The Importance of a Certified Medical Auditor Credential (CPMA)

Certified Medical Auditors utilize their knowledge of medical coding and documentation guidelines to improve the revenue cycle of medical practices. A medical auditing career includes working with medical records technology and health services administration, applying your medical coding skills in a new realm. 

Read on to learn more about what CPMAs are, the career opportunities you’ll have with a credential and what you’ll learn with a CPMA credential course.

What Are Certified Medical Auditors?

CPMAs are synonymous with medical auditing. So what is medical auditing, exactly? According to the AAPC, “medical auditing entails conducting internal or external reviews of coding accuracy, policies and procedures to ensure you are running an efficient and hopefully liability-free operation.” Common duties for medical auditors include protecting against fraudulent claims, identifying problem areas with insurance, remedy undercoding or overcoding and stopping the use of outdated or incorrect codes.

Certified Medical Auditor Opportunities

As with several other roles related to medical coding and billing, the need for Certified Medical Auditors is on the rise. More and more medical institutions are adopting new technology and need a role that can ensure everything is optimizing as appropriately and efficiently as possible. The salary isn’t bad, either. According to the 2018 Medical Coding Salary Survey, CPMAs make an average of $66,886 per year.

What Will I Learn with a CPMA Credential?

A CPMA credential validates your knowledge as a medical auditor outpatient coder in addition to your coding skills. The CPMA course at Medical Coding Academy will prepare you to pass the national board exam on the first try. Here is what’s covered in the one-day CPMA credential course we offer:

• Medical Records
• Coding Concepts
• Reimbursement Methods
• Quality Assurance
• Risk Analysis
• Case Abstracting
• Pathophysiology
• Scope Sampling
• Modifiers

If you’re interested in a career as a Certified Medical Auditor, sign up for our CPMA course today!

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2019. It has been updated for accuracy and clarity.