It is natural and important for any professional to be recognized and respected in the industry. When we talk of getting credentials for the medical coder one must be clear of the difference between having just a certificate and "being Certified". Any college or school that trains candidates in medical coding gives a certificate of completion. But one must be aware as to how much value the certificate will have.

Credentials or a certified coder status is always given by an outside agency/body not by the training institute. The two main well recognized bodies that give Medical coding certifications are AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association) and the AAPC (American Association of Professional Coders). These are the common certifications,

• Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)

• Certified Coding Specialist—Physician-based (CCS-P)

• Certified Coding Associate (CCA)

• Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)

• Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA)

• Certified Professional Coder (CPC)

• Certified Professional Coder-Hospital (CPC-H)

• Certified Professional Coder-Payer (CPC-P)

In this context the RHIT or RHIA credential is for those who already hold a baccalaureate or associate degree as an eligibility criteria. Thus to become a "CCS certified coder", one must take AHIMA's CCS coding exam and pass it successfully. These candidates show more talent than the CCS coders in different areas-from data management, privacy, compliance and can take up supervisory and managerial roles-as well as medical coding.

The AAPC (American Association Professional Coders) offers specialty coding credentials for coding professionals who are already working. This certification will help them move to new specialty area or prove their worth in any specialty discipline. Even though there are no prerequisite years of experience required for eligibility to take the examination, one must always remember that these are difficult high level examinations. The AAPC certification exams have 75 multiple choice questions and cost $245.

What are the different coding specialty areas? Here is a partial list.

• Anesthesia – ANEST

• Cardiology – CARDIO

• Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery – CTS

• E/M Auditor – E/M

• Family Practice Medicine – FP

• Gastroenterology – GI

• General Surgery – GENSG

• Internal Medicine – INTMED

• Obstetrics/Gynecology – OBGYN

• Orthopaedics – ORTHO

• Pediatrics – PEDS

• Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery – PLRS

August 2007 saw the launch of a new organization called American College of Medical Coding Specialists (ACMCS). It is mainly for outpatient coders and offers the following coding credentials

• Physician Coding Specialist (PCS)

• Facility Coding Specialist (FCS)

• Coding Specialist for Payors (CSP)