Preppy preps both the CBCS and the AAPC’s CPC — the credential most coding employers ask for by name. MedCerts’ $2,500 program preps the CBCS only; you need its $4,000 tier to reach the CPC.
The winner
Preppy wins five of the six categories we scored.
Get Your Preppy Discount Code
Reveal the code and open Preppy — it applies at checkout on either payment option.
CPC and CBCS exam fee is not included in Preppy tuition — budget for it separately.
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The Verdict on Medical Billing and Coding Training
Six categories decide which medical billing and coding program is the better buy. Preppy takes five, MedCerts takes one, and the five Preppy wins are the ones that determine whether your certificate turns into a job.
Final score across the six medical billing and coding program categories above.
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Your medical billing and coding certificate comes from a university
Preppy’s Medical Billing and Coding program is delivered with Champlain College Online, an accredited nonprofit. Your Certificate of Completion carries the institution’s name — a credential you frame, and one that lets you tell a hiring manager you trained through a university.
MedCerts issues its own certificate for its medical billing and coding program. It is a well-known training company, but that credential is only ever worth what its name means to the person reading your résumé.
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Externship placement, not a reading list
Neither the CPC and CBCS nor this role strictly requires clinical hours, but experience is what separates two otherwise identical résumés. Preppy runs an Externship Match Program into its healthcare employer network; MedCerts includes no placement at all.
You choose between externship placement and direct job placement assistance — one or the other, included either way.
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Self-paced medical billing and coding training, no weekly hour expectation
You cover ICD-10-CM and CPT coding, claim submission, denial management, payer rules and compliance on your own clock. Preppy’s program is 100% self-paced across 3–6 months with a full year of access; MedCerts’ 14 weeks assumes 15 to 20 hours every week — a commitment to plan your life around.
Most people training for medical billing and coding work already have a job. If you can give it twenty hours one week and four the next, self-paced is the difference between finishing and quitting.
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MedCerts covers your CBCS exam fee. Preppy doesn't.
Every MedCerts exam is paid for inside tuition. With Preppy you register and pay the AAPC and NHA directly. The NHA store lists a CBCS exam application at $134. The AAPC CPC exam is $399 and additionally requires AAPC membership at $229 a year, so the real first-year cost of the CPC is about $628. Even with it added, Preppy comes in about $601 lower.
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MedCerts packages this differently
MedCerts sells three overlapping programs here: Medical Billing Specialist (HI 1100, $2,500, 14 weeks, CBCS only), Professional Coder (HI 5100, $3,500) and Medical Coding and Billing Professional (HI 5000, $4,000, 28 weeks, CBCS plus CPC or CCS-P). We compare the cheapest, HI 1100.
Preppy wins the medical billing and coding package, not just the price
It would be easy to read this as a price comparison. It isn’t. Preppy is cheaper — $1,899 against $2,500 — but the reason it wins the medical billing and coding comparison is what that buys alongside the coursework: a certificate issued by an accredited nonprofit university, a match into its clinical employer network, a schedule that bends around a working week, and a refund window if you change your mind.
Coding is the one field where the specific credential on your résumé changes which jobs open. The CPC is what most employers name, and MedCerts’ $2,500 tier does not reach it.
Where MedCerts earns its price: it pays for your CBCS exam, and its Career Center stays open to you for a year after you finish.
What each Medical Billing and Coding program actually costs
Published tuition, with exam fees accounted for, so both columns mean the same thing.
Photo: student studying online
The comparison
MedCerts charges one flat $2,500 with every exam fee inside it. Preppy charges $1,899 and bills the CPC and CBCS separately.
Neither qualifies for federal financial aid. Both offer interest-free monthly plans — Preppy at $349 × 6.
The OnlineDegree.com reader discount is applied by Preppy at checkout and is not counted here, so the real gap on a medical billing and coding program is wider than the figure on the right.
Total to certified
- MedCerts tuition (exams included)
- $2,500
- Preppy tuition, paid in full
- $1,899
- Certification exam fees
- paid separately
- You could save choosing Preppy
- $601
Published tuition as of October 2026. The NHA store lists a CBCS exam application at $134. The AAPC CPC exam is $399 and additionally requires AAPC membership at $229 a year, so the real first-year cost of the CPC is about $628. Excludes scrubs and any background check a clinical site requires.
Key facts about becoming a Medical Billing and Coding
Photo: medical billing and coding at work
On published tuition. MedCerts includes exam fees; Preppy bills them separately.
Fully self-paced. MedCerts estimates 14 weeks at 15–20 hrs/week.
Students find their own site. Preppy matches you into its employer network.
Provided total time in the course stays under 10 hours.
- Preppy’s certificate is issued by Champlain College Online, an accredited nonprofit institution. MedCerts issues its own credential.
- Neither program requires prior healthcare experience. A high school diploma or GED is the only admission requirement at both.
- The NHA store lists a CBCS exam application at $134. The AAPC CPC exam is $399 and additionally requires AAPC membership at $229 a year, so the real first-year cost of the CPC is about $628.
- MedCerts sells three overlapping programs here: Medical Billing Specialist (HI 1100, $2,500, 14 weeks, CBCS only), Professional Coder (HI 5100, $3,500) and Medical Coding and Billing Professional (HI 5000, $4,000, 28 weeks, CBCS plus CPC or CCS-P). We compare the cheapest, HI 1100.
Facts verified October 6, 2026 against the sources at the bottom of this page.
Side-by-side Medical Billing and Coding comparison
| Category | Preppy | MedCerts |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $1,899 or $349 × 6 | $2,500 |
| Length | 3–6 months, fully self-paced | 14 weeks at 15–20 hrs/week |
| Certificate issued by | Champlain College Online accredited nonprofit institution | MedCerts — no university partner |
| Exam prepared for | CPC and CBCS (AAPC and NHA) | CBCS (NHA) |
| Exam fee | Not included paid separately | Included |
| Clinical hours required | None required for certification | None required |
| Externship placement | Included Externship Match Program; choose externship or job placement | Not included |
| Job support | More complete Employer job board, résumé support, interview prep, advisors — plus externship placement | Career Center and coaches for 1 year — but no externship placement |
| Refund policy | 30 days if under 10 hrs in course | See enrollment agreement |
| Admission requirements | HS diploma or GED | HS diploma or GED |
| State availability | Nationwide | Nationwide |
Verified October 6, 2026 against each provider’s own program and FAQ pages, linked below. Terms change; confirm before you enroll.
How to enroll with Preppy
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1Reveal your code and open Preppy
The code applies at checkout on either payment option. No application, no prerequisites, no sales call.
—— $150 off coupon code copied · Preppy opened in a new tab -
2Work the medical billing and coding coursework at your pace
Self-paced across 3–6 months, with a full year of access if you need it.
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3Register for the CPC and CBCS and sit it
You book directly with the AAPC and NHA, not through your program. Take the practice exams until you’re consistently passing, then schedule. The fee is paid separately.
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4Do your externship, then apply
Clear your balance and finish the program, and Preppy’s Externship Match Program connects you with sites in its employer network. Sites hire their own externs often enough to ask directly.
Preppy vs MedCerts: Medical Billing and Coding questions
Is Preppy or MedCerts better for medical billing and coding training?
Preppy, for most people training as a medical billing and coding. It costs $1,899 against MedCerts’ $2,500, issues a Certificate of Completion from Champlain College Online rather than a company-issued credential, and includes externship placement support. MedCerts covers your CBCS exam fee, which Preppy does not, so that is the trade-off.
Is Preppy cheaper than MedCerts for medical billing and coding training?
Yes. Preppy’s Medical Billing and Coding program is $1,899 paid in full, or $349 × 6. MedCerts is $2,500. That is $601 less on published tuition. MedCerts includes the exam fee and Preppy does not, so add that to Preppy’s side. The NHA store lists a CBCS exam application at $134. The AAPC CPC exam is $399 and additionally requires AAPC membership at $229 a year, so the real first-year cost of the CPC is about $628.
Does the MedCerts medical billing and coding program include an externship?
No. MedCerts does not include an externship. Preppy runs an Externship Match Program that connects students with opportunities inside its healthcare employer network, and every student chooses between externship placement and job placement assistance at no extra cost.
Do Preppy and MedCerts prepare you for the same medical billing and coding certification?
No. Preppy prepares you for the CPC and CBCS from the AAPC and NHA; MedCerts prepares you for the CBCS from the NHA. Check which one your state board and your target employers accept before choosing.
Is the CPC and CBCS exam fee included in Preppy or MedCerts medical billing and coding tuition?
MedCerts includes all exam fees inside its $2,500 tuition. Preppy does not — you register and pay the certifying body directly. The NHA store lists a CBCS exam application at $134. The AAPC CPC exam is $399 and additionally requires AAPC membership at $229 a year, so the real first-year cost of the CPC is about $628.
How long does each medical billing and coding program take, Preppy or MedCerts?
MedCerts estimates 14 weeks for its medical billing and coding program at 15 to 20 hours a week. Preppy’s program runs 3–6 months and is fully self-paced with no weekly hour expectation, so motivated students finish faster and people juggling a job can take longer without penalty.
Which medical billing and coding program is faster, Preppy or MedCerts?
Preppy, in practice. MedCerts’ 14-week estimate assumes 15 to 20 hours of coursework every week. Preppy is self-paced across 3–6 months with a full year of access, so you set the pace in both directions.
Is the MedCerts medical billing and coding program accredited?
MedCerts is not a university and does not issue a university credential; it is a training provider whose programs prepare students for third-party certification exams. Preppy’s Medical Billing and Coding program is delivered in partnership with Champlain College Online, which issues the Certificate of Completion.
Does Preppy include job placement for medical billing and coding graduates?
Preppy includes career support in tuition: a career platform where healthcare employers post medical billing and coding roles, résumé feedback, interview preparation and course advisors. Students also choose between externship placement support and direct job placement assistance. Employment is not guaranteed by either provider.
Is Preppy's medical billing and coding program legit?
Preppy is a StraighterLine company that partners with accredited nonprofit universities to deliver its certification training. The Medical Billing and Coding program is offered with Champlain College Online and prepares students for the CPC and CBCS exam. It carries a 30-day money-back guarantee for students with under 10 hours in the course.
Can you get financial aid for the Preppy or MedCerts medical billing and coding program?
Neither medical billing and coding program qualifies for federal student aid, since that generally requires an accredited degree or certificate program. What often does apply to both: WIOA workforce grants, MyCAA for military spouses, and employer tuition reimbursement. Both offer interest-free monthly plans, which beats a private loan for a program this size.
What certification do you need to work as a medical billing and coding?
No state licences medical billing and codings in the way nurses are licensed, but employers expect a national certification. The Certified Professional Coder and Certified Billing & Coding Specialist (CPC and CBCS) from the AAPC and NHA is the credential these programs target.
Are there cheaper alternatives to MedCerts for medical billing and coding training?
Yes. For medical billing and coding training, Preppy at $1,899 is the lowest-priced option we have found that pairs a certificate issued by an accredited nonprofit university with externship and career support. Cheaper medical billing and coding programs exist, but they issue their own certificate and leave clinical hours to you.
Sources and verification
Checked October 6, 2026. We re-verify monthly.