What Does It Mean To Partner With the AAPC?
When a medical coding school chooses to partner with the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC), they’re not just buying the rights to teach from that curriculum. They’re also buying their place on the AAPC website as an “AAPC curriculum-teaching school.”
Why are we bringing this up in today’s blog post? Because way too many people think that when a school partners with the AAPC, the AAPC has approved of that teacher’s abilities and that they’ve approved any materials added or removed from AAPC curriculum.
What Being an AAPC Partner Really Means
In reality, being a partner with AAPC means that school/program pays to be a partner!
This does not ensure that the AAPC has approved of (or even met) the actual instructor at the school or program. The truth is, you don’t even know who you’re getting—their experience, credibility and ability to keep students engaged can all vary.
The AAPC partnership contracts say they provide “oversight and review” of what the teacher is going to be delivering. But, in our experience at Medical Coding Academy at least, the AAPC doesn’t do this. Things may have changed since our dealings with the AAPC—all we know is what we experienced as a partner.
So, as you’ve just learned, to be a partner with the AAPC, all you have to do is… pay them. And yes, partner teachers also have to take an online course and pass the instructor test, but the partnership benefits aren’t as abundant as you might think.
AAPC Accreditations vs. State Licenses
Instead of asking whether a medical coding school is accredited through the AAPC (since now we all know that is not a real thing), ask whether the school is licensed through the state. Licenses are the only way to ensure that the school’s curriculum is being reviewed, scrutinized and governed.
And, in case you’re wondering, Medical Coding Academy is most certainly licensed (by the Texas Workforce Commission). If you’re taking a course from a person or an entity that isn’t licensed, just know that no one is reviewing that school’s curriculum and no one is ensuring that the program is in compliance with all of the state laws.
In other words, no one is protecting the consumer (that’s you) from fraudulent actions taken by that program or school.
The Importance of Being Audit-Ready
In order to maintain our license as a school, Medical Coding Academy, we have to be audit-ready at all times with our students. It ensures that our educational material will help you pursue the medical coding career of your dreams. When a state-run organization is keeping the medical coding school accountable, the students win.
Ready to get started with medical coding? Check out information on Medical Coding Academy Online today!
