How Important is Certification?

Well, it all depends on you, your portfolio, your goals and what the employer want! If you find that you never had any problems landing good jobs and employers aren't asking for documentation of your skills, then very likely you are doing well and you don't need to be certified, at least for now. However, if you are constantly faced with the "sorry, not enough experience," or "can you show me examples of your work along with your credentials" during your interviews, then very likely you will fare better with adding important industry recognized certifications to your portfolio.

While there are no certification requirements by the State, many employers of medical coders and medical billers prefer to hire credentialed staff. A number of organizations offer credentials typically based on passing a certification exam. Most certification providers require regular recertification and continuing education to maintain the credential.

Medical Coding and Billing Certification Providers

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) offers credentialing as a Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT). To obtain the RHIT credential, an individual must graduate from a 2-year associate degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) and pass an AHIMA-administered written examination. In 2008, there were more than 200 CAHIIM-accredited health information technology colleges and universities programs.

The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) offers coding credentials. The Board of Medical Specialty Coding (BMSC) and Professional Association of Health care Coding Specialists (PAHCS) both offer credentialing in specialty coding. The National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) offers a credential as a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR). To learn more about the credentials available and their specific requirements, contact the credentialing organization.

Most medical coding graduates today elect to become certified. When an approved independent entity certifies that a person has the necessary knowledge to do a job and attests in writing that this individual fulfils the requirements of the respective industry standards, it creates trust with employers and the general public.

Certification Is Required for this Position

A job offer we saw on USAJOBS.com for a full time position that will pay $33,804.00 - $48,983.00 per year specifically states: Certification is required for this position.

REASONS...

You may already have noticed it... when doctors, recruiters, and hiring managers evaluate their applicants the first thing they want to know is what are this person's qualifications? What skills does this candidate bring to the table? Will he/she fit in well, and provide the solutions we need to benefit the business? Therefore, many specifically ask for documented proof of qualifications, and skills, which comes through recognized certification. The below Medical Billing home-study course offers nationally recognized certifications for their medical billing program graduates.