Certifications & Careers

Coding specialists are skilled in classifying medical data from patient records, often in a hospital setting but also in a variety of other healthcare settings. The CCS credential demonstrates a practitioner's tested skills in data quality and accuracy as well as mastery of coding proficiency. The CCS certification is a natural progression for professionals experienced in coding inpatient and outpatient records. Coding specialists create coded data used by hospitals and medical providers to obtain reimbursement from insurance companies or government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Researchers and public health officials also use this data to monitor patterns and explore new interventions.

CCSs:

• Review patients’ records and assign numeric codes for each diagnosis and procedure.
• Possess expertise in the ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and CPT® coding systems.
• Are versed in medical terminology, disease processes, and pharmacology concepts.

While not required, one of the following are recommended to sit for the CCS examination: 

• Complete courses in all the following topics: anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, medical terminology, reimbursement methodology, intermediate/advanced ICD diagnostic coding, and procedural coding and medical services (CPT/HCPCS) plus one (1) year of coding experience directly applying codes; OR
• Minimum of two (2) years of related coding experience directly applying codes; OR
• Hold the CCA® credential plus one (1) year of coding experience directly applying codes; OR
• Hold a coding credential from another certifying organization plus one (1) year of coding experience directly applying codes; OR
• Hold a CCS-P®, RHIT®, or RHIA® credential

Get Prepared for the Exam

AHIMA certifications are administered by the AHIMA Commission on Certification for Health Informatics and Information Management (CCHIIM). The CCHIIM does not contribute to, review, endorse or require any review books, review sessions, study guides, or other exam preparatory activities.

AHIMA has developed a flexible online course that can help prepare you for the CCS certification exam. Access the six brief lessons on your schedule, work through the content at your own pace, and revisit the lessons and material as often as needed.

Apply to take the Certified Coding Specialist exam.

• Non-member price: $399 (Learn more about the benefits of AHIMA membership)
• Member price: $299

Certified Professionals and Pass Rates 

As of 12/31/2023, there were 30,214  certified CCS professionals.

*U.S. and Canada results only 

Exam Specifications 

The CCS is a timed exam. Candidates have four hours to complete the exam. The total number of questions on the exam is 107. There are 97 scored items and 10 pretest items. The exam consists of two sections, a Multiple-Choice Section and a Medical Scenario Section (inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department) that contains multiple-choice, multiple-response items. The exam is given in a computer-based format.

AHIMA exams contain a variety of questions or item types that require you to use your knowledge, skills, and/or experience to select the best answer. Each exam includes scored questions and pretest questions randomly distributed throughout the exam. Pretest questions are not counted in the final results. 

The passing score for the CCS is 300. 

Competencies for CCS fall into four domains. Each domain accounts for a specific percentage of the total questions on the certification exam. See the Exam Content Outline below for greater detail. (The 2024 exam content outline effective on 05/01/2024 competencies fall into five domains.)

Certified Coding Specialist (CCS^®) Previous Exam Content Outline Effective through 04/30/2024
Certified Coding Specialist (CCS^®) 2024 Exam Content Outline Effective 05/01/2024

In 2023, the American Health Information Management Association^®(AHIMA) began a job task analysis for the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS^®) professional certification. The purpose of the current job analysis study was to validate the current tasks that are in the content outline for the CCS program as well as identify additional tasks that may be required for CCSs in their current role. The result of the CCS job task analysis study resulted in an updated Content Outline to ensure the most current state of practice is being tested in the examination. You can look at the new CCS Content Outline as well as a “2024 Content Outline Crosswalk” that shows and highlights the changes between the previous Content Outline and the new one.