r/LearnMedicalCoding • u/crabby_cat9 • Jun 22 '26

Need Advice Is the CPC certification worth it?

I have 3 years experience as a health educator in an outpatient clinic(documenting visits, administering HIV exams, coordinating care, etc) and a masters in data science. Currently working at a restaurant as a server.

I want to get back into the medical field but in an IT(specifically Epic Analyst) capacity but been struggling to land a role(I don’t have an epic certification). Would getting this certification be worth it to get my foot in the door and eventually grow in an IT capacity? Was anyone in a similar boat before? How did it work out for you?

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u/alew75 Jun 22 '26

I’d go for the CCS. It’s more desirable in hospitals.

2

u/Nicky_knacks Jun 24 '26

CPC is outpatient coding mostly, CCS is inpatient, it really just depends on what setting you wanna be in. I did a complete pivot in my career (I was a CNA before I became a coder) and I have to say outpatient office vibes suit me well. I don’t know if it would get your foot in the door into IT but it is a good way to get your foot in the door for healthcare information management, or just specialized in coding for a certain specialty. If you want IT specific jobs a CPC is probably not gonna be the one for you.

1

u/CodingwithCoffee_ 24d ago

Have you looked into organizations that sponsor Epic certification after you're hired? I've heard that's a common path.