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Fall 2007
Volume 8, Number 2
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(You will need Adobe Acrobat to open some of the documents referenced in this newsletter.)
Contents:
- NCCPA Receives 2007 Georgia Oglethorpe Award for Performance Excellence
- Manual Logging Process Eliminated Beginning with the 2008-2010 Cycle
- NCCPA Eliminates Certificates, Protects Credential
- NCCPA Chooses New Testing Vendor for 2008
- PANRE Practice-Focused Areas Announced for 2009
- Recertification Exam Registration Information for 2008
- Disciplinary Update from NCCPA
- NCCPA, Foundation Participate in Effort to Position PAs as Leaders in Genomic Medicine
- NCCPA Foundation Awards Research Grants
- Dates and Deadlines
NCCPA Receives 2007 Georgia Oglethorpe Award for Performance Excellence
In September, the NCCPA received the 2007 Georgia Oglethorpe Award for performance excellence and was the first Georgia
non-profit and the first organization with a health care focus to receive this distinguished recognition.
The Georgia Oglethorpe Process evaluates organizations on seven rigorous dimensions called the Criteria for Performance Excellence,
the same criteria used to judge the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
In the award’s 10 year history, 76 organizations have applied for the prestigious recognition, but NCCPA is only the thirteenth to be recognized.
“When the [NCCPA] staff requested the Board’s support for their application,” said Randy D. Danielsen, PhD, PA-C, NCCPA chairman, “we applauded
their willingness to submit the organization to such intense scrutiny. NCCPA’s investment was primarily staff time to prepare the
comprehensive application documenting the organization’s processes, policies and procedures – essentially telling the organization’s story of
successful growth, development and evolution.”
NCCPA initiated the process by submitting an organizational profile in November 2006. In December, NCCPA completed the nearly 50-page
application documenting its efforts in support of the Criteria dimensions, including leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus;
measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management and results.
In April 2007, a five-member team from the Oglethorpe Board of Examiners conducted a two-day, onsite audit of the organization. The Board of
Examiners compiled a comprehensive feedback report noting both organizational strengths and opportunities for continued growth and improvement.
The Board of Examiners cited customer focus as a key strength and said, “Commitment to customer satisfaction is pervasive and systematic
throughout the organizational processes … In this manner, the organization can meet and exceed its goal of being responsive, innovative and
effective in addressing the interest of the public and other stakeholders.”
The Board of Examiners also cited NCCPA’s integration of technology, rigorous exam development processes, and adoption of the Six Sigma
philosophy for process improvement as key organization strengths.
When accepting the award, NCCPA President Janet J. Lathrop, MBA, said, “NCCPA has taken great strides toward excellence by focusing on PAs and
automating and streamlining our services. This recognition is the culmination of many small wins, and we’re committed to continuing the
pursuit of excellence for the PAs and others we serve.”
Read more about the Georgia Oglethorpe Award by clicking here.
Manual Logging Process Eliminated Beginning with the 2008-2010 Cycle
With only 2% of the more than 626,000 CME activities logged in 2007 submitted manually, the Board of Directors approved
the elimination of the manual CME logging process effective with the 2008-2010 and the 2009-2011 cycle.
NCCPA is committed to financially independent services – the philosophy that all fees collected for a particular service pay
for that service or are reinvested in that service as process improvements and enhancements.
Upon review, NCCPA discovered that the cost of manual logging – even for such a small percentage of the total CME activities –
outstripped the fee being assessed thereby violating the principle of financially independent services. In further analyzing
those PAs who have logged manually, NCCPA found no discernable trends.
“When presented with this information, we deliberated on how best to resolve this discrepancy,” said Donald J. Sefcik, DO, MBA,
NCCPA treasurer. “Those discussions, coupled with the finding that so many PAs are taking advantage of NCCPA’s online logging,
led us to conclude that now was the right time to eliminate one of NCCPA’s manual processes.”
The online logging system is faster, more efficient and more secure for PAs to use and allows PAs to know instantly what’s been
approved and how many hours they have left to log.
“PAs can log their CME online very similarly to the way they do the paper form, and we’re always in the process of expanding
our online list of CME providers to ensure that activities can be instantly approved,” said Cindy Nalls, manager of
certification maintenance. “As we make the transition or whenever PAs have CME questions, they can always e-mail us at
cme@nccpa.net.”
Sefcik added, “Even though the Board opted to eliminate the manual process, we charged staff with creating tools and resources
to assist PAs with the transition to 100% online logging.”
Stay tuned to future issues of the NCCPA News for announcements about new tools or services to assist PAs in making
the transition.
The change officially takes effect May 1, 2008 for CME being logged for the 2008-2010 CME logging cycle. Remember, all CME
should be earned and logged by June 30 of your certification expiration year in order to avoid the late processing fee.
NCCPA Eliminates Certificates, Protects Credential
At their August meeting, the NCCPA Board of Directors concluded that the potential risk associated with the
fraudulent use of paper certificates was significant cause for discontinuing the practice of issuing paper documentation for
certification maintenance.
The increasingly common practice of photocopying the NCCPA certificate and using it as primary source verification was one of
the key catalysts for this change.
“In our technology savvy world, there is an increasing risk that paper documentation can be altered,” said Janet J. Lathrop,
MBA, NCCPA president. “Such a potential risk is unacceptable because it puts the integrity of the PA-C credential and all
those who carry it at risk.”
In addition, when NCCPA surveyed certified PAs, 51% indicated they kept their certificate filed unless a third party asked to
see it; and others suggested the two-year certificate might be unnecessary, particularly since it is not valid proof of
certification.
The survey results, along with NCCPA’s concerns, led the Board to conclude that the two-year certificate should be eliminated.
NCCPA recognizes that such a paradigm shift requires education of credentialing organizations and state licensing boards that
may require copies and has already begun efforts to notify these stakeholders of this change and the importance of primary
source verification.
“Primary source verification is the only acceptable form of verification because it happens at the instant that the request is
made and ensures that the latest, most accurate certification information is provided,” said Lathrop.
NCCPA’s online verification tool, Verify PA-C, allows interested third parties to obtain the same information contained on the
certificate in a much more secure fashion. It also offers the capability to have the information sent via e-mail or postal mail
and can be requested by the third-party or by the PA and sent directly to the third-party.
This change takes effect immediately, and PAs awaiting updated certificates in November will instead receive the plastic NCCPA
wallet card to use for quick reference for their NCCPA Identification Number.
For PAs who successfully complete the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE), NCCPA will issue a one-time
document, suitable for framing, which will be commemorative in nature. To mark the change, NCCPA will unveil a new design for
this document in 2008. The commemorative document will not be proof of certification.
Currently certified PAs who wish to receive the commemorative document will be able to request one by e-mailing their request
along with their name and NCCPA Identification Number to NCCPA at nccpa@nccpa.net. NCCPA
will begin issuing the commemorative documents after the new design is unveiled in 2008.
NCCPA Chooses New Testing Vendor for 2008
NCCPA chose a new vendor, Pearson VUE, to administer the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) and the
Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam (PANRE) beginning in March 2008.
“While this change will be largely behind the scenes for PAs, it provides NCCPA new tools to closely monitor and potentially
improve the testing experience,” said Janet J. Lathrop, MBA, NCCPA president. “The enhanced capabilities, including new
customer service metrics, offered by our partnership with Pearson VUE, empower NCCPA to hold the vendor accountable if they do
not deliver the testing experience or customer service we expect for our examinees.”
NCCPA will be utilizing the Pearson Professional Centers, a network of testing centers around the country that offer a similar
geographic disbursement as the current vendor. The Pearson Professional Centers also offer enhanced technology and security
capabilities.
“Pearson VUE is the global leader in electronic testing services, providing services for information technology, regulatory and
certification boards, academic, government and corporate clients,” said Robert Whelan, president, Pearson VUE. “Pearson VUE’s
innovative technology offers the security and control required by our clients while our commitment to service provides customers
with an unmatched testing experience.”
The decision to transition the administration of NCCPA’s exams to Pearson VUE stemmed from NCCPA’s commitment to providing the
best customer service possible. In recent years, NCCPA had received complaints from PAs about their testing experience, and
NCCPA had few recourse measures to redress those complaints.
“When we had the opportunity to make a decision about a vendor for the NCCPA exam program, we made a concerted effort to choose
the vendor that we felt offered the highest-quality, most secure and consistent testing network in the industry,” said Scott
Arbet, PhD, NCCPA vice president of research and test development.
NCCPA will provide additional information about the transition on its Web site. For PAs testing in 2008, detailed information
on the testing process will be provided after they apply for the exam.
PANRE Practice-Focused Areas Announced for 2009
At its August meeting, the NCCPA Board of Directors approved the development of primary care, adult medicine, and surgery
practice-focused areas to be offered as part of the practice-focused PANRE in 2009.
Recertifying PAs will select one practice-focus area to account for 40% of their exam, although the items will be scattered
throughout the exam rather than a solid block at the beginning or end of the exam.
The remaining 60% of the exam will be drawn according to the current content
blueprint. All items will be drawn from the current, generalist item pools, and scoring will remain unchanged.
“We recognize that PA practice is evolving,” said Janet J. Lathrop, MBA, NCCPA president; “and we wanted to find a way to
incrementally introduce a little customization into the process by giving PAs the opportunity to have a few more questions
focused in the areas where they spend their time.”
Upon reviewing and analyzing PA census data, the Research & Test Development committee recommended that NCCPA start with only
three practice-focused areas to ensure a sufficient number of examinees for scoring and psychometric validation of the exam
results.
“Developing the practice-focused PANRE is a significant undertaking because we are modifying a working process that is based
on the generalist foundations of the profession,” said Dr. Barbara Barzansky, chair of the Research & Test Development
Committee. “Further, we had to contend with psychometric constraints and develop mechanisms to ensure the continuing
reliability and validity of our exams with the addition of the practice-focused areas.”
NCCPA will collect and analyze examinee and item performance data from the practice-focused exams to inform future Board
discussion on the recertification process and the needs of recertifying PAs.
NCCPA first announced the development of the practice-focused PANRE at the 2006 AAPA Annual conference. The practice-focused
PANRE will still be a computer-based, 300-question, multiple-choice exam.
Recertification Exam Registration Information for 2008
NCCPA announces the 2008 exam schedule, including changes that dramatically streamline the application and administration
processes for PANRE.
PANRE Goes ‘Windowless’
Recertifying PAs will be able to apply for PANRE without worrying about a pre-set application deadline or exam administration
in 2008.
Based on when they apply, PAs will be assigned a unique 180-day testing timeframe with the earliest testing date of March 1,
2008 to correspond with the transition to Pearson VUE. After the transition, PANRE testing will be available nearly year-round,
allowing PAs the opportunity to schedule the exam at their convenience.
When registration opens later this year, PAs will apply online. After applying, PAs will receive an exam acknowledgement,
which will include their specific testing timeframe. PAs will then be able to schedule their testing appointment – all within
a few days. Scheduling permits, an extra step in the current process, will no longer be necessary.
“We realized that we have the capacity and capability through our integration of technology and gains in efficiency to
administer a ‘windowless’ PANRE,” said Lori Leal, vice president of operations and finance. “These changes streamline the
process and put the PA more in control of when they’ll take the PANRE.”
PAs will still have four opportunities, two per calendar year, to attempt PANRE in the fifth and sixth years of the
certification maintenance cycle; but PAs will now have the responsibility for managing when they take the exam to ensure the
maximum number of attempts.
NCCPA has developed safeguards that curtail registration later in the certification expiration year.
“In 2000, NCCPA offered the computer-based PANRE for only 30 days each year. We’re excited to have the flexibility and
sophistication that will allow us to offer the exam virtually year-round,” said Janet J. Lathrop, MBA, NCCPA president. “We
have listened to PA concerns about the need for flexibility in scheduling the exams, and we’re pleased to have been able to
develop a solution that we anticipate fills that expressed need.”
Pathway II Application Deadlines & Administration
The Web-based Pathway II exam will continue to be administered in two six-week administrations. See the table below for the
administrations and deadlines.
| Spring Administration | March 12 – April 25 | Application, Payment and Elective Component Deadline | January 11, 2008 |
| Fall Administration | August 13 – September 26 | Application, Payment and Elective Component Deadline | June 13, 2008 |
PAs interested in applying for the take-at-home exam should remember that to be eligible for the Pathway II, they must submit 100 elective component points earned during their current six-year certification maintenance cycle. Elective component points can be submitted online in nine different categories, such as extra clinical Category I CME, medical teaching, relevant postgraduate work, etc. For more information about the elective component requirement, click here.
As announced last year, the Pathway II exam will be last administered in 2010.
For more information or to find out when you need to recertify, sign in to your personal certification record at www.nccpa.net.
Disciplinary Update from NCCPA
As reported in an earlier edition of the NCCPA News
NCCPA now reports summary data on both the types of infractions reviewed under the disciplinary policy and the resulting actions
taken. NCCPA has initiated this effort to help educate PAs about disciplinary issues. Below, NCCPA has provided data on all of
the 2007 cases completed year-to-date.
To review the NCCPA Code of Conduct, click here; or to review
NCCPA’s disciplinary policy, click here.
If you have any questions about NCCPA’s disciplinary or appeals process, those questions should be
e-mailed to nccpa@nccpa.net.
Types of Infractions Reviewed Under the Disciplinary Policy in 2007
| Substance abuse | 29 |
| Practicing beyond the scope of license | 1 |
| Unethical conduct | 24 |
| Convicted of a felony | 1 |
| Failure to maintain adequate medical records | 4 |
| Inappropriate Prescribing | 4 |
| Mental or Health Related Problems | 3 |
| Medicare Fraud | 1 |
| Action taken by another board or agency | 2 |
| Violation of Statue or Rule of Board | 3 |
| Irregular Behavior | 3 |
| Reinstatement of Eligibility | 4 |
Actions Taken Under the Disciplinary Policy in 2007
| Reinstatement of Eligibility | 4 |
| Take no action | 6 |
| Issue letter of concern | 26 |
| Issue a letter of censure | 19 |
| Revoke certification | 23 |
| Revoke certification and eligibility | 1 |
NCCPA, Foundation Participate in Effort to Position PAs as Leaders in Genomic Medicine
NCCPA and the NCCPA Foundation are participating in a multi-organization effort to position physician assistants at the forefront
of the integration of new advances in genomic research into everyday clinical practice.
“Advances in genomic research are unfolding at an incredibly rapid pace, and there is a real potential for this increasing
understanding of the genetics to truly transform the way we practice medicine and motivate our patients to make important
lifestyle changes,” says William Kohlhepp, MHA, PA-C, NCCPA past chairman. “I’m excited to be part of this effort because if we
truly wish to affect change in the delivery of health care, the first step is cross organizational dialogue to find ways to
translate this science into practice.”
Invited by the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, representatives of NCCPA and the
Foundation joined others from AAPA, PAEA and ARC-PA at meetings at NIH headquarters in March and September. There they heard from
experts in genomic research about the state of the science and talked about ways each organization could position PAs to use this
evolutionary science to impact patient care.
As a result of its participation in these meetings, NCCPA is now coding test items that are related to genetics or genomics, which
positions the organization to quickly identify those items as new information becomes available. NCCPA has also committed to
exploring how PAs are using information about genetics and genomics when the organization conducts its next analysis of PA
practice.
“Our exams are based on a blueprint that comes from an intense analysis of PA practice, a study we update every five to seven
years,” says Janet J. Lathrop, MBA, NCCPA president. “We’ll be paying close attention to the changes we expect to see in PA
practice as a result of a deeper understanding of the human genome, and we’ll make sure that the exam remains an appropriate
representation of the way PAs are practicing medicine.”
For its part, the NCCPA Foundation will issue a call later this year for 2008 research proposals that are related to the
integration of genomics into clinical practice. The Foundation is also promoting the Surgeon General’s “My Family Health Portrait”
tool at its Web site, www.paexcellence.org. (See related item below.)
“It’s exciting to be part of this multi-organizational effort to really make a positive impact on PAs for the ultimate benefit of
their patients,” says NCCPA Foundation Managing Director, Ragan Cohn. “Advancing certified PA practice, promoting excellence and
making a difference is what the Foundation is all about. This project gives us an opportunity do all three.”
| Encourage Patients to Share More than a Meal at Thanksgiving Gathering a family medical history is an important, if routine part of a new patient work-up. But all too often, patients just don’t know much about their family’s medical history. How much more effective could you be in screening, diagnosis and treatment if you had a complete and accurate family medical history? The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office has created a fantastic interactive Web-based tool that makes it easier than ever for your patients to construct an accurate family medical history. Visit http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory for information about this exciting initiative. Thanksgiving is National Family History Day. Encourage your patients to take the opportunity to gather this important information while they’re all together. It could save a life! |
NCCPA Foundation Awards Research Grants
In the first year of its research grants program, the NCCPA Foundation awarded four grants to support research projects in hopes
of advancing the development and assessment of important PA competencies.
Grants totaling $30,341 were awarded for the following studies:
• “An Evaluation of the Competencies for the PA Profession within PA Education,” Allison Essary, MHPE, PA-C of Midwestern University, primary
investigator
• “Physician Assistant Self-Assessment of Entry Level Competency and Level of Competency Required in the Primary Care Setting: A Comparison with
Observations of Supervising Physicians,” Dawn Ludwig, PhD, PA-C of Augsburg College, primary investigator
• “Assessing the Utilization of Standardized Patients in Physician Assistant Education,” Kevin Lohenry, MPAS, PA-C of Midwestern University,
primary investigator
• “Interdisciplinary Team-Based Experience of Inter-professional Learning for Physician Assistant and Medical Students,” James Van Rhee, MS,
PA-C of Wake Forest University, primary investigator
“We are so pleased with the response to our first request for proposals and are excited to have the opportunity to fund research that
could fuel discussion and positive change for many years to come,” says NCCPA Foundation chairman, Joseph Lagana, EdD. “We look
forward to continuing to support the PA profession through this important program.”
The Foundation will issue a call for 2008 proposals later this year. To request a copy of the RFP, send your request to
foundation@paexcellence.org.
The NCCPA Foundation was established by NCCPA as an independent 501(c)(3) organization to advance PA excellence while educating
physicians, patients and others about the value of the certified PA and promoting important research within and about the PA
profession.
To learn more about the research grants program or other Foundation initiatives, visit www.paexcellence.org.
Dates and Deadlines
Click here for a current listing of dates and deadlines.
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