CCS — AHIMA Certified Coding Specialist
IntermediateActiveEstablished
- Issuer
- AHIMA
- Industry
- Healthcare IT & Health Informatics
- Domain
- Coding, Billing & CDI
- Level
- Intermediate
- Exam fee
- $399 — verified 2026-09-25
Prerequisites & eligibility
Experience: One of: coursework + 1 yr coding; 2 yrs coding; CCA + 1 yr; other coding credential + 1 yr; or CCS-P/RHIT/RHIA
Training: recommended
Renewal & maintenance
Valid for 2 years, 20 CEU credits per cycle, $249 renewal fee. Renew by cpe.
20 CEUs per 2-year cycle; recertification fee USD 100 (member) / 249 (non-member) for one credential; extra credentials add 10 CEUs each
Recognition
Hospital/inpatient coding benchmark (~37k holders end-2025)
Related certifications
- CCDS ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist
- CCDS-O ACDIS Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist – Outpatient
- CCS-P AHIMA Certified Coding Specialist – Physician-based
- CDEO AAPC Certified Documentation Expert Outpatient
- CDIP AHIMA Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner
- CIC AAPC Certified Inpatient Coder
Career paths that include CCS