How do I become a Certified Coder?
The CPC exam by AAPC is a national accreditation test for health care coders. The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. The exam takes 4 hours to complete-Passing Score is 70%
Exam Pattern: Multiple Choice Questions
No negative marks
The CPC exam covers medical terminology, anatomy, pathology, and other related topics. The exam also assesses how well a coder uses different code sets. The CPC exam has become the gold standard for those working in medical coding.
Exam Fees: Click Here
Attempts: 2 Attempts
A Certified Professional Coder (CPC) is an individual of high professional integrity, who has passed a coding certification examination sponsored by the American Academy of Professional Coders. The examination consists of questions regarding the correct application of CPT, HCPCS and ICD-10-CM used for billing professional and facility medical services to insurance companies. A CPC must maintain yearly CEU requirements. (18 CEU’s)
CPC Apprentice (CPC-A)
Student lacking any of the above combination of coding experience and education who successfully sit for and pass the examination will be awarded the apprentice certification.
The same exam is administered. Upon passing, the student will be sent a certificate stating the CPC-A credential has been earned. The same amount of CEU’s are due each year for both CPC and CPC-A credentials. (18 CEU’s)
Once the student has completed the coding experience requirements, two letters of recommendation must be submitted to the AAPC.
- One letter from the student employer.
- If part of the experience is waived for education one letter must come from the instructor.
- Upon receipt and approval of the letters the “-A” will be dropped from the credential and a diploma will be issued.