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Note: This page describes a new CCO certification ladder that is currently under development. Details are subject to change.
CCO Certified Specialist Credentials – Coming Soon
A new family of exam-based medical coding and compliance credentials for coders, billers, auditors, CDI professionals and patient illness navigators.
CCO Certified Specialist credentials are designed to show employers exactly what you can do and how you were trained. Join the priority interest list to hear first about:
- Launch dates for each CC- Specialist credential
- Exam blueprints, eligibility criteria and maintenance requirements
- Pilot cohort invitations and early-adopter opportunities
- CEU opportunities and early announcements
How it works
Join the list
Complete the short form. It takes less than a minute.
Tell us which credentials you want
Watch for an email from CCO Academy. Once you’re signed in to CCO Academy, it walks you through a few quick profile questions, including Credentials Desired. Filling this in lets us send you updates about the specific credentials you care about, instead of all of them.
Can’t see the form? Open the priority interest list signup in a new tab.
What are CCO medical coding and compliance credentials?
CCO Certified Specialist credentials are formal, exam-based medical coding and compliance credentials that validate your skills in specific healthcare business roles such as medical coding, billing, auditing, clinical documentation integrity and patient illness navigation. Each credential includes defined eligibility criteria, a proctored certification exam and ongoing maintenance requirements, so employers know your knowledge is current and tested. To see how these credentials compare to existing options, explore our Medical Coding Credentials Matrix.
Coming soon: role-based Specialist paths
We’re finalizing the design and policies for a full ladder of CC- Specialist credentials. Note the abbreviations you’re interested in; you’ll enter them in your profile’s Credentials Desired field in Step 2.
Medical Coding Specialist tracks
- CC-MCS-P™CCO Certified Medical Coding Specialist – ProFee
- CC-MCS-O™CCO Certified Medical Coding Specialist – Outpatient
- CC-MCS-I™CCO Certified Medical Coding Specialist – Inpatient
- CC-MCS-RA™CCO Certified Medical Coding Specialist – Risk Adjustment
Medical Billing & Auditing
- CC-MBS™CCO Certified Medical Billing Specialist
- CC-MAS™CCO Certified Medical Auditing Specialist
Clinical Documentation & Specialty Roles
These build on CCO training such as our Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) Course.
- CC-CDIS™CCO Certified Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist
- CC-FMCS™CCO Certified Forensic Medical Coding Specialist
- CC-PINS™CCO Certified Patient Illness Navigator Specialist
How certifications differ from certificates and prep
Certification
Awarded after meeting eligibility criteria and passing a proctored exam. It comes with post-nominal letters and requires maintenance through CEUs or periodic recertification exams.
Certificate
Awarded when you complete a defined course. It does not grant letters or require renewal.
Prep and non-credential products
Review Blitzes, practice exams and exam-prep bundles help you prepare but do not, on their own, confer a credential. Browse the CCO Course, Blitz & Practice Exam Catalog.
CCO medical coding and compliance credentials are designed to meet or exceed the benchmarks set by established professional bodies such as AHIMA.
What to expect next
- Finalizing exam blueprints, eligibility criteria and maintenance requirements
- Publishing detailed role profiles for each credential
- Announcing pilot cohorts and early-adopter opportunities
Questions about the interest list
Is this an exam registration or enrollment?
No. Joining the priority interest list is free and does not register you for an exam, enroll you in a course or reserve a pilot seat. We’ll email you when launch details and pilot opportunities are announced.
What is the Step 2 email?
After you submit the form, CCO Academy emails you a link to your profile. Once you’re signed in, answer the short profile questions and type the credentials you want in the Credentials Desired field, separated by commas (for example: CC-MCS-P, CC-CDIS), then save. We use that field to send you updates for the credentials you chose.
I’m not a CCO Academy member yet. How do I sign in?
You’ll receive a separate email inviting you to join CCO Academy for free. Accept it with the same email address and complete signup, then sign in and finish Step 2. Free membership does not include CCO Club benefits, paid courses or paid practice exams.
I’ve used CCO before. Which email should I use?
Please use the same email address you used with CCO previously, so we can match your existing record instead of creating a duplicate.
Do I have to agree to text messages?
No. The form asks about SMS separately, and you can choose No. Email and text permissions are separate choices.
How do I change my email preferences or unsubscribe?
Every email includes an unsubscribe link. Community members can also review email choices in their CCO Academy notification settings. Note that submitting the signup form resubscribes an address that previously opted out of CCO marketing emails.