AAPC Fellowship Program
Set yourself apart as an industry expert with unique insight and experience.AAPC Fellows represent the highest level of professional achievement within the business of healthcare. Fellowship status isn’t just another certification — it’s a designation of leadership, contribution, and prestige beyond technical credentials. It carries weight in reputation, not just competence.
Fellowship status
Who are AAPC Fellows?
AAPC Fellows are seasoned experts who have not only mastered their craft but have also demonstrated a sustained commitment to advancing the profession through leadership, research, mentorship, and community engagement.
Fellowship status goes beyond tenure or technical skill — it’s about influence and contribution.
By earning this designation, AAPC Fellows join an elite community of professionals recognized for their expertise, integrity, and dedication to excellence. They set the standard for others to follow and help elevate the reputation of the healthcare business industry as a whole.
Qualifications requirements
AAPC-certified members in good standing. All active or retired AAPC credentials meet this requirement.
A minimum of 10 years of cumulative healthcare work experience.
As part of the application, you will attest to:
Submitting original work and granting AAPC permission to publish your research unless otherwise specified.
Maintaining active AAPC membership and certification to retain Fellowship status.
Committing to serve as an active AAPC leader, demonstrating continued engagement and professional mentorship within the community.
Examples of leadership activities
Fellows are expected to remain actively involved in leadership and service, such as:
Presenting at AAPC events
Writing thought leadership content for AAPC publications
Mentoring new AAPC members
Volunteering with local chapters
Advocating for positive change in the healthcare industry
Leadership may take many forms — inside or outside of AAPC — and Fellows may periodically be invited to share how they are contributing to the community.
Career benefits
How Fellow status impacts your career
Expert-level differentiation - In a competitive job market, “Fellow” status sets you apart. It tells employers, clients, and peers that you have reached an advanced level of expertise and professional maturity that few achieve.
Use of the “Fellow” designation - The “AAPC Fellow” designation (Example: Mary Smith, CPC, AAPC Fellow) adds prestige to your name and resume. It builds confidence with employers, students, and professional networks that your expertise extends beyond certification into leadership and thought contribution.
Helps employers identify high-level talent - Employers view the designation as a recruiting filter or signal of competence — especially useful when sifting through many resumes.
Professional influence - Fellows often find new opportunities to teach, publish, speak at events, or advise on healthcare policy and operations. This visibility enhances your professional reputation and expands your career impact.
Official recognition - Upon approval, Fellows receive recognition in AAPC the Magazine, a downloadable Fellow Certificate for professional display, and "Fellow status" displayed on your AAPC member card.
What employers think about AAPC Fellows
The industry desperately needed a way to quickly identify true coding expertise. This is an efficient way to recruit the best in the business using a keyword on resume search.
Stephani E. Scott
Healthicity
This designation speaks volumes — on just one line of your business card.
Stephanie Cecchini
How the application process works
The Fellowship application process is designed to be both rigorous and supportive, reflecting the high standards expected of AAPC’s most accomplished members.
Step 1
Submit outline for research paper
Before submitting a full research paper, applicants must first submit an outline for pre-approval. This outline should clearly demonstrate your chosen topic, planned direction, and how your paper will contribute meaningful insight to the healthcare community. Your research paper should do more than present facts — it should propose new ideas, explore challenges, or introduce innovative perspectives supported by evidence.
Outline pre-approval must include:
Planned title – The working title of your research paper.
Planned thesis statement – The central argument or main idea your paper will defend.
Planned major arguments/statements – The key points you will make to support your thesis.
Support for major arguments/statements – The data, studies, or professional experiences that will substantiate your claims.
We strongly recommend reviewing general outline and research paper guidelines through credible online academic writing resources before submission.
Tips for preparing your outline
Start with a strong understanding of the research paper and outline expectations. A research paper is not just a fact-based essay — it should propose new ideas and then offer supporting evidence.
Outlines should demonstrate that your research paper will be tackling an issue from a new and unique perspective. We strongly advise applicants to review the following resources to become more acquainted with outlines and research papers.
Research paper guidelines to lean on:
Exemplary research paper:
Read An Attitude for Successful Aging
Additional writing recommendations
Your outline can be short and succinct, or in complete sentences as they will appear in the research paper itself.
As long as you have communicated your ideas well, your arguments seem to support your thesis, and you seem to have logical support for each of your arguments, your research paper will be on the right track.
We recommend adding structure to your arguments and supporting arguments with lettering and numbering of points, as depicted in this sample application.
You do not have to follow the format exactly, this is just one way of ordering your paper wisely.
Step 2
Submit research paper
Candidates must submit an original, well-researched paper on a healthcare-related topic. The paper should demonstrate depth of knowledge, critical thinking, and a meaningful contribution to the profession. All research papers must meet the following criteria:
Minimum of 2,500 words
Written in a standard word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word)
Consistent citation format (any recognized academic style is acceptable)
We recommend reviewing our Research Paper Guidelines above and our Grading Rubric below to fully understand expectations.
How your Fellowship application is reviewed
Outline review process
After submitting your initial application, your research paper outline is reviewed by the Fellowship Committee. This review process may take up to 4 weeks.
Applicants whose outlines are approved will receive an email notification with detailed instructions for submitting the full research paper. Applicants whose outlines are not approved will also be notified by email, including an explanation of the decision and constructive feedback on areas that need improvement.
The same Fellowship Committee is responsible for reviewing all submitted research papers.
Research paper review
Once a research paper is submitted, it is evaluated by multiple reviewers on the committee. Each reviewer assigns a score, and those scores are averaged to determine the applicant’s final result.
Applicants whose papers receive an average score of 80% or higher are accepted as AAPC Fellows and notified by email within six weeks of submission.
Evaluation criteria
Each reviewer uses the same grading rubric to evaluate a research paper, awarding points based on the following criteria:
Introduction - States topic/thesis with clarity, interests reader quickly
Quality of Research - Cites several reliable, relevant sources appropriately and correctly
Content Knowledge - Uses logical arguments to support thesis and demonstrates expertise and critical thinking with all examples, diction, etc.
Conclusion - Provides impactful/motivating summary of arguments and thesis
Writing - Offers a logical flow with smooth transitions and exhibits professionalism in being free from spelling or grammatical errors
Applicants whose papers do not meet this standard will also receive notification by email, along with detailed feedback identifying specific areas for improvement.
All applicants are encouraged to revise their work based on this feedback and reapply if desired.