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To learn more,
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Director
Dasantila Sherifi, PhD
at  him@shp.rutgers.edu

Medical Coding Certificate

Rutgers Provides Top Medical Coding Program Offered Online

Our Medical Coding Certificate program prepares students with the skills to classify and code medical data from inpatient, outpatient, and physician office records.

Use of coded data for reimbursement purposes, ongoing changes in reimbursement methods, and an increased demand to report coded data to insurance companies make medical coding a skill in high demand in all health care settings. Coded data is also critical to medical research, medical and allied health education, vital statistics, or planning and monitoring public health. The current shortage of qualified coders has resulted in many perks on the job that may including flexible hours, sign-on bonuses, and the potential to work from home. In addition, consulting and travel opportunities are abundant.

The medical coding certificate program requires 21 credits, 7 courses which are offered in specific sequence over a period of 2 years, part-time. All course work is completed 100% online. The program only starts in the Fall. Courses completed as part of the medical coding certificate are transferable into the BSHIM program.

Please click here to download tuition information.

Goals

  • To prepare competent coding professionals for employment in all types of health care facilities.
  • To prepare students to meet the needs of the industry which has a workforce shortage in this area of expertise.
  • To educate students in the content areas essential for attaining the credential of Certified Coding Specialist or Certified  Coding Associate offered by AHIMA.
  • To provide a specialty certification for students currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management program.

Program Objectives

At the conclusion of the program the student will be able to:

  • Evaluate medical documentation to determine codable diagnoses and procedures in accordance with established coding guidelines.
  • Apply appropriate codes from ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, ICD-9-CM, and CPT-4 coding schemes to various health encounter scenarios in medical documents using coding manuals and encoder software.
  • Evaluate reimbursement methodologies for correctness of assignment.
  • Perform analysis of reimbursement methodologies through case mix analysis.
  • Audit coded data to determine accuracy and correct deficiencies.

Medical coders may work in acute or ambulatory care settings, health insurance companies, or other health data abstracting, reporting and analysis functions that require medical coding knowledge. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical records technicians is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030 (BLS, 2021).

Area of Comparison MSHIM BSHIM Certificate in HIM Medical Coding Certificate
Degree Master of Science in HIM Bachelor of Science in HIM Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in HIM Academic Certificate in Medical Coding
Accreditation Status CAHIIM accreditation in process; in Candidacy Status Accredited by CAHIIM Accredited by CAHIIM
Eligibility to sit for the RHIA exam Yes Yes Yes N/A
Certifications that may be pursued with this education RHIA, CHDA, CHPS RHIA, CCA, CCS, CCS-P, CHDA, CHPS RHIA, CHDA, CHPS CCA, CCS, CCS-P
Starting point Fall Fall Fall Fall
Number of Credits 36 61 49 21
Program length- FT 2 years 2 years (includes 1 summer) 2 years (includes 1 summer; 1 year FT; 1 year PT) N/A
Program length- PT 3 years 3 years 3 years (includes 2 summers) 2 years
Course offering 100% Online Online (except for PPE) Online (except for PPE) 100% Online
Professional Practice Experience (PPE) None 75 hours during the last semester (Spring) 75 hours during the last semester (Spring) None
Admissions requirements
  1. Application with application fee
  2. A bachelor’s degree
  3. College-level statistics
  4. Min GPA 3.0
  5. Personal statement
  6. 2 letters of recommendation
  7. CV or Resume
  8. Computer literacy
  1. Application with application fee
  2. Minimum 59 credits* in specific general education courses (typically satisfied by an AA or AS degree)
  3. Anatomy & Physiology (8 credits*)
  4. College-level math (3 credits*)
  5. College-level statistics (3 credits*)
  6. Computer literacy
  1. Application with application fee
  2. A bachelor’s degree
  3. Anatomy & Physiology (8 credits*)
  4. College-level math (3 credits*)
  5. College-level statistics (3 credits*)
  6. Computer literacy
  1. Application with application fee
  2. A high school diploma or GED
  3. Anatomy & Physiology (8 credits*)
  4. Computer literacy

 

* Courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.

  • Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED certificate and be computer literate as many courses in the program are online.
  • Applicants must have completed Anatomy and Physiology I & II with a grade of C or better prior to the start of program courses.

Students who complete the coding certificate courses often continue on toward a bachelor of science in Health Information Management. All courses in the certificate program count toward the BS HIM degree. To see more information on the bachelor’s degree click here.

In our fully online, 21-credit Medical Coding Certificate Program, students learn to classify medical data from inpatient, outpatient, and physician office records. The ability to effectively and efficiently code data is critical to medical research, medical and health education, and planning and monitoring public health.

Students will study medical terminology, disease pathology, International Classification of Disease (ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS), Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), and reimbursement systems in the United States.

Our program faculty have extensive experience in both inpatient and outpatient coding. This provides valuable practical knowledge for the classroom setting.

Students who complete the coding certificate courses can continue on and achieve a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management. All courses in the certificate program count toward the BS HIM degree.

Click here for a list of required courses.

Questions? Please contact us at HIM@shp.rutgers.edu.

Dept. Home
APPLY NOW!
BS HIM program director Kathleen Kirk

To learn more,
email Program
Director
Kathleen Kirk