AAPC was founded in 1988 to provide education and professional certification to physician-based medical coders and to elevate the standards of medical coding by providing training, certification, networking, and job opportunities. Since then, AAPC has grown to over 175,000 members worldwide and offers 28 certifications encompassing the entire business side of healthcare, including professional service coding ( CPC®), professional billing (CPB™), medical auditing (CPMA™), clinical documentation (CDEO™), medical compliance (CPCO™), and physician practice management (CPPM™)