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OCR for page 324
APPENDIX
GNational Commission for
Health Certifying Agencies
Criteria for Approval of
Certifying Agencies
. ,
A certifying agency responsible for attesting to the competency of health
care practitioners has a responsibility to the individuals desiring certifica-
tion, to the employers of those individuals, to those agencies that reimburse
for the services, and to the public. The National Commission for Health
Certifying Agencies was formed to identify how those varying responsi-
bilities can be met and to determine if a certifying agency meets those
responsibilities. Membership of a certifying agency in the Commission in-
dicates that the certifying agency has been evaluated by the Commission
and deemed to meet all of the established criteria. In order to be "approved"
for membership in the commission, a certifying agency shall meet the
following criteria:
Purpose of Certifying Agency
a. shall have as a primary purpose the evaluation of those individuals
who wish to enter, continue and/or advance in the health profes-
sions, through the certification process, and the issuance of cre-
dentials to those individuals who meet the required level of
competence.
2. Structure
a. shall be non-governmental;
b. shall conduct certification activities which are national in scope;
Amended December 1984. The term certifying agency as used in this document means an
independent, not-for-profit certifying agency or a not-for-profit association with a certifying
component.
324
OCR for page 325
APPENDIX G
325
c. shall be administratively independent* in matters pertaining to
certification, except appointment of members of the governing
body of the certifying agency. A certifying agency which is not a
legal entity in and of itself shall provide proof that the agency's
governing body is administratively independent in certification
matters from the organization of which it is a part;
d. shall have a governing body which includes individuals from the
discipline being certified. A certifying agency which certifies more
than one discipline or more than one level within a discipline shall
have representation of each on the governing body;
e. shall require that members of the governing body who represent
the certified profession shall be selected by the certified profession
or by an association of the certified profession and such selection
shall not be subject to approval by any other individual or orga-
. .
n~zat~on;
f. shall have formal procedures for the selection of members of the
governing body which shall prohibit the governing body from
. .
se ectlng its successors;
g. shall provide evidence that the public consumer and the super-
vising professional and/or employers of the health professionals
have input into the policies and decisions of the agency, either
through membership on the governing body or through formal-
ized procedures as advisors to the governing body. This criterion
is effective January 1, 1981; and
h. the certifying body of a professional organization shall be separate
from the accrediting body of the professional association.
3. Resources of Certifying Agencies
a. shall provide evidence that the agency has the financial resources
to properly conduct the certification activities;
b. shall provide evidence that the staff possesses the knowledge and
skill necessary to conduct the certification program or has available
and makes use of non-staff consultants and professionals to suf-
ficiently supplement staff knowledge and skill.
4. Evaluation Mechanism
a. shall provide evidence that the mechanism used to evaluate in-
dividual competence is objective, fair and based on the knowledge
and skills needed to function in the health profession;
*Administratively independent means that all policy decisions relating to certification matters
are the sole decision of the certifying body and not subject to approval by any other body
and that all financial matters related to the operation of the certifying component are seg-
regated from those of the professional association.
OCR for page 326
326
APPENDIX G
b. shall have a formal policy of periodic review of evaluation mech-
anisms and shall provide evidence that the policy is implemented
to insure relevance of the mechanism to knowledge and skills
needed in the profession;
shall provide evidence that appropriate measures are taken to
protect the security of all examinations;
d. shall provide evidence that pass/fail levels are established in a man-
ner that is generally accepted in the psychometric community as
being fair and reasonable. This criteria is effective January 1, 1981,
after standards are established; and
e. shall provide evidence that the evaluation used evidence of at-
tempts to establish both reliability and validity for each form of
. .
t be examination.
5. Public Information
a. shall publish a document which clearly defines the certification
responsibilities of the agency and outlines any other activities of
the agency which are not related to certification;
b. shall make available general descriptive materials on the proce-
dures used in test construction and validation and the procedures
of administration and reporting of results;
c. shall publish a comprehensive summary or outline of the infor-
mation, knowledge, or functions covered by the test; and
d. shall publish at least annually, a summary of certification activities,
including number tested, number passing, number failing, num-
ber certified and number recertified (if agency conducts a recer-
tification program).
6. Responsibility on Applicants for Certification or Recertification
a. shall not discriminate among applicants as to age, sex, race, reli-
gion, national origin, handicap or marital status and shall include
a statement of non-discrimination in announcement of the certi-
~ .
location program;
b. shall provide all applicants with copies of formalized procedures
for application for, and attainment of, certification and shall pro-
vide evidence to the Commission that such procedures are uni-
formly followed and enforced for applicants;
c. shall have a formal policy for the periodic review of application
and testing procedures to insure that they are fair and equitable
and shall give evidence to the Commission of the implementation
of the policy;
d. shall publicize nationally appropriate data concerning certification
program including eligibility requirements for certification, basis
of examination, dates and places of examinations;
OCR for page 327
APPENDIX G
327
e. shall provide evidence that competently proctored testing sites are
readily accessible in all areas of the nation at least once annually;
f. shall publicize nationally the specific education background or
employment backgound required for certification;
g. shall give evidence that a means exists for individuals who have
obtained a skill or knowledge outside the formal educational set-
ting to be evaluated and obtain certification or in the absence of
such means, provide reasonable justification for exclusion. These
means employed should be consistent with the evaluation stan-
dards. The criterion is effective January 1, 1982;
h. shall provide evidence of uniformly prompt reporting of test re-
sults to applicants;
. shall provide evidence that applicants failing the examination are
given information on general areas of deficiency;
l
shall provide evidence that each applicant's test results are held
confidential;
k. shall have a formal policy on appeal procedures for applicants
questioning examination results and shall publish this information
In examination announcements; anct
1. shall have a formal policy, acceptable to the Commission, deline-
ating grounds, based on applicants prior or current conduct, for
refusing applicants eligibility to take the certification examination
and shall provide applicants the opportunity to present their cases
to an impartial decisionmaker in the event of denial of eligibility
or denial of certification. (Effective January 1, 1987)
7. Responsibilities to the Public and to Employers of Certified Personnel
a. shall drive to insure that the examination adequately measures the
knowledge and skill required for entry, maintenance and/or ad-
vancement into the profession;
b. shall provide evidence that the agency awards certification only
after the skill and knowledge of the individual has been evaluated
and determined to be acceptable;
shall periodically publish a list of those persons certified by the
agency;
d. shall have a formal policy and procedure for discipline of certi-
ficants, including the sanction of revocation of the certificate, for
conduct which clearly indicates incompetence, unethical behavior
and physical or mental impairment affecting performance that is
acceptable to the Commission. These procedures shall incorporate
due process (effective January 1, 1987~;
e. any title or credential awarded by the credentialing body shall
appropriately reflect the practitioner's daily occupational duties
OCR for page 328
328
APPENDIX G
and shall not be confusing to employers, consumers, health profes-
sionals and/or other interested parties (effective January 1, 19851;
The membership committee may consider the following factors
in determining whether practitioner's titles or credentials comply
. . . .
Wit n t nls criterion:
(i) educational background;
(ii) function of profession;
(iii) occupational duties and breadth of these activities;
(iv) level of supervision by other practitioners, or of any other
practitioners and
(v) various titles already in the field, other titles considered,
and a justification of why these titles were not utilized or
why they were changed.
8. Recertification
a. shall have in existence or shall be in the process of developing a
plan for periodic recertification:
b. shall provide evidence that any recertification program is designed
to measure continued competence or to enhance the continued
competence of the individual.
9. Responsibilities to Commission
.
.
a. shall provide the Commission on a regular basis with copies of all
publications related to the certifying process;
b. shall advise the Commission of any change in purpose, structure
or activities of the certifying agency;
c. shall advise the Commission of substantive change in test admin-
. . .
Stratton procedures;
d. shall advise the Commission of any major changes in testing tech-
niques or in the scope or objectives of the test; and
e. shall undergo re-evaluation by the Commission at five year inter-
vals.
In this document the term recertification includes periodic renewal or revalidation of
certification based on reexamination, continuing education, or other methods developed by
the certifying agency. This criterion is effective January 1, 1982.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
certifying agency
