Practice Management Institute Names Washington County Community College 2023 Outstanding National Host Partner
SAN ANTONIO, TX –
Practice Management Institute (PMI) has named Washington County Community College (WCCC) its
2023 Outstanding National Host Partner. The award, chosen nationally from among hundreds of
hospital, college, medical society, physician service group and program host partners, is given to an
organization who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to partnering with PMI for the purposes
of advancing educational opportunities within their service area and state.
Washington County Community College, a part of the Maine Community College System, has been
recognized for a number of ground-breaking initiatives. For five years, PMI and WCCC have been
partnering to meet the training needs of existing medical office personnel throughout the state of
Maine, while expanding ground-breaking training opportunities in support of Maine workforce and
transitional residents, aimed at long lasting and sustainable employment within the healthcare
industry.
The WCCC Pathways in Health Sciences program, which includes other PMI training options such as
Certified Medical Coder, Certified Medical Insurance Specialist, Certified Medical Office Manager, and
Certified Medical Compliance Officer, successfully lunched the ground-breaking Patient Services
Representative certificate program. The 2-phase program was developed by PMI for WCCC, specifically
to meet a workforce training need identified by Maine regional Federally Qualified Rural Health
Centers, hospitals, and medical offices. The success of the program has now expanded beyond the state
of Maine and is offered nationally by PMI.
The Patient Services Representative course is supported by the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and the
Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce and is currently offered at no cost to
Maine residents who qualify. All PMI courses are short-term training options that can follow a pathway
into the WCCC Certificates in Medical Office Technology or Health Occupations as well as their Certified
Medical Assistant program, which is an Associate in Applied Science degree. Students may now earn
college credit for their participation in the Patient Services Representative and Certified Medical Coding
(CMC®) training tracks to be used as micro credentials, or toward Associate, Bachelor, or other
advanced degree tracks.
In 2023, In an unprecedented effort to unite the existing Maine healthcare workforce with students
presently on track toward successful careers in healthcare, PMI and WCCC announced the creation and
launch of the Maine Healthcare Employee Network. With a mission of enhancing professional
success within the medical office through purpose, integrity, and education, this statewide initiative
will work to build bridges between those already working in healthcare and those presently being
trained in the areas of coding, billing, compliance, management, and front desk operations.
Our great gratitude to WCCC and to Nichole Sawyer, Dean of Workforce Development & Community
Engagement, for her steadfast vision- from day one, for walking the walk, and for being a champion of
not only her students, but of providers and medical practice staff throughout the state of Maine. We
would also like to recognize Michelle Binette, Coordinator of Workforce Programming, for her
collaboration and passion for what our partnership means to those served by WCCC. This collaboration
is as good and as exciting and as filled with promise and service as it gets.
“This award is so special to us. We take great pride in spotlighting one very special partnership among
hundreds- the organization and the partner liaisons, who have made a profound contribution to our
company, and within our industry, It’s born of a particular message: tried and true, quality, and
accessible education is vital, and can do much to build bridges by lifting up the people living in and
working in the communities they serve.” said Michael Moore, PMI Vice President -Partner
Development, Institutional Development, and Workforce Initiatives.
Washington County Community College was recently named one of the top 150 community colleges in
the United States for its commitment to student success and educational excellence. Along with
Maine’s six other community colleges, WCCC offers the lowest tuition and fees of any institution in
New England. Washington County Community College serves as an educational, community, and
economic development resource for Washington County and beyond by providing educational and
workforce training opportunities with individualized attention to all who desire to gain technical skills,
develop career specializations, engage in self-improvement, and/or prepare for transfer.
Practice Management Institute®
(PMI) is the training, networking, and credentialing source for medical office professionals. For more than
40 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 many of the nation’s leading hospitals, medical societies, and colleges.
PMI awards certification by exam to accomplished medical office coding, reimbursement, compliance, and
management professionals. In all, more than 40,000 medical office professionals have earned their credentials
through PMI.