By Diana Weaver, Data Systems Coordinator, NCHEC

The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc., is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that has been certifying health educators since 1989. There are currently over 6, 000 active Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES). NCHEC’s mission is to improve the practice of health education and to serve the public and profession of health education by certifying health education specialist, promoting professional development and strengthening professional preparation and practice.

NCHEC had an existing FoxPro database that was maintaining information for them, but the system had limitations. NCHEC wanted to combine their website and database into a more powerful system. An attempt was made to complete the exam application online using a secure server, but eventually a staff person would manually enter the information into their database. NCHEC’s goal was to create a link to the two worlds and be able to eliminate the extra data entry which in turn would diminish the chance for data entry error. NCHEC also wanted to offer their certificants holders a chance to pay their annual fee, change their contact information and view their transcripts online.

NCHEC began their search seeking an organization that would develop a relational database system to collect and maintain information for their mid-sized credentialing organization. NCHEC wanted to offer their CHES an opportunity to benefit from online services, to simplify the application process for prospects, to make their office run more efficiently and to achieve a more accurate database.

Cyzap worked very closely with the NCHEC team and was able to understand the process involved with their credential. Cyzap offered NCHEC “zapCertify.” ZapCertify is a customizable solution designed to track and manage credentialing information, continuing education hours, testing management, certification information, and provider management. ZapCertify has catapulted NCHEC into a world of more efficient workflow, faster response times and accurate management of information.

This new system is able to track the registration for the CHES exam, manage the test site locations and perform maintenance of the school codes and majors twice a year. The payment module allows for administration of different CHES exam fees depending on deadlines individual applied on. Reminder emails are sent automatically if information is missing. All these features allow the exam administration process to run more smoothly.

The new online services to our CHES allow them to pay their renewal or recertification fees annually, change contact information, check on their status and view their continuing education transcripts. All of these services are offered by logging in to a secure area 24 hours a day/7 days a week. NCHEC states, “Our certificate holders have been especially appreciative of the new ability to view online transcripts. The online accessibility has allowed them to better assess what still needs to be done to fulfill the continuing education requirement for recertification as a Certified Health Education Specialist.”

Another feature of the new system, which was not electronically tracked previously, is the leadership management. NCHEC has a Board of Commissioners, Division Boards and Committees. The individual’s who serve on these boards are CHES. In the past this information was managed manually using Microsoft Word and updated yearly. With the new system, this information is maintained in the database for archiving purposes.

NCHEC is a national organization that now has the power required to manage the continuous growth of its certificants holders. Linda Lysoby, executive director of NCHEC, gave the following feedback to Cyzap:

“The major strength of your company as I see it is your integrity and ethical dealings with customers. We are very pleased with our new system and have received many positive comments from our certificate holders and board members especially regarding ease of use and accessibility of information.”