NHA News Center

NHA is excited to announce a new sponsorship with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP), the largest programmatic/specialized accreditor in the health sciences field and Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB), one of the Committees of Accreditation (CoA) for medical assisting education programs under the Commission.

The goal of CAAHEP is to assess the quality of institutions, allied health programs and services, measuring them against accepted quality standards. In serving as a CoA of CAAHEP, MAERB is required to review programs based upon CAAHEP’s Standards and Guidelines, create policies that support CAAHEP’s Policies and Procedures, follow CAAHEP’s policies, and recognize and honor the diverse communities of interest, both within and beyond the medical assisting field, that have a stake in the education of medical assistants.

The last few months have presented the healthcare and education sectors with plenty of newsworthy updates. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced an overhaul to the meaningful use EHR program which removes redundancies. Administrator, Seema Verma, said changes to the program eliminate 25 measures and ultimately save hospitals over 2 million hours of work.

Today, we also highlight some pivotal successes for NHA along with key collaborative relationships between educators and employers who share a common goal of enhancing the success of allied health professionals. Research also supports the important role that industry credentials are playing in today’s workforce and the impact they are having on the healthcare and education sectors.

Seema Verma, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, recently announced changes to overhaul the Meaningful Use EHR incentive program. Here are the major highlights:

We are pleased to announce that the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP), in collaboration with two independent evaluators, again issued the ExCPT certification program “full award status.” Full award status indicates the ExCPT exam is suitable and acceptable for the examination and certification of pharmacy technicians in the state of Texas.

On Wednesday, March 14, the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy approved the ExCPT. Here are some important details:

• Effective immediately, pharmacy technicians can submit their ExCPT certificates for registration by the Board as a SC State Certified Pharmacy Technician.
• Technicians must first register as a SC Pharmacy Technician.
• Along with proof of certification, candidates must also submit a certificate or diploma from an ASHP accredited training program and an affidavit documenting 1,000 hours of practice in a pharmacy under a licensed pharmacist to become registered with the state as a Certified Pharmacy Technician.

To learn about eligibility requirements, click here.  For general information on the ExCPT exam, you can learn more on nhanow.com.

Questions? Contact your NHA representative or the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy.

Higher education was a hot topic during the month of March as stakeholders across the education sector engaged in rigorous advocacy and political outreach The data across this sector highlights sensitivity around educational preparedness and workplace rediness with only a third of students believing they will graduate with the skills and knowledge to be successful in the job market (34%) and in the workplace (36%).

In addition to discussions around education, there is continued excitement around advancing the roles of allied health professionals in fields like medical assisting and pharmacy tech. This month I had the opportunity to attend and speak on an industry panel discussing how pharmacy technicians are being seen as the back-bone of our pharmacies and the need for awareness around the topic.

NHA is in the process of launching our TEAM Based Care™ Assessment Based Certificate Program. This is an online learning and assessment tool for team-based and coordinated care teams that includes a psychometrically sound exam to prove competency. It was created to unite care teams, while empowering professionals within each role to work to the top of their credentials.

February is CTE Month®, a time to bring recognition and awareness to the impact Career and Technical Education has on the lives of so many hospitals, patients, teachers and students. NHA is happy to support the efforts of so many and to provide not just credentials but empower people to thrive. Check out additional ways that CTE is being recognized this month.

The middle skill economy was also discussed this month as both the Higher Education Act and Perkin’s Reauthorization is still being debated on Capital Hill. By identifying job market needs and providing programming aimed at helping to retool the skill sets required for middle-skill jobs, universities and colleges can help middle-skilled workers increase their earning potential while cashing in on a lucrative new revenue stream.

What does the future of healthcare look like as e-commerce giants such as Amazon look to disrupt the healthcare industry at an attempt to lower health cost at a time when they are forecasting that healthcare cost will represent 19.7% of the economy by 2026, up from 17.9% in 2016.

A new year is  in full swing, with healthcare and education already being discussed heavily within the  regulatory space and the private sector. These conversations leave us with a few questions:

• What major changes will we see in these two sectors?
• How will regulatory decisions impact how individuals receive both care and education?

Healthcare has taken over as the largest source of jobs in the U.S. and it’s just the beginning. Of the 10 jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics project will see the fastest percent growth in the next decade, five are in healthcare and elderly assistance. Unfortunately, this take over comes at a time when we continue to see dissatisfaction and shortages among primary care providers.

The Higher Education Act and reauthorization of Perkin’s funds for the career and technical education space are currently on the legislative docket; both of which could impact the future of America’s workforce. Will the importance of earning industry recognized credentials gradually decline, or will they rise to the top and be key indicators of professional competency?

Only time will tell.

The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has begun accepting pharmacy technician registration applications. Per Ohio law, all pharmacy technicians practicing in Ohio must be registered with the Board by April 6, 2018.

Registration of technicians involves the processing of application materials by Board of Pharmacy staff. Due to the high volume of expected applicants, it is strongly recommended that individuals apply for registration by March 1, 2018. Submission of applications and application materials by March 1, 2018 will ensure that existing technicians can be registered by the required deadline of April 6, 2018.

As the holiday season is in full swing, value based care remains a hot topic. Many organizations -especially entities like CVS -are working to connect its importance to public health, as healthier individuals make healthier communities. Regardless of the confusion in federal healthcare regulation, the underlying principles are simple: provide good care and do it at as low a cost as possible.