Medical coding is the mirror-opposite of cracking a secret code -- medical coders take regular information and transform it into a slew of numbers and letters a computer system will recognize. This information is archived for medical and insurance purposes, creating a virtual paper trail. The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education accredits hundreds of technical colleges and community colleges across the country that offer classes in medical coding.
Getting In
Most courses in medical coding, which is also known as medical billing or medical records, are taught at the short-term certificate or two-year associate degree level at community colleges and technical schools. Each school may have its own requirements. Atlanta Technical College, for example, requires applicants to be at least 16 years old and to have a high school diploma or GED. Students applying to the program at Florida Community College must have already taken courses in human anatomy and physiology, medical terminology and health insurance billing, plus have a high school diploma or GED.
Cracking the Code
The most important part of a medical coding education is to learn the intricate language of the computer codes used to relay insurance and medical information. While all the schools teach these courses, they break them up slightly differently or call them by different names. Atlanta Technical College calls these courses ICD-9 Coding and ICD-9-CM Coding; there's also a class in physician's procedural coding. Coding courses at Florida Community College include ICD-9-CM coding with a lab and CPT-4 coding with a lab.
Health Essentials
While medical coders almost never interact with patients, certificate and degree programs include an introduction to the health and medical industry to help round out a coder's education. At Atlanta Technical College, students take anatomy and physiology and medical terminology for allied health sciences. Florida Community College's course list includes health law, health care delivery systems, pathophysiology and health insurance billing. Moraine Valley Community College teaches students about insurance reimbursement procedures.
General Topics
Although general core classes are more usually found in a bachelor's degree program, some programs include them to help their students succeed. Atlanta Technical College's schedule includes classes on fundamentals of English and document processing. In Moraine Valley Community College's short certificate program, students take courses in keyboarding and computers in allied health.
Tags: Community College, Atlanta Technical, Atlanta Technical College, Technical College, Florida Community
