ASHA CE Policies: Provider Requirements

Your ASHA CE Team

• Each Provider is assigned an ASHA CE staff team that includes a CE Provider Manager and a CE Accounts Manager.
• Providers should contact their assigned Provider Manager for questions or concerns about:
  • Course planning and design
  • Promotional materials
  • Course implementation
  • Registration-related technical issues
• Providers should contact their assigned Accounts Manager for questions or concerns about:
  • Participant data collection
  • Reporting logistics and options
  • Participant issues (including appeals)
  • Reporting-related technical issues

Compliance

• Providers are expected to comply with all Standards for ASHA CE Providers and ASHA CE Policies.
• When compliance issues occur, ASHA CE will contact the Provider to discuss the issue and cause and determine the appropriate corrective actions.
• ASHA CE reserves the right to monitor Provider compliance through documentation review, on-site or online access to courses, and/or Provider self-assessment.

Responsiveness

• Changed The Provider must respond to questions or requests from ASHA CE by stated deadlines. If the Provider cannot provide a complete response by this deadline, then they should coordinate with their Provider Manager/Accounts Manager team to determine a deadline. Providers should use available tools, such as out-of-office messages and Alternate Contact information, if the Continuing Education Administrator is away for an extended period.
• Changed Lack of response may result in a Provider being placed in Inactive status until a response is received and the issue is resolved.

Contacting ASHA CE Staff

• The Provider must use established mechanisms for communicating organizational, personnel, and course changes (changes to course offering dates, ASHA CEU amounts, etc.). This allows ASHA CE to better serve the Provider and respond appropriately.

Process Documentation

• New The Provider must document, follow, and update internal policies and procedures that ensure adherence to the Standards for ASHA CE Providers and ASHA CE Policies. All relevant personnel must be trained in these policies and procedures, and documentation must be made available to ASHA CE upon request.

Annual and Other ASHA CE Fees

• Providers must pay the annual fee to maintain Provider status.
• Late fees will be assessed when annual fees are not paid by the due date. Providers must pay these late fees to maintain Provider status.
• Providers who do not pay the annual fee and applicable late fees by March 1 of the renewal year will be terminated.
• Newly approved Providers must pay the annual fee by the date indicated on the invoice and before starting the onboarding process. This fee is in addition to the application review fee and is not prorated.
• Providers must pay all fees by the date indicated on the invoice. Failure to pay fees on time will result in Provider being placed in Inactive status.
• Fees are nonrefundable.
• Fees may be subject to applicable taxes.
• Fees are not prorated.
• ASHA reserves the right to change fees as the conditions warrant.

Records Retention

• New Standard 1.2 requires that Providers keep all records related to compliance with Standards for ASHA CE Providers and ASHA CE Policies, as well as participant completion, for at least 4 years. The 4-year timeline ensures that records are kept for a typical ASHA certification maintenance cycle plus 1 year.
• New For course registration information, the 4-year retention period begins after the end date of the last course offering (e.g., if a course has 60 monthly offerings, the 4-year course materials retention period begins after the 60th offering of that course. If a course has 5 offerings, the 4-year course materials retention period begins after the fifth offering of that course).
• New For participant reporting information, the 4-year retention period begins after the end date of the course offering for which the participant was reported (e.g., if the participant was reported for an offering that ended on March 31, course records must be retained for 4 years from that date).
• New Provider personnel must be able to access all relevant records when necessary.
• New The Provider must ensure that back-up records are available and accessible in case the original documentation is damaged, corrupted, incorrect, or otherwise unavailable.
• New Records that must be retained include (but are not limited to) the following:
  • All information submitted during course registration, including copies of promotional materials
  • Needs assessment data and analysis
  • Instructor and planner disclosure process documentation
  • Participant registration data (name, address, email, ASHA ID if appropriate)
  • Course completion records (satisfactory completion and intent to earn ASHA CEUs)
  • Documentation submitted to report participants, including roster corrections
  • Post-course evaluation data and analysis
  • Documentation of any participant appeals received
  • Documentation of any complaints received and the outcomes of each complaint resolution process

Provider Policies

• Changed Standard 1 requires that all Providers establish the following policies that must be shared with CE program personnel and course instructors and planners, as well as learners, when appropriate:
  • privacy and security
  • intellectual property
  • professional conduct and nondiscrimination

Course Personnel Feedback

• Changed Providers should give feedback to all those involved in course planning, development, and instruction. This includes course instructors, instructional and graphic designers, marketing staff, and customer service staff, as appropriate.

Provider Reapproval

• Providers wishing to continue beyond the initial 5-year approval period must participate in the 5-year reapproval process and pay the applicable review fee. If a Provider does not wish to continue, then they must notify ASHA CE using established mechanisms to the start of the review process, as directed in pre-review communications.

5-Year Reapproval Fees

• Providers wishing to continue beyond the initial 5-year approval period must pay the applicable review fee. This fee is in addition to the annual fee and may be subject to applicable taxes. Providers who do not pay the review fee will be terminated when their approval period expires.
• Providers must regularly offer continuing education courses to be included in the reapproval process (typically evidenced by holding at least one course each year).

Application Programming Interface (API) Terms for ASHA CE Providers

• By accessing the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), other developer services, and associated CE Provider Portal software, ASHA CE Providers agree to ASHA CE’s API Terms.