About the CHCE Program

Certified Home/Hospice Care Executive Program
This handbook is designed to provide general information regarding the certification process for home care and hospice executives, as well as provide an overview of the content areas on which candidates will be examined.

The Home Care and Hospice Executive Certification Program
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is a professional trade association representingthe interests of providers and consumers of in-home health and supportive services, including acute, long-term and terminal care. To meet the needs of its members and the consumer population, NAHC is committed to promoting quality leadership of home care and hospice organizations. In support of this mission, NAHC offers, through its affiliate, Home Care University (HCU), a comprehensive certification program for credentialing home care and hospice executives, designated by the initials, CHCE* (Certified Home/Hospice Care Executive).

Why Promote a Certification Program?
Quality leadership by the home care or hospice executive is necessary to develop an effective framework to support the organization’s mission and purpose. Professional certification is a natural outgrowth of the quality movement. Credentialing home care and hospice executives is also important during this time of increased public scrutiny and rapid growth in the number of home care and hospice providers. Certification of home care and hospice executives provides the home care community with a mechanism to establish credentials, acknowledge experience and career invo l vement, and define a body of knowledge for individuals in leadership positions in home care and hospice organizations.

What Does Certification Mean?
Certification represents achievement of a gold standard of knowledge for the operation of a home care or hospice organization. It signifies that the individual has attained a defined level of education, experience and knowledge. Certified individuals may use the initials CHCE behind their names. CHCE is a trademark of NAHC and Home Care University. Its use is strictly limited to those who successfully complete the application and testing process. Unauthorized users will be prosecuted.

What Are the Advantages of a Certification Program?

To the Home Care Community

• Certification provides the opportunity to define the profession of home care and hospice executives by establishing and maintaining a uniform standard.
  
• The certification program encourages continuing education and professional development of home care and hospice executives, which contributes to continuous improvement in home care leadership.

• The certification program facilitates the delivery of quality home care and hospice services through promoting standards for professionals who lead organizations that provide such services.
  
• Certification is a symbol to the public that the individual has attained a defined level of education, experience, and knowledge.

• Certification provides national recognition to home care and hospice executives who successfully meet the requirements for education, experience, knowledge, and professional conduct of the CHCE program.
  
• Certification may provide enhanced career opportunities as employers recognize that certification represents professional commitment, motivation, and competency in a defined body of knowledge.

What is the Practice of Home Care and Hospice Executives?

Home care and hospice executives set expectations, develop plans, manage, assess, improve, and maintain their organization’s activities. The areas of practice span finance, reimbursement, legal and regulatory issues, organization planning and management, human resources, quality and risk management, public relations and marketing, ethics, and information management. Home care and hospice executives use a comprehensive approach in the management and coordination of staff to provide efficient and effective home care and hospice services.

What are the Requirements to Become Certified?

• Completed and signed application and affidavit
• Documentation of eligibility requirements
• Attestation to adhere to NAHC Code of Ethics
• Payment of application fees
• Approval of the Application
• Successful Completion of the Certification Exam

The purpose of the CHCE examination is to test the candidate’sknowledge in areas related to the job functions performedby home care and hospice executives. Candidates who meet the education and experience requirements must successfully complete the certification examination.

Who is Eligible to Take the Certification Exam?
The CHCE program and examination are intended for
individuals in leadership positions in home care and hospice
provider organizations and related* organizations.

Home care provider organizations include:

• Home health care
• Hospice
• Support care
• Personal care
• Home infusion therapy

* Home care and hospice related organizations include:

• Home care/hospice consultant organizations
• Home care/hospice regulatory organizations
• Home care/hospice accreditation organizations
• State home care associations

Note: Staffing agencies and durable medical equipment(DME) companies are not included.Candidates must review the criteria in the handbook todetermine whether they meet eligibility requirements. Eligibilityrequirements vary with the applicant’s education background.Once eligibility is determined, candidates will receive approval from Home Care University and may proceed with test registration as outlined in Examination Registration.

To determine eligibility:

• Managers and executives in provider organizations should
  use Chart I (below).
• Managers, executives, and surveyors in related
  organizations should use Chart II (below).

• The application form
• The application affidavit
• A copy of degree/diploma/transcript
• A copy of professional license (if applicable)
• Resume
• Current job description
• Two original letters of re f e rence on agency letterhead
• Request for special testing accommodations (if applicable)
• Application fee (nonrefundable)

Application packets will be thoroughly reviewed and adetermination of eligibility made. It is important for the candidateto make sure the packet is complete. The completedapplication packet and application fee should be sent to Home Care University, CHCE Program, 228 Seventh Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Please allow two to four weeks for applications to be processed.

Application and Certification Fees
Acceptable forms of payment for the application fee include check, money order or charge. Cash is not accepted. Checks must be made out to “Home Care University”.

After the application is reviewed and the candidate’s eligibility is determined, Home Care University provides an approval letter. The candidate will use the approval letter when registering with Edgia, the test management company for the CHCE examination. The certification fee is paid at the time of on-line registration. The chart below lists the application and certification fees.

Fees

Candidates are responsible for knowing all rules regarding fees and examination scheduling as presented in this handbook. There are no exceptions. Application fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable.

Forfeiture of fees

• Candidates who are “no shows” for a scheduled test date will forfeit the certification fee and must register again if they wish to take the test.
  
• Candidates who do not take the test within twelve months of the approval letter date will forfeit the certification fee and must reapply if they choose to pursue certification.
  
• Candidates who cancel a scheduled test date and do not reschedule will not receive a refund.

Recertification
Following initial certification, the CHCE can maintain certification every 4 years by meeting employment requirements and by either retesting OR meeting requirements to obtain 80 points in 4 years. A completed application must be submitted to the CHCE program at Home Care University 60 days prior to the certification expiration (4 years from the date of certification). The recertification fee is $200 for NAHC members, $400 for nonmembers. If candidates choose to retest the fee is $275 for NAHC members, $ 470 for nonmembers. The applicant is responsible for retaining all documentation supporting the requirements for recertification as outlined above.

Recertification requirements:
1. The candidate must be employed in an executive or management position in a home care or hospice organization or a related agency a minimum of 12 months out of the 48 months since the last certification
AND
2 (a). Take the examination
OR
2 (b). Obtain 80 points in 4 years from the activities listed
below. (All activities must relate to the role of the home care or
hospice executive and/or the field of home care and hospice.)

• Continuing education credits (CEs)
  1 point = 1 contact hour (50 minutes) = 1 CE credit

• CHCE question items for the CHCE examination. Each approved question is equal to one point. A maximum of 10 points may be earned in 4 years.
  
• Professional activities and involvement. Official election or appointment to a board, committee, or task force of NAHC, NAHC's affiliates, member organizations, NAHC Forum of State Associations, or other associations devoted to home care or hospice issues (other than at place of employment). Each full year served earns five points.
  
• Published articles in national journals or book. Topics must be relevant to home care and hospice executive functions. Each publication earns five points.
  
• Teaching continuing education programs relevant to home care and hospice executive functions. Each program earns 1 point per 1 contact hour (50 minutes).
  
• Formal education relevant to home care and hospice executive functions: 1 academic semester hour = 15 contact hours (15 points); 1 academic quarter = 12.5 contact hours (12.5 points).
  
• Formal academic appointment at a college or university to teach a course relevant to home care and hospice executive functions: 1 academic semester = 15 contact hours (15 points); 1

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