AAPC certification
How to Become a Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC) in 2026
To become a Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC) you pass the CIC exam set by AAPC. AAPC's inpatient hospital credential, covering ICD-10-PCS and DRG assignment.
On cost, exam vouchers start at $425, and AAPC's prep course starts at $2,195.
There is no licence and no state board in medical coding, so the credential is the qualification. What follows is what the CIC covers, what it costs in total, who can sit it, what keeps it current, and when it is the right one to choose over CPC or COC.
Exam
exam vouchers start at $425
Awarded by
AAPC
Renewal
active AAPC membership plus 36 continuing education units every two years
What is the CIC certification?
The CIC, or Certified Inpatient Coder, is a certification awarded by AAPC that validates expertise in inpatient hospital coding, assigning ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes and ICD-10-PCS procedure codes under MS-DRG assignment rules. In practice it is AAPC's answer to the inpatient hospital market, where AHIMA's CCS has the longer history.
AAPC points the CIC at three groups in particular:
- Coders who want acute-care hospital work from the start
- Certified outpatient coders moving into inpatient and MS-DRG assignment
- People heading toward inpatient auditing or compliance
What does the CIC exam cover?
The CIC exam covers 5 areas, as AAPC describes them:
- ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding in the inpatient hospital setting
- ICD-10-PCS procedure coding for inpatient surgeries and interventions
- MS-DRG assignment, sequencing rules and reimbursement methodology
- Complex cardiovascular, orthopaedic, neurological and transplant cases
- Inpatient workflows: admissions, discharges and transfers
What that means in practice: ICD-10-PCS is the whole difficulty. It is a seven-character code built positionally, where each character means something different depending on the section, and it exists only for inpatient procedures. Coders coming from outpatient work find it unlike anything they have used.
How much does the CIC exam cost?
The CIC exam costs exam vouchers start at $425, and AAPC's prep course starts at $2,195. Treat it as the floor rather than the total. Code books alone run to a few hundred dollars a year, and they are revised annually.
The CIC is taken online at home with a live remote proctor, or at a testing centre.
Set that against what the training costs. Tuition on the programmes we rank runs from about $1,100 to $10,100 a year, so for most people the exam is the smaller number, and a programme that bundles the voucher is worth more than its sticker price suggests. See the ranked programmes.
Who can sit the CIC exam?
Anyone meeting AAPC's stated conditions can sit the CIC. AAPC sets no formal prerequisite, and the exam tests the correct application of ICD-10-PCS procedure codes and ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for inpatient facility services.
Meeting it is not the same as being ready for it. AAPC is describing who may register, not who tends to pass, and the gap between those two is where most failed first attempts sit. A programme built specifically around the CIC is worth more than one that merely leaves you eligible for it, which is why our ranked programmes record the exam each one names.
How do you keep the CIC?
Keeping the CIC takes an active AAPC membership plus 36 continuing education units every two years. Continuing education is an annual commitment, not a one-off, and it is the reason some coders hold fewer credentials than they could.
What sets the CIC apart
- The only AAPC credential requiring ICD-10-PCS, which is a separate code set from the CPT most outpatient coders use daily
- AHIMA competes directly here with the CCS, and hospitals more often name the CCS in job postings
How does the CIC compare with other coding certifications?
The CIC compares most directly with CPC and COC, and the choice between them follows the employer rather than the credential. The CIC is AAPC's answer to the inpatient hospital market, where AHIMA's CCS has the longer history.
| Credential | Body | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| CPC | AAPC | the default first credential for physician-practice and outpatient work, and the foundation the other AAPC credentials build on |
| COC | AAPC | the facility-side counterpart to the CPC, for people whose employer is a hospital outpatient department rather than a practice |
| CRC | AAPC | the specialism to take after a core credential, and the one most tied to how Medicare Advantage actually pays |
| CCA | AHIMA | AHIMA's entry credential, and the usual first exam for a graduate of a PCAP-approved certificate |
| CCS | AHIMA | the inpatient hospital standard, and the credential most worth working toward if acute care is the goal |
What jobs and pay does the CIC lead to?
The CIC leads to inpatient coder roles. The occupation the government counts them in is Medical Records Specialists (SOC 29-2072), median $51,140 , with the bottom tenth at $37,000 and the top tenth at $81,150, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. No credential guarantees a wage, and the tenth percentile is closer to what a first job pays than the median is.
Common questions about the CIC
How much does the CIC exam cost?
Who is eligible to sit the CIC exam?
How do you keep the CIC once you have it?
Is the CIC worth it?
Sources
- AAPC's own CIC certification page, read 2026-08-18. The source for what the exam covers, what it costs and what keeps it current.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Median and percentile pay for SOC 29-2072.
- Which programmes prepare you for the CIC: our ranked list and what accreditation actually means.
Certification fees and continuing-education requirements change. Confirm the current figures with AAPC before you budget.