UT Southwestern Medical Center to incorporate PMI certification training for its medical office professionals in 2010

Online, December 30, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Practice Management Institute® (PMI) and UT Southwestern Medical Center today announced the debut of a new certification track for medical office professionals at the Dallas campus. Enrollment will begin next week with new classes opening up over the next several months.

UT Southwestern, one of the country's leading academic medical centers, patient-care providers and research institutions, has joined together with PMI, the nation's premier provider of practice management training and credentialing for physician practice staff, to provide advanced training and certification opportunities for its current medical office staff.

The Certified Medical Coder (CMC), Certified Medical Insurance Specialist (CMIS), and Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM), address core administrative skills needed for the administration of a successful medical practice. The first class for coding professionals begins January 14 at the medical center. Plans to expand the program to other campuses across Texas are in the works.

"Given the complexity of healthcare today, UT Southwestern Medical Center is dedicated to ensuring that the staff have the knowledge necessary to perform their functions," said Doug Arrington, Ph.D., FNP-BC, NEA-BC, CHC, Director of Revenue Cycle Development, UT System.

The CMC, CMIS, and CMOM are the building blocks to ensuring that UT staff has the skills necessary to perform their functions, said Arrington, who also heads up the Health Division, Billing Compliance UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

"We firmly believe that through these billing, coding, and compliance education programs that we will improve the over all patient satisfaction and revenue cycle processes," said Arrington.

The U. S. Department of Labor anticipates a growth of 18-26 percent over the next ten years for medical office professionals with a median hourly rate of $14. These certification classes, made possible by the PMI and UT Southwestern Medical Center partnership, will specifically target the training needs of health care professionals who want to remain competitive in today's volatile job market.

"During tough economic times, health care tends to fair better than other industries. Expanding PMI certification offerings through the University of Texas Health System will give more people access to training that will improve their employability," said Douglas O'Dell, President and CEO of PMI.

Medical office coding, billing, and office management professionals who want to recession-proof their skills are encouraged to seek out targeted training that will keep them at the top of their game.

"The mission of UT Southwestern is to educate the next generation of leaders in patient care and improve health care in the community," said Michael Moore, director of business development at PMI. "PMI is proud to be recognized for its supporting role in educating and measuring the proficiency standards of medical office professionals and serve a valuable need for physician employers, and the medical communities they serve."

Practice Management Institute® (PMI) is the training, networking and credentialing source for medical office professionals. For more than 25 years, physicians and their staff have looked to PMI for skills that contribute to a more efficient, profitable and compliant office. Classes are hosted in 300 of the nation's leading hospitals, medical societies and colleges. PMI awards certification by exam to accomplished medical office coding, reimbursement, and management professionals. In all, more than 13,000 medical office professionals have earned their credentials through PMI. For more information, visit www.pmiMD.com.
As one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, UT Southwestern trains the physicians, medical scientists and health-care professionals of the future. Medical students learn to become highly skilled practitioners. Researchers are trained to lead the way in developing the latest in biomedical science. Students from our health professions programs go on to become integral members of our nation's health-care delivery and education system. With about 230 students admitted each year, admission to UT Southwestern is highly competitive.