# Certification help, perhaps guidance.



## MUpshaw15 (Feb 4, 2014)

Hello, my name is Martha. I have completed a medical coding and billing course online within the last several weeks. My question is which certification should I try to obtain? My instructor recommended the "Certified Coding Assistant". I can not find this test at all. I can, however, find the "Certified Coding Associate"  examination through AHIMA. Should I try that one? Can I take one of the ones offered through AAPC? I have no experience in coding. I do have experience in health care as I was a Patient Care Tech for several years and did fill in at times as unit secretary when needed. I moved to another state and changed career fields to being a veterinary assistant for five years.  I feel pretty confident in the material and I really want to do this as a career as I know it will challenge me daily and I'll be learning new things in this ever changing field. When learning the EHR and billing portion, I loved it and felt pretty confident in it. I do not have an associate's degree either. I would like some guidance. I do want to find work but also want to be certified as well. Thank you!


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## twizzle (Feb 4, 2014)

MUpshaw15 said:


> Hello, my name is Martha. I have completed a medical coding and billing course online within the last several weeks. My question is which certification should I try to obtain? My instructor recommended the "Certified Coding Assistant". I can not find this test at all. I can, however, find the "Certified Coding Associate"  examination through AHIMA. Should I try that one? Can I take one of the ones offered through AAPC? I have no experience in coding. I do have experience in health care as I was a Patient Care Tech for several years and did fill in at times as unit secretary when needed. I moved to another state and changed career fields to being a veterinary assistant for five years.  I feel pretty confident in the material and I really want to do this as a career as I know it will challenge me daily and I'll be learning new things in this ever changing field. When learning the EHR and billing portion, I loved it and felt pretty confident in it. I do not have an associate's degree either. I would like some guidance. I do want to find work but also want to be certified as well. Thank you!



You have many choices regarding certification. It all depends in which direction you wish to go. The CCA, which I'm sure is what you instructor was referring to, is a very good starter certification as it covers a lot of different aspects of coding.
You first need to decide your direction  before embarking on a certification.


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## lmartien (Feb 4, 2014)

Hello, Martha,

I agree with the previous post, you will need to determine which type of coding you would like to do.  For instance, would you like to code for a doctor or physician practice, or would you rather code for a hospital, either inpatient or outpatient coding?  That will determine which test to take.  

You should also know that if you ever wish to be involved in a CMS project, for instance, audit for a corporate CIA, CMA only recognizes those credentials from either AHIMA or the AAPC.  Unless you want to do strictly inpatient hospital coding, I would recommend the AAPC CPC or CPC-H credential.  If you are more interested in the inpatient coding then the AHIMA credential is preferred by most hospitals.

Good luck to you, whichever you choose!

Linda Martien
CPC, CPC-H, CPMA


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## rhondatalley (Feb 4, 2014)

*Certification*

Hi Martha,

One of the key factors that I look at in deciding certification is financial need.  Inpatient coders make more money, however, it is very difficult to get a position with no experience.  Also, most require a CCS or RHIT/RHIA.   Physician offices are a little more willing to let you get your foot in the door, especially if you have a certification (CPC or CCA) and you can do other functions, like billing, CSR, patient care.  Small offices cherish the multi-tasker.  I would recommend going with an AHIMA certification and then possibly adding on the CPC.  There are never too many letters behind your name.  Once you have some experience, then you can try to learn the inpatient side of things if you desire.  Sometimes, physician practices are under a hospital umbrella and a move to the hospital side can be easier in those cases as they will hire from within.

Good luck!!

Rhonda


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## twizzle (Feb 4, 2014)

lmartien said:


> Hello, Martha,
> 
> I agree with the previous post, you will need to determine which type of coding you would like to do.  For instance, would you like to code for a doctor or physician practice, or would you rather code for a hospital, either inpatient or outpatient coding?  That will determine which test to take.
> 
> ...


I agree with Linda but I would add that you're unlikely to get a hospital job with just the CCA although I have seen some jobs recently that want the CCA (rather than CPC). 

Hospitals pretty much all want the CCS which is a challenge with ICD-9 but will be far more challenging with ICD-10 on the horizon. 

If that is your goal then I would do the CCA first. If you want physician coding then get your CPC.


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