A Certified Compliance Technician (CCT) is a health care professional that has obtained certification regarding patient accounts and revenue cycles. Due to expanding health care regulations, health care organizations need competent compliance technicians to keep their company legally compliant.
What is a Compliance Technician?
Compliance technicians are administrative health care professionals who are tasked with understanding, interpreting and implementing procedures in accordance with state and federal laws. This involves privacy, patient services, efficiency standards and technology regulations. It also involves ensuring compliance with Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act. Compliance technicians play a key role in reducing expenses and increasing affordable health care to patients. Most compliance technicians have a bachelor's degree related to health care.
What Education does a Compliance Technician Have?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that health information technicians typically have a bachelor's degree in health care technology, management or administration. Health information techs are the most common entry-level jobs for students to become compliance technicians. Additionally, most compliance technicians seek certification through the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM).
The AAHAM
The AAHAM is the national, professional organization that offers networking, training and certification for administrative health care professionals. They also provide a calendar of events, exclusive membership benefits and a variety of certification programs for health care administrative professionals. They offer exclusive training for health care revenue cycle specialists, executives and professionals. Having AAHAM certification has certain benefits, such as providing skills validation, recognition and a competitive edge. Certification also opens up doors of opportunity for promotions and earning advancements. Employers tend to prefer AAHAM certification because it increases employee quality, competency, productivity and teamwork.
The Certified Compliance Technician Exam
The CCT certification is designed for health care staff involved in managing patient accounts. The exam is a comprehensive 90 minute online exam that covers four main areas: the seven parts of a healthcare compliance plan, the agencies that monitor healthcare compliance, non-compliance penalties and the Office of Inspector General compliance recommendations. It covers all core topics, such as RACs, HIPAA, Fraud and Abuse, Administrative Sanctions and the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The CCT certification can be applied towards satisfying specific requirements of the The Joint Commission (TJC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). In order to re-certify, individuals must re-take the exam every three years or earn 30 hours of continuing education units (CEUs).
How to Prepare for the CCT Exam?
The best way to prepare for the AAHAM exam is through having first hand knowledge of patient account management. This means that candidates should be familiar with federal policies and regulations that dictate billing procedures, collections regulations and revenue cycle registration. However, on-the-job work experience isn't enough. It is highly recommended that exam candidates enhance and expand their knowledge through a study program. Study guides and exam study manuals can be purchase through the AAHAM website, while local AAHAM chapters have group study opportunities that provide support and training.
In conclusion, compliance technicians are health care administrative professionals that ensure compliance with applicable state, federal and organizational patient care and revenue cycle regulations. Certified compliance technicians are accredited professionals who have successfully passed the CCT exam offered by the AAHAM.