When you pass the CPC or COC exam, you receive your CPC-A or COC-A credential, which signifies apprenticeship standing. You remain an apprentice until you fulfill a 2-year experience requirement, at which time you will submit proof of meeting the requirement, and your A will be removed.
Due to the level of expertise required of medical coders, AAPC expects certified coders to be able to perform not only in an exam setting, but also in the real world. To graduate as a CPC or COC and remove your A, a combination of the following experience and education must be submitted as proof of completing the equivalency of 2-years experience:
Verifiable work experience coding
Completion of AAPC's Practicode program
Completion of AAPC’s 80-hour medical coding course or an equivalent course from an instructor or school.
Below are the three options for apprenticeship removal and their respective submission requirements.
This option for apprenticeship removal utilizes 2 years of on-the-job coding experience. Employment verification from previous employers, current employers, externships, or a combination of all three are accepted. Professional coding experience both before and after certification applies.
Submission requirements:
Employer(s) verification of at least 2-years on-the-job experience using the CPT, ICD-10-CM, or HCPCS Level II code sets.
Only employers, supervisors, or an HR department can verify time spent coding within an organization.
Letter(s) of verification must meet these requirements:
Include coding experience achieved, and amount of time in that capacity
Submitted on company letterhead
Hand signed, dated, and include current contact information for verification purposes
Provided in a non-editable format (pdf) for member to upload
Optional employment verification template
This option for apprenticeship removal combines 1 year of on-the-job-experience plus completion of AAPC’s 80-hour medical coding course (or an equivalent course from an instructor or school) OR completion of AAPC’s Practicode program (included in all AAPC training packages).
Employment verification from previous employers, current employers, externships, or a combination of all three are accepted. Professional coding experience both before and after certification applies.
Submission requirements:
Employer(s) verification of at least 1-year on-the-job experience using the CPT, ICD-10-CM, or HCPCS Level II code sets.
Only employers, supervisors, or an HR department can verify time spent coding within an organization.
Letter(s) of verification must meet these requirements:
Include coding experience achieved, and amount of time in that capacity
Submitted on company letterhead
Hand signed, dated, and include current contact information for verification purposes
Provided in a non-editable format (pdf) for member to upload
Optional employment verification template
Submission requirement for AAPC’s Practicode program, or AAPC’s 80-hour medical coding course:
Documentation is not required as our system recognizes member accomplishment.
Submission documentation options for 80-hour coding course from instructor or school:
Instructor letter on school letterhead verifying completion of at least 80 contact hours (not CEUs).
Certificate/diploma stating at least 80 contact hours
Unofficial school transcript showing at least 80 contact hours
This option for apprenticeship removal combines the completion of AAPC’s 80-hour medical coding course (or an equivalent course from an instructor or school) PLUS completion of AAPC’s Practicode program (included in all AAPC training packages).
Submission requirements:
Documentation proving completion of AAPC’s 80-hour medical coding course is not required as our system recognizes member accomplishment.
If another course is to be utilized, the following must be provided:
Instructor letter on school letterhead verifying completion of at least 80 contact hours.
Certificate/diploma stating at least 80 contact hours (not CEUs)
Unofficial school transcript showing at least 80 contact hours
Submission requirements:
Documentation proving completion of AAPC’s Practicode program is not required as our system recognizes member accomplishment.
Proof of education or experience should be submitted to via the Apprentice Removal Application once ALL apprentice removal requirements have been met. Processing takes between 2-4 weeks. Use our optional employment verification template for easier submission and faster processing.