2016 Plans and Goals for the CRA

By Bruce Hammond, CRA, CFAAMA

We are now in a new year with new officers, new goals, and new aspirations. As the new Chair of the Radiology Administration Certification Commission (RACC) I have huge shoes to fill and a legacy of action and leadership to step up to. I am so very honored to have been elected twice to the RACC and now to Chair, it is indeed humbling. I would like to thank all of you and the RACC commissioners for these honors.

I want to acknowledge and present to you the 2016 officers along with the other commissioners and committees:

With the credential now 14 years old and a total of over 1,100 CRAs we are in a position to take advantage of opportunities that now exist to grow the visibility and prestige of the credential. The marketing committee has been charged with exploring linkage possibilities to get knowledge of the CRA out of the department and into the “C-suite” even if it is one CRA or facility at a time. This job cannot be done with a committee of three, we need the totality of the 1,100 to accomplish this goal; we solicit your help and ideas. Our contact information is on the CRA website: www.crainfo.org.

Our major goal for this year is to gain college credit for the CRA. We had taken some preliminary steps in 2015, but it is now the primary goal for 2016. At the present time colleges will grant credit for additional clinical skills but few even entertain the administrative skills required for the CRA. These skills are certainly more applicable to an undergraduate credential, particularly in administration, than the ability to operate in an additional modality. We will keep you regularly updated on our progress. If you are working in a college where you can assist or you have a college you would like us to contact please contact me by e-mail. The RACC will be working on a more universal solution to acceptance.

Another goal is to increase the number of CRAs. We are encouraging every CRA to recruit at least two new CRAs this year. What about making it a goal in your department that all supervisors, managers, and others in leadership roles and who meet minimal qualifications are encouraged to take the exam? The CRA exam is not intended to be only for those who are seasoned radiology administrators with advance degrees, it is anticipated to be available to those who meet our minimal qualifications and can grow throughout their careers. I would also encourage you, if you have no one who meets the standard, to at the very least get a group membership with the AHRA. Take advantage of the opportunities that exist within the AHRA to educate and enhance your personnel’s skills. Both the CRA and the group membership are cost effective ways to improve your department or facility.

Finally I would like to encourage all of you who can to attend the AHRA Spring Conference in Chicago. The RACC will have a booth and at least two of your commissioners will be onsite. During the conference we are hosting a CRA luncheon open to all CRAs, applicants, and those seeking further information about the CRA. The RACC members will be there throughout the conference to answer questions and meet each of you.

As we move forward in 2016, your RACC Commissioners actively solicit your involvement and support. We all face significant challenges and opportunities, but together we can and will overcome them. Your RACC Commissioners are here to help you. If we are to develop more value in the CRA, we need all of us to do it.

Bruce W. Hammond, CRA, CFAAMA is the Chair of the Radiology Administration Certification Commission. He is also the CEO of The CailcoGroup in Fort Worth, TX. He can be reached at bruce.hammond@cailcogroup.com.