Medical coding and billing is the process of translating information from patient records—treatments, tests, and procedures—into the standardized codes used to bill patients and third-party payers such as insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid.

You’ll play a vital role in the healthcare ecosystem, helping to ensure that third-party payers are billed correctly so healthcare providers can get reimbursed. You’ll review and manage patients’ electronic medical records and assign codes to diagnoses and procedures that have been performed. And you’ll be the liaison between healthcare facilities and billing offices.

The salary for a medical coding and billing professional will vary by employer, location, and experience. But the median salary is $46,660 with potential for traditional employment benefits.*

Medical billing and coding jobs are plentiful. In fact, there’s a nationwide shortage of people with this critical skill set. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 7% employment growth in 10 years. That’s over 186,400 new jobs needing someone like you.*

While certification isn’t mandatory, most employers prefer their employees to be certified. Especially in the highly regulated and privacy-driven field of healthcare. Certification greatly improves your employment opportunities and earning potential and sets you apart from other job seekers. Our medical coding and billing program prepares you for the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and Certified Outpatient Coder (COC) certifications. Your training includes a free voucher to take the exam of your choice, a $399 value.

Pretty simple. No specific skills or experience are needed. Just be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or General Education Development Certificate (GED). Optionally, you can pass the CareerStep Pre-Training Assessment Test. Then sign up for our medical coding and billing program. Complete your course, take the certification exam (free), and use our job-hunting resources to help land that first awesome job!

Great question! The entry-level requirement for medical coding and billing is post-secondary training of some kind. So you can go to a community college or to CareerStep. We think the choice is obvious.

Associate Degrees usually require you to take lots of unrelated courses (in subjects like writing, math, or
other general (and irrelevant) fields. Typical associate degrees take two years and cost significantly more
in tuition than certificate training.

Certification Programs focus solely on career training for a specific professional or technical field. So it comes with much lower time commitment and cost. This streamlined approach is also the fastest path to a new and improved job and salary.