Certified coding specialists work in the health care industry. When a patient undergoes a physical examination, the information collected is used to determine the kind of treatment the patient will receive. Certified coding specialists translate this information into the language of Current Procedural Terminology, a five-digit code that is sent to the insurance company for billing.
Certified coding specialists are trained in the areas of medical insurance, computers, diagnostic coding, anatomy and physiology, current procedural coding, claims processing and collection strategies.
Depending on the training provider, programs may be taken online or in person. Programs vary widely on the amount of time involved. To illustrate, the Healthcare Training Institute requires 160 hours of instruction, whereas Ed2Go's program requires only 80 hours of instruction.
In order to become certified after training is completed, it is necessary to take an exam that is recognized by a well-established association in the medical billing profession. The American Health Information Management Association offers the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) exam and the American Medical Billing Association offers the Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist (CMRS) exam. The CCS exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions and 13 questions on medical coding. It takes four hours to complete. The CMRS exam, on the other hand, consists of 800 questions, and applicants have 45 days to complete the exam online.