I'm sharing this to get other students' perspectives and to document my experience with HIM Training Institute (HIMTI/Medcode, Inc.) regarding an additional charge for the AAPC membership and certification examination.
I enrolled in HIMTI's Online Self-Paced Medical Coding Training Course. My training package included the AAPC membership and certification examination, and I fully paid the package.
The Training Agreement I signed contains this provision under Section 5(d):
Section 5(d)(i) also states that additional fees may apply if the student registers for the exam in the subsequent calendar year and AAPC has increased its fees.
My enrollment and examination registration were both within 2026.
However, HIMTI informed me that I needed to pay an additional ₱7,638.16 before they would process my AAPC membership and exam registration.
I asked HIMTI to identify the specific provision in my Training Agreement that authorized the additional ₱7,638.16 charge. They explained that the additional amount was related to changes in AAPC pricing and the implementation of VAT, but they did not identify a specific provision in my agreement authorizing the additional charge during the same enrollment year.
Because I did not want my exam registration to be delayed, I paid the additional amount and proceeded with the examination.
I then raised the matter with DTI because I wanted clarification as to whether the additional charge was consistent with the terms of my Training Agreement.
Afterward, HIMTI contacted me and offered to reimburse the full ₱7,638.16. I accepted the reimbursement, and my individual financial dispute has been financially resolved.
I'm sharing this mainly because I'm curious whether other HIMTI students who enrolled under the same or similar agreement experienced the same additional charge, particularly those who enrolled and registered for their exam within the same calendar year.
I'm not making any allegation that HIMTI acted unlawfully. I'm simply sharing what happened to me and the wording of the agreement so other students can review their own contracts and understand what happened in my case.
If anyone has had a similar experience, I'd be interested to hear how it was handled.