Certification Exam Requirements - CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CPC-H and other CPC

At the present time . . .

AHIMA *coding* credentials (CCS, CCS-P) REQUIRE a high school diploma.  That is all. 

AAPC coding credentials (the CPC, CPC-H, and CPC-P) REQUIRE 2 years experience coding that specialty.   You may sit the exam prior to that and will receive the credential in "Apprentice" status until you have satisfied the experience requirement.  One year of the required 2 years can be satisfied by attending a course that meets certain requirements.  I am aware that Andrews meets the requirements, and AAPC sponsored courses obviously do, but I am not aware what others are accepted.  Do employers discriminate against te apprentice status? Not that anyone I know has noticed.  They probably think it is just another specialty certification because it is written CPC-A.  

Why is there so much confusion about the requirements?

1. AHIMA recommends 2 to 3 years experience.  This is due to the high failure rate on their exams (greater than 50%) by (mostly) grads of their own programs.  When 2 years experience did not improve the scores, they upped it to 3.  Remember that a recommendation is not a requirement.   

2. AHIMA does have other credentials that have more stringent requirements.  Their RHIT requires completion of a 2 year associate degree in HIT from a CAHIIM accredited program.  Their RHIA requires a 4 year bachelors degree in HIA from a CAHIIM program.  Their CHDA is only availabbleto holders of one of those credentials who have years of experience in data analysis.  

A lot of instructors know only what they were required to do, or what they did, and many of them teach students what they believe OUGHT TO be the case.  And some cannot keep the different organizations and their requirements straight. The worst offenders in this respect are college instructors.  AAPC insructors are usually very clear on this.  

3.  The CCA was developed to givenew graduates of AHIMA programs a credential-ette when they could not pass the CCS.  By and large, employers have not rushed to accept this credential.  It is better than nothing, but they want coders who can code, not students who are ready . . . finally . . . to begin learning at employer expense.  Which is what that credential says.  In tribute to the excellence of AHIMA approved coding programs, the failure rate on that exam is about as high as on the CCS