Certified Professional Coder (CPC)® Certification

AAPC is the nation’s largest education and credentialing organization for medical coders, billers, auditors, practice managers, documentation specialists, compliance officers, and revenue cycle managers. All members of AAPC agree to abide by the AAPC Code of Ethics, which ensures high levels of professionalism, integrity, and ethical behavior.

Purpose

AAPC discovers, develops, and provides innovative products, services, and solutions to help the global healthcare industry recognize the full potential of their revenue cycle.

For Businesses

We help healthcare organizations ensure documentation accuracy, boost employee efficiency, and optimize their revenue cycle. Our elite team of subject matter experts create and manage customized solutions that are tailored to our clients’ unique pain points and goals. Whether it’s coding or audit services, ongoing education, or access to the industry’s most powerful tools and resources, AAPC is the trusted source for driving accuracy, profitability, and peace of mind.

For Individuals

We help people find, begin, and maintain new careers. We also help them determine the right career path, provide resources and support throughout their studies, help them land their first job and give them the means to advance their careers. From the tools and resources we offer to a network of over 220,000 coders, billers, auditors and AAPC employees to help them along the way, one thing is certain: AAPC members are never alone.

Industry Growth

Job growth for medical records and health information technicians is projected to grow 13% by 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This rate of growth exceeds the average of all occupations. As demand for healthcare services increases, more trained coders will be needed to manage the increased claims for reimbursement from insurance companies.

All USA physicians and hospitals are required by federal law to use standardized sets of medical codes to report supplies, diagnoses, procedures, and other services associated with patient care. All payments for medical services in the USA are linked to these codes. Medical codes are accurately assigned by coders, determine payment charged by billers, and are monitored and verified by auditors and compliance officers. Practice managers ensure these positions function well together to support the revenue cycle.

Standardized medical codes expedite information gathering, billing, and data collection. This system allows payers to better compare charges for services and set payment rates that fairly reward providers for their work while reducing insurers’ risks. The data can be collected and analyzed for trends, such as which treatment methods work best over time for certain conditions, or what is the frequency of certain diseases or treatments in specific localities? All of this contributes to an overall reduction in the cost of healthcare delivery and better patient care.

AAPC was founded in 1988 as the American Academy of Professional Coders, with the aim of providing education and certification to coders working in physician-based settings. These settings include group practices and specialty centers (i.e. non-hospital settings). As their services expanded beyond medical and outpatient coding, the full name was dropped in favor of the AAPC initialism.