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Medical Billing and Coding Certificate
CPC-A, CPC-H-A, CPC-P-A
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Each time a patient is seen in health care setting a medical record is completed. This record includes the patients’ symptoms, radiographic and lab results, diagnoses, immunizations, medications prescribed and surgeries. Medical Billing and Coding Specialists are the office personnel who take this information and assign classified codes to each procedure and diagnosis. The codes are then used to bill the insurance provider or the patient properly. Other uses for the codes may be in tracing specific cancer diagnoses for treatment, survival and recovery rates, and geographic locations.
This occupation is one of the few in health care occupations in which there is no direct patient contact. Knowledge of medical terminology, principles of health information record systems, office procedures, indexes and classification systems, as well as, basic math are necessary to competently do this job. Computer proficiency, good communication skills, being detailed-oriented and accurate are also essentials for this career. Medical Billing and Coding Specialists usually work 40 hours a week in a variety of settings.
Certification can be achieved through American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or American Academy of Professional Codes (AAPC). With additional education a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist can go on to become a Registered Health Information Technologist (RHIT).
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| Medical Sciences Mission Statement: |
To provide allied health students with a personal and professional learning centered education.
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| Career Opportunities: |
Since 2002, more than 147,000 individuals were employed as Medical Coding Specialists and other health information professionals nationwide. Approximately 37 percent of the people in this field work in a hospital setting; more opportunities are developing in niche markets [such as insurance companies] as the need for superior data collection and management grows. This career category is projecting more than a 18 percent increase in job opportunities through 2016. Primary reasons for this increase are increased testing procedures and greater scrutiny from third-party payers and regulatory agencies.
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| Certification Information: |
Students who complete MTC’s Medical Billing and Coding certificate program are eligible to sit for the certification exam offered by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC, 2480 South 3850 West, Suite B, Salt Lake City, Utah 84120, 800-626-2633, www.aapc.com). Graduates typically pursue either the Certified Professional Coder Apprentice (CPC-A), or Certified Professional Coder-Hospital Apprentice (CPC-H-A), or Certified Professional Coder-Payer Apprentice (CPC-P-A). When the required coding work experience is met, the apprentice may apply for full certification.
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Learning Outcomes:
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MTC offers a three-term (full time) certificate program in Medical Billing and Coding. To see what graduates of this training will be ready to do click on the above link:
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| Career Pathway: |
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| Program Admission: |
To apply for acceptance into the Medical Billing and Coding Certificate program, click on the link above for requirements. |
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| To get started in this Medical Sciences Program, contact the MTC Office of Admissions for an appointment, by e-mail at enroll@mtc.edu or by phone at 740-389-4636, extension 334.. |
Marion Technical College
1467 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Marion, Ohio 43302
Phone: 740.389.4636
Fax: 740.389.6136
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