If you need help studying for the Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) exam or just want some more information about what the exam is like, you’ve come to the right place.
Click below to take a free CHC practice test!
Exam Eligibility
Before you can register to take the CHC exam, you’ll have to meet the following requirements:
- You need at least one year of full-time compliance experience or 1,500 hours of direct compliance job duties over the last two years
- You need at least 20 CCB continuing education units (CEUs) earned within the last 12 months
If you meet these requirements, you’re set to begin the registration process!
What’s on the Exam?
First, let’s talk about the questions on the exam. There are 120 multiple-choice questions total, but only 100 of the questions will count toward your score. Why is that?
The 20 unscored questions on the exam are called “pretest” questions. These are added to the exam to determine if they’re good enough questions to add to future versions of the test.
The trick is that you won’t have any way of knowing which questions are scored and which ones are pretest. They will appear just like the scored questions throughout the test.
Each question falls under one of the following three cognitive levels:
- 🧠 Recall: The recall questions test your ability to recall/recognize information.
- 🛠️ Application: The application questions test your ability to apply knowledge to given situations.
- 🔍 Analysis: The analysis questions test your ability to analyze and evaluate solutions.
Let’s take a closer look at the different sections of the CHC exam.
1. Standards, Policies, and Procedures
11 scored questions
- Maintaining compliance-related policies, procedures, and controls
- Maintaining process for the development of new policies for emerging compliance risks
- Consulting with resources to assure the policies are comprehensive
- Integrating mission, vision, values, and ethical principles with code of conduct
- Maintaining compliance plan and program
- Maintaining a code of conduct
- Verifying appropriate policies on interactions between organizations and other healthcare industry stakeholders
- Promoting accountability for employees at all levels
2. Compliance Program Administration
19 scored questions
- Advocating for compliance resources that are scalable for the organization’s needs
- Reporting compliance program activity to the governing body and/or committee
- Coordinating organizational efforts to develop and maintain an effective compliance program
- Defining scope of compliance program consistent with current industry standards
- Assuring that the compliance oversight committee’s goals and functions are defined
- Evaluating the effectiveness of the compliance program
- Maintaining knowledge of current regulatory changes and interpretation of laws
- Recognizing the need for outside expertise
- Verifying the governing body understands its responsibilities to the compliance program and culture
- Assuring that the role of risk partners in the compliance process has been defined
- Defining the responsibilities, authority, purpose, and function for all compliance employees
- Participating in the development of internal controls and systems to mitigate risk
- Demonstrating independence and objectivity in all aspects of compliance program
- Maintaining an independent reporting structure to the governing body
3. Screening and Evaluation of Employees, Physicians, Vendors, and other Agents
6 scored questions
- Assure the organization has processes in place to identify and disclose conflicts of interest
- Assure the inclusion of compliance obligations in all job descriptions and performance evaluations
- Assure exit interviews include compliance-related questions
- Assure government sanction lists are monitored and addressed for excluded individuals and entities
- Verify due diligence is conducted on third parties
4. Communication, Education, and Training on Compliance Issues
14 scored questions
- Communicating compliance information throughout the organization
- Communicating the essential meaning of complex laws and regulations
- Assuring employees are educated on compliance policies
- Assuring a mechanism exists to evaluate employee understanding of compliance responsibilities
- Promoting a culture of compliance throughout the organization
- Encouraging employees to seek guidance and clarification
- Assuring general compliance training is conducted and tracked for all employees, governing body, physicians, vendors, and other agents
- Assuring risk-specific training is conducted for targeted groups
5. Monitoring, Auditing, and Internal Reporting Systems
22 scored questions
- Protecting anonymity and confidentiality within legal and practical limits
- Maintaining and promote reporting systems to all employees, vendors, and agents
- Assuring monitoring occurs to detect violations of laws and regulations
- Conducting organizational compliance risk assessments
- Developing compliance work plan based on compliance risk assessments
- Responding to compliance concerns expressed by employees through internal reporting
- Conducting compliance audits
- Analyzing compliance audit results
- Developing an annual compliance audit plan
- Evaluating results of audits conducted by external entities
- Monitoring to ensure that retaliation has not occurred for reporting compliance concerns
- Employing auditing methodologies that are objective and independent
- Determining sampling methodology based on circumstances
- Assuring a timely response is made to reported compliance concerns
- Monitoring management’s implementation of corrective action plans
- Providing timely feedback to management on compliance audit results
6. Discipline for Non-Compliance
8 scored questions
- Recommending disciplinary action for noncompliance
- Monitoring for consistent disciplinary action throughout all levels of the organization
- Recommending action for individuals and entities that have been excluded from government programs
- Verifying that compliance-related violations are addressed in disciplinary policies
- Coordinating with management that timely disciplinary action is taken
- Verifying that disciplinary action is reported to regulatory body when required
7. Investigations and Remedial Measures
20 scored questions
- Communicating suspected noncompliance through appropriate channels
- Assuring the development and monitoring of corrective action plans
- Cooperating with government inquiries and investigations
- Investigating matters related to noncompliance in a fair, objective, and discrete manner
- Assuring timely fulfillment of obligations to external parties
- Collaborating with legal counsel on voluntary disclosures
- Coordinating investigations to preserve applicable privileges
- Facilitating independent investigations
- Recognizing the need for subject matter experts
- Assuring compliance investigations are documented and records are maintained according to requirements
- Assuring investigation personnel have the necessary skills
- Instituting immediate measures to mitigate ongoing noncompliance
How to Register
Once you’ve ensured that you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you can register for the exam.
To get started, you’ll need to submit an application on HCCA’s website. The application will ask you for your contact information and any documentation to prove your eligibility (among other things).
When you submit the application, you’ll also need to submit the testing fee, which is $450. If you’re an SCCE or HCCA member, you will only have to pay $350.
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Exam Scores
The test is scored using a scaled scoring method. Here’s how it works:
For every question you answer correctly, you get one point added to your raw score. At the end of the test, your final raw score will be converted to a scaled score. This scaled score will range somewhere between 1 and 100.
The reason your raw score is converted to a scaled score is because everyone who takes the test is given a slightly different set of questions. Since everyone has a different arrangement of questions, and because some questions are harder than others, converting your raw score to a scaled score ensures a more even playing field.
Retaking the Exam
If you didn’t get a passing score on your first try, that’s okay! You can retake the test after a 180-day waiting period.
Keep in mind that you will have to pay the full testing fee every time you retake the test.
FAQs
How many questions are on the CHC exam?
The exam contains 120 questions.
What is the time limit for the CHC exam?
The exam is timed at 2 hours.
What is the passing score for the CHC exam?
You’ll need to get a final scaled score of at least 75 to pass.
How much does the CHC exam cost?
The testing fee is $450 ($350 for SCCE and HCCA members).