Questions?

Applications for the CHAA and CHAM exams must be submitted through Certification Central. You must be logged into your NAHAM account to access Certification Central. If you do not have an account and are not a member, you must create a NAHAM profile by signing up as a Non-Member/Online Profile Only before you can begin an application. It is the responsibility of the candidate to read the entire contents of the Candidate Guide to Certification before applying for any NAHAM exam.

Your examination date may be any day during one of the four test administration periods of January, April, July, and October.Exams may be taken between the first and last day of the month of the selected window. NAHAM does not assign testing dates; all test dates and times are determined between proctor and candidate. It is the responsibility of the candidate to know all deadlines associated with the certification process; late registrations are not accepted.

All proctors must work in the healthcare industry, be in a management role, and cannot directly supervise any candidates taking the examination. It is the responsibility of the candidate to identify and confirm a qualified proctor. If you do not have a proctor at your facility, you can have a qualified person become a NAHAM proctor. 

NAHAM offers a Remote Proctoring option for those who wish to take the exam without a standard, in-person proctor. 

Remote proctoring allows the candidate to be monitored by a proctor provided by NAHAM's testing vendor, Prometric, via a webcam from the candidate’s home or office. Candidates do not need to identify a proctor in this format. Candidates must have a functional webcam and be able to download the ProProctor Application to utilize this option.

Once an application has been approved, testing information will be sent out via e-mail to proctors and candidates prior to the start of the testing window.

Your reference must be a supervisor or course instructor and must be different from your proctor.

Yes, 10% percent of submitted applications will be pulled for audit. Those selected for an audit must submit evidence of the continuing education hours claimed. Additionally, supervisors of those selected for audit will be contacted to confirm the requisite hours have been worked during the required time frame (CHAA 1 year; CHAM 2 years).

The CHAA and CHAM examinations are both 115-question multiple-choice examinations designed to test and challenge the candidate’s knowledge of and experience in the field of patient access services. The CHAA examination is designed to test associate-level individuals, while the CHAM examination is designed to test manager-level or above individuals. Both examinations are two (2) hours long and are proctored. Examinations are Internet-based.

No, NAHAM does not give out individual questions missed on any examination, however, you will receive a percentage break-down on how you did in each section.

Results are calculated using a scaled score method with a minimum of 600 needed to pass.

No, holding the CHAA or CHAM credential does not convey membership in NAHAM. We invite non-member certificate holders to join us as new members.

You may re-take the exam as many times as you would like, however, you may only take the examination once per testing window. Candidates that do not pass the exam may re-apply and re-take the exam at a discounted rate in a subsequent testing window if the candidate paid the full exam price in their most recent attempt. (i.e., If the candidate does not pass their second attempt, they will be required to pay full price for the exam again on their third attempt, before receiving a second re-take discount.)

*If you are eligible for a discounted retake, the system will automatically create a retake option within your existing application. Payment must be completed within the application by credit card or check prior to the application deadline.

You may submit payment online by credit card through your Certification Central application, or mail a check and a copy of your invoice to the address below. Please Note: NAHAM does not take payment over the phone.

Chicago, IL 60677-8006

No, simply select "Pay by check" on the final page of your exam application in Certification Central.

Only on the condition of personal illness, death in the family, or natural disaster will NAHAM refund any previously paid fees.

Yes. To change your examination testing window, you must request an exam deferral within your application prior to the end of the current testing window. Candidates may defer to a future testing window within less than one year, (e.g. January to April; not January to next January), and candidates can only defer once before they need to completely re-apply for the exam. Please refer to the Get Certified page for applicable fees.

No, test payment(s) cannot be transferred to another candidate.

All certification cycles are two (2) years. Certificants must recertify every other year before their certification expires.

You may check the status of your certification at any time by logging into Certification Central and viewing your My Account page.

All CHAA certificants must renew in June, despite the month the certification was earned. To maintain their CHAA certification, certificants must have:

• Minimum of thirty (30) contact hours. (All contact hours and applications for recertification are submitted online in your Certification Central dashboard.)
• Worked 1,500 hours in those two (2) years in a position relevant to patient access services.
• Payment of recertification fee.

All CHAM certificants must renew in June, despite the month the certification was earned. To maintain their CHAM certification, certificants must have:

• Minimum of sixty (60) contact hours. Ten (10) of these hours must be NAHAM-approved contact hours. (All contact hours and applications for recertification are submitted online in your Certification Central dashboard.)
• Worked 1,500 hours in those two (2) years in a position relevant to patient access services.
• Payment of recertification fee.

Our contact hour guide provides a list of activities that count as contact hours. The CHAA and CHAM certifications both require certificants to earn contact hours towards maintaining their certification. A select number of contact hours must be NAHAM-approved hours. NAHAM offers you year-round opportunities to earn contact hours, including the Annual Conference, webinars, volunteer opportunities, and more.

All contact hours are submitted online; you may log hours at any time in your Certification Central dashboard. Please view this short webinar for an overview of the recertification process.

Each contact hour needs to include the following information:

• Date of activity
• Title/description of activity
• Number of hours earned for activity

If you are unsure about which cycle(s) you have missed please reference the My Account page of your Certification Central dashboard for your expiration date.

Payment for recertification can only be submitted during the month that your certification is set to expire (June for CHAA, June for CHAM). You may submit payment online by credit card through your Certification Central application, or mail a check and a copy of your invoice to the address below. Please Note: NAHAM does not take payment over the phone.

Chicago, IL 60677

You can submit and pay for your recertification between the first and last day of the recertification cycle. June 1-30 for CHAA. June 1-30 for CHAM.

Yes, 10% percent of submitted applications will be pulled for audit. Those selected for an audit must submit evidence of the continuing education hours claimed. Additionally, supervisors of those selected for audit will be contacted to confirm the requisite hours have been worked during the required time frame (CHAA 1 year; CHAM 2 years).