Medical Billing and Patient Services Certifications
Why Get Certified?
Reach your personal and professional goals! Certification can lead to better visibility, opportunities, and jobs. In today's increasingly complex and highly-specialized economy, credentials are fundamental. Sure you may have the skills to do the job, but how do you convince potential clients or employers? Certification!
Certified medical billers and patient services professionals are vital to the success of health care practices. Their vigilant work interacting with patients, collecting data, preparing, submitting, and following up on claims keeps physician’s practices, hospitals, third-party billing centers, and federal and state government clinics (and revenue streams!) operating smoothly.
Due to the administrative changes in health care, patient records are being scrutinized by payers more than ever. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for billing and health information technicians are expected to increase by 9% through the year 2030, with medical and health services managers growing by 32%. Get started on your career pathway now!
Founded in 1995, the Medical Association of Billers is the premier credentialing association for medical billing, records, and coding. MAB's Certified Medical Billing Specialist® (CMBS™) credential is the oldest billing and coding certification in the US, and our certifications are recognized nationally and internationally.
Certified Medical Billing Specialist® (CMBS™)
Certified medical billers review patient records, calculate charges, submit claims, and answer patient and insurance payer questions regarding claims. A certified medical biller is knowledgeable in payer rules and regulations, privacy and confidentiality concerns, Medicare, Medicaid, commercial payers, various fraud and privacy laws, coding, office operations, and the revenue cycle. Certified medical billers must pass the rigorous Certified Medical Billing Specialist® exam. The MAB CMBS™ certification is aimed at individuals employed in a provider's office, health insurance company, or independent billing center. A candidate for certification is an individual who is motivated to improve their medical billing and coding knowledge and to develop new skills to assist providers in maximizing their reimbursement through proper billing, coding, and documentation. A Certified Medical Billing Specialist®, although not a certified coder, is capable of reviewing claims related to coding or medical necessity problems and assisting the provider in coding the initial claim. Career pathways include trajectories toward coding, health information management, and/or management.
Certified Hospice Billing Specialist™ (CHBS™)
The MAB Certified Hospice Billing Specialist™ (CHBS™) certification is aimed at individuals employed by hospices or medical billing companies who conduct hospice billing. This professional must understand the unique requirements associated with hospice billing, including documentation and claim form requirements necessary to appropriately submit hospice claims to Medicare, hospice billing guidelines and regulations, entitlement verification, election periods and requirements, certification requirements, diagnosis and service codes specific to hospice billing, and how to fill out a hospice claim. The CHBS™ certification is a specialty certification for those desiring to focus on hospice billing.
Certified Patient Services Professional™ (CPSP™)
The MAB Certified Patient Services Professional™ (CPSP™) - formerly Certified Medical Records Technician (CMRT) - certification is aimed at individuals employed in entry-level positions at a provider's office, health insurance company, or independent billing center. This professional interfaces directly with patients regarding scheduling, obtaining demographic and insurance information, and collecting patient responsibility payments at the time of the visit. They have an understanding of payer rules and regulations, privacy and confidentiality concerns, Medicare, Medicaid, commercial payers, various fraud and privacy laws, office operations, and the revenue cycle. A candidate for certification is an individual who is motivated to learn about medical billing and front office activities. Career pathways include trajectories toward billing, coding, health information management, and/or management.
Interested in Learning More?
Continuing Education
To maintain MAB certifications, members must complete continuing education units (CEUs) each year after the date of certification. Current membership with MAB is required to remain certified. The annual CEU requirements are:
CMBS: 12 CEUs or 36 teaching hours
CMBS-H: 12 CEUs
CMBS-I: 20 CEUs plus 50 teaching hours
CMBS-INT: 12 CEUs
CHBS™: 12 CEUs
CPSP: 12 CEUs
If you hold a CMBS certification and are teacher, you may submit evidence of 36 teaching hours of medical billing/coding topics instead of the 12 CEUs. This must be on a letter from your director and must include supporting material, such as pages from the course catalog documenting hours and class descriptions.
If you hold a CMBS-I certification, you must submit evidence of 50 teaching hours of medical billing/coding topics in addition to the 20 CEUs . This must be on a letter from your director and must include supporting material, such as pages from the course catalog documenting hours and class descriptions.
MAB grants prior approval for CEUs required to maintain its certifications, in which case we award 100% of the CEU amount or contact hours. For contact hours, we grant one CEU per contact hour, and we do prorate (e.g., a 90-minute class would be worth 1.5 CEUs). We also accept at 100% certificates from MAB Institute, Medicare University, medical societies, and local chapter meetings. MAB also accepts medical billing/coding-related college courses submitted on transcripts for the CEU period. We grant 1.5 CEUs for each college credit (e.g., if the course grants 3 college credits, MAB will grant 4.5 CEUs).
MAB believes it is important to obtain information and education from a variety of sources and resources. Therefore, if you submit CEU certificates for classes not on MAB’s pre-approved list, we will consider them at a maximum of 50% of the stated CEUs or contact hours. Members may request credit for these CEUs by sending the certificate, transcript, or class curriculum and grade to MAB, although MAB offers no guarantee for classes that are not pre-approved.
Many schools throughout the country offer medical billing/coding courses. If MAB has pre-approved the school's CEUs, MAB will award 1 CEU per hour of classroom study. If MAB has not pre-approved the school's CEUs, MAB may award 50% (for example, a 4-hour class would be awarded 2 CEUs). Please check the Pre-Approved CEU Vendor List (below) for a list of schools and vendors who have pre-approved CEUs.
A few key points:
- You must submit a certificate of attendance, certificate of completion, or transcript to show participation / attendance.
- The certificate must have your name on it.
- The date on the CEUs must be within your current CEU cycle (e.g., if your revalidation date is March 31, 2023, then your CEUs must be dated from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023).
- CEUs are due on or before your revalidation date.
- There is no recertification fee for revalidating current MAB certifications.
Submit your CEUs:
Email: ceus@mabillers.com
Chat: Upload through a private chat message in our online community
Fax: 888-507-0921
Mail: PO Box 741, Mount Jackson, VA 22842
Requirements for Prior Approval
- Prior approval is recommended for all learning institutions. The Pre-Approval form must be submitted with the application fee, agenda, dates, and presenter information at least 30 days prior to the class.
- A single application is valid for a 12-month period beginning with the date of the approval.
- Multiple programs at a learning institution must submit multiple forms.
- One CEU is awarded for each hour of instruction.
- MAB will only approve billing and coding program content.
- MAB will not approve reading and responding to publications.
- Institutions may use the following statement for pre-approved curriculum: "This program is granted prior approval of ___ CEUs by the Medical Association of Billers. Granting of prior approval does not constitute MAB's endorsement of the program content or sponsor."
Can I Test Out?
You can test out on the Certified Medical Billing Specialist®, Certified Hospice Billing Specialist™, or Certified Patient Service Professional™ examinations by taking the exam. MAB's exam are online but must be proctored. Contact MAB directly to schedule an exam. For the CMBS™ exam, students are responsible for providing their own coding manuals.