Hello SL,
Great question about finding trustworthy medical coding bill certificates online.
Get Educated does list
229 online degrees in healthcare but only 7 online health certificates at the undergraduate level
So, we went looking around the Internet for the best online certificate options for you nationwide in the medical coding career area.
First, a *warning* ... There are so many scams and expensive for profit online training programs in your career area that you have to be VERY-VERY-VERY careful trying to find a reputable online learning program.
The first place to look for the best online education for your new career is definitely the publicly funded community or state college system in your state.
Public school agencies will offer you much cheaper online training (bcs your tax dollars already support them!) AND they can offer you free or low cost career counseling AND you can probably qualify for some sort of government backed (state) student aid or workforce training funds to help pay for your new education. (You didn't mention funding or financial aid but this is another piece of the picture you'll want to explore)
Go to the non-profit online learning portal for your state,
Washington Colleges Online
Then click on the link.
Online Courses and Degrees
This is the non-profit directory of online associate degree programs and certificates and vocational training from accredited online course providers in your state.
Here, you will see several possible online education options.
Notably:
Shoreline Community College - Medical Coding and Reimbursement Specialist Certificate
Shoreline Community College - AAAS - Health Information Technology Degree (associates degree)
Peninsula College - AAST-AOS:Medical Specialization Degree (associates degree)
If you want to stay focused on non-credit certificates (rather than degrees)also visit
Central Washington University - Continuing Education Online
Central Washington has partnered with Ed2Go (a training company that used to be called Gatlin Education) to offer web based professional certificates in :
Administrative Medical Specialist with Medical Billing and Coding $1995
Administrative Medical Specialist with Medical Billing and Coding + Medical Terminology $2295
Advanced Coding for the Physician’s Office $1395
Advanced Hospital Coding and CCS Prep $1695
ICD-10 Medical Coding: Preparation and Instruction for Implementation $1595
Medical Billing and Coding $1595
Medical Billing and Coding + Medical Terminology $1895
Medical Terminology $595
Medical Transcription $1595
Medical Transcription + Medical Terminology $1895
I cannot tell you which of the above program(s) will meet your career needs.
You'll have to discuss this in more depth with the counselors at each office.
The downside to the Ed2 Go professional training certificates may be that you can't get a student loan for these as they are non-degree courses; you can only get a private loan which carries a higher interest rate bcs. these are non degree training courses; however you may be eligible for special workforce training funds if you meet income and other need specs in your state.
You'll have to explore this on your own with the counselors.
Remember that
earning an online certificate is not the same as earning professional certification.
A college or school can offer you the courses or training and may award you a certificate when you complete these courses BUT an independent professional agency will have to determine if those courses meet their standards for you to qualify for professional review for certification in your state or nationwide.
Be sure you explore this issue and understand your needs with a counselor at a local community college BEFORE you enroll for courses. The CWU course sequences specify which national certification standards they have been designed to meet so pay attention to this issue.
Good luck out there!
Let us know if you choose a program!
Vicky Phillips
Founder - GetEducated.com
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