Media Release
Ajman, Sep 22: The region’s first collaborative center for imparting specialized skills in health in medical coding was launched by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and Gulf Medical University (GMU). The partnership agreement for the AAPC-GMU collaborative center was signed at Gulf Medical University by Prof Hossam Hamdy, the chancellor of GMU and Dan Schwebach, senior vice president of AAPC.
The new center has been established with the aim of training working clinical and non-clinical professionals, preparing them for present and future challenges of the complex healthcare system. “The Certified Professional Coder (CPC) programme is designed to provide a baseline level of core competency necessary to ensure the accuracy of medical documentation and application of medical code assignment and to prepare professionals to sit for and pass the CPC certification exam required for professional credentialing,” said Prof Hossam Hamdy elaborating on the objectives of the newly established collaboration.
The collaboration has special significance for healthcare professionals in the region as medical coding has emerged as the foundation of all present-day healthcare interactions, facilitating the standardization of data which is necessary to monitor, track and utilize clinical, financial, and administrative aspects of a healthcare system. With this agreement, GMU has also become the only testing center in the UAE’s northern Emirates for AAPC’s certification exams.
Founded in 1998, AAPC is currently the leading training and certification authority for healthcare professionals and is one of the world’s largest training organizations offering 30 certifications encompassing the entire business side of healthcare, including medical coding (CPC™), professional billing (CPB™), medical auditing (CPMA™), clinical documentation (CDEO™), and practice management (CPPM™). Each year AAPC conducts over 60,000 certification exams across 3,700 locations worldwide and trains over 20,000 students per month. AAPC credentials are recognized throughout the world by providers, payers, associations, and regulators as the industry gold standard.
Established in 1998, Gulf Medical University is a leading medical university in the Gulf region. It offers health professions education programmes in the field of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Medical Science, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Anesthesia & Surgical Technology, and Medical Imaging Sciences. In addition, the university also offers short term certificate courses. GMU differentiates itself in having its own network of hospitals, clinics, labs and pharmacies.