The American Medical Billing Association (AMBA), located in South Central Oklahoma, was founded in September, 1998, by Cyndee and Larry Weston, who are providers of billing and consulting services to doctors and other health care providers. .[1] The association was organized so that medical billers from across the nation could network, share information and ideas, educate, and support each other. [2]
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The association is the largest association in the nation that provides education and credentials to independent, third party medical billers. Currently there are around 6,000 members, and twelve local chapters nationwide.[3] The association is an approved vendor of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), a medical coding association.[4] Medical billers can become certified through the AMBA by passing the Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist (CMRS) Exam which is the highest standard certification for medical billers. [5] In order to maintain this certification, billers have to obtain continuing education units (CEUs) each year, which they can obtain from s medical billing or medical coding courses, seminars , conferences, or magazine subscriptions.[6]
All products, except billing software, offered in the association's online store are created and published by the association. The Association has been quoted in notable publications such as the American Medical News (AM News), Medical News Today, and Modern Healthcare. [7] Over the past two years, its members lobbied to initiate what is now known as National Medical Billers Day, which has been officially recognized by several states on Thursday of the last week in March each year.[8]