Dakota State University students walking around campus

Preparation + opportunity = success

That's the DSU equation. We're a four-year university with nationally recognized programs, cutting-edge facilities, and the brightest thinkers. But we're also a tight-knit, inclusive community. Small class sizes mean hands-on training and individualized attention. All this with an affordable, public school price that's among the best values in the region.

Majors & Degrees

Health Care Coding Certificate

Ready, set, code!

When you visit a health care provider, there's more to it than just a check-up. Behind the scenes, coders are working hard to ensure documentations reflect the care you received. After reading and interpreting documentation by clinicians and physicians, health coders assign diagnosis and procedure codes to patient records and payer claims.

With our online or hybrid Health Care Coding Certificate, your curriculum will focus on industry standards for coding and billing, using International Classifications of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code sets.

Code symptoms, diseases, operations, procedures, and therapies to a recognized classifications system. Perform an analysis of health records and evaluate compliance with regulations and standards.

South Dakota’s Workforce and Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA)

This program is an eligible provider for South Dakota’s Workforce and Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) program. WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.

WIOA brings together, in strategic coordination, the core programs of federal investment in skill development:
  • Employment and training services for adults, dislocated workers, and youth and Wagner-Peyser employment services administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) through formula grants to states; and
  • Adult education and literacy programs and Vocational Rehabilitation state grant programs that assist individuals with disabilities in obtaining employment are administered by the U.S. Department of Education (DoED).

Become a recognized professional

Upon graduation, you’ll be prepared to take the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Certified Coding Associate (CCA) exam. You can also complete additional exams to become a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) or Certified Coding Specialist-Physician (CCS-P).

You will also be prepared to sit for the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) the Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC), Certified Professional Coder (CPC), and Certified Outpatient Coder (COC) credentialing exams.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the Certificate in Health Care Coding, students will:

  • Be able to code symptoms, diseases, operations, procedures, and other therapies according to recognized classification systems.
  • Be able to abstract data for reporting.
  • Be able to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of health records to evaluate compliance with regulations and standards.
  • Be able to assist in the facility's billing process.
  • Be able to assist in using coded data for strategic planning/reporting.

Related Programs