Medical coding and billing is the process of translating the information from patient records–such as treatments, procedures, and diagnoses–into the standardized numeric codes used to bill patients and third-party payers like insurance companies and Medicare.

There are two distinct and important roles within medical coding:

• Inpatient Coders work with the records of those patients who are admitted to the hospital.
• Outpatient Coders focus on records of patients who were not admitted for an overnight stay to a hospital.

With the Career Step training programs you can be prepared for both of these specialties and be eligible for positions in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, medical labs, insurance companies, and a variety of other healthcare facilities. There are also limited opportunities to work from home for experienced professionals.

The U.S. Department of Labor released a 2010-2011 report on the medical records and health information technology field, which encompasses both outpatient and inpatient medical coding and billing. The report predicts:

• A growing job market as industry employment is projected to grow by 20% from 2008 to 2018. In addition to these new jobs, there will also be open positions as people retire or leave the profession.
• A high demand for coding services, sustained by an aging population and the increasing number of tests, treatments, and procedures.

In addition to the industry's growth, a recent American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) study found that over half of coding employers had open positions in the previous year.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report–encompassing both inpatient and outpatient medical coders and billers–states that the middle 50% of professionals in the field earn between $24,290 and $39,490 a year. However, it is important to remember that as you gain credentials and experience, your earning capacity increases. Industry organizations have published the following average salary information.

American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
This recent survey reports the average coder salaries by credentials offered by AHIMA. Career Step graduates are eligible to sit for the CCA credential directly after graduation, and CCA certified coders have a reported annual salary of $36,893. Career Step graduates will also have the theoretical background necessary for the CCS credential (AHIMA recommends 2 years of work experience before taking this exam), and coders with the CCS credential have a reported annual salary of $57,872. This study also reports that nearly 3 out of 4 coders surveyed received a salary increase in the previous 12 months.

American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
This recent survey looks specifically at outpatient coding and reports that entry-level outpatient coders earn $30,600 annually, while coders who have earned the CPC credential (which Career Step graduates are eligible to sit for directly after graduation) earn an average of $43,100 annually.

The Career Step courses are specifically designed to prepare students for national, entry-level coding certification exams, even though certification is not required as a prerequisite by all employers. The exams most commonly taken directly after graduation by Career Step graduates are the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam offered by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) exam offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

Although graduation from the Career Step Medical Coding and Billing training program does not automatically award you a coding credential, the course is specifically designed to help you gain the foundation and skills you need to earn the appropriate credentials–in a recent Career Step survey, 90% of respondents who had taken a certification exam after graduation from Career Step's training programs reported passing the exam and earning their credential.

Career Step graduates are also prepared for the Certified Professional Coder – Hospital (CPC-H) exam and have the theoretical background necessary for the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) exam, although AHIMA recommends that candidates for this exam have at least 2 years of work experience.

Career Step has been offering quality healthcare documentation education for almost 20 years and offers comprehensive training programs that thoroughly prepare students for medical coding and billing careers. The online training format allows you to study at your own pace and on a schedule that fits your busy lifestyle. With Career Step you know you're getting the right education; personal, on-going support; and the resources and guidance you need to turn your education into a job.

You must possess a high school diploma or GED and be at least 18 years of age. There are no specific skills or experience that are considered prerequisites for entry into the Career Step training program.

Career Step is currently pursuing national accreditation.

The Career Step programs are offered entirely online, providing 24/7 access to all material and allowing you to progress through the curriculum on your own schedule and at your own pace. The programs are broken into modules, or course subjects, and the first half is devoted to building your knowledge base while the second half is designed to help you gain the practical experience you need to smoothly transition to the workplace after graduation.

To learn more about the individual modules within the programs, please visit our Program Overview page.

Career Step student support includes access to:

• Student Support Advisors who have professional experience in the industry and are uniquely qualified to answer questions about both the curriculum and the industry. They provide timely answers to questions about the program material and offer a number of personal consultations throughout the training to help students master important concepts.
• Technical Support Advisors who are knowledgeable, experienced, and available six days a week to help you work through any technical or computer issues encountered within the training program.
• Though the course is entirely online, you'll never be on your own. Career Step's student support team will always be there to offer personal, on-going support all the way through the training program.

The Career Step Medical Coding and Billing training courses are estimated at 640 completion hours. Since the programs are completely self-paced and the online training format allows you the flexibility to study as much or as little as your schedule allows, the time it takes you to complete the course will vary from other students. Some students are able to complete their training program in as little as four months (working on the course full-time, 8 hours a day 5 days a week) and others, who are more limited in the time they can devote to the course, take longer (for example, students who can devote about 20 hours a week may finish in about 8 months).

Every student who enrolls in a Career Step training program receives an initial 4-month period of enrollment–and we currently offer an additional 8 months at no extra charge! You'll have a full year to complete the program. If you need extra time to complete the course after your initial one-year enrollment, we have 4-month extensions available for purchase.

Career Step offers personalized, post-graduation resources for your job search, including:

• Personal consultation with a Graduate Advisor
• New job opening notifications
• Personalized interview tutorials and training
• Individual resume and sales letter review, tips, and advice
• Access to Career Step's help hotline for a full year after graduation

These resources offer the personalized help you need after graduation to quickly and easily transition to the workplace. With this individualized help and attention, the majority of our graduates are hired within a few month of graduation.

Your enrollment includes everything you will need to train for a successful career in medical coding and billing. Your enrollment includes:

• Access to expert-created curriculum
• Unlimited student and technical support
• Complete library of industry standard codebooks
• Valuable graduate resources

Since the course is completely online, your computer will play an important role in your learning experience. We recommend the following minimum computer system specifications:

Hardware

• Active internet connection (High speed/Broadband connection recommended)
• 800 X 600 minimum resolution (1024 X 768 or higher recommended)
• Sound card and speakers (Earphones recommended)
• Available USB port

Software

• Adobe Flash Player (ver. 10 or higher)
• Windows Media Player (ver. 10 or higher) or Quicktime Player (ver. 7 or higher)
• PDF reader

Browser

• Internet Explorer 7.x/8.x
• Firefox 3.x *
• Safari 4.x or greater (Mac only)*
• Javascript and cookies must be enabled

Operating System

• Microsoft Windows (XP®, Vista®, 7 with latest service pack)
• Mac OS X (10.4.11 or greater)*

*Note: The Inpatient and Outpatient Medical Coding and Billing program includes a third party software tool that makes the training only compatible with Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer 7.x or 8.x.

We realize that one of the most important questions tied to education is how it will be paid for. Because this is such a big part of the decision of whether or not to go back to school, Career Step has designed several tuition assistance and payment options. Please visit our Tuition Assistance page for more information on the available payment options.

It takes 2 to 3 business days to process the application, depending on method of payment. Once the payment is processed you will be emailed your course login and password and can start training immediately. Additional course materials are shipped UPS Ground after the payment is processed. The average wait is about 7-10 days.