The Association offers a certification program in which HFMA members can earn the Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP) designation. About 7 percent of members (about 2,500) have earned the CHFP designation by completing several requirements, including professional experience, education, and passing two certification exams. Since 2001, HFMA has been using Perception to manage the questions and online administration of those exams.

As part of the certification requirements, members must pass a general exam in healthcare finance practices and an exam in one of four -specialties: accounting and finance, patient and financial services, financial management of physician practices, or managed care. Each of the three versions of the general exam has 150 questions, and each specialty exam has 75 questions.

If a candidate doesn’t successfully complete an exam, after at least 90 days he or she can take the second version of the exam, and the third version if the second attempt is unsuccessful. Mrzlak says that she uses the metatagging feature in Perception to designate whether a question is on the first, second or third version of the exam, and also to designate questions as retired when the certification program and question pools are updated every two years.

Mrzlak says that before HFMA started using Perception, they used a paper-based process with a national testing company. But now the Association can administer its 600 tests per year in a much more efficient and cost-effective manner. “The exams are available 24-7 now, and we have members taking exams all over the country,” she says.