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Becoming A Nationally Certified Medical
Coder Ain't Rocket Science But It Sure Feels That Way When You Don't Know...
<---Click the links to the left for CCS, CPC, CCA, RHIT, RHIA Practice Exams, Refresher Courses, HIPAA & Medicare Guides <-----
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 Which medical coding exam is right for you (CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CCS, CCS-P, CCA, RHIA or RHIT)
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Which medical coding certification organization you'll take your exam through (AHIMA or AAPC)
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What the eligibility requirements are for the exam you choose
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What coding exam prep books, practice exam, practice videos, coding refresher courses and study guides you should use
before taking an exam
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How the exam you choose is structured, it's length and most importantly the time limitations for each part of the exam
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How to correctly register for the coding exam you choose
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What the cost is for the coding exam you choose
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What your rights are as a test taker
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What you must have with you on exam day
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What the minimum passing score is for the exam you choose
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Where to go online to find your local medical coding exam location
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How to verify the exact time and date of your exam
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We feel your excitement and frustrations
because we've been there ourselves! This website and all the links to your left gives you a one stop location to find
all the medical coding exam advice, prep books & study guides you'll ever need to pass whichever exam you register
for the Very First Time!Did You Know There Are 2 Main Classifications Of Medical Coders? Medical coding in it's
simplest form is usually broken down into 2 categories that directly correlate to a medical coder's workplace! 1) Solo
practices, group practices, clinics, outpatient surgery centers, emergency departments, etc. (outpatient) 2) Hospitals
(inpatient) For Example:a) If you want to work in a doctors office or anywhere a patient is seen
and released then you should be seeking to take the CPC or CCS-P medical coding exam. b) If you are looking to work
in a hospital where patients are seen and admitted to the facility for treatment then you should be seeking to take the CCS
or CPC-H medical coding exam. For those that Do Not Know there are several medical certification coding exams
that one can sit for. On top of that there are also several specialized medical certification coding exams that can be taken. For
new potential coders I will not waste your valuable time discussing anything beyond the CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CCS, CCS-P &
CCA coding exams.
However, for good measure I have also included RHIA or RHIT medical coding
exam advice but since these credentials require college degrees (AA or BS) in Healthcare Information Management before being
allowed to sit for either exam I only touch on them briefly so let's move on to...
Who Are The Credentialing Organizations That Govern Over The Medical Coding Exams?
In
the United States there are two well known and highly regarded medical coding exam and credentialing organizations:
Which Medical Coding Exam Credentialing
Organization Should You Register With?
I promised not to waste your time so I am not going to tell you
exactly how long either org has been in existence, which one has the most members, why and who created each org and other
stats that Do Not Directly Affect The Actual Taking Of One Of The Offered Coding Certification Exams.
While
either org is a good choice I can say from real world experience that as of August 2010 you're better off registering with...
AHIMA
Why? Well let me ask you a question, “There are several reasons why you want to become a certified medical coder but
the reality is you want a career that is in a stable field and pays you well. RIGHT”? That being said here are the top
two reasons why AHIMA is the way to go based on your answer to the question above:
1) AHIMA offers the most nationally recognized coding certifications in the US so getting a job with their credentials
will not be an issue (As crazy as it may sound there are several places I have visited in the nation where the doctors
and administrator's of practices/hospitals Are Not Aware the credentials offered by the AAPC even exist)
2) AHIMA certifications get paid higher salaries
Look I'm not being biased here! The AAPC and AHIMA are both
great orgs and the AAPC is becoming more and more well known in the marketplace so as their membership grows there will be
very little difference between the two.
The Bottom Line Is: The type of place you expect to work at
(office or hospital) and what certifications those employers in your state are seeking to fill those positions (look in your
local paper or check online through careerbuilder.com, hotjobs.com, monster.com, etc.) is what will ultimately lead you to
pick between the AAPC or AHIMA.
Now you're crystal clear on how to chose which medical coding certification org
to go with lets look at...
What
Medical Coding Certifications Do AHIMA & the AAPC Offer?
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AHIMA
CCS
Certified Coding
Specialist
CCS-P
Certified Coding Specialist - Physician Based
CCA
Certified Coding Associate
RHIA
Registered
Health Information Administrator
(4 year college degree then sit for exam)
RHIT
Registered Health Information
Technician
(2 year college degree then sit for exam)
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AAPC
CPC
Certified Professional Coder
CPC-H
Certified
Professional Coder – Hospital
CPC-P
Certified Professional Coder - Payer
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Now that you know exactly which medical coding exams can be taken and which medical coding organizations governs over
them...
Let's Take A Look At Each Medical
Coding Exam Individually:
If you already know which exam you are going to take then click the corresponding
link below for in-depth coding exam advice and details. If you have no idea as to which coding certification exam you
want to take or if you'd just like to read up on the current exam requirements then browse the links below at your leisure:
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