PAHCOM recognized that no longer can the receptionist / secretary / manager of the 50's "run" a doctor's office.  That era ended with the introduction of the Medicare law in 1964.  An entire national work force of physician office receptionist / managers was suddenly outdated.  That work force has been struggling to keep up with the rapidly changing rules and regulations ever since, and they were struggling independently, without a centralized source for the information they needed.  PAHCOM has nationalized that work force into one, cohesive communications network.  We have tapped the greatest wealth of knowledge on managing physician practices and made it easily accessible to our nationwide membership.

The structure of the Association has utilized the advantage of its member sensitive orientation to develop local chapters wherever there are members who are motivated toward further education and networking.  The local chapters, while still active with national concerns, have the ability to customize their networking on local health care issues.  They can, therefore, coordinate the solution to local problems much more effectively by designing training conferences, holding local meetings, and networking with hospitals, medical associations, medical societies, and vendors in the local area. 

The development of the Certified Medical Manager (CMM) program is an indicator of the membership's motivation toward professional recognition of their vocation.  The program was developed with strong member participation and set high standards for attaining certification status.  The comprehensive three-hour examination covers sixteen areas identified as crucial to the smooth operation of a physician practice: Risk Management, Practice Accounting, Third Party Reimbursement, Coding Analysis, Human Resources, Health Care Law, Conflict Management, Managing and Leading, Systems Analysis and Design, Practice Structure, Billing and Collections, Employment and Payroll, Financial Planning, Communications, Patient Education, Practice Marketing, and Time Management.

The task of creating a comprehensive model curriculum for an Associate Degree in Medical Office Management was shouldered by twenty educators representing twelve community colleges from across the country.  The "DACUM" process suggests that a profession's most competent practitioners can most accurately define and describe their profession; therefore, a panel of Certified Medical Managers (CMMs) participated in the development of this comprehensive curriculum.

Professional participation is the strength of the Association.  PAHCOM has combined academia, technical experts, and the wealth of practical knowledge of its members to provide a comprehensive system of support resulting in:The Professional Association of Health Care Office Management was founded in January 1988 for the explicit purpose of providing a support system to the managers of group and solo physician practices. Effort was focused on opening the communication links of such practices with each other as well as other health care providers such as hospitals, medical associations, medical societies, vendors and so forth.  The motto "PAHCOM Shares Knowledge" states very concisely the purpose of the Association. The continuous pursuit of excellence in the the management of physician office practices is the overriding long term strategic goal of PAHCOM.

• Better managed physician practices that provide increased revenue to physicians by reducing wasteful expenses. 

• Increased value of the office manager's time due to easily accessible information.

• Motivated staff, able to integrate their efforts and work together as a unit.