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RHIT courses/certification - Laree

Posted: Jul 06, 2011

Hi, I was wondering if anyone in the Chicago area would care to comment on the RHIT associates degree course at College of DuPage? Does it prepare you well for the RHIT certification exam? Is it a good preparation for the RHIA program you later pursued (I am thinking of University of Illinois-Chicago)? I am an 18-year transcription veteran hoping to become a coder and then possibly a Direction of HIM eventually. ANY help would be much appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

My opinion - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't know anything about the College of DuPage but it is listed on the CAHIIM website as an accredited school for the RHIT program. I would only attend a school that is accredited on the CAHIIM site. Also, University of Illinois-Chicago is a good school for the RHIA program. I am looking at attending this school when I finish my Associate's Degree as it is all online and this is an excellent college.

RHIT/RHIA colleges - Laree

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate hearing from you about U of I-Chicago. From what I can tell its RHIA program is great, and I like that it is online if you have your RHIT. I think I will pursue this through College of DuPage since it is very close to my home and then transfer to U of I-Chicago to finish the RHIA later. It's a big undertaking but should be worth it later on when done! Thanks again.

The main thing to consider . . . - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
The main thing to consider is whether all of the coursework from the 2-year program will transfer to the RHIT program. Although most will take the HIM courses, since those are pretty much standardized by AHIMA, they might have different general requirements or might not accept certain courses from other schools. Anatomy often doesn't transfer, for instance, or you can meet the requirements at a 2-year school with a particular math, but the 4-year wants a higher course.

Aside from differences in the college's requirements, most of those programs are exactly the same. AHIMA specifies the content. The schools often use the same books and materials, and if the course is online they often have little to no instruction, so there are few differences except cost.

One recommendation would be to take a program that also focuses on health informatics, because that is becoming more and more important.

You do not need to do an RHIT or RHIA program to be a coder. Those programs often produce poor coders due to limited exposure to the subject and academic approach. The best plan would be to do a coding-only program first so that you learn to code well enough to work in coding. Once you have a coding certification, you can work and continue on in school. Even if you had to take the coding courses over again, it would only be a few courses, you would not struggle with them, and your chances of passing them would be better.

If you have a college degree already, do not do the RHIT-RHIA route. You can do a certificate program for the RHIA and be on your way in no time. The University of Toledo has a good online Certificate in Health Information Administration that only takes about a year and is affordable even if you are out of state.

RHIT for coding - Laree

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for all your helpful information. I only have a 2-year certificate right now, so I would have to get a degree, unless I go the CPC route. I have 18 years of transcription experience and have done a little radiology coding and insurance coding in my past, too. So the academic route might work out well for me. We'll see. Thanks for all your tips -- very helpful.

I think you are misunderstanding something - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
The way you phrased your last response makes me wonder if you have been misinformed about something.

You said "I only have a 2-year certificate right now, so I would have to get a degree, unless I go the CPC route." The clue is "unless I go the CPC route."

Yes, you would need an AA degree for the RHIT and a bachelor's for the RHIA, but that is ALL you need them for. You do NOT need either degree for coding or to certify in coding. You also do not need an RHIT to progress on to the RHIA. You can go straight to the RHIA and if you are planning on this, don't waste money taking the RHIT.

AHIMA's CCS and CCS-P credentials have no prerequisites whatsoever. You do NOT need to have attended an approved or accredited program, or ANY PROGRAM AT ALL. You need no experience. You don't even need to be an AHIMA member. Anyone can take the tests--just pay your money and take them.

AAPC's CPC, CPC-H, and CPC-P credentials do not require completion of any program or degree, but they require you to be a member. You can take the exam without experience, but if you do not have experience you will receive the certificate with an apprentice designation on it until you have 2 years of full-time experience in that type of coding. (That doesn't seem to hamper job prospects.)

Further, the AAPC credentials are not substandard certifications, so I'm not sure why you would call it "the CPC route," as if it were second-class. It is certainly not. AAPC just certifies coding that is based in the outpatient or physician-services arena, while AHIMA focuses on the inpatient or hospital arena. Neither is easier or less noble than the other, but the job market is a little different and that isn't a bad thing.

No, you do not need an RHIT to code. An RHIT is not a coding certification. Neither the RHIT nor the RHIA are "higher" than the coding certifications. Mastery level is demonstrated by the AAPC and AHIMA coding certifications. In other words, the coding certifications are higher.

I don't know why anyone would want to forgo employment in coding while completing associate's and then bachelor's degrees. Coding pays so much more than other fields, including MT, that it would be better to learn coding, get a job in coding, and begin to accrue experience and all that added income, than it would be to continue in a lower-paying job for the 3 or 4 years doing an associates and for the 3 or 4 years doing a bachelor's.

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