Medical Information Coder/Biller Overview (6528)
Type of Award
CCC - College Credit Certificate
Program Website
www.palmbeachstate.edu/career-pathways/pathway-health/default.aspx
Program Description
This AHIMA PCAP approved program prepares students for employment as medical coders and health insurance specialists. The medical coder is responsible for assigning correct diagnostic and procedural codes to medical documentation from patients’ medical records to ensure appropriate medical insurance reimbursement and compliance.
The Medical Information Coder/Biller program content is comprehensive, covering both inpatient and outpatient coding and documentation principles. This requires knowledge and abilities in anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, computer software, reimbursement, health insurance, ethics, legal and regulatory requirements, and health information management.
Program Accreditation
The Medical Information Coder/Biller program is approved through the Professional Certificate Approval Process (PCAP) by the American Health Information Management Association Foundation. This designation acknowledges the coding program as having been evaluated by a peer review process against a national minimum set of standards for entry-level coding professions. This process allows academic institutions, health care organizations, and private companies to be acknowledged as offering an AHIMA Foundation PCAP Approved Coding Certificate program.
General Admission Requirements to the College
Admission Requirements for Medical Information Coder/Biller
In addition to the General Admission requirements, students must meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for selection to the program.
- Complete the online information session.
- Complete the ELO1000 Canvas orientation course.
- Submit a completed Health Information program application located on the program application website.
Completion Requirements
Students must complete all courses listed in the catalog for this program with a grade of C or higher.
For more details about graduation requirements please refer to the Graduation section of this catalog.
Program Length
Total program credits: 37. Total program length: 6 semesters part-time.
Location
The program is offered at the Loxahatchee Groves campus and online.
The program is available fully online. HIM courses are offered online. All other program courses are offered in a variety of modalities including face-to-face, live-on-line, and online.
For More Information
Contact Professor Colette Chiacchiero, Department Chair Health Information Programs, chiacchc@palmbeachstate.edu, (561) 790-9049
Employment Opportunities
Upon completion of this program, the student may seek employment as a medical coder or health insurance specialist in a hospital, physician’s office, intermediate care facility, insurance company, billing company or clinic. A medical information coder/biller uses the clinical documentation, diagnosis and procedures and translates them into numeric codes. These numeric codes are input into the computer system and used for reimbursement, quality assurance and research.
Career Path Notes
Completion of the program will provide students with 37 credits, which may be applied to the Health Information Technology Associate in Science degree.
Upon completion of the program students may sit for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) CCA certification examination and/or the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) CPC-A certification examination.
Career Center
www.palmbeachstate.edu/Career
For more information about employment opportunities including job outlook and salary information visit: Occupational Outlook Handbook: www.bls.gov/ooh
O-Net Online: www.onetonline.org
Required courses:
Required Courses (Credits: 37)
BSC2085 | Anatomy and Physiology 1 (AA) | 3 Credits |
BSC2085L | Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab (AA) | 1 Credit |
BSC2086 | Anatomy and Physiology 2 (AA) | 3 Credits |
BSC2086L | Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab (AA) | 1 Credit |
CGS1100 | Microcomputer Applications (AA) | 3 Credits |
| Or | |
HIM1610C | Office Applications for Health Professions (AS) | 3 Credits |
HSC2531 | Medical Terminology (AA) | 3 Credits |
HIM1000C | Introduction to Health Information Management (AS) | 3 Credits |
HIM1433C | Pathophysiology for Health Information (AS) | 2 Credits |
HIM1442C | Pharmacology for Health Information (AS) | 2 Credits |
HIM1282C | Fundamentals of Medical Coding (AS) | 3 Credits |
HIM2222C | Applied Inpatient Coding (AS) | 3Credits |
HIM2272C | Medical Reimbursement and Revenue (AS) | 3 Credits |
HIM2253C | Applied Outpatient Coding (AS) | 3 Credits |
HIM2810L | Advanced Coding Lab (AS) | 1 Credit |
HIM1012C | Health Information Law, Ethics, and Compliance (AS) | 3 Credits |
Total Credit Hours: 37
Course Sequence
Term One - Spring (Credits: 10)
BSC2085 | Anatomy and Physiology 1 (AA) | 3 Credits |
BSC2085L | Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab (AA) | 1 Credit |
CGS1100 | Microcomputer Applications (AA) | 3 Credits |
| Or | |
HIM1610C | Office Applications for Health Professions (AS) | 3 Credits |
HIM1000C | Introduction to Health Information Management (AS) | 3 Credits |
Term Two - Summer (Credits: 7)
BSC2086 | Anatomy and Physiology 2 (AA) | 3 Credits |
BSC2086L | Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab (AA) | 1 Credit |
HSC2531 | Medical Terminology (AA) | 3 Credits |
Term Three - Fall (Credits: 7)
HIM1433C | Pathophysiology for Health Information (AS) | 2 Credits |
HIM1282C | Fundamentals of Medical Coding (AS) | 3 Credits |
HIM1442C | Pharmacology for Health Information (AS) | 2 Credits |
Term Four - Spring (Credits: 6)
HIM2222C | Applied Inpatient Coding (AS) | 3Credits |
HIM1012C | Health Information Law, Ethics, and Compliance (AS) | 3 Credits |
Term Five- Summer (Credits: 6)
HIM2253C | Applied Outpatient Coding (AS) | 3 Credits |
HIM2272C | Medical Reimbursement and Revenue (AS) | 3 Credits |
Term Six - Fall (Credit: 1)
HIM2810L | Advanced Coding Lab (AS) | 1 Credit |
Total Credit Hours: 37