Without risk adjustment coding to ensure that a complete picture of each patient’s health is captured and reported on medical claims, health plans would lack appropriate funding and planning to cover treatment for high-risk patients. Certified Risk Adjustment Coders (CRCs) play a critical role in establishing accurate risk scores for patients, which promotes optimal patient care and ethical payer reimbursement for providers and health plans.
Healthcare professionals earning their CRC credential possess demonstrated expertise in the complexity of diseases associated with chronic conditions and comorbidities, as well as mastery of ICD-10-CM guidelines and risk adjustment guidelines. As CRCs, they are equipped both to ensure clinical documentation accurately portrays the patient’s health status and to ensure all clinically documented diagnoses are properly reported.
Exam format
100 multiple-choice questions
Two ways to take the exam
Choose to take the exam online at home with a live remote proctor, or on a computer at a testing center. Learn more about your exam options and how to prepare.
Time allowed
Exams are administered in one sitting, with four hours to complete the exam.
Equipment required for exam
Our live remote proctored exam requires a closed room free from distraction with window coverings, a reliable, high-speed internet connection, a computer, and an external webcam that can be positioned to show your face, hands, keyboard, and the area around the keyboard (about 10 inches).
Exams taken at a testing center do not require any special equipment from the test-taker.
Experience requirements
A high-level knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology, along with an understanding of the proper application of ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes used for risk adjustment coding.
Not ready yet? We recommend taking our CRC preparation course.
Approved code books
Your choice of ICD-10-CM. No other code books or references are allowed. Note that current year books are highly recommended as code sets are updated annually.
Maintaining your certification
To maintain your credential, you must maintain your AAPC annual membership, and earn 36 continuing education units (CEUs) every two years.
Pricing
An exam purchase includes two exam attempts for $499. Of note:
80% of AAPC students pass on the first attempt.
Students who train with AAPC are three times more likely to pass the certification exam.
About the CRC exam
The CRC exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions (proctored). The exam consists of questions regarding the correct application of ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes used for risk adjustment coding.
Whether you take the exam online or in-person, you must complete the CRC exam within four hours and answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.
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