Medical Coding Specialist certificate program to be offered beginning in Fall 2020
Technological advances in a dynamic healthcare marketplace continue to create a wealth of high-paying jobs — and Golden West College stands ready to meet industry demands. In fall 2020, GWC will begin offering a Medical Coding Specialist Certificate of Achievement.
GWC’s new Medical Coding Specialist Certificate, which requires successful completion of 35 college-credit units, marks the college’s first offering to meet the demand for Health Information Technology (HIT) professionals, said Chris Whiteside, Executive Dean of Business and Career Education at GWC.
“With a high demand for medical coders in today’s job market and the foreseeable future,” Whiteside said, “these professionals are considered an essential entity in various healthcare settings such as acute, extended, and long-term care facilities, surgical centers, clinics and physician offices.”
As a major building block among Health Information Management (HIM) professionals, medical coders are medical language experts who interpret and process health information for health data collection, revenue reimbursement, and research to improve quality of care.
The Medical Coding Specialist Certificate is part of GWC’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) program, which is designed to train students for high-tech, high-salary, and demanding careers in the surging Southern California area.
Highly-qualified instructors who are working or experienced in their fields develop the curriculum and participate in the instruction of GWC’s CTE programs, whose offerings range from automotive technology to cosmetology and esthetician to nursing and beyond.
OPPORTUNITY ABOUNDS AT GOLDEN WEST
GWC’s new Medical Coding Specialist program is designed to educate and prepare students for entry-level medical coding jobs and update those already in the field of new standards. The Outpatient/Inpatient Certificate of Achievement provides individuals with the content knowledge and skills needed to abstract and critically analyze medical data for positions in the HIM field and the medical technology industry.
The curriculum emphasizes identified competencies and hands-on integration and the use of technology systems seen in many healthcare institutions. After students receive their Medical Coding Specialist Certificate of Achievement, they will be eligible to sit for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or American Academy of Procedural Coders (AAPC) certification exams.
According to a 2020 Orange County Workforce Indicators Report, the healthcare industry in Orange County has seen tremendous growth in recent years, expanding by nearly 103 percent between 2001 and 2019. As of 2019, Orange County’s Health Care and Social Assistance industry employed 201,176 individuals and is expected to grow by another 25 percent over the next decade, according to the report.
Approximately 2,084 medical records and health information technicians were employed in Orange County in 2019. Jobs related to health information technology are predicted to experience a 10 percent increase through 2022.
Studies show that students who go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in the HIT/HIM related field can expect entry-level salaries ranging from $26 to $59 per hour.
“With the collection of healthcare data as the primary function, coding not only offers opportunities for individuals who would like to work in indirect patient care jobs, but it also provides extended training for nurses pursuing another avenue to support patient care as a clinical documentation specialist,” Whiteside said.
“Coding positions can also offer single parents the ability to work remotely in some cases,” he added. “Jobs can be done onsite or remotely, in the States and around the world. Opportunities are limitless.”
Citing research, Whiteside said there is an unmet need for an additional HIT program in Orange County that the new program will address. Last year, he said, there were over 1,300 HIT job postings in the county, and upon completion of a program, employment was typically obtained within six months.
