Assessment-Based Recognition in Order Entry (ABR-OE)

The Assessment-Based Recognition in Order Entry (ABR-OE) indicates that the holder meets the requirements of the definition of "credentialed medical assistants" under the September 5, 2012, rule of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs (Incentive Programs).

CMAs (AAMA) do not need the ABR-OE. The CMA (AAMA) credential meets the CMS “credentialed medical assistant” requirement because CMA (AAMA) education, training, and testing includes electronic order entry. Therefore, the ABR-OE is not granted to CMAs (AAMA).

As of January 1, 2013, only "credentialed medical assistants" (in addition to licensed health professionals) have been permitted to enter medication, radiology, and laboratory orders into the electronic health record (EHR) and have such entry count toward meeting the meaningful use thresholds under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

Working medical assistants who have not graduated from a CAAHEP or ABHES accredited medical assisting program are not eligible for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Examination, and therefore have had no way of meeting the CMS requirement through the AAMA in the past.

Consequently, as the leaders of the medical assisting profession and the AAMA, the Board of Trustees (BOT) realized it was incumbent on them to provide a way for these non-CAAHEP or ABHES medical assistants to demonstrate knowledge of electronic order entry and meet the CMS requirement.

The BOT concluded that the best way to assist these medical assistants would be by awarding an assessment-based recognition to those who meet certain knowledge and experience requirements and complete five AAMA continuing education courses covering key knowledge elements of electronic order entry.

—Adapted from "Assessment-Based Recognition in Order Entry: Why the AAMA Created the Program," by AAMA Executive Director and Legal Counsel Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA, published in the January/February 2014 issue of CMA Today.

Eligibility and Application Policies

Students or graduates of medical assisting programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) are not eligible for the ABR-OE. Also, those who at any point in time have held the CMA (AAMA) credential (or its predecessor credential, CMA) are not eligible for the ABR-OE.

The ABR-OE is granted by the Continuing Education Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) to applicants who meet the following eligibility criteria and submit the required documentation accompanied with the completed application:

Letter of Documentation | The following documentation must be attested to on corporate letterhead and signed by the applicant's current supervising licensed health care provider:

Knowledge Areas. Provide a statement of verification of the applicant's knowledge in the following areas:

I hereby attest to the applicant's proficiency in EHR order entry as demonstrated by the applicant's knowledge in the following areas:

• Anatomy and physiology

• Basic laboratory values

• Critical thinking

• Electronic health records

• Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

• Medical terminology

• Pharmacology

Employment Experience. Provide a statement of verification that the applicant has been employed for a minimum of 24 months during the last 36 months in a health care facility under the supervision of a licensed health care provider.

Provider Credentials | Provide a copy of the license of the attesting health care provider.

Continuing Education | The applicant must have successfully completed (including receiving a passing score on the post-tests) the following five, one-hour, online AAMA Continuing Education Unit (CEU) courses:

1. Clinical Laboratory Testing

2. Disease Screening

3. Legal Aspects of Patient Care Documentation

4. Lost in Translation: Eliminate Medical Errors

5. Medical Records: A Vital Wave

Go to the AAMA e-Learning Center to register for the courses.

Application and Fee | The applicant must include the completed application and payment.

Expiration Policy

A letter indicating that an applicant has been granted the ABR-OE will be issued to the successful applicant and will expire 24 months from the date awarded by the AAMA. (The requirements for obtaining a new letter after expiration of the original ABR-OE will be established by July 1, 2014.)

Verify ABR-OE status.

Usage Policy

The ABR-OE is an official recognition of the holder's qualifications to enter medication, laboratory, and radiology orders into the EHR under the CMS rule and is based on an assessment of the holder's knowledge and experience. Holders of this ABR-OE can refer to themselves as having an assessment-based recognition in order entry that meets the CMS definition of "credentialed medical assistant," but are not permitted to use any suffixes or initials after their names in reference to this recognition program.

Apply Now

Apply Online for the Assessment-Based Recognition in Order Entry program.

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