The AAPC and its basic certifications

CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P 
Starting at the top of the heap, you’ll want to think about AAPC certification  and what it can or can’t do for your coding career. The basic certification  level for the AACP is the CPC certification. This certification indicates proficiency  in reading a medical chart and abstracting the correct diagnosis  codes, procedural codes, and supply codes. It’s the certification level most  members first attain. 
As a CPC-certified coder, your best fit is in a physician’s office, billing office,  or certain other outpatient environments, where you’re expected to have a  thorough understanding of anatomy and medical terminology and be able to  apply procedural codes and the supporting diagnosis codes. Other basic CPC  certifications include CPC-H and CPC-P. 

Certified Professional  Coder (CPC) 
Proficiency in reading medical charts and assigning  correct diagnosis (ICD-9) codes, procedure codes   (CPT), and supply codes (HCPCS) 

Certified Professional  Coder-Hospital (CPC-H) 
Proficiency in assigning accurate codes for diagnosis,  procedures, and services performed in an outpatient  setting; understanding compliance and outpatient  grouping systems; and completing a UB-04, the  billing form used for facility claims, with appropriate  modifiers 

Certified Professional  Coder-Payer (CPC-P) 
Proficiency in understanding the claim adjudication  process; possessing basic knowledge of codingrelated  payer processes, including the relationship  between coding and payment 

The AAPC has stringent eligibility requirements for full certification. If you  have two years of coding experience before you take the exam, you’ll be fully  certified upon passing. If you don’t have experience in coding prior to sitting  for the exam for any of these certifications, you’ll earn an apprentice status: 
CPC-A, CPC-H-A, or CPC-P-A. After you complete your apprenticeship, you can  request that the A be removed,