Trade Schools
If you want to start a career in the healthcare field in less than one year, the medical biller and coder profession is worth exploring.
As a medical biller and coder, you will help healthcare facilities manage insurance claims, invoices, and payments.
Before being ready for your first job, you must know how to take the provider’s diagnostic and procedural notes and convert them into the correct codes for record and billing purposes.
Once the coding is completed, you will then generate invoices and send the claims to insurance providers.
Insurance companies accept or deny the claims depending on the codes.
The remaining amount is then sent to the patient for payment.
These skills can be learned through a post-secondary program at a community college or trade school.
To help you choose the program that best meets your needs, on this page, we will compile information about the best medical billing and coding programs available for Alaska residents.
1Alaska Career College
Alaska Career College offers evening and online classes designed to prepare students for a variety of in-demand career fields.
The college emphasizes small classroom settings to give students the extra time and attention they need.
Courses Offered
Among many other programs, the college provides a Medical Insurance Coding and Billing Specialist that prepares students for work in healthcare facilities.
This program teaches students how to follow administrative, ethical, and legal requirements for safeguarding patient privacy as well as adding diagnosis and procedure codes for patient care.
The curriculum includes courses such as Medical Terminology, Insurance Guidelines, Universal Healthcare Coding Systems, Advance Keyboarding Techniques, Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Office Software Applications, Records Management, and more.
Online and evening classes are available.
The program can be completed in 10 and a half months.
Graduates receive an undergraduate certificate.
Graduates are credentialed and recognized as Nationally Certified Insurance and Coding Specialists and Certified Professional Coders.
Online and evening classes are available.
The Medical Insurance Coding and Billing Specialist program can be completed in ten and a half months.
Contact Information
- Address: 1415 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99507
- Phone: 907 563-7575
- Website: https://www.alaskacareercollege.edu
2University of Alaska Fairbanks
About the School
The University of Alaska Fairbanks offers an online medical coding training program that teaches students how to analyze medical records and assign the codes used to index diagnoses and provide reimbursement information.
Graduates are ready for the national certification required for the majority of medical jobs in the United States.
Students prepare for the following exams:
- American Health Information Management Association coding exam
- American Academy of Professional Coders exam
The program can be completed at students’ pace, part-time or full-time.
The estimated cost for this program is $4,575
Students take classes on topics such as Medical Terminology, Medical Office Technology, Medical Coding, and Human diseases.
Along with program requirements, students also take General University and Occupational Endorsement requirements.
Students must earn a C- or better in each course.
Contact Information
- Address: 1810 Salcha Street | 102 Signers’ Hall
- Phone: 907-474-6300
- Website: https://catalog.uaf.edu
3Ilisagvik College
Ilisagvik College offers a variety of programs designed to help students meet their career and academic goals.
Courses Offered
The college provides allied health training programs, including a Medical Coding Specialist Certificate.
To qualify for admission into this program, students must meet general admission requirements as well as criminal background check requirements needed to work in the medical field.
Allied Health courses may require separate admission requirements and acceptance.
The Medical Coding Specialist certificate requires courses such as:
- Fundamentals of Oral Communication
- Business Math
- College Algebra
- Intro to Health Management
- Medical Terminology
- Allied Health Internship
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: P.O. Box 749, Utqiaġvik (Barrow) Alaska 99723
- Phone: 907-852-3333
- Website: https://www.ilisagvik.edu
4University of Alaska Anchorage
About the School
University of Alaska Anchorage offers a variety of programs and courses that prepare students for high-demand fields such as engineering, health, business, and education.
Courses Offered
Among many other programs, the university provides a program that leads to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Assisting, as well as preparation for the Certified Medical Assistant exam, and an Occupational Endorsement Certificate in Medical Office Coding.
By attending this program, students prepare for entry-level employment in the medical assisting field.
This program covers both clinical and clerical duties.
The clerical duties medical assistants are ready to perform include answering phones, greeting patients, filling out insurance forms, scheduling appointments, preparing and maintaining medical records, and managing practice finances.
Contact Information
- Address: 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508
- Phone: (907) 786-1800
- Website: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu
5Kodiak College
About the School
Kodiak College offers 16 degree and certificate programs.
The college provides bachelor’s degree programs in Nursing, Elementary Education, and Special Education, as well as Associate Degrees and Certificate programs.
Courses Offered
The OED in Medical Office Coding program available at Kodiak College is an Allied Health Program in the UAA College of Health.
The program leads to an Occupational Endorsement Certificate.
Students get ready for careers as professional medical coders as well as the American Association of Professional Coders.
The curriculum includes classes such as:
- Medical Terminology
- Human Biology
- Advanced Cases in Medical Coding
- Essentials in Human Disease
- Coding for the Medical Office
- Medical Insurance and Healthcare Documentation
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 117 Benny Benson Drive, Kodiak, Alaska 99615
- Phone: 800-486-7660
- Website: https://koc.alaska.edu
6Penn Foster
About the School
Medical billing and coding programs are also available online at schools and colleges located in other states.
The programs can be completed by students from the comfort of their homes and allow them to keep a full-time job while preparing for a new career.
Courses Offered
One such program is the one provided by Penn Foster, a school that provides a variety of recognized online certificate, diploma, and degree programs.
The Medical Billing and Coding program available at Penn Foster leads to a diploma and helps students prepare for the Certified Billing & Coding Specialist exam offered by the National Healthcareer Association.
Students have to complete three grade projects and 41 exams.
The program includes 90.6 Continuing Education Units.
Students can graduate in as few as 11 months if they attend the fast-track program.
On average, the program is completed by students in 15 months.
This program costs $899 if paid in full.
Contact Information
- Address: 925 Oak Street, Scranton, PA 18515 USA
- Phone: 800-275-4410
- Website: https://www.pennfoster.edu
7Ultimate Medical Academy
About the School
The Ultimate Medical Academy gives students who want to start a career in Medical Billing and Coding the opportunity to earn a diploma in 11 months or a degree in 18 months.
The program is available fully online.
Courses Offered
The core courses included in this program are:
- Diagnostic Coding
- Procedural Coding
- Billing and Coding Application with Simulation
- Introduction to Computers
- Medical Terminology
- Medical Law, Ethics, and Records Management
- Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology
- And more
The diploma program requires 39 credits while the Associate Degree program requires 63 credits.
Contact Information
- Address: 9309 N. Florida Ave. Tampa, FL 33612
- Phone: 888-205-2510
- Website: https://www.ultimatemedical.edu
8University of Arizona
About the School
The University of Arizona helps students get the training and skills they need in order to achieve their career goals.
Among many other programs, the university’s catalog includes an online Medical Billing and Coding Career Prep program.
Courses Offered
The Medical Billing and Coding Career Prep program equips students with hands-on, practical experience working with the main coding manuals in the field: the ICD-10-CM and the CPT.
Students also learn the legal, ethical, and regulatory concepts central to this field.
Graduates are prepared to take the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist national certification exam offered by the National Healthcareer Association.
The program includes more than 600 hours of self-paced online training.
The curriculum covers all the necessary course materials, including medical billing and coding textbooks/manuals.
Medical Billing and Coding students take courses such as:
- Role of the Insurance Billing Specialist
- Basics of Health Insurance
- Medicare, Medicaid, and other State Programs
- Workers Compensation
- Disability Income Insurance & Disability Benefit Program
- Reimbursement, HIPAA, and Compliance
- And more
This program costs $3,267.
Contact Information
- Address: Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Phone: (520) 626-5091
- Website: https://ce.arizona.edu
9University of Georgia
About the School
The University of Georgia also offers an online Medical Billing and Coding program for students who are just starting work in the medical field or are transitioning into a different field.
Students learn about legal, ethical, and regulatory concepts central to this field, including HIPAA compliance, official coding guidelines, and third-party payer requirements.
The program is available in an online format and includes 370 hours of training.
Courses Offered
Students learn a variety of things, including:
- Medical coding terminology
- Disorders and medical procedures common to each body system
- The main coding manuals
- How to code diagnoses, services, and procedures
- Fundamentals of medical billing & coding and medical terminology
- Word parts and the structure and functions of the human body
- And more
The program costs $2,995 with a voucher.
Contact Information
- Address: 1197 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30602-3603
- Phone: (706) 542-3537
- Website: https://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu
10University of West Georgia
About the School
The University of West Georgia offers an online certification course in Medical Billing and Coding.
This program can be completed in four to six months.
The curriculum offers the skills needed to perform complex coding and billing procedures.
The program covers CPT, special fields, the ICD-10 for both diagnosis and procedure coding, and basic claim processes for insurance reimbursements.
Courses Offered
After completing the program, students know how to:
- Build medical terms using word parts
- Interpret medical terms
- Recognize medical terms
- Communicate effectively
- Correctly use the ICD-10-CM for diagnostic coding
- Use CPT codes for coding medical procedures
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: Carrollton, GA 30118
- Phone: 678.839.6615
- Website: https://westga.edu2.com
Regional Salary in Alaska
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | 850 | $55,830 | $26.84 | $77,810 | $40,440 |
| Fairbanks, AK | 220 | $52,660 | $25.32 | $64,160 | $40,520 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Final Thoughts
If you want to start a career in a profession that acts as a liaison between healthcare providers, patients, and insurance companies, the first step is to complete a training program at a trade school or community college.
Now that you have read our selection of the best medical billing and coding schools in Alaska, the next step is to choose the program that best meets your needs and submit your application.
