Medical Auditor Education Requirements
Medical auditing education can be offered through health information management and medical billing and coding programs. Find out the typical job duties of medical auditors, education requirements, and the course topics in these programs.
What Is Medical Auditing?
A medical auditor works in the health care field to determine that information coding systems and organization techniques are accurate. For example, as a medical auditor you might be charged with making sure that coding guidelines are current according to government regulations. If there are any flaws in the system, you can suggest and implement corrections. In order to properly audit and code medical terms, you may need to be familiar with procedures, medications, diagnoses and medical services.
<table border="1"><tr><td><b>Job Description</b></td><td>Check accuracy of information coding systems and organization</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Certification Requirements</b></td><td>Certification from the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) or the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), certificate, associate's or bachelor's degree</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Medical Billing and Coding Common Courses</b></td><td>Diseases, pharmaceutical terminology, classifying systems, medical ethics</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Health Information Management Common Courses</b></td><td>Data analysis, information delivery, ethics, classification system</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Median Salary (2020)</b></td><td> $44,090 (<i>for all medical records and health information technicians</i>)*</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Job Outlook (2019-2029)</b></td><td> 8% growth (<i>for all medical records and health information technicians</i>)*</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreTheEducationalRequirements">What Are the Educational Requirements?</h3><p>A sampling of <i>Monster.com</i> job postings posted in February 2012 shows that many employers seeking medical auditors stipulate that candidates have certification from the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) or the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) rather than a baseline education level. The AAPC only recommends that you earn an associate's degree before applying for certification. On the other hand, the AHIMA requires that you have a minimum of an associate's degree before you are eligible for certification.
</p><p>Since the AAPC (<i>www.aapc.com</i>) recognizes billing and coding as fields similar to medical auditing, educational programs in these concentrations might also lead to a career as a medical auditor. You can find medical billing and coding programs at both associate's degree and certificate levels of education. If you plan on pursuing an AHIMA designation, you are required to focus your studies on heath information management (HIM). These programs can be found at the associate's and bachelor's levels of education.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreMyEducationOptions">What Are My Education Options?</h3><p>When pursing a medical billing and coding education, the main difference between associate's degree and certificate programs is the amount of general education courses required. During these programs, you are tasked with learning how to read medical codes, assign codes to various medical terms, bill medical insurance companies, work in an office environment and work with electronic health records. You can expect courses in pharmaceutical terminology, medical ethics, classifying systems and types of diseases. Most programs in this field are offered on campus, but you may be able to find online and hybrid programs offered at the associate's degree level.
</p><p>Topics covered in HIM programs include collecting, organizing and maintaining healthcare data. You may also learn how to build classification systems, store classified information, follow ethical guidelines, work with digital and physical files, regulate information delivery and analyze data. These programs may also touch on medical billing and coding. If you are interested in completing your education online, you may only be able to find bachelor's degree programs offered though distance education platforms.</p>