Medical coding is one of those professions which do not require any certifications to start a career. If you are a graduate and have a keen interest in learning new things you can become a medical coder. Medical coding companies in Hyderabad like Avontix provide excellent opportunities to young graduates to shine in their career. Once you join a company and start your career, to see maximum growth, it is advisable to add some coding credentials to your resume either from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC). Professionals who have the medical coding credentials can increase their chances of growth and see a rise in their pay.
The American Association of Professional Coders and the American Health Information Management Association are two top organizations that conduct examinations and grant certifications to eligible candidates in the field of medical coding and medical billing.
AAPC: This organization is the one of the largest organization of the professional medical coders that offers various coding certifications in the general and specialty subjects. For a fresher in the medical coding jobs, general certification like the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) is the best one to start with. Other than this, there are other credentials like Certified Outpatient Coding (COC), Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC), and Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC). Apart from these general certifications, there are many specialty coding certifications that enable medical coders to showcase their superior levels of expertise in certain specialty disciplines. These specialty credentials are for those people in medical coding jobs who have gained certain years of extensive coding experience in a specialty field. For any of these credentials membership with the association is needed and even after completing the examination, the medical coders have to renew the membership and to authenticate the credentials 36 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) must be submitted every two years.
AHIMA: This is another large organization that provides many billing and coding certifications. These certifications are set and managed by the Commission on Certification for Health Informatics and Information Management (CCHIIM). For these certifications, membership with AHIMA is not required. However, AHIMA mandates that the certified professionals need to complete 20 Continuing Education Units every two years to keep their certifications valid. Some of the certifications given by AHIMA are Certified Coding Specialist – Physician-based (CCS-P), Certified Coding Associate (CCA), and Certified Coding Specialist (CCS). Apart from the coding certifications, AHIMA also offers certifications in the areas of health administration and HIM.
On any day certifications will give you an added advantage and boost your career. To enjoy the profession as a medical coder and reach great heights in the career choose Avontix, one of the best medical coding companies in Hyderabad.