HCCA unveils compliance certification program
HCCA unveils compliance certification program
At its recent annual meeting in Chicago, the Philadelphia-based Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) unveiled the health care compliance industry's most significant certification program to date, to be administered by the newly formed Health Care Certification Board (HCCB).
"Compliance is most effective when everybody in the organization that can help ensure that the organization stays compliant is actively involved, and we want to give those people the opportunity to become certified," explains HCCB President Roy Snell. "An organization that has several people certified in health care compliance sends a strong message that it has outside expertise and a commitment to compliance."
Mac Thornton, general counsel for the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) acknowledges that having HCCB-certified staff could weigh in an organization's favor. "I have not seen the requirements," says Thornton. "But it could help demonstrate a commitment to compliance."
HCCB certification will require at least one year experience in the health care compliance field, as well as 20 continuing education (CE) credits per year, which can be obtained by attending compliance conferences or reading certain periodicals. HCCB believes setting a high threshold will give the program more immediate credibility.
The exam required for certification will be a 100-question, multiple-choice, computer-based test available at 90 sites throughout the country. It will be available five days a week during regular business hours throughout the year. HCCB has selected Lexena, KS-based Applied Management Professionals, a certification and licensure testing company, to help develop the examination. The first examination is scheduled for July 2000.
HCCB's certification program is only loosely linked to HCCA, and was deliberately designed to function independently from the association, according to Snell, who was instrumental in developing the new program.
"The certification program is for certifying people in health care compliance, not for certifying members of a health care compliance association," he emphasizes.
According to Snell, HCCB hopes to incorporate not only compliance officers, but those health care employees involved in areas where compliance plays a role but is not a predominant factor.
That includes supervisors and managers in the areas of medical records, coding, human resources, legal services, risk management, and physician administration.
"These are all people that may want to be certified because they work in compliance as an ancillary part of their job but are not members of HCCA, and are not full-time in the area of compliance," Snell explains.
The test will be the same for all candidates regardless of position held, he adds. "The key thing to understand is that we do not test billing acumen any more than we test legal acumen or human resources acumen," he adds. "It basically revolves around the seven key elements of a compliance program."
Snell says candidates will not be required to purchase any book or attend any prescribed training. Also, unlike some certification programs, candidates will not be required to attend the sponsoring organization's annual meeting, he adds.
Instead, HCCB will develop a bibliography of periodicals and conferences that will help candidates prepare for the examination.
HCCB also plans to establish a higher level of certification that will impose additional requirements such as a more advanced academic degree and additional experience in the field of compliance. "To attain the higher level of certification, you will have had to dedicate a significant portion of your career," says Snell. "But it will mean you are qualified for a number of compliance-related positions."
Also serving on the HCCB are attorney Greg Miller of Alfano & Raspanti, RuthAnn Russo director of HP3 Research Institute, Al Josephs, corporate compliance officer at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, and Faith Marie Hope, director of physician compliance at Crozer Keystone Health Systems.
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