Peirce College: Medical Coding

Program Description:

The Medical Coding curriculum leads to certification in the short term and puts graduates on the path to degree completion and health care certifications. The program equips students with the skills necessary to review patients’ medical records and assign numeric codes for each diagnosis and procedure. Coding accuracy impacts billing and the revenue cycle as well as outcomes reporting activities. Health Information Management principles serve as the basis of the Medical Coding Certificate program. In addition, the program provides workers with undergraduate accredited credentials, which are essential for career advancement into supervisory and management roles.

The Coding Certificate is part of the College’s stackable and CAHIIM-accredited degrees in Health Information Management (HIM). Credits earned in the Coding Certificate transfer into the Associate in Science in Health Information Technology and Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration. HIT graduates are eligible to take the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) exam through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

• Program Start Dates: September 6th | November 1st | Future cohorts in 2023
• Program Length: 12 months
• Training Provider: Peirce College
• Prerequisites: High School Diploma or GED, and Commitment to a career in health care.
• Training Schedule: Peirce delivers courses in a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities using Canvas, the College’s Learning Management System (LMS). Synchronous instruction is provided weekly in the form of 90-minute Zoom meetings. Student participation in synchronous meetings is strongly encouraged. The sessions are recorded and uploaded to the course for viewing by those unable to participate in the live session. Course syllabi include office hours – an out-of-class time when students and instructors can connect to discuss the material presented in class or other academic-related issues such as career planning, graduation requirements, and continued study in a degree program. Asynchronous learning activities required of all students include, for example, participating in online discussions and completing quizzes, case studies, and exams. Conditions permitting, Peirce may return to hybrid learning in the fall or spring. On-site classes will follow CDC recommendations for higher education. The program is compromised of five sessions, each being approximately 7 weeks.

• Skills Learned: Upon successful completion of the Medical Coding track, students will be able to 1) Determine diagnosis and procedure codes according to official guidelines. 2) Evaluate revenue cycle processes 3) Evaluate compliance with regulatory requirements and reimbursement methodologies 4) Utilize classification systems, clinical vocabularies, and nomenclatures. 5) Evaluate the assignment of diagnostic and procedural codes and groupings in accordance with official guidelines.

• Industry-Recognized Credentials: 1) Certificate of Proficiency in Medical Coding (accredited credential) from Peirce College.  Graduates are also prepared to sit for the AAPC Certified Professional Coder (CPC®) exam, which is a highly valued certification by employers.

• College Credit(s) Earned:  25 college credits that are stackable towards an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree at Peirce College.