Accredited Medical Billing and Coding Schools Online with Financial Aid

Medical coding and billing is an often overlooked but critical part of the healthcare industry. These behind-the-scenes specialists are found in nearly every healthcare practice.

Medical billing and coding professionals often work in the records billing department of healthcare institutions like hospitals and clinics.

These professionals use codes to classify the various diagnoses and services so that Medicare or health insurance companies can properly process billing and reimbursement.

Career Outlook

As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for medical billing and coding professionals, or medical secretaries, is predicted to rise by 9% from 2019 to 2029. This trend is primarily driven by the general populace's considerable aging and retirement demographic. The median salary for this occupation was $39,850 in May 2019, while those that work for pharmaceutical companies made the most money at $62,740.

Education Requirements

To work in this field, billing and coding specialists require an associate's degree and certification. Below is a catalog of internet-based institutions providing specializations in this domain. Many of these establishments confer a certification, a final associate's degree, or the opportunity to integrate credits into a bachelor's degree curriculum.

Featured Medical Billing and Coding Programs

Medical billing and coding schools online with financial aid

If you excel in managing the fine details and consider this your career's unique selling point, your initial move should be to identify an educational institution that best suits your aspirations. On top of that, knowing how you will pay for your education (those tuition bills can add up pretty fast). Luckily, many schools offer financial aid to students in their medical billing and coding programs. EDsmart has compiled a list of accredited medical billing and coding schools online with financial aid based on financial data from the National Center for Education Statistics. The number of students and campus information was also gathered from the NCES site.

CareerStep

Completion Time Frame: 4 months - with 12 months of access to the course
Cost of Course: $3,699
Course Delivery Type: Online
Certification Type Awarded: Certificate

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CareerStep's Medical Billing and Coding course are designed to be completed in as little as four months of full-time study. Some of the largest names in the healthcare industry use CareerStep's medical billing and coding training to train their employees. This course prepares you to be eligible to sit for the CPC and COC national certification exams and gain hands-on, real-world experience, so you're ready to begin working immediately once the course is completed.

Military spouses enrolling in any course offered by CareerStep can receive a MyCAA grant covering up to $4,000 in program expenses. The MyCAA program covers 100% of the cost of CareerStep's approved courses.

Berkeley College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 70%
Main Campus: New York, NY
Number of students: 3,505

Courses taught at Berkeley College prepare students to manage great amounts of medical insurance and billing information. After completing either the degree or certificate, students will have the knowledge and skills to become nationally certified. Berkeley College offers classes on campuses in New York and New Jersey and online.

Bryant & Stratton College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 82.00%
Main campus: Buffalo, NY
Number of students: 4,436

Bryant & Stratton College's billing and medical coding program is for detail-oriented people who like working with computers. Students of the program will learn key medical terminology, how to assign standard codes using the current classification systems, how coding works in the overall structure of the healthcare industry, and the rules and regulations surrounding patient confidentiality. This program provides students with a certification that enables coders to earn up to 20% more than noncertified coders.

Cambridge College of Healthcare and Technology

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 90.00%
Main campus: Delray Beach, FL
Number of students: 463

Cambridge College of Healthcare and Technology is designed to help students find a place in the healthcare community. The online billing and coding program is easily accessible and a great way for busy students to advance their careers. This program helps students gain a better knowledge and understanding of the most popular medical coding formats and offers 20 different specialty coding certifications for experienced coders.

Central Maine Community College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 47.00%
Main campus: Auburn, Maine
Number of students: 2,178

The online medical coding and electronic health records degree at Central Maine Community College is designed to give students a head start in the healthcare industry. By helping students become proficient in the various coding formats that the industry uses, students will have the skills necessary for careers in hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, and more.

Cosumnes River College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 3.00%
Main campus: Sacramento, CA
Number of students: 13,045

The Health Information Coding Specialist Certificate at Cosumnes River College was created to prepare students to apply medical coding classifications to the various healthcare scenarios in the industry. Graduates of the program will be prepared for the certification exams required by the governing bodies in coding. This program allows students to combine an interest in health information, business, and computer information systems.

Cowley Community College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 40.00%
Main campus: Arkansas City, KS
Number of students: 1,958

Cowley Community College's medical coder program offers the convenience and flexibility of a college education at home. Students can attend classes according to their schedules. Additionally, the program is an open enrollment format, meaning applicants don't need to worry about semester start dates. This curriculum is skill-focused, implying that its graduates will be armed with the essential abilities to thrive in the healthcare sector. Cowley offers certificates and degrees in medical coding.

Dakota State University

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 75.00%
Main campus: Madison, SD
Number of students: 2,051

The Health Care Coding Certificate at Dakota State University focuses on industry standards like ICD and CPT coding and third-party reimbursement. Upon graduation, graduates can enter the workforce immediately or gain additional credentials. The certificate program at DSU is attractive because the courses taken also serve as a stepping stone into the associate's and bachelor's degree programs in Health Information Technology.

Featured Medical Billing and Coding Programs

Daymar College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 71.00%
Main campus: Bowling Green, KY
Number of students: 210

Daymar College understands that nearly every healthcare facility in the country needs qualified billing and coding professionals working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. To that end, this school has designed its program so that students can gain the billing and coding skills they need to succeed as coding specialists. This program is offered as both day and night classes at multiple campus locations.

DeVry University

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 91.00%
Main campus: Naperville, IL
Number of students: 12,743

One of the big perks of taking programs at DeVry University is taking classes online, with new school sessions starting every eight weeks. DeVry's medical billing and coding undergraduate certificate feature AHIMA's CCS certification exam prep built-in to the coursework. Students of the program can expect hands-on experience in virtual lab environments with real medical records. This certificate can also serve as the first step in earning associate and bachelor's degree credentials through DeVry.

Drexel University

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 61.00%
Main campus: Philadelphia, PA
Number of students: 15,557

Drexel University's medical billing and coding certification features a fully online format and two professional tracks to select from. As one of the nation's most comprehensive coding educational initiatives, this program has consistently defined industry excellence benchmarks. Students of the program will learn to code as it pertains to the four main coding manuals and gain a solid understanding of the software and terminology that the industry relies upon. At the end of the certification program, students can sit for the national certification exams of three different bodies.

Herzing University

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 100.00%
Main campus: Minneapolis, MN
Number of students: 515 (514 undergraduate)

Herzing University offers a fully online degree so students can learn from work, home, or wherever convenient. At Herzing, students have two education paths to choose from regarding medical billing and coding careers. For learners keen on joining the workforce immediately, they could opt for the medical billing diploma course, which can potentially prepare them for employment in just about 12 months. Students seeking a more rounded education can enter Herzing's associate's and bachelor's degree programs.

Keiser University

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 69.00%
Main campus: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Number of students: 17,813

Keiser University's associate of science degree in medical administrative billing and coding helps students prepare for a career in assigning accurate medical codes to the different procedures offered by healthcare practitioners. Students of the program will develop the ability to use medical language and classification systems and develop the skills necessary to perform clerical and administrative duties. As a 60 credit program, this program is considered a terminal degree, and graduates will receive an associate's degree at completion.

Northwest Technical College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 50.00%
Main campus: Bemidji, MN
Number of students: 648

Available as a 60 credit associate degree program and a certificate, Northwest Technical College's medical coding program graduates will be able to find employment in the healthcare industry. This program focuses on educating students in the skills needed to organize and code medical data and facility records, as well as the classification procedures and diagnoses related to medical treatment. Upon completing the associate's degree program, students can continue their education towards a bachelor of applied science in business administration at Mayville State University.

Purdue University Global

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: .00%
Main campus: Indianapolis, IN
Number of students: 1,255

Purdue University recently acquired the online education company Kaplan, and the resulting merger created the online school known as Purdue University Global. This school is fully optimized to provide a high-quality education wherever students are through its fully online programs. The medical billing and coding certificate program is no different. In this program, students can expect to learn not only about coding and insurance billing but also learn medical terminology, medical office management, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and more.

San Joaquin Valley College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 61.00%
Main campus: Visalia, CA
Number of students: 5,113

San Joaquin Valley College knows that a key skill to a successful career in healthcare is coding and medical billing. Because of this, SJVC offers both a certificate and an associate's degree program that equips students with the skills healthcare employers are looking for. As a fully online program, the program helps students understand the principles of medical insurance, insurance claims management, diagnostic and procedural coding, and foundational office management skills.

Southern Careers Institute

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 71.00%
Main campus: Brownsville, TX
Number of students: 362

Southern Careers Institute offers one of Texas's best training, certification, and externship programs in medical billing and coding. SCI's program teaches students the necessary medical insurance billing codes and computer applications and the often overlooked keyboarding skills required for the modern workplace. Students of the program can move on to successful careers working in physician offices, hospitals, emergency care offices, clinics, schools, and more.

Sullivan University

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 83.00%
Main campus: Louisville, KY
Number of students: 2,618

At Sullivan University, students can earn a diploma in medical coding in as little as nine months. As a fully online program, students can attend classes at their convenience. A program designed specifically for students looking to start their careers right away, students will only take classes for subjects they will use on their job. Students of the program will be able to translate medical documentation into the proper codes and apply the codes using proper reimbursement methodologies.

Ultimate Medical Academy

Main Campus: Clearwater, FL

The Ultimate Medical Academy is dedicated to a singular mission: equipping students for a prosperous healthcare career. Consequently, it's logical that this institution's medical billing and coding course would rank among the nation's finest. Students of the program are not only able to attend theirclasses online but also can become intimately familiar with the medical and insurance billing process. Classes at UMA help students prepare for the Certified Professional Coder exam, which helps students stand out during the job application process.

University of Cincinnati Clermont College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 50.00%
Main campus: Batavia, OH
Number of students: 2,308

The medical biller/coder curriculum at the University of Cincinnati Clermont College is structured to cultivate the communication and organization abilities crucial for a healthcare career. It can be concluded within a year as an online certificate course.

Vista College

Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 76.00%
Main Campus: El Paso, TX
Number of students: 464

Vista University's medical insurance billing and coding program is an associate degree program and can prepare students for a career in less than two years. In addition to providing an education in foundation English composition, computer science, mathematics, and coding, students can complete valuable hands-on externships to have practical work experience before entering the healthcare workforce.

Further Reading: Cheapest Accredited Online Colleges