The Certified Professional Biller (CPB) credential demonstrates skills related to maintaining all aspects of the revenue cycle, particularly patient and payer billing and collections. Without expertise in medical billing and the nuances of payer requirements, healthcare provider reimbursement may be compromised.
Through rigorous examination and experience, CPBs have proven knowledge of how to submit claims compliant with government regulations and private payer policies. They follow up on claim statuses, resolve claim denials, submit appeals, post payments and adjustments, and manage collections. The CPB medical billing credential is vital to the financial success of the professional healthcare services claims process.
Exam format
135 multiple-choice questions
Two ways to take the exam
Choose to take the exam online at home with a live remote proctor, or on a computer at a testing center. Learn more about your exam options and how to prepare.
Time allowed
Exams are administered in one sitting, with four hours to complete the exam.
Equipment required for exam
Our live remote proctored exam requires a closed room free from distraction with window coverings, a reliable, high-speed internet connection, a computer, and an external webcam that can be positioned to show your face, hands, keyboard, and the area around the keyboard (about 10 inches).
Exams taken at a testing center do not require any special equipment from the test-taker.
Experience Requirements
A high-level knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology, along with understanding of the proper application of payer policies; compliance rules; healthcare regulations; CPT® procedure codes, HCPCS Level II procedure and supply codes, and ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes.
If you don’t have billing experience or working knowledge of these subjects, we offer recommended prerequisite courses to prepare you for the CPB certification training course.
Approved code books
AMA's CPT® Professional Edition (current year)
ICD-10-CM (current year), any publisher
HCPCS Level II (current year), any publisher
Current year books are highly recommended as code sets are updated annually. You may choose to utilize books from the preceding year, the current year, or a combination of both; however, only one copy of each book is allowed.
Any officially published updates (errata) for the above code books may also be used.
Maintaining your certification
To maintain your credential, you must maintain your AAPC annual membership, and earn 36 continuing education units (CEUs) every two years.
Pricing
Choose to purchase one exam attempt for $399 or two exam attempts for $499. Of note:
• 80% of AAPC students pass on the first attempt.
• Students who train with AAPC are three times more likely to pass the certification exam.
The CPB exam contains 135 multiple-choice questions. Examinees are given four hours to finish the exam.
Most questions present a scenario to test proper application of billing regulations, collections practices, HIPAA rules, compliance best practices, and procedure/diagnosis codes.
Whether you take the exam online or in person, you must complete the CPB exam within four hours and answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.