Medical Assisting Education Review Board

What Medical Assisting Education Review Board does

The Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) is a non-profit Committee on Accreditation (CoA) operating under the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), founded in 1969 by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. MAERB performs the day-to-day work of programmatic accreditation for approximately 350 CAAHEP-accredited medical assisting education programs in the United States, including setting up and conducting site visits, reviewing Annual Report Forms (ARFs) against outcome thresholds for retention, job placement, and exam pass rates, developing Standards and Guidelines collaboratively with CAAHEP (most recently updated in 2022), and submitting accreditation recommendations for CAAHEP Board Action. Its product surface spans initial accreditation processing, continuing accreditation comprehensive reviews, the annual reporting cycle (ARF and an Excel-based ARF Tracking Tool), Self-Study Report templates, surveyor training resources, the Initial Accreditation Pathways Project (an eleven-module virtual course), Self-Study Workshops, and a Virtual Program Director Boot Camp.

MAERB generates revenue through a structured fee schedule: one-time application fees (initial accreditation $1,800, continuing accreditation $950), a recurring Annual Program Service Fee of $1,700 per program (increasing to $1,975 effective January 1, 2027), Comprehensive Review Fees of $3,300 covering two-day site visits, workshop fees ($300/person), and various administrative and change fees ($200-$500). The organization is governed by a volunteer Board and led by an Executive Director, supported by an Assistant Director and Accreditation Program Manager, totaling approximately 9 staff operating a virtual office model. Three sponsoring organizations—AAMA (primary), American Medical Technologists (AMT), and National Healthcareer Association (NHA) (the latter two added in 2018)—provide community representation and stakeholder inclusion. MAERB reaches program directors primarily through its website portal (maerb.org), email communications, video training content, in-person workshops at the AAMA Conference, and virtual office hours, with no resellers, distributors, or third-party channel partners.

Name

Medical Assisting Education Review Board

Legal name

Medical Assisting Education Review Board

Website

https://maerb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) is a non-profit Committee on Accreditation under CAAHEP that accredits approximately 350 U.S. medical assisting education programs, conducting site visits, reviewing annual outcome reports, maintaining the 2022 Standards and Guidelines, and providing training resources to program directors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Accreditation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Programmatic Accreditors (Discipline/Profession-Specific) (EDADACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)

Keywords

• Medical assisting accreditation
• Programmatic education accreditation
• Allied health accreditation
• CAAHEP accreditation services
• Site visit evaluation

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. Accreditation Application Fees: One-time fees charged for initial accreditation ($1,800 for first campus/program), continuing accreditation ($950), and various administrative changes including Multiple Campus Program Application ($500), Change of Ownership ($500), Transfer of Sponsorship ($950), and Reactivation of Inactive Program ($400).
2. Annual Program Service Fee (APSF): Annual recurring fee of $1,700 per program on one campus, invoiced in October with due date January 15. Fee increases to $1,975 effective January 1, 2027. Additional campus/program fees at half the base rate.
3. Comprehensive Review Fee: $3,300 for one program on one campus (two-day site visit), covering surveyor travel, lodging, and food. Additional surveyor fees of $1,650 and additional day fees of $900 for multi-campus programs.
4. Workshop Fees: $300 per person for Self-Study and other Accreditation Workshops. Virtual Program Director Boot Camp is free for new program directors or those whose programs were accredited after August 1, 2021, and $150 for current program directors.
5. Change and Administrative Fees: Curriculum Change Fees ($300-$500), Change of Award ($500), Personnel Changes ($75-$400), Teaching Distance Education ($250), Apprenticeship Component ($250), and various administrative charges ($200-$500) for late submissions and rescheduling.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MAERB performs the day-to-day accreditation work for medical assisting education programs on behalf of CAAHEP, including scheduling and conducting site visits, reviewing Annual Report Forms (ARFs) for compliance with established outcome thresholds, and submitting accreditation recommendations to CAAHEP for Board Action. It also publishes and maintains the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for Medical Assisting (2022 version), the MAERB Core Curriculum (Appendix B), and offers training workshops and resources to help program directors prepare for accreditation.

Product overview

MAERB offers a comprehensive suite of accreditation services for medical assisting education programs. The core offering includes CAAHEP accreditation services (Initial Accreditation Pathways Project, Initial Accreditation Packet, and ongoing accreditation processing), the Annual Report Form (ARF) system for annual compliance tracking with supporting ARF Tracking Tool, Self-Study Report Templates for both initial and continuing accreditation, and Site Visit Documents. Supporting resources include educator videos covering standards and ongoing topics, surveyor resources for trained volunteers, Standards and Guidelines documents with Appendix B (MAERB Core Curriculum), the ECMA competency framework, Policies and Procedures Manual, and workbooks for Program Directors and Practicum Coordinators. The MAERB Reports and Dashboard provide program statistics. Training offerings include Self-Study Workshops and Virtual Program Director Boot Camps. All resources are designed primarily for Program Directors seeking CAAHEP accreditation and MAERB/CAAHEP Surveyors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAAHEP Accreditation Services for Medical Assisting Programs End-to-end programmatic accreditation services under CAAHEP for medical assisting education programs, including Initial Accreditation review, Continuing Accreditation comprehensive reviews (site visits), Annual Report Form (ARF) compliance review, and submission of accreditation recommendations to CAAHEP for Board Action.
• Initial Accreditation Pathways Project Eleven-module asynchronous virtual training course that helps medical assisting programs develop or revise their curriculum to comply with CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines prior to seeking Initial Accreditation.
• Annual Report Form (ARF) Annual online reporting tool that CAAHEP-accredited medical assisting programs must complete to demonstrate compliance with established outcome thresholds, including retention, job placement, and exam pass rates.
• Self-Study Workshop Paid ($300 per person) in-person and virtual educational seminar that provides an eight-hour deep-dive on comprehensive site survey preparation based on the 2022 Standards and Guidelines.
• Virtual Program Director Boot Camp Virtual training boot camp for new and current medical assisting program directors covering accreditation processes and program management, with free or discounted attendance for qualifying new PDs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Programs demonstrate compliance with established outcome thresholds for retention, job placement, and exam pass rates through Annual Report Form submissions
• +1 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• American Medical Technologists (AMT)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018AMT is one of MAERB's three sponsoring organizations, acquired in 2018. AMT joins AAMA in providing professional community representation and stakeholder inclusion in defining educational needs for medical assisting.
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018NHA is one of MAERB's three sponsoring organizations, acquired in 2018. NHA contributes to identifying areas where collaboration may benefit the educational process for medical assisting.
• CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAERB is a Committee on Accreditation (CoA) under CAAHEP. MAERB performs the everyday work of accreditation for medical assisting programs including site visits, annual report review, and submitting recommendations for CAAHEP Board Action. MAERB works collaboratively with CAAHEP to develop the Standards and Guidelines for Accreditation of Educational Programs in Medical Assisting. CAAHEP is recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
• American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAMA is MAERB's primary sponsoring organization, originally founded the accreditation branch for the medical assisting profession in 1969 by creating curriculum items and standards. Sponsoring organizations strengthen the CAAHEP brand, expand communities of interest, and enhance the CoA's realm of knowledge through broader representation of the professional community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs): CAAHEP is the parent organization under which MAERB operates as a Committee on Accreditation. It coordinates 25+ CoAs across 30+ allied health professions, setting the umbrella accreditation framework that MAERB administers for medical assisting specifically.
• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN): ACEN is a larger programmatic nursing accreditor operating across nursing education levels. While not a CAAHEP CoA, it applies a comparable programmatic accreditation model with site visits, self-studies, and outcome thresholds relevant to allied health professions.
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE): CCNE accredits nursing programs at the baccalaureate and graduate levels, representing a parallel specialized accreditor structure. It uses comparable self-study, site visit, and outcome reporting mechanisms to those employed by MAERB for medical assisting.

Others

• Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA): CHEA is the umbrella recognition body that acknowledges CAAHEP and other accreditors. It sets quality standards for accrediting organizations and indirectly governs the legitimacy framework within which MAERB operates its medical assisting accreditation.
• American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA): AAMA is MAERB's primary sponsoring organization and the certifying body for medical assistants through the CMA credential. While not a direct accreditation peer, AAMA's certification exam is closely tied to CAAHEP-accredited program graduates, creating deep ecosystem linkage.

Direct peers

• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS): NAACLS accredits clinical laboratory science and medical laboratory technician programs, paralleling MAERB's role for medical assisting. Both organizations apply programmatic accreditation standards with site visits and outcome reporting requirements for allied health education.
• Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA): ARC-PA accredits physician assistant programs, operating as a separate specialized accreditor within the allied health space. It shares MAERB's model of programmatic accreditation with standards review, site visits, and annual program reporting.
• Commission on Accreditation of EMS Programs (CoAEMSP): CoAEMSP accredits paramedic and EMS programs through a comparable programmatic accreditation model with site visits and outcome reporting, paralleling MAERB's role in medical assisting education quality assurance.
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs - Respiratory Care (CoARC): CoARC accredits respiratory care programs under a parallel structure to MAERB's medical assisting accreditation. Both organizations conduct site visits, require outcome threshold compliance, and publish standards for their respective allied health professions.
• Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT): JRCERT is another programmatic accreditor for radiologic technology programs, operating as a CoA under CAAHEP. It follows the same accreditation model—standards development, site visits, and annual reporting—serving a parallel role in a different allied health discipline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdUuLWm6eZkxmLVLNFZZwyw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medical-assisting-education-review-board

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Medical Assisting Education Review Board