Medical Billing and Coding Certificate

CONTACT

Wendi Tatro, 413.552.2236, wtatro@hcc.edu

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The purpose of this certificate is to provide students the opportunity to learn and practice in the field of Medical Billing & Coding as an entry into the field of Health Information Management. Students will have the opportunity to learn and practice medical billing and coding procedures in order to complete health insurance claims according to the requirements of the health insurance industry.
Upon completion of the certificate, students are prepared to work in physicians’ offices, long-term care facilities, insurance and billing departments, health information management departments, and hospitals.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

describe the field of electronic medical records
demonstrate a basic proficiency in anatomy and physiology to the extent required for medical billing coding and insurance personnel
be able to prepare billing and insurance documents and provide record quality control
practice medical billing and coding skills in an electronic environment
be able to dictate, transcribe, format, and edit various types of medical reports and correspondence
be proficient in the use of ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS & HCPCS Level 2 coding systems

Upon completion of their certificate, students will be eligible to sit for the following national exams:

Certified Billing & Coding Specialist (CBCS) Exam through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
Certified Coding Associate (CCA) Exam through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) Exam through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist (CHDS) Level 2 through the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI)
Certified Professional Biller (CPB) Exam through the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Exam through the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), for Apprentice status
National Certified Insurance & Coding Specialist (NCICS) Exam through the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT)
Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) Level 1 through the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI)

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: 26 CREDITS

HIM 106 - Electronic Health Records Credit(s): 3
HIM 108 - Health Care Documentation Credit(s): 1
HIM 220 - Diagnosis Coding Credit(s): 3
HIM 221 - Procedure Coding Credit(s): 3
HIM 288 - Medical Billing Cooperative Education Credit(s): 3
HMC 103 - Introduction to Healthcare Management Careers Credit(s): 2
HMC 104 - Health Insurance Reimbursement and Computerized Billing Credit(s): 4
HMC 107 - Human Anatomy, Physiology, & Disease Processes Credit(s): 4 ¹
HTH 114 - Medical Terminology Credit(s): 3

TOTAL: 26 CREDITS

NOTES

¹Students who have completed BIO 111 or BIO 217 -BIO 218 with a C or better within the last 7 years do not need to take HMC 107 .

Acceptance to the Medical Billing and Coding Certificate Program will be on a selective basis.

High school diploma, GED, or HiSET Equivalency Test
Fall acceptance only
Eligibility for ENG 101
Prospective students must file an application with the Admissions office.

Additional Information:

This program is offered through online classes only
There is a mandatory orientation for accepted students
This certificate is available to students who can take all required classes during the semester they are offered to complete the program in one year

(M043)