Certified Physician Practice Manager (CPPM®): A New Career Opportunity

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It is no secret that I am an advocate for understanding the medical practice in its entirety. To be the best coder, a CPC should understand billing – and vice versa.

Now I am going to step the criteria up a notch. In order to be the best practice management consultant or practice manager, you should not only be a certified coder and know medical billing, you should also be able to approach the medical practice as a business – a business with profit and loss statements, quality in healthcare, cash management, electronic medical records, social media, HIPAA, data security, human resources, fraud and abuse, office space flow charts, and various corrective measures to ensure business continuity.

It sounds overwhelming, but in truth, for those of you who have worked in a healthcare setting, you will find that some areas of business will be familiar to you and even tie in with your medical coding or billing experience. To bring your knowledge full circle, I highly recommend AAPC’s CPPM credential to validate your expertise in managing a medical practice.

Certified Physician Practice Manager (CPPM): A Good Move

I have used my thirty-two years of intangible knowledge and experience to assess and advise medical practices. I have seen practices robbed by employees because no system was in place to check how cash over the counter was handled or loss of productivity due to high turnover. I’ve seen providers go to jail for fraud and I have seen billers deplete doctor’s checkbooks by writing off every denial or hiding their problem eobs in what I refer to as the “Mercedes Drawer”. (A doctor could buy a new Benz with all the lost revenue in that Mercedes drawer of ignored explanation of benefits.)

Despite my years of experience, I recognize how time and technology continuously change the work environment. I have also discovered, (with great excitement I might add), the curriculum being offered for the CPPM credential and I genuinely value the information it offers its students.

What better way to enhance your medical coding career by knowing every aspect of the business? Believe me, it all ties in. The coding. The billing. The work flow. There is nothing more frustrating than a client blaming you for their cash flow problems when you can see how their office operations are out of control.

You will notice www. offering this course in the near future and I for one encourage you to seriously consider what this credential will offer you.

The CPPM Proctored Exam is 200 multiple choice questions. It is 5 hours and 40 minutes long and you do have one free retake. The cost is $325.00. The only tool you are allowed in the exam room is a standalone calculator. The breakdown of the exam will be as follows:

Health Care Reform-5 questions
Compliance -25 questions
Quality in Health Care -5 questions
Medical Office Accounting -25 questions
Physician Reimbursement -20 questions
Health Care Revenue Cycle Management -25 questions
Human Resources -15 questions
Marketing & Business Relationships -10 questions
Space Planning & Operational Flows -10 questions
HIPAA -15 questions
Electronic Medical Record -10 questions
Health Information Exchange -3 questions
Modern Health IT -8 questions
Disaster Planning -8 questions

It is my hope that medical office managers, physicians, and coders/billers take advantage of this CPPM curriculum. It will certainly create equality and understanding of what is required to maintain a successful practice!

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