Medical coders receive training in a couple of ways.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is common for medical coding technicians to have an associate degree, specifically in medical coding. Interestingly, however, all of the certifications for medical coding don't require you to have a medical coding degree. Some of them recommend that you take their training courses to prepare for their certification exam.
Certifying Bodies
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are several organizations that offer certification programs for medical coders. These include the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), the Board of Medical Specialty Coding (BMSC), the Professional Association of Healthcare Coding Specialists (PAHCS) and the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA). Training for these certifications varies based on what the organization recommends.
Training Through Organizations
The AAPC, the PAHCS and the NCRA all recommend that you use their medical coding training products. The AAPC has the most extensive offerings with both online and classroom courses as well as ones specifically to prepare for their certification exam. To attain their medical coder credential, they also recommend that you take courses in medical terminology and anatomy and their preparation course. They also recommend that you use their study guide, workbook and review class according to AAPC. The last part of the training for this certification is a practice exam.
Medical Coding Degree
Though only the AHIMA and NCRA certifications require an associate degree, these programs may help train you for any medical coding certification. These programs are generally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), and typically last two years. They cover many of the things that you would learn in a review course for certification, but may provide you with a firmer base in medical coding.
Example Program
Camden County College provides a good example of a CAHIM accredited medical coding program. This two-year program requires you to complete 67 credits. Courses include general studies like English composition and statistics, but most of them are ones related to medical coding, according to Camden County College. You must take introduction to health information, medical terminology, healthcare reimbursement, basic pharmacology and pathophysiology and advanced ambulatory coding. The program also includes technical and professional practice experience.
Examination Content
One of the main purposes of all of the training options is to prepare you for a certification exam. As such, they include topics that you would see on the certification exam. Examinations, such as the one given through AHIMA, cover overall domains like health data management to health statistics, biomedical research and quality management, health services organization delivery, and information technology and systems. The AAPC exam covers topics from anesthesia to radiology and from the endocrine system to basic medical terminology.
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