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New Appeals, Disciplinary Policies

At its fall 2002 meeting, NCCPA’s Board of Directors approved a new shortened version of NCCPA’s appeals policy, now entitled Appeal Process for Adverse Certification Decisions. The new document is much simpler than its predecessor and describes the process by which PAs may appeal adverse administrative decisions (i.e., denial of requests for deadline extensions), substantive decisions (i.e., denial of certification) or disciplinary decisions (described below).

NCCPA has had longstanding policies to address PAs who engage in irregular behavior surrounding the examination process (i.e., cheating on an exam, reproducing exam materials, submitting falsified application materials, etc.). NCCPA has also taken action against PAs who falsified NCCPA certificates or otherwise misrepresented themselves as certified. The new disciplinary policy addresses both of those issues in clearer and more succinct terms.

The new disciplinary policy also provides for the denial or revocation of certification based on three other factors:

• Adjudication by a court that a PA is mentally incompetent.

• Conviction of or pleading no contest to a felony related to PA practice.

• Loss of licensure due to behavior that is related to PA practice.

The new policy also provides for the discretionary denial or revocation of certification based on conviction of or pleading no contest to a felony unrelated to PA practice, loss of licensure due to behavior that is unrelated to PA practice or documented evidence of gross incompetence or unethical conduct.

"NCCPA’s Review Panel and the rest of the Board are keenly aware of the potential for the professional incapacitation of PAs who lose certification. The exercise of this discretionary provision will be extremely rare," says Janet Lathrop, NCCPA president.

Two years ago, NCCPA conducted surveys of several stakeholder groups to assess perceptions of NCCPA certification. That study revealed that 96% of employers, 88% of third-party payers, 75% of PAs and 58% of state licensing board members believed that NCCPA certification indicated that the PA is held to high professional or ethical standards. When asked if NCCPA certification should so indicate, 98% of employers, 95% of third-party payers, 89% of PAs and 83% of state licensing board members answered in the affirmative.

"This is clearly something that NCCPA’s stakeholders believe is a part of our mission, and our Board of Directors agreed," says Lathrop. "However, these new policies are not retroactive, and we intend to implement them slowly and deliberately."

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NCCPA’s New Telephone System is a Big Success

The new interactive telephone system installed in March has received rave reviews from PAs who are calling it "convenient" and "easy to use."

With the old phone system, when faced with busy lines or when calling after business hours, callers’ only option was to leave a voice mail message. Those days are long gone.

Today, around 60% of the PAs who call NCCPA receive the information they need with the simple push of a few buttons on their telephone. The phone system is directly linked to NCCPA’s database, so callers can get up-to-the-minute information about their personal certification records any time of day or night simply by choosing option "1" from the main menu and logging into the phone system. Once doing so, callers can verify the receipt of an application (option "2"), get information about CME ("3"), request applications or forms ("6") and more.

"This 24/7 availability of information by phone is a huge improvement in NCCPA’s customer service, and we are committed to continuing to find new ways to serve PAs and other callers better," says Janet Lathrop, NCCPA president.

Of course, during business hours, staff members are still available to assist callers by telephone. The new system now allows callers to wait on hold for the next available staff member (with an average hold time of less than 30 seconds) or leave a message.

At the Service of Military PAs

As the possibility of military engagement is on the minds of Americans everywhere, NCCPA has sought to streamline the process by which military PAs who are being deployed can receive needed extensions of certification-related deadlines.

"We want to be positioned to help PAs in the armed services in any way we can. It’s a small way to show our appreciation for their sacrifices," says Lt. Col. Katherine J. Adamson, PA-C, MMS, MA, NCCPA chairman of the Board.

NCCPA has developed a simple one-page form that, when submitted with a copy of written military orders or a letter from a commanding officer indicating that military obligations will prevent the timely completion of certification maintenance requirements, will constitute an acceptable appeal for an exception to policy.

From One PA to Another: A Message from the Chairman
Katherine J. Adamson, PA-C, MMS, MA

I began this year by articulating a commitment, which was embraced by the rest of the NCCPA Board of Directors and NCCPA’s staff: excellence in all we do. Throughout the year we strove for that excellence in our efforts to improve NCCPA’s certification process, provide better service to PAs, and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders. I hope that throughout this year you’ve seen evidence of our efforts in those areas, from major improvements to the initial certification process and the implementation of CME auditing, to NCCPA’s new telephone system and more user-friendly Web site.

Of course, every issue of NCCPA News this year has included some mention of improving relationships with key stakeholders, with AAPA chief among them. However, knowing how important this issue has been to so many certified PAs, the significance of our progress in this area cannot be overstated. During the course of this year, solid ties have been established between these two organizations that are pivotal to the PA profession. We regularly attend each other’s board meetings, contribute to each other’s issues-based discussions and actively seek opportunities to collaborate. In fact, in November alone AAPA leaders addressed NCCPA’s Board at its fall meeting; Janet Lathrop and AAPA’s Executive Vice President/CEO Steve Crane met to discuss new opportunities for collaboration; and we participated in a dinner meeting with leaders of AAPA, APAP and ARC-PA, starting discussions that we’ll continue in March at the next cross-organizational meeting of those four organizations.

All of those accomplishments have been made possible thanks to very committed individuals who work so hard for all of you throughout the year. As my year as NCCPA’s chairman of the Board winds to a close, I’d like to publicly thank some of those individuals for contributing to such a successful year. Janet Lathrop assumed the role of NCCPA’s chief staff officer at the beginning of this year and has taken on that mantle of leadership with professionalism and deeply rooted commitment; she has earned both my sincere thanks and my greatest respect. I’d like to thank each and every member of NCCPA’s Board of Directors. I have always been and continue to be humbled by the intellect and experience that group of volunteers brings to the tireless and selfless work they do on behalf of my profession. And I’d also like to thank AAPA President Ina Cushman, PA-C for her support and friendship, without which much of the successes we have enjoyed this year would not have been possible.

Finally, I want to express my most sincere thanks to all of the PAs who work so hard every day, striving for excellence in all that you do to provide high quality health care. It has been my honor to serve as chairman of the Board of your certifying body, and I look forward to continuing to work among you for the greater good of our profession.

Watch Your Mailbox

Watch your mailbox for your new certificate if your current certificate expires this year. Remember the final deadline to fulfill requirements is December 31, 2002. Check your record by signing in (see upper, left side of this screen) to your personal certification record to see if you have completed all requirements.

Special Thanks

At NCCPA’s fall Board meeting, Elaine E. Grant, MPH, PA-C, was honored for 16 years of service on NCCPA’s Board of Directors. She served as an appointee of AAPA from 1980-1987, as an APAP appointee from 1995-2000, and as NCCPA’s chairman and immediate past chairman in 2001 and 2002.

Her colleagues lauded her selfless, longstanding service to NCCPA and her profession.

Grant’s term on the NCCPA Board of Directors ends at the close of this year.

Short Takes

NCCPA’s Board recently voted to change the titles of the chief elected and chief staff officers to better reflect the nature of their positions and current trends in nomenclature for similar organizations. NCCPA’s chief elected officer is now the chairman of the Board. The chief staff officer is now NCCPA’s president. The new titles do not confer any change in the roles or responsibilities of the offices.

At its fall meeting, the NCCPA Board elected John W. Ogle, MD to serve as chairman elect in 2003. Click here for a complete list of the 2003 officers and a summary of other actions taken at the Board’s fall meeting.
Under the GI Bill, the Department of VA now reimburses for NCCPA certification and recertification exams.

Q&A Corner

Q. I don’t remember having to complete a reregistration application and pay a fee. When did that process start?

A. Reregistration has always been a part of the certification maintenance cycle in years two and four. It’s not a new process. The good news is it’s going away. After the 2000-2002 and 2001-2003 cycles, reregistration will no longer be required. See our Certification Maintenance Guidelines for information on our new requirements.

Q. What is the difference between clinical and professional CME?

A. "Clinical" and "professional" simply refer to the nature of the topic of the CME. If the topic directly relates to medicine and patient care, then it is clinical. If the nature of the topic is more "business" related, like billing and coding, then it is professional.