Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC)® Online Training Course
The CIC training course is the only course that teaches fundamental medical coding skills for inpatient hospitals and facilities.
As the only certification exclusively specialized in hospital and facility inpatient coding, the CIC is a perfect pairing with the CPC to expand career opportunities across the entire coding landscape.
When to enroll
This course is recommended for anyone who is preparing for a career in medical coding for an inpatient hospital/facility and ambulatory surgery center setting and who wants to earn a CIC credential. The CIC is a natural progression for anyone holding a CPC credential, who wants to expand their job opportunities.
Value
AAPC trains over 20,000 new students annually for careers in medical billing and coding. Affirm your experience with employers and differentiate yourself for a career in hospital and facility coding.
Education and experience
Knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology is required to successfully complete this course. AAPC offers the following prerequisites:
Fundamentals of Medicine - covers all three of the prerequisites below.
Anatomy (self-paced instruction), Medical Terminology (self-paced instruction), and Pathophysiology (self-paced instruction).
Course length
Self-paced: Average time to completion is 4 months or less. 6-month access to course materials with options for extensions.
Instructor-led: 16 weeks from start date to completion. New courses start every week.
Continuing education units (CEUs)
Receive 40 CEUs on successful completion. One-time use only. AAPC certified prior to enrollment; excluding CPCO, CIRCC, CPMA, and specialty certifications.
Course syllabus
Financial options
Pay in full: Price includes $500 pay-in-full discount
Pay over time: Make easy monthly payments over 12, 18, or 24 months
Course curriculum overview
One of the best ways to expand your career opportunities is to acquire new skills. Whether you already have been coding in your job or you hold a CPC or other AAPC certification, adding a CIC credential can have an immediate and positive impact on your career and will be an important differentiator to employers.
Inpatient coding differs from physician-based coding in that it focuses on services provided by the facility, rather than on services provided by the physician.
The CIC credential is the only certification exclusively specialized in hospital and facility inpatient coding. This certification validates mastery in abstracting information from the medical record for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS coding. It also represents expert knowledge of Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRGs) and the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS).
Certified inpatient coders typically work in hospitals (acute care facilities), skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), critical access hospitals (CAHs), teaching hospitals, inpatient rehab facilities (IRF), and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs).
FAQs: Get your questions answered
What happens when I complete the course?
Certified inpatient coder training not only prepares you for an inpatient coder position, but also ensures you're ready to do well on the certification exam. So after you complete the CIC training course, study, and study some more — it will be time to schedule your CIC exam.
How do I earn the CIC certification?
You earn the CIC certification by passing the CIC certification exam. Once you successfully pass the exam with a score of 70 percent or higher, you will become a certified inpatient coder (CIC).
How hard is the CIC exam?
The CIC exam includes 40 multiple-choice questions and 7 cases that assess your ability to accurately read and code medical records. If you complete the training course, dedicate time to study, and learn to comfortably navigate your ICD-10-PCS and ICD-10-CM code books, the test may be challenging but not difficult.
Why train with AAPC?
> AAPC-certified professionals represent the best in the industry. We are known by governments, employers, and association groups as the industry gold standard.
> Train with the same experts who created the exams. We created the industry’s accreditations for medical coders and medical billers — and have been teaching these programs for more than 30 years.
> We have the highest exam pass rates in the industry. We provide the most trusted curriculum and training — and it shows in our exam pass rates that remain unmatched by other medical coding and billing programs.
> Join our group of over 250,000 professionals. We’re the world's largest training and credentialing organization for the business of healthcare. As an AAPC member, you’ll have countless opportunities to network, earn free or low-cost CEUs, save, and more.