Inside CHIME: Certification Lets Foundation Members Stand Out Among Peers

Inside CHIME - header

6.22.17 by Barb Sivek – VP of Business Services, CHIME/Interim VP, CHIME Foundation & Michelle Patterson, Director of Membership & Professional Development, CHIME

In 2009, CHIME launched the first certification program specifically designed for CIOs and IT executives to demonstrate their mastery of the profession. Today more than 350 CHIME members hold the Certified Healthcare CIO (CHCIO) title, a mark of their commitment to quality healthcare.

This Friday, employees of CHIME Foundation firms will have the opportunity to follow suit with the unveiling of the CHIME Foundation Certified Healthcare Executive (CFCHE) program. Modeled after the successful CHIME CHCIO initiative, the CFCHE certification is available to employees of CHIME Foundation firms who meet the following requirements:

  • Possess a baccalaureate degree, or be enrolled in a baccalaureate program
  • And three years of professional experience at a CHIME Foundation member organization or other qualified healthcare provider organization
  • Or one year of professional experience at a CHIME Foundation firm and currently maintain CHCIO status

CHIME CHCIO members, along with CHIME Foundation member representatives, wrote and developed the exam to test for the kind of deep healthcare IT knowledge that CIOs want from industry partners. They recognized the value of having a designation that would allow CIOs to distinguish among healthcare IT representatives those who truly understand the challenges and concerns they wrestle with daily.

Here’s what Randy McCleese, CIO of Methodist Hospital in Morehead, Ky., says about the program:

“The CFCHE credential is very important to me as a health CIO because it lets me know very quickly that the Foundation rep has knowledge of healthcare and HIT issues. This credential helps to limit the educational requirements that normally precede the development of a working relationship between the vendor and CIO.”

The CFCHE exam follows the CHCIO template but is specifically geared to assess the knowledge of an experienced healthcare IT industry employee. It was developed using the same standards, item writing protocols, validation and reviewing processes as the CHCIO exam. It consists of 100 multiple choice questions, including scenario-based and independent questions. Enrollees will get access to study materials and an exam blueprint with an overview of the six domains and knowledge and skill statements.

The exam will be offered at CHIME in-person events, and will make its debut Sept. 15 at the second annual CHIME Partner Education Summit (CPES) in Chicago. It also will be available at local Kryterion testing centers across the country, beginning Aug. 1.

Like the CHCIO designation, the CFCHE credential will instill confidence: for healthcare IT representatives, confidence of knowing they demonstrated superior knowledge of the industry that they serve. For the CIOs, confidence that they can build a relationship with an industry partner who shares their commitment for excellence. At CHIME, we emphasize exceptional leadership. We see the addition of the CFCHE as another way to achieve that goal.

Information about the CFCHE program is available here. If you have questions, please email us at [email protected].

More Inside CHIME Volume 2, No. 13: