Basic Clinical Coding Specialist

Certificate: 97-530-1
Campus: Online

Moraine Park’s Basic Clinical Coding Specialist Certificate provides students with the specialized skills and knowledge to analyze health information and assign medical codes to index diagnoses and procedures to support clinical care, to assist medical research and to provide information for reimbursement purposes. These codes are used by institutions for quality improvement activities and case mix management. Students need strong computer skills and enjoy work that requires high precision and attention to detail.

Coding specialists are in demand in acute-care and outpatient-care facilities, including physician office practices and long-term care facilities. A variety of government agencies require coding expertise as well.

The courses are directly transferable into Moraine Park’s Health Information Technology associate degree if students wish to further their education in this field. The certificate can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. 

Major areas of study in this program include:

• Health Information Science
• Health Care Delivery Systems
• Reimbursement
• Coding

Graduates are eligible to take the national Clinical Coding Associate (CCA) certification examination through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). They may also take AHIMA’s national Clinical Coding Specialist (CCS) examination; however, two years of coding experience are recommended before taking the CCS examination.