Statement regarding the Continued Professional Certification (CPC) Program Billing Cycle and Check In
The NBCRNA is keeping the payment structure for the CPC Program the same as it is now. It is the schedule and fee that has already been in effect. So, whether it is $110 every two years, or $220 every four years, the certification fee remains unchanged. This maintains the $55 annual cost.
At the time the fee is paid, CRNAs will check in, as a necessary aspect in maintaining certification. This is important for four reasons: It provides a time to verify current state licensure, to validate engagement in practice, to update contact information, and to provide CRNAs with progress update towards completion of the CPC requirements. Verification of licensure and practice is a requirement of not only the NBCRNA, but also of a wide variety of other regulators to whom the NBCRNA must answer. These include the state boards of nursing, our accreditors (NCCA, ABSNC), and local facilities. Ongoing certification necessitates current licensure as required by the APRN consensus model. Based on past experience, over a four-year period, contact information for more than 5,000 CRNAs has been found to be outdated. Having CRNAs update their contact information helps ensure that they can receive important information (e.g. updates, reminders, deadlines).
Currently, when a CRNA successfully completes the National Certification Exam, their certification is then in effect for two years. When the CRNA recertifies, they submit their fee which is for the next two years of certification. This concept stays the same under the CPC Program.
Although most CRNAs interact with the NBCRNA only once every two years, we work throughout the year to promote patient safety through credentialing programs that support lifelong learning. As the national credentialing organization, we continually interface with and provide critical information to all 50 state boards of nursing on behalf of CRNAs. The Certification/Recertification Programs, and now the Continued Professional Certification (CPC) Program, have been designed to meet or exceed the expectations and requirements of state and federal regulators, employers, payers and the demands of regulatory authorities(1). Adherence to the established standards for certification continues to validate to the public, as well as the health care community, that the nurse anesthesia credential is a gold standard of anesthesia care.
Updating programs and services to keep up with changing demands and technology can be done using the same fee schedule that has been in place. The check in is not a way to just check on license status or collect a fee, but to provide service to our constituents and evidence to external regulators that the NBCRNA maintains a consistent level of operational quality and CRNA support and interactivity.
1. American Board of Specialty Nursing Certification, National Commission on Certifying Agencies, National Council of
State Boards of Nursing, Consensus Model for APRN Regulation