Trade Schools
If you want to work in the medical field but don’t want to provide treatment or administer injections, the medical billing profession is worth exploring.
Medical billers and coders may find employment in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, and outpatient centers.
They are responsible for coding medical records, processing insurance claims, and managing reimbursements.
If you live in Washington and are thinking about starting a career as a medical billing and coding professional, this page is for you.
Here you will find information about the best training programs that can prepare you for a career in this field.
Most programs are designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge that prepare them for the Certified Coding Associate exam and cover topics such as Medical Terminology, Coding, Health Records, Anatomy and Physiology, and more.
Students typically complete the coursework in less than a year and receive a Certificate or Diploma.
Associate of Applied Science programs are also available and can be completed in one and a half or two years.
1Washington State Community College
About the School
Washington State Community College offers more than 40 programs and certificates.
The average class size is 15.
Washington State Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Courses Offered
The Medical Billing & Medical Coding program at Washington State Community College is just three semesters long and is available fully online.
The curriculum equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to gain employment in this profession.
This program is designed for a seamless transition for those who want to build on their knowledge and gain an associate degree in Health Information Management Technology.
Students need a grade of “C” or above in all courses.
Estimated tuition is $10,700.
The Medical Billing & Medical Coding curriculum includes classes on topics such as:
- The Human Body or Introduction to Human Disease
- Pathophysiology
- Legal Aspects
- Health Record Management
- Current Procedural Terminology
- Healthcare Reimbursement
- Advanced Clinical Classification System
- Revenue Cycle and Coding
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 710 Colegate Drive, Marietta, Ohio 45750
- Phone: 740.374.8716
- Website: https://www.wscc.edu
2Pierce College
About the School
Pierce College offers a variety of programs and focus areas that help students start a career that is a right fit for them.
The college is a member institution of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Courses Offered
The college offers a Health Information Technology and Analytics program that leads to the following credentials:
- Health Information Technology and Analytics degree
- Certificate in Health Information Technology
Students who successfully complete the HITA degree are eligible to apply for entry-level IT positions in the healthcare industry.
The Health Information Technology and Analytics curriculum includes:
- Medical Terminology
- Introduction to Computer Information Systems
- Spreadsheet Applications
- SQL Programming
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 9401 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood, Washington 98498
- Phone: 253-964-6500
- Website: https://www.pierce.ctc.edu
3Bellevue College
About the School
Bellevue College offers a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist program.
Students who participate in this program learn how to use terminology skills, coders/billers research to determine correct billing codes, understand the procedures and diagnoses being coded, and create detailed billing records and invoices.
The certificate has a total of 51 credits and is usually completed in four to five quarters.
Courses Offered
The Medical Billing and Coding Specialist curriculum includes courses such as:
- Introduction to Healthcare
- Medical Terminology
- Safety for Healthcare
- Human Biology
- Medical Law & Ethics
- Introduction to Billing & Coding
- And more
Bellevue College is accredited as a baccalaureate degree-granting institution by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
The college offers a public, open-access higher education with a 100-acre campus site.
It is located five miles from the heart of Bellevue, Washington, and 10 from downtown Seattle.
Contact Information
- Address: 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue, WA 98007-6406
- Phone: (425) 564-1000
- Website: https://www.bellevuecollege.edu
4Carrington College
About the School
Carrington College offers a variety of healthcare programs available online and on campus.
The college is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
Courses Offered
Among many other career paths, Carrington College offers a Medical Billing and Coding program that teaches future medical secretaries the skills and knowledge necessary to perform medical coding and process medical insurance billing and claims in a healthcare setting.
Students earn a Certificate of Achievement in as few as nine months.
The program is offered in a Blended Online format.
Future medical billing and coding specialists learn topics such as:
- Medical Billing Software
- Human Anatomy
- Medical Terminology
- Medical Records Management
Blended online delivery formats include live classes as well as in-person classes.
The program provides coursework that is not time-specific, with on-demand videos, reading assignments, and virtual activities that are self-paced with scheduled deliverables.
Carrington College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Contact Information
- Address: 10102 E. Knox Ave., Suite 200, Spokane WA 99206
- Phone: (509) 378-3628
- Website: https://carrington.edu
5Washington Technical Institute
About the School
Washington Technical Institute aims to help students graduate with the skills needed to start a new career in a matter of weeks or months.
The institute offers regionally accredited online career certificate and diploma programs in business, management, marketing, criminal justice, medical billing and coding, information technology, and many other fields.
Washington Technical Institute is regionally accredited as a postsecondary institution by the Middle States Association.
Courses Offered
The Washington Technical Institute provides a Medical Billing & Coding Certificate that includes 12 credits and 504 clock hours.
The program can be completed in eight months.
Every course at Washington Technical Institute is self-paced, allowing students to spend the time they need to master each lesson.
The total tuition for this program is $1,200.
The program includes two modules:
- Health Insurance & Reimbursement
- Medical Billing & Coding
Contact Information
- Address: 601 Carlson Parkway, Suite 1250, Minnetonka, MN 55305
- Phone: 800-371-5581
- Website: https://www.washingtontech.edu
6Community Colleges of Spokane
About the School
Community Colleges of Spokane offers a Medical Office Billing and Coding Specialist program.
The classes included in this curriculum can be completed in six quarters.
The program leads to an Associate in Applied Science degree.
Courses Offered
Students learn skills such as:
- Appropriately manage telephone communications
- Receive patients and visitors
- Apply legal and ethical standards
- Create and maintain patient records
- Fill, rebill, and troubleshoot insurance claims
- Coding using the CPT, ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and HCPCS coding systems
- Perform typical medical office financial activities using practice management software
- Correlate knowledge of general anatomy
- Perform computer applications
Contact Information
- Address: 1810 N Greene Street, Spokane, WA 99217-5399
- Phone: 509-533-8400
- Website: https://scc.spokane.edu
7Olympic College
About the School
Olympic College is an open-door college that welcomes students from all walks of life
Students have 125 academic programs to choose from.
Courses Offered
The Medical Billing and Coding program at Olympic College is designed to prepare students for careers as Medical Billing and Coding specialists.
Learners develop the skills and knowledge they need in order to translate diseases, conditions, and procedures into numerical designations for appropriate reimbursement.
The curriculum includes courses on:
- Human Relations in the Workplace
- Medical Law, Ethics, and Bioethics
- Coding/Alternative Health Settings
- Computers in the Medical Office
- Healthcare Customer Service
- Medical Office Procedures
- Medical Terminology
- Medical Claims and Coding
- Human Relations for Billing/Coding
- And more
In total, the required courses include 62 credits.
The program requires a minimum of four quarters for completion.
It may be completed on a part-time basis.
Contact Information
- Address: 1600 Chester Ave. Bremerton, WA 98337-1699
- Phone: 360-792-6050
- Website: https://www.olympic.edu
8Skagit Valley College
About the School
Skagit Valley College offers training programs in a variety of areas of study.
The Medical Billing and Coding Associate in Applied Science degree available at the college prepares students for medical billing and coding careers in medical offices, hospitals, clinics, health maintenance organizations, extended care facilities, insurance companies, and health data organizations.
The Medical Billing and Coding Associate in Applied Science requires 93 credits and can be completed in seven quarters.
Among other skills, students learn the translation of written documentation of disease, injuries, and/or medical procedures into alphanumeric classifications.
Courses Offered
The Medical Billing and Coding curriculum includes courses such as:
- Healthcare Interactions
- First Quarter Experience
- Microsoft Office Basics
- Basic Medical Terminology
- Law, Ethics, and Professionalism in Healthcare
- Basic Pharmacology
- Mental Health First Aid
- Introduction to Medical Coding and Insurance
- Medical Disease & Pathology
- Diagnostic Coding in Outpatient Settings
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 2405 East College Way, Mount Vernon, WA 98273-5899
- Phone: 360.416.7600
- Website: https://www.skagit.edu
9Renton Technical College
About the School
Among many other career paths, Renton Technical College offers a Medical Coding Specialist program that teaches students how to translate information about a patient into standard codes.
The program also covers word processing, spreadsheets, and computerized patient accounting to enter that information into medical forms and records.
The Associate of Applied Science program requires 94 credits.
Students enrolled in this program learn how to:
- Perform business functions in a medical office
- Model ethical behavior
- Communicate effectively with patients
- Promote a positive workplace environment
- Evaluate medical documentation
- Analyze clinic coding performance
- And more
Courses Offered
Students take courses such as:
- College Success
- Introduction to Medical Terminology
- Human Relations
- Insurance Claims, Processing, and Adjudication
- Introduction to Excel
- Diagnostic and Procedural Coding
- Introduction to Medical Databases
- The Revenue Cycle
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 3000 NE 4th St. Renton, WA 98056
- Phone: (425) 235-2352
- Website: https://rtc.edu
10Tacoma Community College
About the School
Tacoma Community College offers a variety of degrees and certificates that help students launch or build their careers.
Students may also prepare to transfer to a four-year college or university.
Tacoma Community College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Courses Offered
The Medical Billing Specialist certificate program prepares students for employment in support positions such as medical billing, claims review, patient account or patient access representative, and other similar roles.
Students learn about healthcare delivery, medical office procedures, medical billing and claims processing, and an introduction to medical coding.
The program is offered in a fully online format.
Students begin their training in the Fall quarter and conclude their training at the end of the Spring quarter.
Contact Information
- Address: 6501 South 19th Street, Tacoma, Washington 98466
- Phone: 253-566-5000
- Website: https://www.tacomacc.edu
Regional Salary in Washington
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham, WA | 70 | $66,650 | $32.04 | $77,090 | $40,210 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA | 130 | $55,160 | $26.52 | $74,350 | $38,940 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | 160 | $55,810 | $26.83 | $74,020 | $38,420 |
| Longview, WA | 50 | $56,260 | $27.05 | $71,470 | $39,270 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 70 | $56,530 | $27.18 | $79,890 | $40,130 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA | 140 | $57,060 | $27.43 | $75,290 | $41,120 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 2,630 | $70,760 | $34.02 | $102,930 | $45,340 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 450 | $54,590 | $26.24 | $69,310 | $39,220 |
| Walla Walla, WA | 50 | $53,000 | $25.48 | $68,540 | $38,620 |
| Yakima, WA | 140 | $53,230 | $25.59 | $65,260 | $37,340 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have read our list of the best medical coding and billing schools in Washington, the next step is to continue the research and apply for the program that best meets your needs and career aspirations.
This is an important step, so make sure you have information about all the relevant factors before deciding where to enroll.
Once your research is complete, choose a program that fits your schedule and teaches you all the skills required for certification and employment.
