MIAMI, Feb. 3, 2017 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Medical Coding and Billing program has once again been recognized as the only American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) – approved program of its kind in South Florida.
The approval by the AHIMA Foundation’s Professional Certificate Approval Program (PCAP) identifies coding education programs which have been evaluated by a peer review process against national minimum standards for entry-level coding professionals. This process allows academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and private companies to be acknowledged as providing an approved coding certificate program.
Students who complete PCAP-approved programs are eligible for the AHIMA CCA (Certified Coding Associate), the CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) and CCS-P (Certified Coding Specialist – Physicians’ Office) and the American Academy of Professional Coders Certified Professional Coder (CPC) examinations.
MDC’s Medical Coding and Billing program has been approved by AHIMA since 2006 and is listed in the AHIMA Directory of Approved Programs. Students learn to use computer systems to code, classify, and index information for health records and medical billing. The clinical portion of the program utilizes AHIMA’s Virtual Lab where students can access and experience the state-of-the-art software they’ll use regularly in the working world. The Virtual Lab lessons and activities are designed specifically for lab applications. They simulate real-world experience and allow students to test their skills and decision-making ability without jeopardizing the privacy, security, or integrity of real medical records. For more information, visit www.mdc.edu/medicalcoderbiller.