Coding Profession

Credentialing is an absolutely necessary step for a professional coder. In addition to the fact that the government recommends that only credentialed coders should be permitted to provide coding for Medicare patients, credentialing validates your skills and knowledge to the world. Coding credentials are currently offered by two professional associations: The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). The credentials are the following:

Credential	Offered by	Degree Required	Test Required	Continuing Education
CPC Certified Professional Coder	AAPC	None	Yes	Yes
CPC-H Certified Professional Coder — Hospital	AAPC	None	Yes	Yes
CPC-P Certified Professional Coder-Payer	AAPC	None	Yes	Yes
CCA Certified Coding Associate	AHIMA	None	Yes	Yes
CCS Certified Coding Specialist	AHIMA	None	Yes	Yes
CCS-P Certified Coding Specialist — Physician	AHIMA	None	Yes	Yes
RHIT Registered Health Information Administrator	AHIMA	AS in HIT	Yes	Yes
RHIA Registered Health Information Technician	AHIMA	BS in HIM	Yes	Yes