American Osteopathic Association

What American Osteopathic Association does

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1897 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It serves as the professional home for more than 207,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and osteopathic medical students in the United States, representing the full career arc from medical school through residency and into active practice. Through its Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), AOA is the sole accreditor of 47 osteopathic medical schools operating at 74 teaching locations, and through 15 specialty certifying boards it administers board certification across 24 primary specialties and 48 subspecialties.

AOA's core offerings span membership (student, resident, and physician tiers, with a freemium model for students), CME delivery via OMED and the AOA Learning Portal, board certification, the AOA Career Center (in partnership with HealtheCareers), GME program memberships ($350–$700 per program annually), and patient-facing tools such as Find Your DO. AOA does not develop proprietary technology products; it partners with the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) to administer the COMLEX-USA licensure examination series.

Revenue derives from a diversified mix of recurring membership dues, CME and event registration (including OMED), board certification fees, GME program group memberships, Career Center job-posting revenue, and corporate sponsorships. Distribution is primarily direct via the AOA website and Physician Portal, with pipeline partnerships through the 47 COCA-accredited schools, state osteopathic associations, and AACOM. Advocacy (federal and state), the annual DO Day on Capitol Hill, and joint statements with peer physician organizations (e.g., the Group of Six) are central to value delivery but not direct revenue drivers.

Name

American Osteopathic Association

Legal name

American Osteopathic Association

Website

https://osteopathic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The American Osteopathic Association is the 1897-founded, Chicago-based nonprofit professional membership organization for more than 207,000 U.S. osteopathic physicians and medical students, providing accreditation, board certification, CME, advocacy, and career services across the full DO career lifecycle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from osteopathic physicians, residents, and medical students. Student membership is complimentary, while resident and physician memberships have tiered pricing based on career stage.
2. GME Program Memberships: Group membership fees for graduate medical education training programs: $350/year for programs with Osteopathic Recognition, $700/year for other accredited GME programs.
3. CME Products and Events: Revenue from live and on-demand continuing medical education courses, OMED annual conference registration, and CME sponsor accreditation fees.
4. Board Certification: Fees from administering board certification through 15 specialty certifying boards offering certifications in 24 primary specialties and 48 subspecialties.
5. Career Center: Job posting fees through partnership with HealtheCareers for employer job listings targeting DOs.
6. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship opportunities for events and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the professional membership organization serving more than 207,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. Founded in 1897, it provides professional membership, federal and state advocacy, AOA Board Certification across 15 specialty boards (24 primary specialties and 48 subspecialties), continuing medical education (CME), career services, practice management support, and accreditation of osteopathic medical schools through the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).

Product overview

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is a professional membership organization serving as the professional home for over 207,000 osteopathic physicians and medical students. The AOA offers a comprehensive suite of member services including AOA Membership (student, resident, and physician tiers), AOA Board Certification (15 specialty boards, 24 primary specialties, 48 subspecialties), and CME tracking via the AOA Learning Portal. Additional offerings include the AOA Career Center for job placement, Wellness Toolkit resources, financial planning services with partner programs (SoFi, Student Loan Professor), and GME Program Membership for training institutions. Professional development programs include the TIPS (Training in Policy Studies) Program, annual OMED conference, and DO Day on Capitol Hill advocacy events. Educational resources span COMLEX-USA exam preparation, residency match guidance, and research funding opportunities through the Bureau of Osteopathic Research and Public Health. The organization also maintains Find Your DO patient finder tool and accreditation through COCA for 47 osteopathic medical schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Find Your DO: Online search tool that connects patients with DOs in their community
• OMED
• DO Day on Capitol Hill
• The DO
• Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (JOM)
• COMLEX-USA
• AOA Board Certification
• National Osteopathic Medicine (NOM) Week
• Doctors That DO
• TIPS (Training in Policy Studies)
• Distinction of Advanced Osteopathic Training

Quantifiable outcome

• 93.2% match rate for DO seniors in 2026 NRMP Match
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coalition for RESULTS ActcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe AOA joined a broad coalition supporting the RESULTS Act (S. 2761/H.R. 5269), legislation to reform Medicare's Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule and protect patient access to diagnostic testing.
• Group of Six Physician OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive major U.S. physician organizations (representing over 500,000 physicians and medical students) issued a joint statement opposing HHS decision to halt mRNA vaccine research funding, warning it stifles scientific innovation and impairs pandemic preparedness.
• HealtheCareersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing the AOA Career Center job board platform connecting DOs with thousands of job opportunities across the U.S.
• SoFiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services partner offering AOA members (including residents) a 0.25% rate discount when refinancing student loans.
• Student Loan ProfessorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial planning partner offering AOA members a 25% discount on initial student loan consultation services and free refinancing assistance.
• American Osteopathic FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOF partners with AOA to fund osteopathically focused research conducted by new investigators through the AOA/AOF new investigator research grant program.
• National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBOME produces and administers the COMLEX-USA examination series, the national standardized medical licensure examination for osteopathic medicine.
• National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRMP administers the residency matching process where osteopathic medical students secure residency positions. A record 7,928 DO seniors matched in 2026.
• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOA, AACOM, and ACGME transitioned to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education, allowing DOs to enter training programs with osteopathic recognition.
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy and single accreditation system partnership with AACOM representing osteopathic medical schools.
• 47 Osteopathic Medical SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOCA-accredited osteopathic medical schools at 74 teaching locations nationwide that feed into the AOA membership pipeline and receive accreditation through AOA.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Osteopathic Foundation: AOF is the philanthropic arm of the osteopathic profession and a close operating partner to AOA, co-funding research and policy programs like TIPS. It is a peer nonprofit that overlaps with AOA in serving DOs and students.
• American College of Physicians: ACP is the largest U.S. medical specialty society for internal medicine physicians, offering CME, advocacy, and member benefits comparable to AOA's portfolio. It serves as a structural peer in operating a physician membership organization at national scale.
• American Board of Medical Specialties: ABMS is the MD-side counterpart to AOA's board certification system, administering the other nationally recognized physician credentialing pathway. The two organizations are direct peers in certifying physicians and compete for relevance within the unified GME accreditation environment.
• American Academy of Family Physicians: AAFP is one of the largest U.S. specialty medical societies providing CME, advocacy, and member services to family physicians, many of whom are DOs. It is a direct peer in membership-model professional association services for a physician segment.
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine: AACOM represents the 47 osteopathic medical schools that AOA accredits, making it a tightly coupled peer in the osteopathic training pipeline. The two organizations jointly advocate and partner on accreditation and single GME system matters.
• National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners: NBOME produces the COMLEX-USA licensure examination series that AOA references and integrates into its member services. It is a direct peer in osteopathic physician assessment and a strategic content partner to AOA.

Broad incumbents

• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education: ACGME administers the unified U.S. graduate medical education accreditation system that AOA joined. It is a broad institutional peer governing residency and fellowship program accreditation across both MD and DO training pathways.
• Federation of State Medical Boards: FSMB represents U.S. state medical and osteopathic boards that license physicians, operating in adjacent physician regulation. It is a broad peer in policy and licensure infrastructure that overlaps with AOA's advocacy remit.
• American Medical Association: The AMA is the largest U.S. physician membership organization serving MDs and medical students with advocacy, CME, and credentialing influence. It is the closest broad incumbent to AOA, with a parallel model but a much larger addressable MD-focused membership base.

Emerging players

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners: AANP is a large, fast-growing membership association for nurse practitioners offering CME, advocacy, and certification in a parallel clinician profession. It serves as a structural peer in membership-based professional services for non-physician clinicians competing for healthcare workforce mindshare.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aoafordos
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/americanosteopathic
• Facebookfacebook.com/osteopathicphysicians
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-osteopathic-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Osteopathic Association