Donna Lee Gardner and Stephanie Murdock
- How do we let the market know what “to be certified” means? In 1991, NAOHP developed Program Standards. In 2002, NAOHP developed a plan to establish occupational health standards of practice and gained recognition for professionals in the field of occupational health. The first phase of this effort is an examination for individuals to achieve a Certificate of Competency in Occupational Health Practice Management. The examination provides an opportunity for professionals in the field to demonstrate their proficiency in occupational health program management.
The NAOHP Board initiated the second phase when it voted unanimously on October 26, 2005 to develop and offer a Site Certification process as a way for occupational health programs and freestanding occupational medicine practices to evaluate their performance in comparison to established national standards.
The primary objectives of Occupational Health Program Certification are:
- To provide applicant programs with benchmarks to ensure their programs’ policies and standards are consistent with best national practices. Standards and core competencies are established in six content areas:
- Administration/Organization
- Operational Framework
- Staffing Resources
- Clinical Services
- Quality Management
- Sales and Marketing
- To identify deficient areas in which an applicant program might improve in order to achieve optimal performance in comparison to national standards.
- To reward applicant programs that meet the highest standards with tangible recognition that may be used as a unique marketing advantage with employers, insurers, managed care organizations, and networks, and to garner internal support.
- What process do we have to go through for certification to be of value? NAOHP identifies how your program meets the national standards for best practice. They review policies, procedures, standards, operational processes, and clinic infrastructure.
- Who is the person responsible for the process? The program medical director and the operational director
- What are the possible levels of certification? Three-year certification is earned by realizing a score of 70-100 percent compliance with the standard. Scores below 70 are not compliant with the standard. Programs are provided with guidelines to meet standards and provided an opportunity to resubmit the fee for certification in six months.
- What is the timeline for the process? Each program meets its own timeline, so programs can explore their own timelines for completion of the processes.
- How do we define the ‘value added benefits’ for the administration to approve the process? The benefit of the process is the result of what you put into the journey.
