Medical Coding Specialist
Certificate of Achievement (C) Health Information Technology and Cancer Information · Santa Barbara City College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Overview
This completely online certificate program prepares students for a position as a medical coder in an acute care hospital, clinic or physician’s office, long-term care facility, or other health care settings. Coders ensure that valid codes are applied to medical diagnoses and procedures to facilitate reimbursement, analysis of patient outcomes, and research. The Medical Coding Specialist Certificate of Achievement prepares students to sit for the national certification examination to become a Certified Coding Associate (CCA). Students in this program must receive a grade of C or better in all courses to be eligible to graduate with this certificate of achievement. The program is approved by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
Requirements
Certificate of Achievement Requirements
Complete all Major Requirements for the Certificate of Achievement with a C or better or Pass in each course. Candidates for a Certificate of Achievement are required to complete at least 20% of the major requirements through SBCC.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| Required Core | ||
| Recommended sequence of courses: | ||
| COMP 101 | Introduction to Computer Applications | 4 |
| orCIS 101 | Introduction to Computers and Information Systems | |
| HIT 135 | Basic Medical Terminology | 3 |
| BMS 146 | Human Form and Function | 3 |
| HIT 101 | Introduction to Health Information Management | 3 |
| HIT 102 | Legal Aspects Of Health Care | 3 |
| HIT 204 | Basic Pathophysiology | 3 |
| HIT 201 | Pharmacology For Allied Health | 2 |
| HIT 202 | International Classification of Diseases, Diagnostic Coding | 2 |
| HIT 203 | International Classification of Diseases, Procedural Coding | 3 |
| HIT 210 | CPT Procedural Coding | 3 |
| HIT 255 | Medical Insurance and Reimbursement Methodologies | 4 |
| HIT 205 | Advanced Coding Applications | 4 |
| HIT 280 | Medical Coding Practicum 1 | 1 |
| Total Units | 38.00 | |
- With the exception of HIT 205, all HIT classes must be completed prior to enrolling in HIT 280 Medical Coding Practicum. A background check, health check, drug screen, and/or other requirements may be mandated by the host facility. All requirements are at the student’s expense.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply biomedical knowledge to the process of clinical code assignment .
- Analyze and communicate clinical and statistical data to improve patient care and facilitate financial planning.
- Apply and demonstrate legal, ethical, accreditation and certification standards to health information.
- Participate in planning and implementing clinical and administrative information systems in traditional and alternative health care settings.
- Apply departmental and organizational standards to data storage, retrieval, retention and security.
- Demonstrate the ability to work effectively as an individual and collaboratively in a group to resolve health information management challenges in a changing health care environment.
Recommended Sequence
Make an appointment with your SBCC academic counselor through Starfish to create a Student Education Plan that reflects a recommended course sequence for this program that is tailored to your individual needs.
How to schedule an Academic Counseling appointment.