Medical Billing and Coding Certification: Which One to Get in 2026

Last updated: November 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.

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A medical billing and coding certification is a credential from an independent body, most often AAPC, AHIMA or NHA, showing you passed its exam on medical code sets or claims. The school that trains you and the body that certifies you are usually separate, and much of the confusion and overspending in this field comes from mixing them up.

This guide compares the credentials and the routes to them. AAPC’s guides sit at the top of this search, and AAPC also sells the CPC exam and the training for it. We sell neither, though we earn a commission if you buy through the Coursera and Udemy links marked below. Fees come from the credential bodies and schools as read in November 2026. Every other provider is linked for reference only and is recommended or criticized on merit.

Medical billing vs coding: what the work is

Coders translate clinical documentation into codes. A coder reads what a clinician recorded and assigns codes for the diagnosis, the procedure and any supplies. The main code sets are ICD-10-CM for diagnoses, CPT and HCPCS Level II for procedures and supplies, and ICD-10-PCS for inpatient hospital procedures. The job involves judgment about what the record actually supports, and a coder may need to query the provider when it is unclear.

Billers turn those codes into payment. A biller submits claims, follows payer rules, works denials and appeals, and collects from insurers and patients. Coding knowledge helps, but the daily work is closer to accounts receivable with a lot of insurance rules attached.

Small practices often combine the two roles, which is why the search term joins them. Larger employers and hospitals are more likely to separate them. The distinction affects your outlook too, because the government data below treats them as different occupations with different growth forecasts.

A different job with a similar name: medical assistants work with patients in clinics and need different training and credentials. If you want patient contact, read what a medical assistant does and our guide to online medical assistant programs instead.

Which certification is needed for medical billing and coding?

Pick the credential by workplace. Four bodies of work cover most entry-level searches: physician and outpatient coding, hospital coding, billing, and the wider health information degree route.

AAPC vs AHIMA. The usual shorthand is AAPC for physician offices and AHIMA for hospitals. The credentials reflect that history, but it is a starting point and not a rule, since AAPC also offers the inpatient CIC and AHIMA offers the physician-based CCS-P. AAPC calls the CPC the most respected coding credential, and that is the claim of the organization selling it. A better test takes ten minutes: search coder jobs within commuting distance, and in remote listings you could really get, then count which credentials the ads name.

AHIMA says the CCS had 36,925 holders at the end of 2025, against 7,753 for the CCA and 3,927 for the CCS-P. AAPC states it has over 300,000 members, which counts membership and not holders of any one credential, so the two numbers are not comparable.

Exam fees, format, pass marks and renewal compared

These are the rules as each body listed them in November 2026. AAPC exam fees apply to its core exams. AAPC also lists student pricing of $400 for one attempt and $475 for two, according to its exam cost page.

AHIMA’s 20-CEU figure for these credentials comes from its Recertification Guide, and someone holding two credentials can owe more. On NHA, we could not read the question count, time limit or pass mark on the page we opened.

The practical differences that fees hide

• Code books. You use code books in these exams. AHIMA says a candidate without the correct books will not be allowed to test and forfeits the fee. AAPC allows the current or preceding year and offers print or ebook options, and it requires the AMA’s CPT Professional Edition.
• Retakes. AHIMA charges the full fee again and requires at least a 30-day wait. AAPC sells a second attempt for $74 more if you buy it up front. For a first-time candidate, the $499 voucher is cheap insurance on a four-hour exam.
• Scheduling. AAPC says you must register three weeks before the exam date. Its annual blackout period starts December 30, and exams resume on the second Monday of the new year. Results arrive within 7 to 10 business days.
• Timing pressure. The CPC allows about 2.4 minutes per question and the CPB about 1.7, according to AAPC, so knowing your way around the books matters as much as knowing the rules.

Membership: required or optional?

AAPC: you must keep an annual AAPC membership to maintain the credential. We did not find a public line requiring membership before you sit the exam, so confirm that at checkout. AAPC’s training pages value one year of membership at $164, while Penn Foster values an AAPC student membership at $210. The join and renewal screens sit behind a login, so we could not confirm the price you would pay. AAPC lists 12 annual CEUs through its magazine and 4 through member webinars on its benefits page, which covers much of the 36-CEU requirement.

AHIMA: membership is optional. Professional membership is $149 a year and student membership is $49, with extra dues in some states. Recertification for one credential costs $100 for members and $249 for non-members. Our math: over a two-year cycle, a Professional member pays $398 in dues and fee, while a non-member pays $249. The member also gets 5 free CEUs a year, so membership is worth it only if you value those CEUs and the other benefits at more than the $149 gap. If you qualify, student membership is an easy call, since $49 should earn the $100 member discount on the CCA exam. Confirm that at checkout.

How hard are the exams?

AHIMA publishes first-time pass rates, which is rare in this field. AAPC says its trainees are three times more likely to pass and that its pass rates are the highest in the industry, but the AAPC pages we read gave no underlying pass-rate figures, so treat that as marketing until AAPC shows the data.

The CCS rate rose sharply as its tester count nearly doubled from 2023 to 2025, and AHIMA does not explain why on the page, so we would not assume the exam got easier. The practical lesson is that the entry-level CCA still fails more than a third of first-time testers. A cheap exam can still be a hard one.

Medical billing and coding programs and classes online: real prices

Training prices range about fifteenfold. The table below uses named programs that we priced in November 2026, and promotions move several of them, so confirm before paying. AAPC itself says college programs charge between $4,200 and $19,500, a figure from a competitor to those colleges that we did not verify independently.

Our read. If you are set on CPC and comfortable studying alone, the Penn Foster Medical Coding Professional bundle and the AAPC career package are the two to compare first. The first costs less. The second comes from the people who write the exam and offers instructor-led study. If you want a college credential, financial aid or in-person support, price your local community college before any national online school, because in-district tuition can be far cheaper than the out-of-state or private price. Blinn’s own sheet shows a spread of nearly $8,000 for the same certificate based only on where you live.

Looking near you? For Houston, New York or any other area, the same two lists apply: CAHIIM’s program directory for accredited degrees, and AHIMA’s PCAP program for approved coding certificates. Then ask your local workforce board whether state or federal training funds apply to the program.

Low-cost online courses: useful, with limits

A subscription or marketplace course will not replace a full program for most career changers, but it is a cheap way to test whether you can stand the material before spending thousands. These links are affiliate links.

• AAPC Medical Biller Professional Certificate on Coursera: our pick among these, because it comes from the credential body. It has four courses, takes about 3 months at 10 hours a week, and is rated 4.6 from 254 reviews. You still need to pass the CPB exam separately and buy the code books.
• MedCerts Medical Billing and Coding Fundamentals on Coursera: rated 4.7 from 1,833 reviews. The page says plainly that it is not designed to prepare students for national certification, so treat it as an introduction.
• Johns Hopkins Revenue Cycle, Billing, and Coding on Coursera: about 6 hours, and a quick way to see how codes become revenue. It sits within a medical office manager certificate.
• The Complete Medical Billing and Coding (CPC) Course on Udemy: rated 4.5 from 1,098 ratings, with 7,152 students, last updated in August 2026. Use it as low-cost CPC practice and not as your only preparation. We did not confirm a current price because Udemy’s prices change often.

Coursera charges through a subscription, so a slow start costs more. See our verdict on whether Coursera is worth it and our Udemy review for how the two price and teach.

Accreditation: what actually protects you

“Accredited” can mean three different things here, and only some of them affect what you can do next.

• CAHIIM accredits health information degree programs. It matters most for the RHIT: AHIMA requires an associate-level program accredited by CAHIIM to sit that exam. Search the CAHIIM directory before enrolling if RHIT is your goal.
• AHIMA PCAP approves non-degree coding certificates. AHIMA describes PCAP as a quality benchmark for curriculum, instruction and faculty. It is a useful signal for a coding certificate, and Purdue Global is one named example. AHIMA recommends, but does not require, this kind of preparation for the CCA.
• DEAC accredits distance-education schools. Penn Foster and U.S. Career Institute both cite it. It says something about the institution and tells you nothing about whether employers in your area value the diploma.
• A school cannot award AAPC, AHIMA or NHA certification. Penn Foster states this directly: exams are run by independent third parties and are separate from graduating. If a school says you will be “certified” on completion, ask which body certifies you, what the exam is, and who pays for it.

The warning signs of a bad “get certified fast” program

The clearest public case is Career Step, a healthcare career-training company that the FTC charged with deceptive advertising aimed at servicemembers and their spouses. It agreed to a $43.5 million settlement in cash and debt cancellation in 2024. These were the FTC’s allegations and the terms of a settlement, and they are worth reading before you pay anyone in this field:

• Graduate job figures with a hole in them. The company advertised that more than 80% of graduates worked in their field. The FTC said the figure rested on an optional survey sent only to people who completed the program.
• Completion that never came. The FTC’s consumer alert says only about 25% of enrolled students completed programs, and only about 8% of those found jobs.
• Speed promises. The company promised completion in under six months, and the FTC says most students needed much longer. Some were then pushed to buy more time.
• Externships that did not appear. The FTC says fewer than 10% of students in externship-required programs were placed, which left others unable to finish.
• Named-employer partnerships. The FTC says claimed partnerships with companies such as CVS and Walgreens did not produce the promised jobs.

Use those allegations as your question list. Before you pay, ask the school for these answers in writing:

• What percentage of everyone who enrolled, including those who dropped out, finished within the advertised time?
• What percentage of those people passed the CPC, CCA or CBCS, and in what year? U.S. Career Institute, for example, publishes 82% for CBCS against a 73% national average and names NHA as the source. That is the kind of specific answer to look for.
• How many graduates found coding or billing jobs within a set period, and how was that measured?
• Does the price include the exam, retakes, code books and membership? What is the total on a payment plan?
• What does it cost to extend access if I run out of time, and when does the refund window close?

Also be wary of pay claims from sellers. On the pages we read, AAPC says certified staff earn about 30% more than non-certified staff, while Penn Foster says “up to 8.5% more”. Both sell training, and both figures can’t describe the same reality without very different definitions.

How long does it take to get a medical billing and coding certification?

Plan for 4 to 14 months of study for most non-degree routes, and longer before you hold an unrestricted credential or a first job. AAPC says most people complete coursework and pass in 4 to 8 months, and its instructor-led course runs 16 weeks. Penn Foster’s own numbers are 10 months on its fast track and 14 on average, a useful reminder that the advertised minimum is rarely typical. Purdue Global says a year on average at 15 to 18 hours a week.

The apprentice stage most ads skip

If you pass the CPC or COC without two years of coding experience, you receive an “A” on your credential, such as CPC-A. AAPC says this tells employers you passed the exam but are still gaining on-the-job experience. AAPC offers three ways to remove it:

• Two years of coding work, verified by an employer, supervisor or HR on letterhead. Externship time can count.
• One year of coding work plus education, either Practicode or an 80-hour coding course.
• Practicode plus an 80-hour coding course, with no job needed. Practicode requires at least 600 cases at an overall 70% score. AAPC puts its value at $299.

That third route means a person can remove the “A” without having held a coding job, but the credential change does not create the experience employers may want. So check the bottleneck before enrolling: read 20 local and remote coder listings and note how many accept CPC-A or no experience. If very few do, look at billing, registration or records roles at a healthcare employer as a way in. Internal moves are a plausible route, although we have no data on how often they happen.

Medical billing and coding salary and job outlook

These government figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for medical records specialists and from O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor’s occupation database, for billing clerks. We read both on 6 November 2026.

Two cautions apply. The billing row covers billing clerks in every industry and is not specific to healthcare, while the coder row includes non-coding records work. BLS projects about 14,000 openings a year for medical records specialists, many of them from replacing workers who leave, so this is not a count of new jobs. O*NET does not label its billing figure as yearly, though against employment of 418,000 it only makes sense as an annual average.

The contrast still matters. Government projections favor the coding-side occupation over general billing, which is one reason we steer people who are undecided toward a coding credential. For your state, use the wage selector on the O*NET page; that also answers the New York salary question better than a national figure.

AAPC reports an average of $58,055 for CPC holders and $56,652 for CPB holders in its certification guide. Those figures are higher than the government medians. They come from a credential seller, describe certified people who may have years of experience, and are not starting pay. Plan your budget around the government median or lower for your first job.

Is AI changing medical billing and coding?

Yes, though the evidence does not support either “coders are finished” or “nothing will change.” These are the named sources we could read:

• Early chatbots did poorly at looking up codes. A 2024 NEJM AI study from Mount Sinai gave models the description of each code and asked for the code. The best, GPT-4, matched exactly 33.9% of the time on ICD-10-CM and 49.8% on CPT. That test used models that are now old, and it measured lookup from a description and not coding from a chart.
• Giving models a lookup step helped a lot. A later Mount Sinai study in NEJM AI, as reported by AJMC, covered 500 emergency visits. Models that first retrieved similar past cases often beat the codes physicians had assigned, according to reviewers who did not know the source of each code. The comparison was with physicians, so it says little about professional coders.
• Common codes look more exposed than rare ones. A 2025 systematic review of 35 studies found a median micro-F1 of 0.79 on frequent codes and a median macro-F1 of 0.42 on infrequent ones. Its authors conclude that these systems reliably automate common codes and frequently match or surpass professional coders, but only 3 studies did external validation. It is a preprint and has not completed peer review.
• Workplaces were already using these tools by 2023. In a NORC survey for AHIMA of about 2,500 health information professionals, 45% said their organization used AI or machine learning. Among users, 83% had computer-assisted coding and 19% had autonomous coding. AHIMA also reported that 66% had experienced persistent staffing shortages and 75% said upskilling was essential. AHIMA has an interest in this topic, and the survey dates from August 2023.

Our judgment, which is an inference and not a finding: routine, high-volume outpatient coding is the most exposed work, and auditing, denials, compliance and complex or rare cases are the least. We found no independent data measuring coder job losses from AI. The BLS projection above still shows growth, but forecasts can lag technology. If you enter this field, plan to move beyond routine production coding within a few years, and ask any employer how much of its coding is already automated.

How to get your medical billing and coding certification, step by step

• Read 20 job ads first. Note the credentials they name and how much experience they require. It is free and can save you thousands.
• Choose the workplace, then the credential, using the table above. Pick one credential to start, since each AAPC exam covers only the credential it names.
• Test your interest cheaply with a low-cost course before committing.
• Choose training that covers the prerequisites. AAPC expects strong knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and pathophysiology, and AHIMA lists the same kinds of subjects for its exams. Coursework should cover them whether or not the exam requires proof.
• Buy the right code books and learn to find codes in them quickly. Tab them within each body’s rules.
• Take timed practice exams at the real pace. For the CPC, that means about 2.4 minutes per question.
• Book the exam. Buy an AAPC voucher and schedule at least three weeks out, or apply through MyAHIMA and schedule with Pearson VUE within 120 days of eligibility. Avoid AAPC’s year-end blackout.
• Plan the renewal. Log CEUs as you earn them. AHIMA moves a lapsed credential through inactive and revoked stages.
• Decide what comes next. Common next steps are removing the “A,” adding a specialty such as risk adjustment (CRC) or inpatient coding (CIC), or an RHIT degree if you want a wider health information career.

Who should skip this certification

• People who need income within a few months. Training, the exam and the job search can easily outlast your runway, and the first job is the uncertain part.
• People mainly drawn by “work from home” ads. We could not verify how often entry-level roles are remote. Count the listings you could actually qualify for before you believe the ad.
• Anyone who dislikes close reading and rules. The work means reading clinical documentation closely, and codes and guidelines change every year.
• People who want patient contact. Look at medical assisting or another clinical route instead.
• Anyone being pressured to enroll today by a countdown or a financing pitch. Walk away for a day, and use the written questions above.

If you are still unsure, spend a few evenings on a low-cost course and try to code from a practice scenario with the books open. You will find out quickly whether this kind of work suits you, for far less than a program costs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best medical billing and coding certification?

For most beginners aiming at physician offices and outpatient work, the AAPC CPC is the best first choice because it is built around outpatient and physician coding and can be taken at home. If you want hospital inpatient coding, aim for the AHIMA CCS or the AAPC CIC. If you only want billing, the AAPC CPB is the focused option.

How do I get a medical billing and coding certification?

Choose the job you want, choose the credential that matches it, complete training that covers anatomy, medical terminology and the code sets, then pass the exam from the credential body. For AAPC, you buy a voucher and schedule at home or at a testing center. For AHIMA, you apply through a MyAHIMA account and test at a Pearson VUE center.

How much does medical billing and coding certification cost?

AAPC core exams cost $425 for one attempt or $499 for two. AHIMA charges $199 to $299 for the CCA and $299 to $399 for the CCS, depending on membership. Training ranged from about $1,049 at Penn Foster to about $16,324 in tuition at Purdue Global among the programs we priced in November 2026.

How long does it take to get certified?

AAPC says most people finish coursework and pass the exam in 4 to 8 months. Penn Foster lists 10 months on its fast track and 14 months on average. College certificates commonly take about a year. AAPC CPC holders without experience then carry apprentice status until they meet AAPC’s experience rules.

Is medical billing and coding a degree or a certification?

It can be either, and they are separate things. A school awards a certificate, diploma or degree for finishing a program. A body such as AAPC, AHIMA or NHA awards the certification after you pass its exam. Finishing a program does not by itself make you certified.

Do you need a certification to work in medical billing and coding?

Penn Foster, a training seller, says certification is not required to work in the field but that many employers may prefer it. Check job ads in your own area, because the practical answer depends on the employer and the role.

What score do you need to pass?

AAPC requires 70% overall, which means 70 of 100 questions on the CPC and COC and 95 of 135 on the CPB. AHIMA lists a passing score of 300 for the CCA, CCS, CCS-P and RHIT, which is a scaled score and should not be read as a percentage.

What is CPC-A?

CPC-A is the CPC credential with apprentice status. AAPC gives it to people who pass the exam without two years of coding experience. You can remove the A with two years of verified coding work, one year of work plus Practicode or an 80-hour course, or Practicode plus an 80-hour course.

Can I take the exam at home?

AAPC exams can be taken at home with a live remote proctor or at a testing center, and AAPC requires an external webcam at home. AHIMA states that the CCA and CCS must be scheduled at a Pearson VUE testing center.

Is there a state exam for medical billing and coding?

We did not find one. The credentials on this page are national exams run by private bodies, at the same listed fee across states, so a search for the Florida or Texas test usually leads back to these exams. An employer or a state training fund may still set its own rules.

Will AI replace medical coders?

No one can say for certain, and the evidence is mixed. A 2024 NEJM AI study found GPT-4 reproduced only 33.9% of ICD-10-CM codes exactly from their descriptions, while a 2025 preprint review found newer systems handle common codes well and struggle with rare ones. We would expect routine work to shrink first and review work to matter more.

Is medical billing and coding worth it?

It can be, if you enjoy detailed rule-based work, pay a sensible price and have a plan for getting your first coding job. Median pay for the BLS occupation that includes coders was $51,140 in 2025. It is a poor bet if you are paying thousands for a fast program because you were promised an immediate remote job.