# MCS-P vs CCS



## gared111 (Mar 27, 2008)

I am a CPC with seven years surgical coding experience.  I want to further my education to open up more possibilities but am unsure which of these two certifications would be more beneficial for advancement.  I'm leaning towards the MCS-P because it's more in line with my interests but I've also been searching the job opportunities out there and I have yet to find a position that requires the MCS-P.  I have however seen multiple companies that ask for a CCS.  At this point I'm considering doing both but financially I would prefer to do just do one now & perhaps do the other before the end of the year.  

The CCS also appears to take much longer to obtain, while the MCS-P I can do in a week (four 10 hour classes on Mon-Thurs then you take the test on Friday).

Here are some links if you're interested in looking at either program (no, I'm not a recruiter...lol  I'm just a coder looking to increase the amount of pay I can ask for).

http://campus.ahima.org/campus/course_info/cb/index.html
http://www.medicalcompliancetraining.com
Any suggestions?  Thank you in advance for your answers.


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## 007CPC (Apr 5, 2008)

*CCS and Colossal sign-on bonuses*

I have noticed those 5-10,000 dollar sign-on bonuses go along with the CCS and Five years’ coding inpatient charts. Once I have relocated a respectable employer to apply my coding skill for, I am going to get the CCS too. That will most likely be my limit for coding credentials; my area of focus will then be more concentrated on my current liberal arts and science degree and MCAT.

Thank you for listing those helpful links.


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