To pursue a medical coding career, you must be certified by an appropriate body such as the AAPC, AHIMA, etc. But how do you become a certified medical coder? Why is it important to secure one? What are the benefits, and career prospects that come with it? All these things will be explained in this article, let’s get started.

Why Certifications Are Important?

Even though medical coding may seem to be just assigning medical codes for treatments, there’s a lot more than that. This job requires utmost precision and expertise which means that selecting the wrong medical code can result in delayed payments, rejected insurance claims, and even legal issues. To avoid such mishaps, most employers and healthcare organizations normally prefer to hire candidates holding a valid medical coding certification from a recognized body. Opting for medical coding training at reputed institutions helps you learn more and understand the steps involved in getting a certification.

The Certification Options

Have you decided to apply for a coding certification? Good. The next step involves choosing the appropriate organization since various organizations offer medical coding certifications. Each one has its specific syllabus, requirements and specialities. Therefore, it's important to choose the one that aligns with your career goals. AAPC & AHIMA are some of the most well-known certification providers worldwide. Whatever organization’s certification you choose, Cigma Medical Coding Academy will offer the training you need to pass the appropriate certification exam the first time.

Getting a medical coding certification is not easy. To get one, you must have a higher secondary education or equivalent. Some medical coding certifications may have additional requirements which you must fulfil. This may include a certain number of years of coding experience or completion of specific coding specialities, etc. Therefore, if you wish to pursue a medical coding career, it’s essential to check out the requirements for the certification you intend to apply for.

Obtaining The Certification

Let’s classify the whole process into various stages so that it’s easy for you to understand.

Stage-1: Preparation

You must first attend the certification exam and only after clearing it, you will achieve the certification. To prepare for the exam, you can either resort to self-studying or join a reputed medical coding training institution. We recommend you opt for the latter option as you get sufficient training, necessary knowledge and skills required to crack the certification test on your first attempt. At Cigma Medical Coding Academy, our qualified faculties offer the best-in-class training that will help you succeed and achieve a recognized medical coding career. For more details, you can have a consultation with our team.

Stage-2: Exam Registration

Once you are fully prepared and ready to attempt the test, it's time to register. The certification exam registration process can be done through the respective organization’s website. If you have joined any training institution, you can approach our faculties in case you have any doubts.

Stage-3: Attending The Exam

Although the number of questions may vary depending on the speciality and certification organization chosen, most certification exams will consist of multiple-choice questions. The purpose of these questions is to test your knowledge of various medical coding guidelines, procedures, and regulations.

These exams are not to be taken lightly as they are rigorous and require you to have a solid understanding of the concepts, exam pattern, etc. Upon successfully clearing the exam, you are awarded the medical coding certification, which is recognized worldwide as a symbol of your proficiency in the healthcare sector.

Perks of being a certified medical coder

Obtaining a medical coding certification is a significant milestone for aspiring medical coders. Having this certification effectively demonstrates your commitment to accuracy, compliance, and professionalism. Certified medical coders are more likely to get better career opportunities than coders without certification. Apart from that, having a certification allows you to negotiate a higher salary, enjoy higher job security and more.

Winding up

By now, you must have understood why you must have a medical coding certification and the long-term career perks it offers. The steps involved in obtaining certification are pretty straightforward and have been explained above. If you are pursuing a medical coding career and want to obtain a certification, the obvious choice is to enrol at a reputed training institute like Cigma, get trained by the industry’s most qualified faculties and conquer the exam.