Individuals in leadership positions in the home health care and hospice sector can boost their education background and receive industry recognition by obtaining a Certified Home Care & Hospice Executive (CHCE) certification from the National Association for Home & Hospice (NAHC), a leading nonprofit organization representing the nation’s 33,000 home care and hospice organizations. CHCE certification illustrates a leader’s commitment and dedication in his or her respective fields.
Eligible individuals for certification include executives and managers in provider organizations and those serving in related organizations such as consultants, accreditation and regulatory surveyors, as well as state home care associations. NAHC offers members and non-members the opportunity to apply to its CHCE certification program, and provides the materials to help study for the three-hour exam, which covers 223 questions.
In getting certified, leaders in the home health care and hospice sectors become fully versed in all areas of executive management required to effectively run a home care or hospice agency. There are many benefits to getting certified, including:
- Establishing and maintaining a uniform standard for the profession of home care and hospice executives
- Contributing to continuous improvement in home care leadership
- Conveying to patients and their families that certified individuals have attained a defined level of education, experience, and knowledge
- Identifying health care trends and their impact, including Medicare changes, telemedicine adoption, and cyber vulnerabilities, for example
- Identifying and mitigating broad risks of liabilities, which is critical in optimizing patient care while also providing a safe environment, reducing the possibility of claims and improving a provider’s risk profile to insurers
- Understanding corporate compliance programs
- Identifying new practices to integrate quality improvement, financial, operational, compliance and customer service goals
- Having access to enhanced career opportunities as employers recognize that certification represents professional commitment, motivation, and competency in a defined body of knowledge
Credentialing home care and hospice executives is also critical during this time of increased public awareness of the health care delivery system and the continued reliance on home care and hospice providers. According to NAHC, “certification of home care and hospice executives provides the home care community with a mechanism to establish credentials, acknowledge experience and career involvement, and define a body of knowledge for individuals in leadership positions in home care and hospice organizations.”
Individuals have one year to prepare for the exam, which includes the following topics:
- Legal Requirements
- Financial Operations
- Payment Sources
- Regulatory Compliance
- Strategic Planning and Operations
- Human Resources
- Quality and Performance Improvement
- Risk Management
- Marketing and Public Relations
- Training and Continuing Education
- Ethics
- Technology Application
- Policy and Advocacy
Manchester Specialty Programs specializes in providing agents and brokers with totally integrated business insurance solutions to meet the needs of Home Care, Allied Health and Human/Social Services organizations. We work with The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) as its Affinity Business Insurance Program for its members (though all home care and hospice firms are eligible to apply to our program). For more information about how our products and services can help protect your insureds, please contact us at 855.972.9399.