Certified Healthcare Access Manager

A voluntary certification effort founded in 1977, the Certified Healthcare Access Manager program, formerly the Accredited Access Manager (AAM),  is designed to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance, and designate those who demonstrate knowledge essential to the practice of patient access services.

Join a distinguished group of peers who have chosen to attain this high level of excellence. The CHAM designation is your key to enhanced professional stature.

If you have made the commitment to make patient access services your career, you should consider obtaining your CHAM. You will gain:

• Expanded knowledge - Gain in-depth insights into every aspect of patient access management
• National professional recognition - Supervisors, peers, staff, and volunteer leaders all value the CHAM designation

*NAHAM is proud to offer online testing the its CHAM applicants. The many benefits of the online testing system include:
         * Immediate results -- no waiting
        * Printable certificate if 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:

ONLINE CHAM EXAM: You can register for the online version of the examination by visiting secure online registration form.

PAPER EXAM: You can register for the paper version of the examination by downloading the registration form.

*Please note: You may only take the examination that you register for . If you register for the paper exam you will not be permitted to take the online exam and vice versa.*

Eligibility and Process:

The CHAM examination is open to all current Full Members of NAHAM as well as non-member managers and above.

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 DC at info@naham.org . The following is a complete description of the process that you need to complete in order to take the CHAM exam.

• Send application and fee to NAHAM (or apply online) at least four 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.
• 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.
• Examination materials will be mailed to the proctor after the testing date and location have been arranged.
• Please allow three to four weeks for exam scores. Students must receive an overall score of 75% or better in order to pass the examination.
• If student passes the exam a letter of congratulations, a certificate and a CHAM pin will be sent to the student.
• If student fails the exam then they have two retake opportunities. Each retake will be of the exam as a whole. Students must arrange to do so within one year of their original application date. After this time period lapses the applicant must re-apply for exam and re-pay the application fee. After the new application is approved the process will begin over again.

Examination:

The examination is offered at NAHAM's Educational Conference and Exposition and through arrangement with NAHAM staff.

The examination is objective in nature and questions are multiple choice. The CHAM examination has 100 questions in three sections:

CATEGORY # QUESTIONS

1. Pre-Encounter:  32
2. Encounter: 28
3. Future Development: 40

One must correctly answer 75 percent of the examination questions correctly in order to pass.  If one fails to do so they will need to retake the entire examination.

Fees:

The application fee for the CHAM examination is $150 for NAHAM members and $300 for nonmembers. Candidates have one year from NAHAM's receipt of payment to take the examination.  Please be aware that this is an application fee. Due to the processing and administrative costs we regret that this fee is non-refundable.

NAHAM offers many resources for individuals considering taking the CHAM examination, including an optional study guide that is $50. CHAM Study Guide online order form.

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.

Candidates unable to take the examination at a previously scheduled educational conference or meeting may contact NAHAM's Education Chair to make individual arrangements. An extra fee may be required if there are additional administrative costs associated with these special arrangements.

Retaking the Examination:

Once the examination application is approved and the fee is paid, the applicant has 12 months to take and pass the entire examination. Individuals who fail may retake the examination a maximum of two times within 12 months from the original application fee payment date, however students must retake the entire examination. Should an individual not successfully pass the examination within this period, a new application and fee must be submitted and a new examination will be administered. Individuals who cancel or do not show up for their scheduled examination may reschedule within the 12 month period without submitting a new application and fee. You must notify NAHAM staff immediately to reschedule for the CHAM examination.

Lapses of more than 12 months from original application fee payment date will also require an additional $150 fee.

Application:

The examination application form is available at the link above. Paper applications may be mailed along with your check payable to:

NAHAM
Dept 3119
Washington, DC 20042

You will be notified in writing of approval status to take the examination.

Recertification:

Certified Healthcare Access Managers are required to renew their certification by earning and reporting a minimum of 30 contact hours every two years. The next reporting cycle deadline is May 31, 2005.   More information on CHAM Recertification Process.

Examination Topics:

Candidates may expect the examination to measure their knowledge and skills in areas such as:

• Management concepts, theories, and principles, including management development
• Patient access services departmental operations including admissions and registration, Departmental Organization and Operation, as well as related policies and procedures
• Basic healthcare accounting and budgeting concepts, theories, and principles
• Laws which directly affect the management of patient access services, patients rights and advanced directives
• Utilization review, quality assurance, medical records, patient accounting and collection responsibilities related to Patient Access Services
• Human Resources issues
• Information Systems basic tools and terminology
• NAHAM Access Model
• Governmental issues......Federal, State, and Local authority and regulations
• Healthcare Delivery System's Organization......Governance and management, medical staff regulations and composition, policies and procedures
• JCAHO
• Insurance, verification, pre-admission review, pre-authorization, contracts, HMO arrangements, third-party sources of coverage, etc
• CMS (HCFA) regulations
• Any topics relative to the successful and efficient management of access areas in Admissions and Registration Departments.

Subject to change, the following more specific examination topics are included for the candidate's attention:

Access Management

• Census and Related Statistics: e.g. Patient Days, Length of Stay, and Associated Computations
• Isolation Techniques
• Medicare Regulations, Policies & Procedures
• ADT Functions
• Scheduling
• HIPAA
• Patient Rights and Responsibilities
• Patient Relations
• Advance Directives
• Consents
• Compliance
• EMTALA

Management

• Total Quality Improvement/Continuous Improvement Process
• Computers ... Mainframe and Personal Computer Applications
• Communications
• Quality Improvement
• Risk Management
• Staff Development
• Staff Relations
• Employment Issues: hiring, Wage and Hours, Workers Comp.
• NLRB
• Management Trends and Techniques
• Civil Rights
• ADA
• FMLA
• OSHA

Finance

• Insurance Requirement
• UB92
• COB
• Patient Accounting
• Credit and Collections
• Financial Counseling
• Budgeting
• PPS
• Return on Investment
• Financial Statements

Health Information Management (AKA Medical Records)

• Medical Terminology
• CMS (HCFA)
• DRGs
• ICD9 Coding
• Medical Terminology
• JCAHO regs on Information Management
• Correct Coding Initiative
• Release of information