NPRA: The Who, What and Why

The NPRA is a national alliance that aims to establish fair business practices to better serve seniors and their families within the unregulated senior placement industry.

As with PASRS, not many people know of the National Placement and Referral Alliance (NPRA) and what it does. Below, we establish the who’s, what’s and why’s of this crucial alliance as it works to promote a better way to serve society’s most vulnerable.

WHO is the NPRA?

The National Placement and Referral Alliance (NPRA) is a local and national leadership trade association made up of both agents and care providers, within the senior care and referral industry. The NPRA provides a platform for its members to share their knowledge and views concerning industry practices, legislation, approach, learning, and collaboration.

WHAT does the NPRA do?

​​Founded in 2017, the NPRA recognized the growing need to create a strong foundation for a viable senior referral industry. Their national and local leadership is on point to improve processes and professional development. The senior referral and placement industry offers an invaluable benefit to the families they serve. The association’s driving force is to establish fair business practices, to provide better services for consumers through partnerships, innovation, and public policy.  

The NPRA’s Best Practices have been designed to serve the best interests of seniors and their families. Certified Placement and Referral Specialists who are not NPRA agents are therefore encouraged, although not required, to follow the Best Practices.

What are some of the NPRA’s Best Practices?

For the complete list of best practices, you can browse here. Below, a condensed version of some of these best practices:

• It is the Best Practice of an NPRA agent to tour with the client or client’s representative whenever possible. Touring with clients should be a regular and core practice for the NPRA agent. Before the tour, the agent and senior living providers should be familiar with and respect the expectations of each other regarding the tour.

• It is the Best Practice of an NPRA agent to disclose to their clients the nature and source of their compensation, including any financial interest in or familial relationship with any provider referred.

• It is the Best Practice of an NPRA agent to conduct a quality intake to present the options most suitable to each client’s specific care needs, financial resources, and personal preferences.  The intake should be fully transparent to the senior living provider/s the client is being referred to.  Agents should be respectful to the decision made by the senior living provider to accept or decline the client.

• It is the Best Practice of an NPRA agent to, whenever possible, provide multiple suitable options to the client for any resources being referred.

• It is the Best Practice of an NPRA agent to personally visit and research a senior living provider before referring the property to a client. 

• It is the Best Practice of an NPRA agent to maintain professional and general liability insurance of no less than one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) per occurrence and two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) aggregate or the amount required by law (if greater).

• It is the Best Practice of NPRA agents to comply with all state and federal labor laws and required state or local laws of operating a business in the appropriate county or city.

• It is the Best Practice of an NPRA agent to assist with the investigation by NPRA of any grievances lodged against the agent concerning the Best Practices and should respect any disciplinary actions taken.

What does the NPRA Code of Conduct cover?

The Code of Conduct governs the ethical and professional conduct of NPRA agents, affiliates, and Certified Placement and Referral Specialists (CPRS) in working with clients, the public, and healthcare professionals. NPRA has established a Code of Conduct that agent members nationally pledge to abide by, thereby earning the right to refer to themselves as an “NPRA Agent.” 

For the full breakdown of the Code of Conduct, click here. Below, some key takeouts from their Code of Conduct:

• The client’s needs shall always be the primary consideration for any referral made by an NPRA or CPRS agent.

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall provide safe and practical guidance to families in need.

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall observe all applicable local, state, and federal laws governing placement and referral. This includes, but is not limited to, Medicare and Medicaid policies regarding vendor visitation, gifting, and compensation for referrals. An agent will neither compensate nor pay an employee of these organizations for a referral.

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall advise the client without pressure or coercion.

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall report any witnessed elder abuse or suspected abuse incidents to appropriate authorities. 

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall respect the right of the senior care provider to perform an independent assessment before accepting a prospective resident. An NPRA agent or CPRS shall not pressure or inappropriately influence a property to accept any client. 

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall not engage in ‘churning,’ defined as relocating a client previously placed by that agent for additional economic gain. Only a client, client representative, or the property – not an NPRA agent or CPRS – should initiate such a relocation. If consulted, an NPRA agent or CPRS shall encourage all parties to keep the resident in place and relocate only if it is in the resident’s best interests.

• Any person holding themselves out as a CPRS shall complete CEU credits and any other requirements determined by the NPRA for maintaining certification.

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall maintain the confidentiality of client information and use it only in manners permitted by the client and allowed by law.

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall be knowledgeable about senior industry resources in the regions they serve.

• An NPRA agent or CPRS shall refer out clients whose needs fall outside the agent’s expertise.

What is a CPRS Certification? 

The NPRA developed the Certified Placement and Referral Specialist (CPRS) Certification under the expertise of Professional Testing Inc., the parent company of The Society For Certified Senior Advisors, in collaboration with industry subject matter experts. Currently, Veronica Guzman serves on the PASRS board of directors, and as of 2023 all of our team members are CPRS certified.

As of 2021, there are only 100 agents nationwide who carry the CPRS certification, including the Options for Senior Living team.

How does someone earn a CPRS Certification?

To earn the CPRS Certification, candidates must first meet the eligibility requirements and then must register for and pass the certification examination. NPRA will not grant certification to any individual based on education or experience, as all CPRS certifications must be earned. CPRS Certifications continue to be valid as long as eligibility requirements are met, certification is renewed, annual CEU’s are obtained, and no violations of the Ethics Policy are observed. CPRS status must be renewed through submission of 10 hours or more annually of CPRS-approved continuing education, and payment of applicable annual renewal fees.

Current information regarding CPRS certification exams, including eligibility criteria, registration, format, design, administration, scoring, passing criteria, professional code of conduct, and maintaining a CPRS Certification can be located online at: www.NPRAlliance.org.

Which eligibility criteria need to be met before someone can sit for the CPRS Certification Exam?

• You must be an active Placement and Referral Professional
• You must hold a valid government-issued ID card
• You must sign and agree to follow the NPRA Code of Ethics

WHY does the NPRA matter?

The NPRA and all its chapters matter because as a collective, various role-players within the senior referral industry can advocate for real change to the benefit of all. This alliance wants to facilitate change, support professional accountability and encourage open lines of communication. Aging and death are inevitable, and to know that there are others who are willing to put steps in place to make the senior living referral and placement process more beneficial and less stressful for all.

*Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his or her immediate family, physician, or other certified care providers.