The American Health Information Management Association has bolstered its ranks by more than 500, as the members of the American College of Medical Coding Specialists voted to join the Chicago-based group.

Stating that the groups have a “natural synergy,” AHIMA said in a news release that the move would give ACMCS members access to 64,000-member AHIMA’s career resources and educational opportunities. “We are appreciative of ACMCS members’ expertise and are certain their specific skills in the physician’s office and outpatient arena will complement the knowledge and abilities of our members,” AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon said in the release.