coding instruction, has developed a process by which organizations involved with coding education can be peer reviewed against a minimum set of criteria for comprehensive medical coding training. This process allows academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and private companies, among others to be acknowledged as offering an AHIMA approved coding education model. |
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| Recommended High School Courses | | Computers and Electronics, Biology |
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| Postsecondary Instructional Programs | | English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, Clerical |
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| Certification and Licensing | | Certification in coding results in the following credentials: Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), and
Certified Coding Specialist-Physician-based (CCS-P).
According to the AHIMA Candidate Handbook for CCA, to be eligible to sit for the CCA examination, candidates must have earned a high school diploma from a U.S. high school, or have an equivalent background. Although not required, it is strongly recommended that candidates have at least six months experience in a healthcare organization applying ICD-9-CM and CPT coding conventions and guidelines, or have completed either an HIMA- approved coding certificate program or other formal coding training program.
According to the AHIMA Candidate Handbook for CCS and CCS - P, to be eligible to sit for the CCS exam, candidates must have earned a high school diploma from a U. S. high school or have an equivalent educational background. Although not required, it is strongly recommended that candidates have experience in hospital inpatient (ICD-9-CM) and ambulatory care (ICD-9-CM and CPT) medical record coding. Results of previous examinations suggest that those with three or more years of related coding experience are more likely to pass.
It is strongly recommended that candidates for the CCS-P have experience in physician-based ICD-9-CM, CPT, and HCPCS Level II medical record coding. Past experience has shown that those with three or more years of multispecialty physician-based coding experience are more likely to pass. |
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