How to Test to Become a Certified Medical Biller

Certified medical billers help attach special codes to a patient's medical file to identify procedures and tests so that insurance companies or government agencies can pay for them, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are several professional associations that offer certification to medical billers; although the specific testing steps vary among organizations, there are generally a few common steps.

Instructions

• 1

  Complete necessary education and a special training program. Most certification organizations for medical billers require that test takers have completed at least a high school diploma and a medical billing and coding training program. Accredited training programs usually take two semesters to complete and are available at community and technical colleges, as well as through online distance learning centers.

• 2

  Apply to take the certification exam. Professional organizations managing the certification process require potential test takers to submit an application for the test, listing the education and training completed, as well as any relevant work experience. Although the work experience is not a requirement to take the certification test, some organizations ask anyway.

• 3

  Schedule the test, pay the registration fee and prepare for the test. Certification organizations usually send instructions for how to schedule the certification test with letters of approval, once they have verified your education and training information. Although you can sometimes take a certification test through your training program, the instructions describe how to schedule the test at a nearby testing center. Fees vary, depending on the credential you would like and the organization that certifies you, but generally, test fees range between $199 and $399. Preparatory materials are available from all medical biller organizations, such as the American Medical Billing Association and the American Academy of Professional Coders.

• 4

  Take the test on the scheduled date at the testing center. Arrive 15 to 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled test time to allow enough time to check in and find a seat. Although the tests vary depending on what credential you would like, generally they feature approximately 150 to 200 multiple choice questions covering topics such as medical terminology, coding guidelines, medical specialty areas, lab and pathology codes and privacy regulations. The American Academy of Professional Coders estimates that its certification tests take about five hours to complete. Both the AAPC and the American Medical Billing Association allow test takers to bring code manuals into the test for reference purposes. All certification tests feature a supervising proctor to answer questions and prevent cheating.