Certified Healthcare Access Associate

The CHAA is a voluntary certification program that was first offered in 1999.  The Certified Healthcare Access Associate program is open to all current Access Services healthcare staff.

Why should my staff become CHAA certified?  Consider these advantages . . .

• Many consider the CHAA a staff morale boost for being recognized via a national certification examination promoting increased self-esteem, self-confidence, and professional commitment.
• The examination can come to you. There is no need to send your staff off site for this certification examination. The examination may be taken in the traditional paper test method and is now offered on-line with candidates taking the test at an Internet equipped personal computer.
• The cost of the exam includes a comprehensive study guide that can serve as an ongoing reference tool.
• Multiple employees may be tested at the same time.
• The CHAA Recertification Program ensures staff take part in continuing education.
• This is the only nationally recognized certification of its kind for the establishment of competency levels in the field of Access Services designed for the line staff professional.
• This examination is designed to define a measurement of competence of those serving in Access Services.
• Instant results with the Internet based examination.
• Upon successful completion the candidate will receive a letter of congratulations copied to the candidate’s immediate supervisor and facility public relations representative as well as a certificate suitable for framing.

Are you interested in offering the CHAA Examination to your staff and need more information?

If so then please view our new Customized CHAA Template PowerPoint Presentation. It provides pertinent information for the Examination including the benefits of a certified staff as well as the materials that are covered in the examination. The presentation can also be customized with your organization's logo and used as a resource when soliciting your administration's approval to have your hospital's patient access staff certified. 

Customized CHAA Template PowerPoint Presentation 

*NAHAM is proud to offer online testing the its CHAA applicants. The many benefits of the online testing system include:
          * Immediate results -- no waiting
        * Printable certificate if the tester passes
        * Accurate tracking of time during exam -- no risk of human error
        * Flexibility of exam dates, times and locations
        * Any PC with Internet access is a potential exam site; date and time can be arranged with exam proctor.

To Register: Please read all information on this page thoroughly before applying for the examination.

ONLINE CHAA EXAM:   Apply for the online examination and access online study guide. 

PAPER VERSION ONLY:  Apply for the paper version of the CHAA Examination by downloading the registration form (PDF).   Mail completed application and payment to:

NAHAM
Dept 3119
Washington , DC 20042

*Please note: You may only take the examination that you have registered for . If you register for the paper exam then you will not be able to take the online examination and vice versa. Please choose the appropriate examination. No refunds will be granted.*

Paper tests may be offered at state and local affiliate conferences or, by special arrangement, the examination may be administered at your facility. Please contact NAHAM at info@naham.org to set up a testing date and location .

About the Examination:

The examination includes questions regarding the following topics:

• Admissions and Registration
• Billing, Insurance, and Financial Information
• Patient Rights and Responsibilities
• Customer Service
• Laws and Regulations which affect Patient Access Services

The examination’s content is dynamic and changing, just as the demands and qualifications change in admissions and registration services. Candidates may expect the examination to measure their access service knowledge and skills. Specific examination topics include:

• Total Quality Improvement/Continuous Improvement Process
• Computer . . .Mainframe and Personal Computer Applications
• Insurance Verification, Pre-Admissions Review, Pre-Authorization, Contracts, HMO Arrangements, Third-Party sources of coverage, etc.
• Medical Terminology and Isolation Techniques
• JCAHO Manual – Guidelines, Hot Areas
• CMS Regulations - Compliance

The examination is a 100 question multiple choice examination. Candidates must correctly answer 75% of the questions in order to pass. Unsuccessful candidates will need to retake the examination within one year of the original application fee receipt date or will need to re-apply and pay the application fee again.

The paper examination may be taken at the NAHAM Annual Conference, any Affiliate Conference, or by special arrangement. Special Arrangement candidates may take the examination exam at their own facility with a NAHAM approved proctor during the last full week of each month:

CHAA candidates may take the online examination on any day once they have made arrangements for a qualified proctor. All candidates (including applicants taking the paper exam) must arrange an examination date and proctor with NAHAM staff.

Who is Eligible for the CHAA:

The CHAA examination is open to all current Access Services staff.

CHAA Process Details:

Candidates have one year from the date of application to pass the examination. If you are unsure of exact date of application please feel free to contact NAHAM at info@naham.org. The following is a complete description of the process that you need to complete in order to take the CHAA exam.

• Send application and fee to NAHAM (or apply online) at least three weeks prior to desired exam date.
• Prepare adequately for the examination.
• The examination must be proctored. An appropriate proctor can be a CHAM, a manager that is not your direct supervisor, or a manager or staff person in your hospital’s education department. Please let us know if you have difficulty in locating an appropriate proctor.
• Contact NAHAM to set up a testing date and location at least two weeks prior to your desired date. It is the responsibility of the student to contact NAHAM.
• Exam materials will be mailed to proctor after date and location have been arranged.
• Please allow three to four weeks for exam scores. Students must receive an overall score of 75% or greater in order to pass the examination.
• If student passes the exam a letter of congratulations, a certificate and a CHAA pin will be sent to the student.
• If student fails the exam then they have one retake opportunity. Each student must retake the entire exam. Students must arrange to do so within one year of their original application date. After this time period lapses student must re-apply for exam and re-pay the $75 application fee. After the new application is approved the process will begin over again.

Deadlines:

To qualify for the examination, applications must be received at least 21 business days prior to the examination offering. Fees are payable at the time the application is submitted. Special arrangements may be made for organizations that must be invoiced to make payment.

Fees:

The application fee for the examination is $75 and includes a study guide. The application fee is valid for exactly one year from payment.  Please be aware that this is an application fee. Due to the processing and administrative costs we regret that this fee is non-refundable.  The study guide is intended as one of several resources for examination candidates.  The study guide is not offered for sale separate from the examination application.

Pre-registration must be completed more than four (4) weeks in advance of the intended examination date.  After that time, an additional $25.00 will be added to the cost of the exam.

Please note: If you apply and pay for the online examination, you may only take the examination online. Conversely, if you pay for the paper examination you may only take the paper version of the examination. We regret that we cannot make any exceptions.

Students Ready to Sit for CHAA Examination?

If your employees have applied and paid the application fee then please use the form below to register them for their examination date. This form is to be filled out at least three weeks prior to the desired testing date. Once this form has been submitted you will be contacted by NAHAM for further details. *Please note that paper exams may only be scheduled for the last full week of each month.*