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HCPro, Inc. Unveils Professional Certification Program for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 February 2008, 12:00 CST

Top accreditation survey professionals serving as advisors to HCPro, Inc. have created a new healthcare professional certification program. HCPro, the company that sponsors the Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals, has a long history of providing information and education for healthcare accreditation professionals at the management level. The new Certified Specialist in Healthcare Accreditation (CSHA) program responds to the need expressed by accredited healthcare organizations and professionals for credible leadership from their own ranks to establish and certify the key competencies needed by healthcare accreditation specialists.

Missi (Mary) Halvorsen, RN, BSN, senior consultant for accreditation and compliance with Baptist Health System in northeast Florida and member of the CSHA advisory board commented, "We've had difficulty locating a credible source for accreditation certification."

"CSHA is intended to set the standard for survey professionals and demonstrate their specialized skills and experience," said Jodi L. Eisenberg, MHA, CPHQ, CPMSM, program manager of accreditation and clinical compliance at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL, and member of the CSHA advisory board. Eisenberg and other advisors have drawn from their real-world experiences to develop a certification program that sets a new standard for healthcare accreditation professionals.

In addition to Halvorsen and Eisenberg, the CSHA advisory board includes the following members:

Elizabeth Giacomo-Geffers, RN, MPH, CNAA, BC, healthcare consultant in Trabuco Canyon, CA, and former Joint Commission surveyor

Jean Clark, RHIA, past president of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and Service Line Director for health information management at Roper St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, SC

Lisa Eddy, RN, CPHQ, senior consultant for The Greeley Company with over 18 years of healthcare management and leadership experience and expertise in Joint Commission and AOA accreditation and CMS surveys

Sharon Chaput, RN, C, manager of regulatory compliance at Providence Behavioral Health Campus in Holyoke, MA

Candace J. Hamner, RN, MA, worked for hospitals in a Joint Commission survey preparation role since 1981, she is the vice president of care management for Northwest Hospital Center in Randallstown, MD

Patricia Pejakovich, RN, BSN, MPA, CPHQ, senior consultant for The Greeley Company with over 25 years of healthcare management experience and expertise in accreditation standards and regulatory compliance

Candidates for certification will complete an online examination covering the required areas of education. The CSHA certification is granted to those passing the examination, and is effective for two years. For the development of curriculum and test question design, program advisors partnered with Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP), who will also administer the exam. The CSHA exam will cover all aspects of Joint Commission survey preparation.

For hospitals, having a CSHA-credentialed accreditation professional demonstrates a commitment to professionalism in managing the accreditation surveys. Says Halvorsen, "The key word is 'credible'--and HCPro is the perfect organization to support this type of initiative."

The Certified Specialist in Healthcare Accreditation program is sponsored by HCPro, Inc., and the Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals (AHAP), a community of specialists in healthcare organizations who manage Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) accreditation and regulatory surveys.

For more information about the certification, go to http://accreditationprofessional.org/certification

About AMP (Applied Measurement Professionals) AMP serves more than 200,000 association members or credentialed individuals. AMP has more than 20 years of experience designing and developing certification and licensure examination programs.

About AHAP (Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals) AHAP is a professional membership association for healthcare accreditation specialists. For more information about the CSHA, or about the Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals, go to http://accreditationprofessional.com.

HCPro, Inc. is not affiliated in any way with The Joint Commission, which owns the JCAHO and Joint Commission trademarks.

Source: Business Wire

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