6 Free Medical Billing and Coding Courses Online 2025

Medical billing and coding is a high-demand career that is projected to grow rapidly over the next few years. If you are looking to change careers or explore your career options, online medical billing and coding certification programs might be just the thing to start exploring this opportunity.

Below, we give you an overview of some of the best free courses offering medical coding and training online so you can start your training.

How To Learn Medical Coding For Free

Learning medical coding for free is easy with one of the online courses we have selected below. If you're on a budget but want to pursue a career in medical billing and coding, you can take one or more of these courses to learn the fundamentals of medical coding and prepare yourself for certification.

1. Absolute Medical Coding Institute - Introduction to Medical Coding Course

Absolute Medical Coding Institute (AMCI) offers a free, online introduction to medical coding course. This course teaches fundamentals and helps individuals better understand the medical coding profession. It's a great option for those looking to explore this career before committing to a certification program.

2. PPMC Academy on Udemy - What Is Medical Billing and Coding?

This course is a quick introduction to the world of medical billing and coding. The course takes only 60 minutes to complete, and it provides an overview of everything essential for aspiring medical coders to know. Resources for further learning opportunities are discussed at the end of the course.

3. MB&CC - Introduction to Medical Billing and Coding

Medicalbillingandcoding.org (MB&CC) offers an introductory course to those interested in medical billing and coding free of charge. This course is divided into six sections and offers students downloadable free resources so they can study the fundamentals and prepare themselves for the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) certification exam.

4. MedCerts - Medical Billing and Coding Fundamentals

This online course offered by Coursera is free with a seven-day trial of the service. Since the course is estimated to take one month to complete, you can also take advantage of the financial aid options offered by Coursera to receive up to 90% off the tuition cost.

In this course, you will learn all the essential fundamentals of medical billing and coding, learn medical and insurance terminology, and prepare yourself for a fulfilling career in this field.

5. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) offers several online courses designed to cover the basics of medical billing and coding. These courses can be completed in as little as 90 minutes, and each course is self-paced. You can choose from various topics, such as diagnosis coding, coverage determinations, and procedure coding.

6. University of the District of Columbia - Online Medical Billing and Coding Training

The Online Medical Billing and Coding Training course offered by the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) provides all the information you need to know to become a fully certified medical coder. This course offers hands-on experience combined with an online environment, in addition to vouchers to take a certification exam upon completion of your education.

This course is a paid course through UDC, but D.C. residents can access it through the Workforce Development program to receive free tuition. You can also utilize financial aid and scholarship resources to lower the cost.

Our Selection Criteria

When choosing these free online courses for medical billing and coding, we used the following criteria:

• Cost: We made sure to select completely free courses or those with the potential to be very low-cost or free with the help of financial aid, tuition reimbursement, and scholarships.
• Topic: We've selected courses that can give you an overview of the fundamentals of medical billing and coding, in addition to some that may be more in-depth.
• Certification: The courses on our list give you essential information about this career and resources to continue your education and obtain medical coding certification.

Benefits of Free Online Classes For Medical Coding

Free online classes for medical coding can teach you the fundamental skills needed to become a coding specialist.

Fundamentals Taught in Medical Coding Classes

Medical coding classes will teach you the fundamentals of this skill set, in addition to any specialized knowledge to become certified and start your coding career. Some of the most common topics taught in free medical billing and coding courses include:

• International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes for diseases and medical conditions
• Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for identifying medical procedures and services
• Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) for identifying products, supplies, and services
• HCPCS Level II codes for services, supplies, and equipment not included in HCPCS Level I codes
• basics of working with healthcare providers, medical offices, and insurance companies
• medical terminology

How To Enroll in Medical Billing and Coding Courses Online

Enrolling in medical billing and coding courses online is fairly straightforward. For most free courses, all you need to do is sign up with your name and email information. If you are enrolling in a certified professional coder program or other training programs offered through a college or university, you may need to follow the school's enrollment procedures and provide additional personal and financial information (to determine financial aid eligibility).

FAQs About Free Courses for Medical Billing and Coding

Medical billing and coding courses can be confusing. We'll answer your frequently asked questions about this subject below.

Why Should I Enroll in Free Medical Billing and Coding Training?

If you want to become a medical billing and coding specialist, you will need to enroll in training and sit for certification exams. Healthcare facilities and insurance companies generally require coders to be certified; however, they may need to obtain certification through the AAPC and show proficiency with ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS codes to become certified.

Programs from top accredited online medical billing and coding schools can help you get your training started.

Can You Get Certified in Coding for Free?

While you can explore the subject of medical billing and coding for free, it is unlikely that you will be able to get a certification for free. All certifications within the medical billing and coding field require that you sit for an exam, and these exams typically come with a fee.

That said, if you are eligible, you can lower the cost of your medical billing and coding certificate through financial aid, tuition assistance, and fee waiver programs.

What Does a Medical Coder Do?

A medical coder takes details from a patient's medical history and electronic health records (e.g., lab reports, doctor's notes, and diagnoses) and assigns them a universal medical code. These codes allow for accuracy in medical records and play an important role in billing and record-keeping for healthcare providers and insurance companies.

You must obtain a medical billing specialist education before you can officially become certified as a medical coder.

Explore Online Classes for the Healthcare Industry Today

Online classes in the healthcare industry are helpful when it comes to switching careers or upgrading your professional skills. You can choose a convenient online program in medical billing and coding to get started in this high-demand career field. Review colleges that offer these programs with Learn.org so you can learn more about which program might be right for you.