AAPC (healthcare)

Abbreviation	AAPC
Formation	1988
Purpose	Business of Healthcare
Headquarters	Salt Lake City, Utah
Region served	United States
Services	Certification,[1] training,[2] conferences[3]
Membership	150,000 (2015)
Official language	English
Key people	Jason VandenAkker (CEO) Bevan Erickson (President)
Website	www.aapc.com

AAPC, formerly American Academy of Professional Coders, is a professional organization supporting professionals in the business of healthcare in the United States.^[4] Founded in 1988, AAPC provides certifications and trainings to medical coders,^[5] medical billers, auditors, compliance managers, and practice managers in the United States. The group has over 150,000 members.

History

AAPC previously stood for the American Academy of Professional Coders.^[6] The full name was dropped in 2010 as services expanded beyond medical coding.^[7] AAPC has expanded beyond outpatient coding to include training and credentials in documentation and coding audits. Currently, AAPC has a membership base over 154,000 worldwide, of which nearly 108,000 are certified. The AAPC's specialty credentials enable coders to demonstrate superior levels of expertise in their respective specialty disciplines. These specialty credentials are stand-alone certifications with no requirement to hold the CPC® credential.^[8]

Purpose

AAPC’s mission is to elevate the business of healthcare by providing professional training, industry-standard certifications,^[9] and comprehensive solutions to individuals and organizations across medical coding, medical billing, auditing, compliance, and practice management. Medical Coding Seminars and Conferences,^[10] Stay current with medical coding updates, compliance rules, regulations, and your CPC® CEUs.

Certifications

AAPC offers a variety of certifications for professionals in the business of healthcare, including:

• Medical coding-AAPC medical coding certifications demonstrate knowledge of medical coding, including the correct application of ICD-10 Codes,^[11] ICD-10-CM,^[12] ICD-9-CM, CPT, HCPCS Level II, and modifier coding assignments. Coding certifications are available for outpatient physician offices (CPC), outpatient hospital/facility (COC), inpatient hospital/facility (CIC), risk adjustment (CRC), payer coding (CPC-P), or 22 other specialty coding certifications.
• Medical billing-The Certified Professional Biller (CPB) certification prepares healthcare professionals with skills to maintain all aspects of the revenue cycle.
• Medical auditing-The Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA) certification shows knowledge of coding and documentation guidelines to improve the revenue cycle of nearly all healthcare practices.
• Medical compliance-The Certified Professional Compliance Officer (CPCO) certification shows an understanding of the key requirements needed to effectively develop, implement, and monitor a healthcare compliance program for your practice based on governmental regulatory guidelines—including internal compliance review, audits, risk assessments, and staff education and training.
• Physician practice management-The Certified Physician Practice Manager (CPPM) certification shows an understanding of the revenue cycle, compliance regulations, human resources, health information, and general business processes.

See also

• Health informatics
• Information governance
• Medical classification

External links

• AAPC official site

References

1. "Medical Certification Overview". Medical coding certification for physician practices, hospitals and the outpatient environment and coding in the payer community - AAPC.
2. "Take a medical coding training course online or in the classroom to learn the fundamentals of medical coding and prepare for the certification exam.". Medical Training Overview.
3. "AAPC Conferences". Medical Coding Seminars and Conferences - AAPC.
4. See Also. "Code of Ethics".
5. "How to Choose a Medical Coding Credentialing Organization". AAPC is widely recognized for credentialing physician- and hospital-based coders.
6. About AAPC. "Advancing the Business of Healthcare".
7. "Accredited Online Medical Coding Training Guide for 2015 - by AAPC". Medical coding.
8. "Guide to the Medical Coding Certification Creadential speciality Maze by AAPC". Credential Check.
9. "AAPC Continuing Education Credit, CME Credit Reporting".
10. SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/-AAPC. "AAPC Hosts 2012 Regional Conference in Chicago".
11. ICD-10 Related sources. "South Dakota Medicaid Implementation Activities".
12. "CMS-Medicare Fee-For-Service Provider Resources". ICD-10-CM Resources.