Patient Advocate Certification Board

Name

Patient Advocate Certification Board

Legal name

Patient Advocate Certification Board, Inc.

Website

https://pacboard.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare Licensing, Accreditation & Credentialing Boards (HLAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI), Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Professional certification services
• Patient advocacy certification
• Healthcare credentialing
• Continuing education approval
• Board certification standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Sherwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certification Application and Exam Fees: One-time fees for individuals applying to take the BCPA certification exam. The primary revenue stream includes application fees, exam sitting fees, and retest fees.
2. Recertification Fees: Ongoing fees for BCPA credential maintenance every three years, either through continuing education credits or re-examination.
3. CE Provider Fees: Fees charged to continuing education providers for program approval and BCPA-ACE status, including application fees, annual fees, and per-program charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB) administers the Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) credential, the recognized standard for professional patient and health care advocates in the United States. The organization develops and maintains certification standards, including eligibility requirements, a job-task-analysis-based examination, the Code of Professional Responsibility, and a continuing education (CE) ecosystem with approved providers (BCPA-ACE). Certification is delivered via online application and remotely proctored computer-based exams administered twice yearly.

Product overview

The Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB) offers a certification ecosystem for professional patient and health care advocates. The core product is the Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) credential, which involves passing a rigorous computer-based examination administered twice yearly through live remote proctoring. Supporting products include the Practice Exam for candidate preparation, the BCPA Access Portal for managing continuing education and recertification, and the BCPA-ACE program for approving continuing education providers. PACB also provides research initiatives (Job Task Analysis) and committee services (Ethics Committee, JEDI Task Force) to maintain professional standards. The certification renewal process requires ongoing continuing education every three years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BCPA Certification Exam Computer-based certification examination administered twice yearly (Spring and Fall cycles) via live remote proctoring. Contains 150 multiple-choice questions (125 scored, 25 pretest) covering five domains of patient advocacy competency over a 3-hour testing window. Required to earn the BCPA credential.
• BCPA Practice Exam Mini practice examination consisting of 25 multiple-choice questions mirroring the blueprint of the full BCPA exam. Available only to approved and fully registered candidates to support exam preparation.
• BCPA Access Portal Self-reporting online portal (hosted by Prolydian) that enables certificants to submit continuing education credits, track CE hours, and complete the recertification process for maintaining the BCPA credential.
• BCPA Recertification Three-year renewal of the BCPA credential requiring 30 clock hours of PACB-approved continuing education, including minimum ethics and JEDI requirements. Renewal can be completed via continuing education credits or by retaking the certification exam.
• BCPA-ACE Approved Provider Program Approved Continuing Education (BCPA-ACE) status granted to eligible continuing education providers, authorizing them to offer BCPA credit for programs meeting PACB standards. Includes new application, annual fees tiered by program count, and individual program approvals.
• Single Program CE Approval Pre-approval process for individual continuing education programs. Non-approved providers must obtain specific PACB approval prior to offering CE credit toward BCPA recertification.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reliability Score of 0.91 on BCPA exam
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ProlydiancoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Prolydian provides the integrated registration, application processing, certification management, and continuing education tracking platform for PACB. Candidates apply through Prolydian, schedule exams, submit CE credits, and manage their BCPA credential renewal through this platform.
• Proctor360coreTechnology or IntegrationProctor360 provides live remote proctoring services for the BCPA certification examination, enabling candidates worldwide to take the exam remotely with human proctor supervision via webcam and microphone.
• Boston University School of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPACB partners with Boston University School of Public Health's Center for Health Law, Bioethics & Human Rights to host the annual Cathy Shine Lecture, a prestigious educational event in patient advocacy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• National Commission for Health Interpreter Credentialing (CCHI): National certifying body for healthcare interpreters, with a comparable model of standardized exam, eligibility pathways, and continuing education requirements.
• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Independent credentialing body certifying counselors via board examination with mandated CE and ethics standards—analogous governance and revenue model.
• National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC): Independent credentialing body that administers competency-based examinations and recertification for allied health professionals, mirroring PACB's exam-and-recertification model.
• Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC): National credentialing body that certifies case managers via a board examination and ongoing CE requirements, structurally analogous to PACB's model for patient advocates.
• American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC): Credentialing organization offering board certification for medical coders with exam, CE, and specialty credential offerings; comparable structure of paid exam plus recurring CE.

Emerging players

• Patient Advocate Foundation: Nonprofit providing direct patient advocacy services rather than certification, but operating in the same patient-advocacy ecosystem and engaging many of the same advocates PACB certifies.
• National Association of Healthcare Advocacy (NAHAC): Membership organization for patient/health advocates that previously developed its own standards; a potential standards competitor or partner in the same advocacy profession.

Broad incumbents

• Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA): Membership and credentialing association offering healthcare finance certifications (e.g., CRCR, FHFMA), combining professional certification with continuing education—similar dual product structure.
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): Largest U.S. healthcare credentialing organization, offering board certification across nursing specialties with standardized exams and recertification—comparable scope but at much larger scale.
• American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA): Professional association offering health information credentials (RHIA, CCS, etc.) with exam, CE, and recertification—similar credentialing economics at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BCPAPACB
• Facebookfacebook.com/Patient-Advocate-Certification-Board-1980423412210470
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/patient-advocate-certification-board-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Patient Advocate Certification Board