Medical Insurance and Coding

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Medical Insurance and Coding is one of the fastest-growing medical office specialties. Medical Insurance and Coding promises to increase in importance. Students learn to transform medical diagnoses and procedures into numbers or codes for purposes of reimbursement and recordkeeping.

This program is designed for individuals with previous medical experience in hospitals, medical centers, government facilities or insurance companies. (Individuals without previous experience should consider the Medical Office Specialist program, which provides training to work in a medical office.) This certificate program can be earned in coordination with the Medical Office Specialist degree. Courses are offered online or late afternoon and evening. To successfully complete this program, a student must complete all coursework as prescribed and maintain a 2.0 grade point average. A grade of “C” or better is required in the first course of a sequential course offering before enrolling in the second-level course of the sequence or in a prerequisite course. This includes HSC 120 , BCA 131 and MAP 141 .

For more information about the Medical Insurance and Coding certificate, please visit our website at www.dmacc.edu/programs/btec/medicalinscoding.asp.

Program Entry Requirements

Complete an application for admission.
Attend any required information/registration session.
Complete the required COMPASS testing, obtaining a satisfactory score in writing skills (70 or higher) or an ACT writing score of 19 or higher or completion of ENG 060 with a grade of “B” or higher or program chairperson approval.
Keyboarding speed of 40 nwpm or above as demonstrated by a five-minute test at the DMACC testing center.

Graduation Requirements

To earn a Medical Insurance and Coding certificate, a student must complete all required coursework as prescribed and maintain a 2.0 grade point average.

Required Courses

Semester 1

ADM 101 - Office Essentials Credits: 1
ADM 157 - Business English Credits: 3
BCA 131 - Word Processing Skill Dev. I Credits: 3
HSC 120 - Medical Terminology I Credits: 3 *
MAP 141 - Medical Insurance Credits: 3

Note:

(Students must demonstrate a keyboarding speed of 25 NWPM or above by taking a five-minute test before enrolling in BCA 131 .)

Semester 2

ADM 215 - Medical Office Procedures Credits: 3
HSC 121 - Medical Terminology II Credits: 3 *
MAP 150 - Adv. Medical Billing/Coding Credits: 3
MAP 532 - Human Body-Health & Disease Credits: 3

Total Credits Required to Complete this Certificate - 25

*Challenge test available. Must earn 74%.

Note: Graduates may sit, at their own expense, for the Certified Coding Associates designation through the American Health Information Management Association.

The majority of credits listed above are applicable to the AAS degree in Medical Office Specialist .

Fixed Costs

Tuition……………………………………………………………………………………..$143.00 per credit

The costs for each program are estimates and subject to change.

Varied Costs

	Semester 1	Semester 2
Books (approximate)	888	752
Supplies	15	15

Approximate total for program: $5,245*

* Program entry requirements are not included in the total approximate cost.

What Skills and Abilities Will You Need?

Competency in keyboarding, English, grammar, spelling and proofreading.
Computer skills.
Ability to work independently and as a member of a team.
Excellent communications skills (written and verbal).
Attention to detail.

What Else Should I Consider about this Specialist Certificate?

This is an expanding field in health care.
Some positions are available out of your home (for experienced coders).
It may take more than two semesters to complete this program.

Nondiscrimination Policy

Des Moines Area Community College shall not engage in or allow discrimination covered by law. This includes harassment based on race, color, national origin, creed, religion, sex (including pregnancy and marital status), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability and genetic information. Veteran status in educational programs, activities, employment practices, or admission procedures is also included to the extent covered by law. Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against may file a complaint through the College Discrimination Complaint Procedure. Complaint forms may be obtained from the Campus Provost’s office, the Academic Deans’ office, the Judicial Officer, or the EEO/AA Officer, Human Resources. For information about the ADA, the Section 504/ADA Coordinator can be contacted at 515-964-6857. For Title IX questions and concerns contact 515-964-6850.