What can I do with this?
The Medical Billing Certificate
- Is designed around the national American Academy of Professional Coder's (AAPC) Certified Professional Biller (CPB) curriculum.
- Provides the students with the opportunity to develop the necessary skills in the health insurance industry, legal and regulatory issues, and differences in reimbursement methodologies.
- Teaches principles of medical billing related to proper claim form preparation, submission and payment processing, and the follow up process.
You can use this to:
- Prepare for for the AAPC's CPB™ certification exam.
- Prepare for a career in a medical billing department at a physician's office, clinic, or similar positions.
This certificate is an adjunct to the Administrative Medical Assistant Program. It allows the student to further their education in medical billing needed in the doctor's office and advance in their profession. The student is likely to receive higher wages if certified.
What will I learn?
- To utilize software in the completion of Health Information Management (HIM) processes for billing, data collection, and data reporting.
- To evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic and procedural billing.
- To apply policies and procedures to the use of data required in healthcare reimbursement.
- To analyze current regulations and established guidelines in billing systems.
What courses do I take?
Note: Some courses within the major may have a required prerequisite. If you feel you have equivalent knowledge and skills to those included in the prerequisite course through professional experience, licensure, or certification, you have the opportunity to submit a Prerequisite Challenge to be reviewed by the faculty chair. For the Prerequisite Challenge to be considered, you must submit documentation/verification to substantiate the basis for the challenge. Please consult a counselor for more information regarding Prerequisite Challenge.
Complete all of the following courses:
Medical Assisting Core CoursesAdvisory: ENGL C101
36 hours lecture. This course is designed to prepare the student to recognize human behaviors and communicate effectively with clients and other healthcare providers in the workplace. Topics include verbal and non-verbal communication techniques, listening skills, therapeutic communication skills, and communicating with other healthcare providers. This course meets the competency standards for Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants (CCBMA) certification.
Advisory: ENGL C101
27 hours lecture. This course is designed to explore the theories, models, and principles that serve as guides for ethical behavior within the medical assistant context. The student explores the complexities of the ethical and legal aspects of patient care related to the medical assistant's practice, while learning the importance of principled behavior in personal and professional situations.
Advisory: ENGL C101
27 hours lecture. This course covers concepts and techniques for managing and maintaining manual and electronic health records (EHR). Topics include structure and use of health information including data collection and analysis, data sources/sets, archival systems, and quality and integrity of health care data. The focus of this course is system-wide clinical documentation guidelines and regulatory standards.
54 hours lecture. This course is designed to familiarize the student with the language of medicine. The components of medical terminology are highly beneficial for any individual with a healthcare employment objective. The course presents the components of medical works including word roots, combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes. Using medical terminology as a focal point, the instructor discusses the systems of the body.
Required Courses
Prerequisite: HCRS C150, HCRS C130, HCRS C131, HCRS C132
Advisory: ENGL C101
54 hours lecture. This course enables the student to gain a wide range of skills that may be required in a medical front office, which is an area that requires a high level of adaptability. This course covers basic office procedures, which include receptionist, appointments, scheduling, telephone techniques, interpersonal relations, computer data entry, oral communication, and medical-legal doctrines.
Prerequisite: HCRS C150, HCRS C130, HCRS C131, HCRS C132
Advisory: ENGL C101
54 hours lecture. This course presents the basic functions of the insurance and billing practices for healthcare workers. Topics include management of basic financial activities for healthcare facilities including medical insurance, methods of establishing professional fees, billing laws and regulations, banking, and bookkeeping.
Prerequisite: HCRS C134. Advisory: BIOL C121, ENGL C070
54 hours lecture. This course introduces health insurance, reimbursement, legal issues, and differences in reimbursement methodologies. Topics include the advanced principles of medical billing related to proper claim form preparation, submission and payment processing, and the follow up process. This course is recommended for anyone who is preparing for a career in a medical billing department at a physician's office, clinic, or similar positions.
Program Pathways
All classes needed for this certificate are available at the following campuses: CC Online
See Counseling for specific help with enrolling and completing this major.
How can I afford it?
This certificate requires 17.0 units and will likely take 2 semesters.
Approximate Total Costs
CA Residents
17.0 units
at $46 per unit
Equals $782 in tuition and fees
Plus approximately $1,020* for books and supplies
Total cost $1,802 for 2 semesters
Non-residents
17.0 units
at $388 per unit
Equals $6,596 in tuition and fees
Plus approximately $1,020* for books and supplies
Total cost $7,616 for 2 semesters
*This is an estimate. Actual costs will vary.
Need help? Financial Aid can help with fee waivers and scholarships and other aid. Make sure to fill out your FAFSA every January.
