Why Take the Test?

I was recently asked on YouTube, if it was important to take the credentialing exam and make sure that the school is accredited through AHIMA so that you can take the test.

YES, YES, YES, and YES!

If your program is not accredited, which means that it has not submitted itself and it's curriculum to the approval of CAHIIM then you do not qualify to test for one of the credentials issued by AHIMA. AHIMA is the foremost sought after credentials and most employers prefer those credentials.

I have witnessed people I know go to those "private" two year colleges (which cost WAY more than a community college) for billing and coding programs and after they finish they can not find a job. Healthcare employers do not look favorably on those schools because the curriculum is not as detailed and encompassing as it should be.Basically, they feel like you don't know what you're doing.

Most of the teachers there are not true educators and the schools basically just want your student loan money. Now, this all my opinion but I've seen it with my own eyes. I was offered a job at one of those schools and I turned it down. When asked why I simply said "I can not lie to those students and tell them that they are employable after graduation because they won't be." You may be able to become a biller, because that doesn't require any credentialing. But you will not be able to enter and progress in the HIM world with an education from one of those schools.

Here's a little comparison I made while I was speaking with someone that attended an non credentialed program:

1. I had 4 semesters of curriculum that embodied the entire HIM department such as: filing systems, medical record law, anatomy & physiology, pathology, pharmacology, coding, transcription, computers in healthcare, etc. Their classes centered around coding, billing and insurance processes.
2. We had weekly clinicals, spanning over 3 semesters, at nursing homes, large physician clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, trauma registries, cancer registries, large acute care hospitals and billing offices, and mental hospitals. They went to a few physician offices and a billing office.
3. During our clinicals we filed loose reports, created charts, learned how to track defiencies and get doctor's signatures, completed release of information, learned how to assemble and analysis a chart, learned how to index scanned images, learned how to use microfilm for release of information, coded ER, outpatient, ambulatory surgery, OB/GYN, cancer, trauma, med/surg, mental health, clinical documentation and billing practices. They learned how to bill superbills and clear billing edits.

Take a look at the difference in the programs...
Virginia College in Jackson, MS
Hinds Community College in Jackson, MS

So please, research your school and make sure that they are CAHIIM approved! That is the only way you will be able to sit for the credentialing exam and progress through your career. HIM is way more than just billing and coding...