Medical Office Technology: Medical Assisting, Medical Office and Medical Billing/Coding
These are among the fastest growing occupations in Colorado and in the nation due to technological advances in medicine and a growing and aging population needing outpatient care. The U.S. Department of Labor projects the number of medical assistants to grow 74% between 2001 and 2006. Earnings vary with experience, skill level and geographic location
Hospitals, doctor offices and clinics are businesses as well as health care resources. Medical Assistants have a great amount of variety in their jobs and are cross-trained to perform many administrative and clinical duties in the clinic setting.If you are well organized, have compassion for those who are ill, and have good communication skills, you have some of the characteristics that can lead to success in a medical office or medical assisting career. Medical Office students learn office administration skills and Medical Assisting students learn both office administration as well as clinical skills in patient care. Both programs offer a certificate and the student may also obtain an Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS).
Red Rocks Community College is now to requiring all incoming students to meet English requirements to be successful in their courses. Students must test/place into ENG 121 or higher. Courses do not need to be taken, only test scores that show competency at that level is required.
Acceptable documentation is either: Accuplacer score (RC 80 & SS 95), SAT/ACT (less than 2 years old), previous ENG 090 or higher course work at a college, college degree or certificate.
These requirement changes will occur for the following courses:
All General Education, HPR, MOT and GT pathway courses- Spring 2011
All other CTE courses as posted by programs.
Click here to see a Postsecondary Plan of Study for these three areas.
Academic Excellence/Program Highlights
Medical Assisting and Medical Office Technology Rigorous Program Yields 90% Pass Rate on National Exam
The Medical Assisting program at Red Rocks Community College is one of the few programs accredited by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), which is the Gold standard in accreditation. Students who enroll in this rigorous program are required to complete 45 semester hours of credit for state certification. As a result of the high standards and qualified instructors, there is a 90% pass rate on the National Board Exam for students.
Additionally, many of the students in this program are offered jobs at the same employment sites that they interned. The job placement rate for graduates in the Medical Assisting program is over 86%, which far exceeds the national threshold of 70%.
The Medical Assisting program and the Medical Office Technology programs work closely with specific Workforce Centers in Colorado. Individuals who are seeking career changes are often eligible to take part in the Workforce Incentive Act that helps provide them with the necessary resources and training for specific careers in the health fields.
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Medical Assisting
Degree: Associate of Applied Science - 61 Credits
Certificate: 45 Credits
The Medical Assisting program is designed to prepare the student for a career as a multi-skilled professional in the allied health field performing front-and back -office procedures. The student will be trained in a full range of administrative and clinical duties. The Red Rocks Community College Medical Assisting Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), on recommendation of the Curriculum Review Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants. All students that successfully complete the program are eligible to sit for the national certification exam to become a Certified Medical Assistant.
Classes are offered each semester with limited course offerings in the summer. Please meet with the Program Coordinator before registration to ensure that you are taking the correct courses for your career interest.
Medical Office (Front Office)
Degree: Associate of Applied Science - 60 Credits
Certificate: 34 Credits
The Medical Office Program is designed to prepare the student for a career as an allied health professional, assisting physicians in front-office operations. This program provides a wide range of medical office administration services.
Classes are offered each semester with limited course offerings in the summer. Please meet with the Program Coordinator before registration to ensure that you are taking the correct courses for your career interest.
Medical Billing/Coding
Degree: Associate of Applied Science (Medical Office) - 60 Credits
Certificate: 22 Credits
The Medical Billing/Coding Certificate prepares students to use and apply coding for medical insurance reimbursement and billing settings in a physician office, billing and insurance companies. The program provides a sound knowledge of medical coding rules and regulations including compliance and reimbursement as well as billing procedures and regulations.
The Medical Billing and Coding field has been identified by the US Department of Labor as one of the fastest growing professions for at least the next 10 years and employment in this professional field is expected to increase by 18% through 2016. You can expect to be working in a range of medical occupations including health insurance companies, regulators and the courts.
At the completion of the program, including an internship, students are eligible to take the national Certified Professional Coder’s (CPC) exam. Please see CPC link. Students seeking the AAS degree will follow the requirements for the Medical Office degree.
Degree Specifics
The following degrees are offered:
- Associate of Applied Science Degree in Medical Assisting
- Associate of Applied Science Degree in Medical Office
Certificate Specifics
The following certificates are offered:- Certificate in Medical Assisting
- Certificate in Medical Office
- Certificate in Medical Billing/Coding
Medical Office Technology Degree and Certificate Program Requirements
Please click here to see a .pdf of these degrees and certificates. You need Adobe Acrobat to view this file.
Suggested Course Sequencing for Degrees/Certificates
Click on the following to download a .pdf of suggested course sequencing for each degree and certificate:
- Associate of Applied Science Degree in Medical Assisting
- Associate of Applied Science Degree in Medical Office
- Certificate in Medical Assisting
- Certificate in Medical Office
- Certificate in Medical Billing/Coding
*If you experience problems opening these .pdf files in your browser window try right clicking on the link and save it to your desktop (Windows). For the Mac platform try holding down the control key and clicking on the link to save it to your desktop.
Course Descriptions
Click here to see the prefixes of the courses used for this program to view the course descriptions. This will bring you to the online course description section of our catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click here to see a .pdf of frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.s) for our prospective students.
Gainful Employment Information
The US Department of Education requires colleges to disclose a variety of information for any financial aid eligible program that “prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation." (Click here for more information.) The information provided here is the best available to us but represents one year’s data only. However, we hope that this information is helpful to our current students and to prospective students as they make their career and educational choices.
