A Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality Certification (CPHQ) is the only option for accredited certification in healthcare quality. Over 14,000 professionals have a CPHQ. This high standard certification demonstrates an individual’s skills, knowledge and experience in health care and dedication to quality care. It also raises standards in healthcare and helps keep professionals updated in the area of quality through continuing education (CE) requirements in the area of leadership, health data, performance improvement, and patient safety. With an increasing number of professionals obtaining the CPHQ in the past year in South Dakota, the SDAHO Quality Team wanted to provide some guidance around recertification requirements to help maintain this important achievement.
According to the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ), “Recertification is an integral part of the CPHQ program, allowing certified individuals to demonstrate continued expertise in the field through continuous professional development.” The timeframe for earning CEs toward recertification starts on January 1 of the year following the initial certification. For example, a professional passing the CPHQ exam anytime in 2022, could start earning CE’s on January 1 of 2023. They then have 2 years to complete the recertification cycle, which would end on December 31, 2024.
During the recertification cycle, individuals wishing to maintain certification are required to meet the following:
- Obtain and maintain documentation of 30 CE’s, with 8 of the 30 CE’s being NAHQ-approved activities (Milestone 1)
- Complete the NAHQ Professional Assessment at least once during the recertification cycle
- Recertification Enrollment (Milestone 2)
- Payment of recertification fee, which currently ranges from $175-$330 depending on NAHQ member or non-member status and timing of payment
All CE must fall under at least ONE area in the most current examination content outline and be earned during the individual’s recertification cycle. Examples of activities considered as acceptable CE activities include:
- Conferences (in-person and online)
- Webinar, Workshop or Other Professional Development course (in-person and online)
- Professional Assessment
- Speaking Engagements and Workshop Presentations (presentations as part of your job or work responsibilities are NOT accepted)
- College Coursework
- CE Article Quizzes in NAHQ’s Journal for Healthcare Quality
- Formal Publication of Articles of Books
For more information, please utilize the resources listed below, or contact your SDAHO Quality Consultant, Loretta Bryan or Michelle Hofer.
A FREE recertification informational session is available through NAHQ on Tuesday, April 18 at 1pm CT, click here to register.
Recertification Resources:
