PDA NEWSLETTER: NOVEMBER 2022

Yair Maimon, Ph.D., OMD, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)^®, L.Ac.
TCM Academy of Integrative Medicine

NCCAOM PDA Provider #171739

The PDA Department would like to congratulate PDA Provider and NCCAOM Board-Certified Acupuncturist^TM Yair Maimon, as the featured Provider for the October 2022 issue of the PDA Newsletter. Yair is the pioneer of the acupuncture and herbal medicine field in the Middle East and continues to lead the profession through his teachings. Using his previous academic experiences as Dean and co-founder of Medi-Cin College of Complementary Medicine, Yair also founded the TCM Academy of Integrative Medicine and shares his teachings in oncology as well as other specialties with practitioners worldwide.

To read full article Click Here.

To continue to allow former Diplomates to return to active status, the NCCAOM has created a reinstatement policy to return to active status as more employers, hospitals and third-party payors now require NCCAOM Certification. The Reinstatement to Active NCCAOM® Certification is now available for all former Diplomates in terminated status.

All applicants will need to:

• Pass the Reinstatement Safety Evaluation consisting of 50 questions.
• Those who fail the Safety Evaluation will have to complete an additional 5 PDA points per each failed domain area.

Applicants who are terminated 8 years or longer will need to:

• Pass the Reinstatement Final Assessment.
• Those who fail the Final Assessment will have to complete an additional 5 PDA points in each failed domain area.

This is where we need your help! As a result of our research, specific courses are needed for those applicants who do not pass the Reinstatement Safety Evaluation and/or Final Assessment.  

The following topics are in demand! Courses with these topics will be approved under the Safety and/or Ethics Recertification category: 

1. 1. Vitamins: deficiencies and contraindications.
   2. Pharmaceuticals: deficiencies and precautions.
   3. OSHA: exposure control plan.
   4. HIPAA: definition.
   5. Informed Consent: components, authorization.
   6. Social Competency: benefits, skill development, social determinants of health.
   7. Cultural Competency: benefits, skill development.
   8. Patient Communication: core clinical skills, benefits, miscommunication, consequences.
   9. Adverse and Severe Events: needling, adverse reactions to Western medicine pharmaceuticals (Lisinopril, Acetaminophen, Hydrocodone, Fluoxetine).
   10. Mandatory Reporting: child abuse, suicide, sexual harassment, confidentiality, and record keeping.
   11. Referrals: emergencies and to other healthcare providers.
   12. Chinese herbs: storage, compounding, FDA restrictions, labeling and documentation, incompatibilities, contraindications and adverse events, toxicity.

Below are some tips to take into consideration when designing a course for reinstatement:

Are you a subject matter expert skilled in the topics mentioned above? Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

In 2018, NCCAOM revised the AOM-BIO category to AOM-OM, AOM-AC, and AOM-CH to meet state licensure requirements. When the Provider’s courses were moved to the automated online management system, all core competency courses were loaded as AOM-BIO. Due to the request of several PDA Providers, the PDA staff are currently working to correctly reflect the appropriate AOM category for your courses.

We are working with the Providers on a one-to-one basis to update each course. For larger Providers, we are reaching out to work out a plan to ensure an easy and convenient process. Please be patient as we continue this journey!

We are listening! Our PDA staff has received much feedback regarding the NCCAOM PDA Search Engine. To ensure Providers are receiving an equal amount of exposure, the PDA Search Engine has been updated to display random course listings. The randomization is modified daily to ensure fairness amongst all PDA Providers.

To provide better search engine optimization and service to all PDA Providers, Diplomates, and the public, as of June 2022 all PDA Providers must ensure that course titles begin with a letter. Providers cannot have leading characters or numbers in the course title.

• Social Media – posts will be automatically boosted throughout Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Boosting posts optimize the exposure to specific audiences within the social media algorithms. The application fee is $400 per course for all three social media platforms, for a period of one week.

• Diplomate Newsletter -Diplomate Newsletter fee is $400 per course per issue.

• Flyer Distribution – allows Providers to target a particular audience by promoting their courses in specific states. NCCAOM will distribute the Provider information and their PDA approved course to the active Diplomates within a state and the four (4) immediate surrounding states. The application fee is $300 per distribution.

The PDA staff would like to thank those Providers who participated in the NCCAOM® PDA Market Research Survey for Modular Programs. Based on recent feedback and with NCCAOM’s continued effort to provide increased customer satisfaction, the PDA staff distributed a survey this past summer to research the possibility of offering an application for a PDA Modular Program.

We sent this survey to every provider asking for their feedback regarding the Modular Program. Out of 33 responses, 27 stated that a modular program would be of value to their continuing education configuration.

The most important factor is to make sure this program type benefits both the Providers and the participants. Question 4 to the right is coming from the Provider’s perspective. The results are divided: 55% of the Providers said yes, 45% said no, and 2 Providers skipped the question.

Question 5 below comes from what the Provider felt their participants would prefer. The answers are evenly divided: 48% answered one certificate at the program completion, 52% answered separate certificates for each module, and two Providers skipped this question.

Out of 323 active Providers, we only received 33 responses. Upon closer inspection, we found duplicate responses by the same provider as well as those with an invalid PDA Provider number. This renders the valid response number to 26 making an 8% response rate. For a survey to be deemed conclusive, a minimum of 10% response rate is required.

Because the Modular Program study has conflicting results and a response rate lower than the required 10%, we consider the survey inconclusive. In addition, the current PDA system allows a participant to earn PDA Points as they complete courses within a larger program. This is especially useful when submitting PDA Points for state licensure requirements. Also, Providers can continue to use this application type for their future courses. Due to all these factors, the NCCAOM has decided not to move forward with the development of a Modular Program course type.

We thank all the Providers who participated in this survey!

Last but not the least, we want to notify the Providers that Jennifer Nemeth is retiring! Jennifer has dedicated over 16 years to the PDA Department at NCCAOM, so please congratulate her as she is set to retire at the end of the year! The NCCAOM Board and staff extend their gratitude for Jennifer’s contributions to our organization – she has made a lasting impact and the PDA Department cannot be where it is today without all her hard work and dedication. On everyone’s behalf, let us wish Jennifer a happy retirement!

PDA Certificate Update: Log Out Button

New! There is a new feature on the NCCAOM PDA Certificate! There is a ‘Log Out’ button (on the upper-right hand side) available for participants. This feature is put in place because each certificate has an active session to enhance the security of the certificate.

It is important to note: if any participants are having issues accessing the PDA Certificate, be sure to tell them to click on the ‘Log Out’ button within the certificate and try again. The participants will need to use this feature before accessing the next certificate.

PDA Ping Feature – Real Time Integration (RTI)

New! There is a new feature on the NCCAOM PDA Certificate! There is a ‘Log Out’ button (on the upper-right hand side) available for participants. This feature is put in place because each certificate has an active session to enhance the security of the certificate.

It is important to note: if any participants are having issues accessing the PDA Certificate, be sure to tell them to click on the ‘Log Out’ button within the certificate and try again. The participants will need to use this feature before accessing the next certificate.

Recert/PDA Panel

Good news! The NCCAOM Recert PDA Panel is convening! The purpose of the Recertification and PDA Panel is to establish and maintain recertification and PDA policies that promote enhancement of continued competence and professional development quality and certification maintenance, and as well as embody best practices for certification agencies.

The NCCAOM Recert PDA Panel assists the PDA Department in strengthening the PDA program offerings and international recognition. The Panel is working with staff, on an as needed basis, to ensure that the recertification policies are updated to reflect current standards of practice and cultural and professional climates.

Stay tuned for more updates in the next newsletter!

Winner from May issue: Seungmin Lee, PDA Provider # 9288 of QualTEAM Academy
Question: Who is the PDA Coordinator?
Answer: Kate Solon
Congratulations Seungmin!

November Question:  

What should you use to increase your chances to be a Featured Provider? 

Enter a raffle drawing for a chance to win a free spot in the new NCCAOM^® PDA Course Highlights by answering the “PDA Question of the Quarter”:

Submit Your Entry Here

Hint: All answers to the PDA Question of the Quarter can be found on the NCCAOM website.