Welcome once again to NHA News. As we move further into 2011, I wanted to take the opportunity to update you on several NHA fronts.

First, the NHA Certification Board welcomes Joseph McCormick to the Certification Board. Joe is the new public member representative on the Board, responsible for representing the concerns of the public as relating to our certification program policies. 

The Board has been very busy evaluating all of our certification programs.  Most recently members have completed work on NHA Mission Statements and a Code of Ethics. As professionals, we understand the mission of an organization or program should reflect its purpose, or reason for being. With that as a backdrop, the Board recently reviewed the mission statements of three programs - the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS), the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA), and the Certified Phlebotomy Technician ( CPT) - to ensure they still accurately reflect the purpose, business and values of the programs. Following that review, the mission statements below were ratified in November:

Billing and Coding Specialists

To promote a high standard of practice, and to recognize billing coding specialists who are proficient in the knowledge and skills needed to convert a medical procedure, diagnosis, or symptom into specific codes to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Certified Clinical Medical Assistants

To promote a high standard of practice and to recognize clinical medical assistants who are proficient in the knowledge and skills needed to assist doctors and nurses to safely and accurately perform a  variety of clinical and laboratory procedures as directed.

Phlebotomy Technicians

To promote a high standard of practice and to recognize phlebotomy technicians who are proficient in the knowledge and skills needed to safely and effectively collect, prepare and transport specimens as directed by supervisory personnel.

The Board also reviewed and ratified a Code of Ethics for professionals in the allied health practices. The Code is posted on the NHA website

http://nhanow.com/about-nha/code-of-ethics.aspx and included in all candidate handbooks. It serves as our guide to everyday professional conduct and calls for each of us to:

• Use my best efforts for the betterment of society, the profession, and the members of the profession;
• Uphold the standards of professionalism and be honest in all professional interactions;
• Continue to learn, apply, and advance scientific and practical knowledge and skills, stay up to date on the latest research and its practical application;
• Participate in activities contributing to the improvement of personal health, our society, and the betterment of the allied health industry;
• Continuously act in the best interests of the general public;
• Protect and respect the dignity and privacy of all patients.

Updated Candidate Handbooks. The candidate handbooks for the Clinical Medical Assistant, Phlebotomist and Billing & Coding Specialist have all been recently updated. The candidate handbook, which acts as the guide for anyone considering NHA certification, outlines all the certification program policies and provides an outline of what is covered on the exam (the exam blueprint or content outline). It also addresses how scores are reported, recertification requirements and procedures for special requests. Handbooks can be downloaded at no charge from the NHA website. Please review these revised handbooks and encourage those interested in sitting for a certification exam to become familiar with program policies.

Updated Job Task Analysis for Administrative Medical Assistant. The Certification Board has approved the Job Task Analysis Report conducted last year for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant.   Subject matter experts are currently working on exam revisions based on the new exam outline and we will soon communicate more about those revisions. To see the Administrative Medical Assistant new exam blueprint, click here.

Pharmacy Technician Exam Updates.  The Governing Board for the pharmacy technician certification program met late last year and approved the new exam blueprint and the report of the Exam Committee based on a 2010 updated job task analysis. Subject matter experts have been reviewing exam items and writing new ones to address new subject areas in the blueprint. A copy of the new exam blueprint is available here. Items are being pretested to address the new exam content areas. The new exam is expected to be implemented in late summer. Additionally, the ExCPT Certification Governing Committee welcomed three appointees, Traci Tonhofer, Bobbi Steelman and Cindy Switzer, to new terms. A complete list of the Governing Committee members is available at http://nhanow.com/about-nha/nha-board-of-directors.aspx.

NCCA Accreditation

I'm pleased to share that the NHA Certified Billing & Coding Specialist and Certified Clinical Medical Assistant exams have been granted accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). These exams are in addition to NHA's previously NCCA-accredited exams, Certified Phlebotomy Technician and Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT). There is more detail on the accreditation in this issue of NHA News.

As we progress through the year, NHA will continue to seek accreditation for additional certification programs and work to enhance these programs for candidates. We welcome your feedback as we continue to improve and wish you continued success throughout 2011.