Our Story
40 Years of Expertise. Built One Accurate Claim at a Time.
Edelberg & Associates was founded by Caral Edelberg on a simple belief: healthcare providers deserve to get paid for the care they deliver. For over four decades, we have been America's most trusted medical coding researchers, and today we are leading the AI medical coding validation space.
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Our History
From Medical Coding Researchers to AI Medical Coding Validation Leaders
Edelberg was built on a research-first approach to medical coding. We don't just process claims, we investigate every payer rule, every documentation nuance, and every diagnosis specification to ensure the codes we submit are accurate, defensible, and built to be paid. Our clients include emergency physician groups, freestanding EDs, urgent care networks, hospital medicine programs, observation medicine practices, and some of the largest physician practice management companies in the country.
Since the 1980s, when emergency medicine coding was still maturing as a specialty, Edelberg has been at the table shaping best practices. Over the decades, we expanded into compliance auditing, facility coding, education, and denials management, adding hospital medicine and observation medicine as our clients grew more complex. We survived downturns that shuttered many competitors by staying focused on what we do best: research-backed accuracy and results that hold up under scrutiny.
Today, we are at the forefront of AI medical coding validation, helping healthcare organizations adopt AI tools safely. Where AI moves fast and errors move faster, our team of credentialed medical coding researchers catches discrepancies before they become denials, and ensures every AI-generated claim can be defended at the payer level.
Why Edelberg
Medical Coding Researchers. AI Validation Experts.
Most coding vendors process claims. We research them. Every engagement starts with deep investigation into payer rules, documentation standards, and AI output accuracy. The result: coding that is built to withstand scrutiny before the first claim ever reaches a payer.
- Research-driven approach: every payer rule investigated, not assumed
- AI medical coding validation before claims are submitted, not after denials arrive
- Proprietary C.A.R.E. platform for real-time accuracy monitoring and QA
- Expert witness capability: our research holds up in mediation and court
40+
Years of Experience
Four decades of frontline coding and compliance in emergency medicine and urgent care.
95%+
Coding Accuracy Rate
Internal QA on every encounter. Real-time reporting through the C.A.R.E. platform.
94%+
Payer Challenge Win Rate
We know the payer playbook because we have beaten it in mediation and in court.
Our Leadership
The Edelberg Leaders
We believe in true partnerships with our clients. Your success is our success.
Caral Edelberg, CPC, CPMA, CAC, CCS-P, CHC
Founder & Chairman
Caral Edelberg is the founder of Edelberg & Associates and one of the most recognized names in emergency medicine coding. With over 40 years of experience, she has shaped coding policy, trained thousands of coders and physicians, and served as an expert witness in landmark payer disputes.
Michael Sparks
Chief Executive Officer
Michael leads the strategic direction and operations of Edelberg & Associates. He brings deep experience in healthcare revenue cycle management, organizational growth, and building the technology infrastructure that supports Edelberg's C.A.R.E. platform and client delivery.
Cheri Klein, CPC, CPCO
Vice President, Compliance
Cheri leads compliance operations and audit programs at Edelberg. A certified professional coder and compliance officer, she brings meticulous attention to regulatory detail and documentation standards that keep clients protected and properly reimbursed.
Ready to Work With America's Most Trusted Medical Coding Researchers?
40 years of research-backed accuracy and a growing AI validation practice. Whether you need better coding, a payer challenge, or an AI validation layer your organization can trust, the first conversation is free.