About 20 years ago, medical coding was completely different. I don’t want to sound like a boomer, but honestly, technology has completely taken a huge shift to the way everything works. Medical coding has completely shifted to artificial intelligence. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for medical records and health information technicians (i.e., medical coders) is projected to grow 8 percent from 2019 to 2029 which is honestly, much faster than average. So if you are looking to get into the medical coding field, you are doing the right thing for your future self. Not only are there a large number of job openings in coding and billing, but many of these jobs are also fairly lucrative.
There is a technology that helps you straight away recognize and extract data from medical documents for coding and billing purposes. To excel in all these, there is necessary to ace exams accordingly. In this article, I have enlisted the top 10 programs that would help you ace the exams to become a certified medical coder. So what are we waiting for? Let us dive right in!
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Keiser University – Ft Lauderdale
The medical billing program offered by Keiser University is a medical language and classification system to accurately code medical diagnoses and procedures. It is a 60 credit program that also comes with a chance to four credit externships.
There is a need for pre-pre-requisite high diploma or GED. Keiser University is a private non-profit institute. The university has a graduation rate at 65 %. The program also gives work at military and on-the-job training. After completing this course you can take the American Academy of Professional Coders examination as an apprentice.
Founded In: 1977
Tuition: $45,354 (before aid)
ACT Avg– N/A
SAT Avg– N/A
Acceptance Rate: 100%
GPA: N/A
Rank: #1
Contact: (954) 776-4456
Financial Aid: Click here to get detailed information.
Apply for Admission
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
The Pennsylvania Institute of Technology ranks among offering the best medical billing and coding program. The course is completely online but there’s a catch, you have to complete an in-person internship at an approved site. Moreover it is a 62 credit program which comes with a paid internship opportunity.
It is a two year program where you can become a medical coding specialist. Another highlight of this program is it is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) so the credibility of this program is high.
Founded In: 1967
Tuition: $17,770 (before aid)
ACT Avg– N/A
SAT Avg– N/A
Acceptance Rate: 100%
GPA: 2.0
Rank: #2
Contact: (608) 822-3262
Financial Aid: Click here to get detailed information.
Apply for Admission
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Most of the medical coding programs do not cover the necessary topics like diagnostic and procedure coding, data management of electronic patient records, and revenue cycle management. The Minnesota State Community and Technical College offers a great extensive 65 credit program covering all the essential topics,
The students must submit their academic transcripts to the College. Moreover, if you are a distance learning student you can have many attractive financial aids offered by the college. medical terminology, pharmacology, computer applications, and anatomy and physiology need great expertise but in this program, you learn everything step by step right from scratch.
Founded In: 1953
Tuition: $21,435 (before aid)
ACT Avg– N/A
SAT Avg– N/A
Acceptance Rate: 100%
GPA: N/A
Rank: #3
Contact: (610) 892-1000
Financial Aid: Click here to get detailed information.
Apply for Admission
Northwest Technical College
The 60 credit program offers an excellent program on medical coding which is under the guidelines of the US healthcare system. Whether it is clinics, insurance companies, hospitals, or government agencies, you will straight up get a job right after you complete your program.
Northwest Technical College is a nonprofit private institution with really good funding for its infrastructure. Although they have a below-average graduation rate of 42%, the academic curriculum offered for medical coding is excellent in this program.
Founded In: 1965
Tuition: $18,914 (before aid)
ACT Avg– N/A
SAT Avg- N/A
Acceptance Rate: 100%
GPA: N/A
Rank: #4
Contact: (218) 333-6600
Financial Aid: Click here to get detailed information.
Apply for Admission
Minnesota State College Southeast
Located in Winona, Minnesota State College Southeast covers the essential topics in medical coding with more of a technical approach. The credits consist of 15 general education and 45 technical medical coding credits. Even the online students are having access to the same financial aid offered in on-campus classes.
Whether it is medical administration, communication, or business skills, everything is taught in a really simple way for all the students. The Minnesota State College Southeast offers the best hands-on experience program compared to all the programs offered by other colleges.
Founded In: 1949
Tuition: $20,740 (before aid)
ACT Avg– N/A
SAT Avg– N/A
Acceptance Rate: 100%
GPA: N/A
Rank: #5
Contact: (651) 385-6300
Financial Aid: Click here to get detailed information.
Apply for Admission
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
The online program offered by American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a highly credible program. The AHIMA has a total of 52 state organizations with more than one lakh members. This accredited organization offers a total of 8 certification programs.
All the certification programs offered by AHIMA are focused on medical records management, professional and facility coding, documentation improvement, and privacy and security. These streams are very much essential for a medical coder. This course is highly recommended.
Founded In: 1928
Tuition: $299 subscription (before aid)
ACT Avg– N/A
SAT Avg– N/A
Acceptance Rate: 100%
GPA: N/A
Rank: #6
Contact: (800) 335-5535
Financial Aid: N/A
Apply for Admission
Hutchinson Community College
Well if you are looking for a program that is completely under budget, this is the right course for you. Hutchinson Community College offers a budget-friendly medical coding program. For each credit, it costs $147, so roughly you can complete the whole program at just 5,220 dollars for a 45 credit program.
Anyway, to enroll in this program you must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for the final six semesters of high school. This program is fully accredited and will cover all the vital topics by giving you the necessary hands one experience.
Founded In: 1928
Tuition: $6,615 (before aid)
ACT Avg- N/A
SAT Avg– N/A
Acceptance Rate: 100%
GPA: N/A
Rank: #7
Contact: 620-727-2791
Financial Aid: Click here to get detailed information.
Apply for Admission
American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
Doing the medical coding program from a platform that is exclusively built for it has its pros. American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) is the best place where you can have a lot of variety. It is also highly credible to do your program on this platform as AAPC is the world’s largest healthcare training and credentialing organization, with 200,000 members.
If you are looking for a cheap certification you have to know that there will be no scope for it in the job market. Not only will you learn about medical coding and billing, but you will also get the opportunity for networking, mentorship, and online apprenticeship to provide practical experience.
Founded In: 1990
Tuition: N/A
ACT Avg– N/A
SAT Avg– N/A
Acceptance Rate: 100%
GPA: N/A
Rank: #8
Contact: 800-626-2633
Financial Aid: N/A
Apply for Admission
Florida A&M University
It is not easy for everyone to sit through months and complete a full fledged program. So don’t worry, you can take the self paced program sponsored by Florida A&M University. You can take the course at your own pace. There are many courses in this program here each of them won’t prolong to more than 15 weeks.
There are necessary courses for preparing you for the exams like American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Certified Coding Associate (CCA), the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), or Certified Professional Coder (CPC) national certification exams.
Founded In: 1887
Tuition: $23,433 (before aid)
ACT Avg– 23
SAT Avg- 1160
Acceptance Rate: 36%
GPA: 3.2
Rank: #9
Contact: (850) 599-3000
Financial Aid: Click here to get detailed information.
Apply for Admission
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Last but not least, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) offers the best remode certification program in the medical coding certification program. Credits earned from this program can be used for bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management, but only degrees offered at IUPUI.
The program may cost a total of 295 dollars per credit. If it is out of station tuition, it will be a bit higher. There are courses offered by IUPUI that are hybrid mode i.e. can be taken both online as well as on-campus. There are a plethora of future opportunities after completing this program.
Founded In: 1969
Tuition: $295 per credit hour (before aid)
ACT Avg– N/A
SAT Avg– N/A
Acceptance Rate: 81%
GPA: N/A
Rank: #10
Contact: (317) 274-5555
Financial Aid: Click here to get detailed information.
