FAQs

Medical assistants are health professionals that support the work of physicians and other healthcare providers, usually in a clinic setting. They perform many routine clinical tasks, such as measuring patients’ vital signs, administering medications and injections, preparing and handling medical instruments and supplies, and collecting and preparing specimens of bodily fluids and tissues for laboratory testing. On the administrative side, they greet and register patients, verify insurance coverage and benefits, collect co-pays and deductibles, schedule appointments, and much more!

Montes HealthCare College offers a unique learning environment because it was developed by currently practicing physicians in our community. With more than 30 years of experience in primary care, Doctors Juan and Alejandro Montes decided to apply their background in treating patients and mentoring staff into the development of a formal medical assistant training program in Gardena, California.

Their goal is to cultivate the best medical assistants possible by establishing a foundation of knowledge in medical practice and theory (anatomy, biology, pharmacology) and supplementing this with healthcare industry guidelines (insurance, billing, managed care). This knowledge will then be applied in a mock medical environment to yield graduates that are well prepared to assist their employers on the first day of work!

Tuition includes all in-class instruction and guidance plus externship placement to complete your training. All textbooks, supplies and materials, study guides, tutoring, one uniform set, stethoscope, job placement assistance, and lifetime clinical skills practice at our medical assistant school are also included!

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, provide a $100 registration fee, provide a copy of a picture identification card, be able to read, speak, and write English, and must provide proof of high school graduation or an equivalent recognized by the US Department of Education. Please speak with an admissions representative for a full list of acceptable documents.

Refer to our admissions page for more detailed information.

Our Medical Assistant Program takes approximately 6 months to complete, consisting of in-class learning and placement in an externship to gain valuable real-world experience.

No. The document you receive after completing our medical assistant courses is a Certificate of Completion.

No. Many medical assistant employment positions DO NOT require National Certification to be employed. A certificate from our program qualifies you to work as a medical assistant in most medical facilities.

Medical Coding is the language of Medical Billing; both practices are involved in the healthcare reimbursement cycle and enables healthcare providers to be reimbursed for the service and procedures that are rendered to a patient. In the reimbursement industry as part of the revenue cycle there is Coding and Billing, which is followed by Internal Auditing (collection) for the purpose of compliance and revenue integrity. Our program will focus on all three aspects of the revenue cycle to better prepare you for coding/billing certifications and for greater employment opportunities.

Medical Coders select common codes based on provider documentation. In other words, It is a coders responsibility to decipher and translate provider documentation, written or in electronic format, such as a diagnostic statement, surgical procedures, or prescriptions for a pharmaceuticals, and assign a numerical (procedure) or alpha-numeric (diagnosis) code and submit to the billing department for electronic submission to the patient’s insurance company for proper reimbursement. There are thousands of codes for services, procedures, supplies, pharmaceuticals and the corresponding diagnosis (ICD-10-CM) that helps establish the medical necessity so critical for getting the provider PAID! These codes are not to be memorized due to the complexity and number of codes, but every coder should use Speed and Accuracy when locating these codes manually in coding books or electronically via an online encoder, such as Encoder Pro, to ensure timely medical bill processing.

In the industry one would always CODE first and then proceed to submit BILL to insurance company. A medical coding/billing professional would never bill and then code as the process would be wrong and lead to claim denials. Montes HealthCare College follows a strict adherence to industry guidelines and students should learn to CODE first and BILL second thus the appropriate name for our program: Medical Coding and Billing!

Montes HealthCare College offers a unique learning environment because it was developed by currently practicing physicians in our community. With more than 30 years of experience in primary care, Doctors Juan and Alejandro Montes decided to apply their background in treating patients and mentoring staff into the development of a formal medical coding and billing training program in Gardena, California.

Their goal is to cultivate the best medical coders and billers possible by establishing a foundation of knowledge in medical practice revenue cycle and theory (anatomy, biology, pharmacology) and supplementing this with healthcare industry guidelines (coding, billing, auditing). This knowledge will then be applied in a mock medical coding online internship in addition to an on-site externship to yield graduates that are well prepared to assist their employers on the first day of work!

Montes HealthCare College offers two sessions of the Medical Coding and Billing Program. The first session runs Monday through Friday from 1 PM to 5 PM with Modules 1 -6 taught in a distance-only format. All interaction with the instructor in Modules 1-6 will occur via an online video chat platform. Module 7 requires in-class attendance and Module 8 requires attendance at your assigned externship site. The second session runs Monday through Friday from 6 PM to 10 PM. Modules 1-6 are again taught in a distance format, however, unlike the first session, students have the option to attend class on campus and engage with the instructor in a direct, 1-on-1 format. In person attendance is required in Modules 7 and 8 just as is required in the first session. Although the curricula for both sessions is the same, the second session is better suited for students that thrive when given the opportunity for direct interaction with the instructor. In session two, the student has control of the learning process—in-class, remote, or BOTH… you decide!

Tuition includes all instruction, all textbooks, supplies and materials, study guides, tutoring, one uniform set, and job placement assistance!

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, provide a $100 registration fee, provide a copy of a picture identification card, be able to communicate effectively in English, and must provide proof of high school graduation or an equivalent recognized by the US Department of Education. Please speak with an admissions representative for a full list of acceptable documents.

Refer to our admissions page for more detailed information.

Our Medical Coding and Billing Program takes approximately 8 months to complete. This consists of remote and/or in-class instruction and placement in an externship site to gain valuable real-world experience.

(Refer to our Curriculum Outline for more detailed information.)

No. The certificate you receive after completing our medical coding and billing courses is a Certificate of Completion from the program. With this Certificate of Completion, you may register to take the National Certified Medical Insurance and Coding Specialist (NCICS) exam administered by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT). You will be nationally certified after successfully passing this test. In module 7 of the program you will also prepare for the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) national certification examination to become a Certified Professional Coder (CPC).

Yes and No. Many medical coding positions DO require National Certification to be employed. A certificate from our program qualifies you to work as a medical billing representative in most medical facilities and medical billing companies. Our program will prepare you for the (outpatient) National Certification Examinations and all students will prepare for the role as a coder and billing representative. Starting with module 5 of our Medical Coding and Billing Program the student will begin the process of functioning as an outpatient coder.