Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC®) Online Training Course
The CRC course teaches fundamental medical coding skills for risk adjustment coding, along with the effects of predictive modeling and quality of care.
When to enroll
This course is perfect for medical billers and coders who have at least two years of experience, want to gain knowledge in diagnosis codes for all risk adjustment models, and who want to earn the CRC credential.
Value
AAPC trains over 20,000 new students annually for careers in medical billing and coding. Affirm your experience with employers and differentiate yourself as a certified risk adjustment coder. Demonstrate your knowledge of the various risk adjustment models, predictive modeling, and how to properly code in ICD-10-CM.
Education and experience
Two years of work experience is recommended. Knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology is required to successfully complete this course. AAPC offers the following prerequisites:
Fundamentals of Medicine - covers all three of the prerequisites below.
Anatomy (self-paced instruction), Medical Terminology (self-paced instruction), and Pathophysiology (self-paced instruction).
Course length
Self-paced: Average time to completion is three months or less. 4-month access to course materials with options for extensions.
Instructor-led: 16 weeks from start date to completion. New courses start throughout the year.
Continuing education units (CEUs)
Receive 30 CEUs on successful completion. One-time use only. AAPC certified prior to enrollment; excluding CPCO, CIRCC, CPMA and specialty certifications.
Course syllabus
Financial options
Pay in full: Price includes $250 pay-in-full discount
Pay over time: Make easy monthly payments over 12, 18, or 24 months
Course curriculum overview
The CRC is the most popular choice for an additional certification from AAPC. CRCs play a critical role in clinical documentation improvement by focusing on the accuracy and completeness of medical documentation, particularly as it relates to capturing diagnoses and conditions that impact risk adjustment and reimbursement.
Certified risk adjustment coder training is both exhilarating and challenging. Throughout the course, you’ll learn the principles of risk adjustment and accurate diagnosis coding. You’ll also gain an understanding of predictive modeling, the financial impact of risk adjustment coding, documentation challenges, official diagnosis coding guidelines, and diagnosis coding in ICD-10-CM.
Risk adjustment coding training objectives
Define different models of risk adjustment (HCC, CDPS, HHS-ACA, Hybrid)
Comprehending the impact of diagnosis coding on risk adjustment payments
Ability to identify documentation deficiencies and effectively communicate them to providers to improve accuracy of risk adjustment scores
Apply ICD-10-CM official guidelines and meet compliance requirements
Review and assign accurate medical codes for diagnoses
Identify elements of the medical record
Identify documentation deficiencies for diagnosis coding
Understand the most common conditions in risk adjustment and how to properly code in ICD-10-CM
Know the audit process for risk adjustment models
Understand anatomy, pathophysiology, and medical terminology as they pertain to diagnosis coding
Team training
Looking to certify your team?
AAPC helps employers build stronger revenue cycle teams through industry-recognized training and certifications.
Explore solutions designed for organizations of all sizes, whether you're training new hires, supporting professional development, or upskilling existing staff across your organization.
Learning methods
AAPC understands that students learn in different ways — that's why we allow you to choose a learning style that fits you best. AAPC offers the following learning methods:
Live instructor-led
Live instruction and classroom-paced training
16-week course via 1.5 hour online live sessions per week
Highest exam pass rate
66% better than no exam prep
New courses start every week
Self-paced instruction
Flexibility to prepare for the exam on your own time and pace
On-demand coaching — get expert feedback within two business days
Up to 6-month access to course materials
50% better than no exam prep
What students are saying
Within a year of receiving the CRC certification... I was promoted to Risk Adjustment Project Manager and managed all of our risk adjustment programs for my entire market.
Julia Mitchell
I changed job positions not long after becoming a CRC and now work for a large Medicare insurance payer. Without my CRC... such a great career move would not have been possible.
Catherine Butterfield, MBA, CPC, CRC
The CRC is valuable to me for professional and personal growth. This credential helped to demonstrate risk adjustment competencies.
Carmen Chaisson
Course bundle includes
In addition to the actual course of interactive online lectures, step-by-step coding processes, and all training needed to pass the exam, you’ll receive:
Online practice exams
Three 50-question practice exams to help you determine your readiness for the exam.UNLIMITED CRC exam vouchers (included in Self-Paced Max, Instructor-Led, & Job-Ready packages — a $425+ value)
The CRC exam features 100 multiple-choice questions over 4 hours. Please see the Unlimited Exam Attempts terms and conditions.FREE BONUS: Practicode CRC Practicum (subscription included in Self-Paced Max and Instructor-Led packages — a $249 value)
Practicode is a coding practice tool that helps you improve coding, giving you hands-on practice with real-world (redacted) cases. The tool evaluates your progress and helps you identify areas of weakness.
Why train with AAPC?
Any credential you earn through us will be recognized worldwide. Our education is trusted globally, positioning AAPC as a leader in training and certification.
Train with the same experts who created the exams. Why study at an institution that bases its curriculum on AAPC’s when you can train directly with us? We created the industry’s accreditations for medical coders and medical billers — and have been teaching these programs for more than 35 years.
Our exam pass rates are the highest in the industry. We provide the most trusted curriculum and top-rated training, resulting in exam pass rates that remain unmatched by other programs.
Join a network of over 300,000 members. We’re the world's largest training and credentialing organization for the business of healthcare. We’ll be here to support you every step of the way, through tools and resources, payment plans, CEUs, workshops, networking events, and more.
FAQs: Get your questions answered
CRCs specialize in accurately assigning diagnostic codes to patient encounters based on medical record documentation. Their primary focus lies in risk adjustment coding, where they code conditions and illnesses that affect the severity of illness and risk profile of patients, crucial for various healthcare payment models.
Additional training resources
Ensure you have mastered the prerequisites.
To earn the CRC credential, you must be able to demonstrate expertise in the complexity of diseases associated with chronic conditions and comorbidities, as well as mastery of ICD-10-CM and risk adjustment guidelines.
The CRC exam is a difficult, high-level exam and not intended for individuals lacking CRC training or equivalent experience working with risk adjustment models.
Highly recommended: AAPC offers a three-topic fundamentals of medicine (medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology) prerequisite training course to provide you with a high-level knowledge of medical terminology and other information that will allow you to succeed in the path to obtaining your CRC credential.
Review the study guide and test-taking techniques.
Designed to help you prepare for the exam, our official CRC Study Guide walks you through a review of ICD-10-CM coding and documentation, risk adjustment models, predictive modeling and quality of care, the link between risk adjustment and medical funding, clinical documentation barriers, and frequently coded conditions in risk adjustment models. Best of all, it provides testing tips for taking the AAPC's CRC exam.
Test your knowledge before the exam.
Diagnose your strengths and weaknesses. We highly recommend that you take one of the 50-question online practice exams to help you become familiar with the format and time constraints of the real test. Our practice tests accurately mirror the exam to ensure you are fully prepared on exam day.
Diagnose and prioritize your focus areas.
After you take your first practice exam, you’ll realize not all areas of CRC curriculum require equal study time. Based on your diagnostic results and practice performance, we’ll recommend lessons and exercises at just the right level. Follow these recommendations to make the most of your practice time.
