If you’re interested in getting a degree in medical coding, you should know how unique of a field you’re about to enter. This is a great career for anyone who is interested in the health care industry, but doesn’t necessarily want to work directly with patients. Medical coding specialists are extremely important to doctors, patients, hospitals and insurance companies because they are the ones responsible for translation complex medical terms into small, handy codes that insurance companies can use to determine claims.

As a medical billing and coding specialist (the career the program was designed for) you will need to understand medical records and it’s your responsibility to work with physicians to transcribe medical records into what’s called “coding classification” software, which would be used for insurance purposes later. The goal of these sorts of programs is to give you the fundamentals of coding and health information management and prepare you to take the certification exam for this position. While it’s possible to become certified without the degree, it can accelerate the process of getting a higher degree in health science or other health related fields down the road.

Within the program, there are some courses that you will be required to take. These classes will help you understand the proper medical terminology in order to write out descriptions of diseases, various injuries and procedures into clinical codes for claims processing with the insurance companies. The classes will also help you understand government regulations and communicating with health clinicians and billing offices, which would be especially important in today’s health care environment. Various courses include health data standards, health care statistics, coding and classification systems and pharmacology in addition to basic courses in anatomy and physiology.

Do I actually need to be certified?

With a degree in medical coding you will still need to become certified before becoming a specialist. Certifications have to come through nationally recognized organizations such as the AAPC or the American Health Information Management Association, both medical coding training and certification associations. The requirements vary but most require at least two years of experience. However, once you pursue the degree, you no longer require the experience.

Once you have both the certification and degree, you can begin looking at roles in the industry. Typically medical billing and coding specialists go on to work in physician offices, hospitals, clinics, billing companies or medical management organizations. The media salary is around $31,000 but there are many options far over that. For example, a certified professional coder at an outpatient hospital makes an average salary of around $56,000 and certified professional medical auditor can make nearly $60,000. In fact, 10% of those in the industry make over $50,000 per year. For more information on that check out the AAPC website.

There are a number of colleges and universities with medical billing and coding certificate programs, most of them are available online. Because of that fact, there are many lists available to help you find the very best in online programs. These rankings take into account several factors, including school reputation, student satisfaction, peer and teacher quality and overall affordability.

Because of this variety, several notable websites rank top online programs to help you find the right school and program for you. Among them is Kaplan University that has programs to help prepared professionals for careers in health care. Their medical billing and coding certification program will allow you to join the health care industry and be prepared for it. The University of Phoenix has health administration programs to support any educational and career needs for aspiring health professionals as well as those who are experience already and looking to take their career to the next level.

A few schools to consider…

Harrison College. Harrison College offers an Associate of Applied Science degree with a specialization in Medical Reimbursement Technology, which covers the same materials and course work as most medical billing and coding programs. This program is 96 hours long and gives students the basics of medical terminology through pathophysiology, anatomy and other courses in addition to the typical coding and billing procedures needed. Grantham University is completely online (versus other programs which do have a campus for you to go to if desired) and offers an Associate of Applied Science degree as well, but with a specific concentration in Medical Coding and Billing. Graduates from Grantham are directly prepared to take the AHIMA Certified Coding Associate exam, so you will not have to study for it later and you will have the skills you need to transition into the workforce and begin your career.

Ameritech College. Ameritech College also has the Associate of Applied Science with a concentration in Medical Billing and Coding, but takes a special interest in teach the technical skills needed to learn to bill and code efficiently and error-free. You will learn the legal consequences of your work and be thoroughly prepared to sit for national certification exams when finished. If you are looking for a shorter version, the Penn Foster Career School may be an option. The program allows you to take 11 courses in as little as seven months and receive a diploma in medical billing and coding, which can be used toward an associate degree in medical assisting and healthcare management.

The Ultimate Medical Academy. The Ultimate Medical Academy is a bit more unique because it offers two different medical billing and coding program options. The first option is a Diploma in Medical Billing and Coding, which can be completed in 10 months with the ability to sit for the Certified Professional Coder exam at the end. The second program is a bit deeper and will offer students the ability to get their associate degree in 18 months, while focusing on thoroughly preparing students for their certification exams.

The above programs are only a handful of the many programs taking advantage of a robust field looking for more students. If you are interested in learning more there are a variety of resources in the market today including the organizations who certify medical billing and coding associates (AAPC or AHIMA.)