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Guide to Campus & Online Medical Coding Degrees
Below are links to the top online medical billing and coding degrees. Use the links next to each school to request free information from that college about the programs it offers. If you’re considering enrolling in an online medical coding program, you should request information from at least four different colleges as there are differences between programs that are best explained by the schools themselves.
 Coding Degrees Offered: AABA – Medical Billing and Coding |
American InterContinental University - AIU’s accredited online Medical Coding programs are designed for those that want to become a medical coding professional, available through full online degrees that can be completed in a quick and covenient manner.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: AAS – Medical Reimbursement Technology |
Harrison College – One of the nation’s leading colleges, Harrison College offers a number of online programs, including their accredited online medical coding programs. These programs for those that want to become medical coding professionals.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: AS – Medical Billing and Coding |
Fortis College – Fortis College offers a fully online medical coding degree program. Their online program is designed for those who want to become a medical coding professional.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: Advanced Medical Billing & Coding |
Lincoln College – Lincoln College offers a accredited online programs, each designed to meet the specific goals of students who need convenience and a fast paced curriculum. Their medical coding degree programs are for students interested in becoming a medical coding professional.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: Medical Billing and Coding |
Everest University – Everest University offers medical coding and billing online programs for those that want to become a medical coding professional.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: AS – Health Administration Services |
Colorado Technical University – One of the nation’s leading online universities, Colorado Technical University offers an online medical coding degree program for those that want to become a medical coding professional.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: AAS – Medical Coding and Billing Cert of Learning Medical Coding and Billing |
Grantham University – Grantham University offers medical coding and billing degree and certification programs. Their online programs are designed for those who are focused on becoming a medical coding professional or becoming a certified medical coder.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: Healthcare Coding Diploma |
National American University – NAU offers an online medical coding program for those who need a convenient and fast-paced curriculum. This program is designed for those interested in becoming a medical coding professional.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: Medical Billing and Coding Diploma |
Ultimate Medical Academy – Ultimate Medical Academy, offers an online medical coding and billing program, designed for those that want to become a medical coding and billing professional.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: Medical Coding and Billing Certificate Medical Coding and Billing |
Penn Foster Career School – Penn Foster Career School, a wide array of medical coding and billing online programs. These include programs for becoming a medical coding and billing professional or becoming a certified medical coder.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: Medical Coding Cert Medical Claims and Billing Cert |
US Career Institute – US Career Institute offers fast-paced and convenient online programs. These include programs for becoming a medical coder or a certified medical claims and billing professional.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: Medical Billing Program |
Ashworth College – Ashworth College, offers an online medical billing program designed for those are focused on becoming a medical coding professional and need a course schedule that is flexible and accessible.
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 Coding Degrees Offered: Medical Terminology |
Allied Schools – Allied Schools offers an online medical terminology program that can be completed relatively fast and provides flexibility to the student. This program is for students focused on becoming a medical coding professional.
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Welcome to Medical Coding Degree, the only online resource dedicated to providing students considering a career in medical coding with unbiased information about their educational options. At Medical Coding Degree we strive to provide students with an unbiased and complete resource for information covering all aspects of medical coding. From our frequently updated list of all accredited schools offering a medical coding degree, to our frequently asked questions which are submitted by students, if you would like to see any information added to this site to make it more useful for future medical coding students, please contact us.
Medical Coding Degree Frequently Asked Questions:
Below you will find our Frequently Asked Questions, which are questions submitted by students either considering enrolling in a medical coding degree program, or who are already in a program and wanting clarification about their options and career prospects. I invite you to submit questions for future publication via the Contact Us page.
What Are Other Names for a Medical Coding Degree?
A medical coding degree is also known as a medical records degree. Other names include health information technician and medical coding specialist. There is a wide variety of medical billing and coding degrees such as a diploma, certificate, associate’s, and bachelor’s degrees. There are even certifications in the area you can earn from an accredited institution.
Certifications include the CPC, or Certified Professional Coder, and it is recommended to have an associate’s degree in medical coding before taking the exam. Others include the CPC-H for those with a medical coding degree who would like to work in a hospital and other outpatient facilities.
There are also two and four year degrees for medical coding, health information, and other related areas. A benefit to medical coding programs is that many courses can be taken online conveniently or at many facilities across the country.
What Skills Does a Medical Coding Degree Teach?
Insurance companies use medical codes to know how much to charge a patient and how much to pay doctors, hospitals, and medical facilities. Everything from private insurance to Medicare needs employees with medical coding degrees to learn and enter each code appropriately. They also assemble patients’ health information including history, symptoms, exams, lab results, imaging tests, treatments, and any other healthcare provider services.
Other skills learned with a medical coding degree include inputting data, spreadsheets, applicable computer programs, and more. With the current switch to electronic health records, EHR, medical coding technicians will be more in demand for the transition from paper to electronic records. These technicians will also be responsible for transferring of data, along with security and privacy.
Medical coding specialists also learn to code patient information for reimbursement from insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare. Several coding systems such as physician, long term, and ambulatory may be taught depending on the medical coding degree.
What Careers Can Someone With a Medical Coding Degree Get?
Medical records and health information technicians held about 172,500 jobs in 2008 and are expected to grow much faster than average at 20 percent according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A majority of these positions are found in hospitals at about 39 percent. Someone with a medical coding degree can also be employed at a number of healthcare providers such as doctor’s offices, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers, and even in federal government agencies.
Careers for those with a medical coding degree can include medical records coder, medical billing specialist, coding specialist, and medical transcriptionist. Health information technician is another common name for those working with a medical coding degree. There are even medical coding technicians who work specifically in cancer registry and are known as cancer/tumor registrars.
What Types of Classes are Taken for a Medical Coding Degree?
Types of classes for a medical coding degree vary on the degree themselves. Some specialty high schools offer diplomas in medical coding and require special and even extra classes but also include transfer credit. Certification programs require vast knowledge of medical codes and related areas in order to pass an exam.
The most common is the associate’s for a medical coding degree. The two year degree requires one year of basics and one year of more advanced classes. They can include courses such as human anatomy, HCPCS concepts, CPT coding, and medical insurance billing.
If looking to get a managerial position in a hospital or doctor’s office, a four year medical coding degree may be required. This Baccalaureate degree involves two years of basic course and two of advanced. If you already have an associate’s degree, a credit transfer is possible.
What is the Average Salary for Someone With a Medical Coding Degree?
The average salary of a medical coding and health information technician is $33,880 as of May 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Top paying industries for medical coding specialists includes general medical and surgical hospitals, as well as the federal government. Average salaries were $35,870 and $45,120 respectively for each. Not surprising the District of Columbia was third in highest salaries for those with a medical coding degree, with New Jersey and Hawaii rounding out the top two.
The department also lists the average salary for medical transcriptionists, who may also have a medical coding degree. Annual salary came in at $32,052 with a median hourly pay of $15.41. Employers with the highest average salaries were medical and diagnostic laboratories and the lowest average salary for those with a medical coding degree in transcription were business support services.
What Are the Requirements for a Medical Coding Degree and Career?
Completion of a two year associate’s degree or accredited certification program are vital when becoming a medical coding specialist. This includes coursework in anatomy, medical terminology, healthcare legal issues, and English grammar. At least a two year degree is highly recommended, but not always required.
You can also move up in your career by obtaining a bachelor’s or master’s degree or by seeking an advanced specialty certification in medical coding. The basic certification is the Certified Professional Coder given by the American Academy of Professional Coders. The AAPC is the nation’s largest medical coding training and certification organization, with over 93,000 certified medical coders and auditors. They also offer training and many other certifications. Other organizations include the Professional Association of Healthcare Coding Specialists and the Board of Medical Specialty Coding, each with their own certifications and resources. If looking to become a cancer/tumor registrar or get a medical coding degree in that area visit the National Cancer Registrars Association.
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