2014 Certification Update
Help staff members to pass CHAA exam
Colleen Edwards, CHAM, system director of registration and patient business services at Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL, offers study sessions for staff who express interest in certified healthcare access associate (CHAA) certification as a show of support of their career development.
"Interested staff can come together for open study time. We have found, however, that staff prefers to study on their own or with a partner," says Edwards.
Staff members have gotten together on their own for their study sessions. "If they needed a room to gather, we would help to find one," says Edwards.
She tells staff studying for the CHAA examination to research and understand the topics they deal with every day such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), red flag rules, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), patient rights, Medicare, Medicaid, the Medicare as Secondary Payer (MSP), advance beneficiary notices, understanding insurance eligibility and authorization requirements, calculating patient responsibility, and good customer service.
She shares general test-taking tips that include use of flash cards, colleagues quizzing one another, highlighting material, and reading and re-writing sections of text. "Many people haven't had to study for a test in quite a while, so study tips are much appreciated," says Edwards.
The excitement of working toward their CHAA certification has made her staff visibly more confident. "It shows in the pride they display in their work, in themselves, and their professionalism and customer service skills," Edwards says.
