River Parishes Community College Medical Coding Specialist Certificate of Applied Science Gonzales, Louisiana

The Medical Coding Specialist Certificate of Applied Science program provides academic and clinical education in inpatient and outpatient coding, including required courses in health record content, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology. The program prepares graduates to perform medical coding functions in various health care facilities including physician office clinics, long-term care, home health, hospitals, urgent care, skilled nursing facilities, and rehab services. It is designed for students interested in medical billing and coding, health information or informatics management, and various other jobs within the revenue cycle. Students may wish to continue their studies towards a higher degree in Health Information Technology or Health Information and Informatics Management. The program has an affiliation agreement with Louisiana Tech University, allowing credits to transfer automatically upon successful completion. Students completing required courses will also be eligible to sit for the CEHRS (Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist) credential from the National Hospital Association before completion of the program. The program has been granted approval from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Professional Certificate Approval Program, qualifying students to sit for the Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist - Physician based (CCS-P), or Certified Professional Coder (CPC) credential.

The tuition for the Medical Billing and Coding program at River Parishes Community College is $2,676 for in-state students. For out-of-state students, the tuition is $5,336. These amounts are calculated based on the cost per credit hour and the typical number of credits taken per quarter. For more detailed information, refer to the cost of tuition and fees table: [RPCC Tuition and Fees Schedule](https://www.rpcc.edu/student-services/registrars-office/tuition-and-fees-schedule).