Is it worth taking a medical billing program?

How important is accreditation for a medical billing and coding program? ?

• My local community college offers a program but it isnt accredited by CAHIIM. How important is that? The only other choices are either a CAHIIM accredited online Devry program or an ABHES accredited program, which is the accreditting body for Everest, Anthem, and other for profit schools. I would like to attend the community college program but since it isnt accredited by CAHIIM, I dont want to waste money and not be easily employable. Any medical billers/coders thoughts, opinions,answers are appreciated.

• Answer:

  Hey Charity, First lets look at what accreditation is: Accreditation is a mechanism for assuring academic quality in higher education.  The institution that sponsors an accredited CAHIIM program, is required to have institutional accreditation by a regional or qualified institutional accreditor which must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and must have provisions for Title IV Eligibility. This allows that institution to provide:  Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid. Ability to Transfer Credits: Accreditation provides for establishing the acceptability of credits from school to school. Ability to enroll in Graduate education: If your undergraduate degree was earned at an unaccredited institution you run the risk that the graduate school in which you would like to enroll will not accept your degree. Taking that definition into account if I am not going to be trying to further my education once I finish the school I attend then I really don't care if the school is accredited or not. If the college is only 2 years and you plan on transferring to a 4 year school then the school you initially attend must be accredited so you an transfer the credits you have already earned. The school I went to was not accredited but I was there just to get the education needed for me to perform the job of a biller and coder. Once I completed the course then I enrolled in a 4 week vocational school that prepared me to take the Nationally Recognized CPC Exam which I sat for and passed on my first attempt. I hope that helped, Kat How To Choose The Best Online Medical Billing Course http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgFsyV42828