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Maintain your certification

Maintain your certification

Keeping pace with the industry is essential to your success and ensures employers you are up to date on best practices, industry changes and trends.

A Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is a measure used by AAPC and recognized by employers to verify your skills are up-to-date. Maintaining your CEUs makes you more desirable and valuable to current and prospective employers, allowing you to differentiate from others job seekers.

Find CEUs test

The most common way to earn CEUs is through continuing education like webinars, workshops, or other events.

Search For CEU Opportunities

Report CEUs

When you earn CEUs, you'll need to report them to receive credit. Credit will not be automatically applied. You can report CEUs by going to your account settings and click on the CEUs card.

Report CEUs

Keep your membership and credentials active.

Certified AAPC Members are required to keep their membership dues up to date to maintain earned certifications. In addition to annual membership, Certified Members must also obtain CEUs to keep their certifications current.CEUs are reported every two years on or before your membership due date. Membership fees are due every year - - even on a year when you are not required to report CEUs.If you are newly certified, CEUs will be pro-rated to match your existing renewal month for your first submission. CEUs earned prior to certification will not be accepted.The year that your CEUs are due is based on the month of your membership. For instance:

  • If your membership is due in January, March, May, July, September, or November, two years of CEUs are due on your membership expiration date in 2023.

  • If your membership is due in February, April, June, August, October, or December, two years of CEUs are due on your membership expiration date in 2022.

Requirements for maintaining your certifications

  1. Pay your AAPC Membership dues annually.

  2. Abide by the AAPC Code of Ethics.

  3. Complete the required number of CEUs based on the number of certifications you hold.

Number of CEUs required every two years

All AAPC certified members are required to obtain CEUs every two years. The number of certifications you hold increases the number of CEUs required:

Specific credential requirements

  • CIRCC, 16 CEUs must be related to interventional radiology or cardiovascular coding.

  • CPMA, 16 CEUs must be related to auditing.

  • CPCO, 16 CEUs must be related to compliance.

  • CDEO, 16 CEUs must be related to documentation.

  • CPPM, 16 CEUs must be related to practice management.

  • 8 CEUs must be specialty specific for each specialty earned.

Note: Events must be specifically pre-approved for CIRCC, CPMA, CPCO, CDEO, CPPM, and all specialty credentials, based on relevance and level of difficulty, in order to be eligible for CEUs. Read the Specialty Policy.

Once CIRCC, CPMA, CPCO, CDEO, CPPM and specialty CEUs have been met, the remaining credits due can be obtained from any pre-approved program.

If CEUs have been pro-rated due to a corporate membership addition, this may exceed the cap of 52 CEUs every two years.