CPC®, CPC-H®, or CPC-P® Apprentice: Examinees who are successful in passing the certification examination but have not yet met the required coding work experience will be awarded the initial designation CPC® Apprentice, CPC-H® Apprentice, or CPC-P® Apprentice. The CPC®, CPC-H®, or CPC-P® Apprentice is required to submit the annual CEUs while completing the coding work experience requirement. The apprentice will receive a certificate from AAPC for CPC® CPC-H® or CPC-P® Apprentice.
Requirements for removal of Apprentice designation for the CPC®, CPC-H®, CPC-P®: At least two recommendation letters verifying 2 years of on the job experience using the CPT®, ICD-9-CM, or HCPCS Level II code sets. At least one letter must be from a supervisor outlining your coding experience and amount of time in that capacity.
OR
A minimum 80 hour coding course AND one letter verifying one year of on the job coding experience from a supervisor. Proof of education may be sent in the form of a letter from the instructor stating the amount of contact hours or a certificate of completion stating the amount of contact hours.
Medical Coding Certification Requirements
In order to earn CPC®, CPC-H®, CPC-P® or CIRCC™ credentials:
- We recommend having an associate’s degree.
- Pay examination fee at the time of application submission.
- Maintain current membership with the AAPC.
a. New members must submit membership payment with examination application.
b. Renewing members must be current at the time of application submission as well as when results are sent.
c. See “Fees for Membership and Examination” section for details.
- Starting in January 2009 all exams will be reported with exact scores. The CPC-H® exam will report the top three areas of weakness.
A CPC-H® must have at least two years medical coding experience and maintain yearly renewal as well as submit 36 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) every two years for verification and authentication of expertise.
Note:
Each examination is separate and distinct from one another. To obtain all certifications, each examination must be taken separately and passed. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) submissions are required for all certifications. For CEU requirements please see our CEU Policy page.
Approved Manuals for Use During Examination
- CPT® Books (AMA standard or professional edition ONLY) no other publisher is allowed
- Your choice of ICD-9-CM
- Your choice of HCPCS Level II
In addition, any officially published errata update sheets for these manuals may be used. No other manuals are allowed. Examinees may use current calendar year and/or previous year code books. However, it is strongly suggested that only current manuals be used. Questions on the CPC®, CPC-P® or CPC-H® tests do not require the use of any other outside material.
Individuals with a solid understanding of coding fundamentals, anatomy, and terminology should be able to answer each examination question through application of the CPT®, ICD-9-CM, or HCPCS Level II manuals, or through careful reasoning.
List of Approved Manuals
Non-approved Manuals for Use During Examination
Due to the advantages of additional information and/or ease of use, the following books cannot be used during the exam:
- Current Procedural Coding Expert® - Ingenix
- Procedural Coding Professional - Contexo
- Procedural Coding Professional - AAPC
- Procedural Coding Expert - Contexo
- Procedural Coding Expert - AAPC
- CPT® Insider's View - AMA
- CPT® Plus! - PMIC
- Coders' Choice CPT® - PMIC
- ICD-9-CM Easy Coder - Unicor
The CPC-H® Exam
- 150 multiple choice questions (proctored)
- 5 1/2 hours
- 1 free retake
- $300 ($260 AAPC Students)
- Open Code book (manuals)
The CPC-H® examination consists of questions regarding the correct application of CPT®, HCPCS Level II procedure and supply codes and ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes used for coding and billing outpatient facility/hospital services to insurance companies. It is designed to evaluate a coder’s knowledge of:
- Medical Terminology
- Anatomy
- Coding Guidelines
- Payment Methodologies
- CPT®
- HCPCS Level II
- Surgery and Modifiers
- Code Assignment ICD-9-CM Vols 1 & 2
- Compliance