Office of Programs and Academic Assessment (MC 103)
2630 University Hall
601 South Morgan Street
Chicago, IL 60607
February 14, 2014
TO:
Ilene Harris, Chair
Senate Committee on Educational Policy
FROM:
Dana Wright, Director for Academic Program Development
I am submitting for review and action by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy
the attached Proposal to Establish the Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare
Administration (CEMHA).
The proposal was approved by the Division of Health Policy and Administration’s Education
Policy Committee on September 17, 2013; the School of Public Health’s Committee on
Education Programs on December 12, 2013; and the School’s Executive Committee on
January 15, 2014. Further, the proposal was approved by the Graduate College Executive
Committee on February 14, 2014.
*Map:
http://www.ibhe.state.il.us/Academic%20Affairs/Applications/public/materials/CRegionMap**CIP 2010:
http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/Campus: University of Illinois Chicago
Degree Title: Clinician Executive Masters of Healthcare Administration (CEMHA)
Level of Proposed Program: Master’s Degree
Region*: 10 - Chicago
Zip Code of Proposed Location: 60607
Requested CIP Code**: (51.2211) Health Services Administration
Proposed Date for Enrollment of First Class: January 2015
Description of Program Objectives, Target Demographics and Delivery
Modes:
The Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare Administration Program (CEMHA)
produces clinician executives who have been educated to make essential contributions to
the health care organization’s leadership team in the current and future American health
care system. The program admits individuals who have extensive experience as
practicing clinicians and prepares them with substantial management expertise to
facilitate the key integrative role between practicing clinicians and the administrative
structure of the health care delivery organization.
The CEMHA Program has five unique characteristics that distinguish it from a traditional
Master of Healthcare Administration or Master of Business Administration program.
First, all admitted students must bring extensive experience as practicing
clinicians.
Second, the course work focuses traditional management and leadership education
on the essential collaboration between clinicians and administrators for effective
and efficient leadership unique to the health care industry, emphasizing
population health sciences principles and methods as a central theme.
Third, a cohort approach (student experience occurs with a single group of
colleagues) takes full benefit of the prior experience of student participants and
the value of interaction both during the program and in career paths following
graduation.
Fourth, all students engage in a special management project directly related to the
health care organization in which they currently work, under the guidance of an
executive mentor.
Fifth, the program schedule accommodates the continuing clinical responsibilities
and professional commitments of mid-career clinicians through optimal use of
distance education techniques, while also maximizing opportunities for personal
*Map:
http://www.ibhe.state.il.us/Academic%20Affairs/Applications/public/materials/CRegionMap**CIP 2010:
http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/The CEMHA program will sustain a strong collaborative partnership with the existing
Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) Program in several ways.
The academic content of many of the existing MHA courses are largely consistent
with the content in the CEMHA program, with modest to moderate changes in
emphasis appropriate to the experienced clinician student.
Several faculty in the MHA Program will serve the CEMHA Program, although
the course schedule will be entirely separate, as will some of the content.
Although the CEMHA Program will include more adjunct faculty from healthcare
delivery organizations, those faculty will be available to contribute as well to the
MHA program, though less intensively.
Marketing of the CEMHA Program will differ substantially from the MHA
Program, because of the different student population, but nonetheless the MHA
Program will benefit secondarily from the CEMHA marketing efforts.
Health services and health policy research opportunities for faculty in both
programs will be enhanced by access to health care delivery organizations
represented by the mid-career students in the CEMHA Program.
The critical theme of the CEMHA Program is the integration of the insights and skills of
the experienced clinician with the perspectives and skills of the organizational executive.
The unique characteristics of the health care enterprise and the intimate services provided
to each patient demand the integration of these clinician and executive special insights
that have no parallel in any other industry. This is a particular challenge because the
professional development of clinicians does not generally provide understanding of the
management and population-based perspectives necessary for administration of an
organization. In fact the development of a clinician typically emphasizes skills and
attitudes almost opposite to the education of an organizational executive as illustrated in
the following table.
Clinician Executive
Today-Oriented Tactical, Short-Term
Future-Oriented, Strategic, Long Term
Reactive Proactive
Decider Delegator
Autonomous- Independent
Collaborative- Participative
Patient Advocate
Organization Advocate
Professional Identification
Organizational Identification
Students admitted to the CEMHA Program are predominantly physicians and other
clinicians with ten or more years of clinical practice experience who are beginning to
emerge as potential leaders in their organizations. Typical organizations are large group
practices, integrated health care delivery systems, hospitals, academic departments in
health professions schools, insurance industry, state and national societies of health
professionals, and others.
*Map:
http://www.ibhe.state.il.us/Academic%20Affairs/Applications/public/materials/CRegionMap**CIP 2010:
http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/Following is the typical schedule for a given cohort of students.
Year 1Timeline Semester 1 Semester 2
August full week on campus
Begin courses 1-4 on campus August-December Tele/video conferences four times
monthly and online work courses 1-4
First week in January full week on campus
Conclude courses 1-4 on campus Second week in
January full week on campus
Begin courses 5-8 on campus
February-June Tele/video conferences four times monthly
and online work courses 5-8 First week in July full
week on campus
Conclude courses 5-8 on campus and begin plans for special management project with faculty consultation Year 2
Timeline Semester 3 Semester 4
Second week in July full week on campus
Begin courses 9-12 on campus August-December Tele/video conferences four times
monthly and online work courses 9-12
August-December Develop special management project with mentor consultation First week in January
full week on campus
Conclude courses 9-12 on campus Second week in
January full week on campus
Begin courses 13-16 on campus
February-June Tele/video conferences four times monthly
and online work courses 13-16
February-June Continue and conclude special
management project with mentor consultation
First week in July full week on campus
Conclude courses 13-16 on campus and graduate
However alternative schedules are also feasible, depending upon the nature of the student
cohorts. For example, a student cohort that is derived from a single large health care
system or collaboration among a small number of large health care organizations can be
more easily accommodated with a variety of alternative schedules. Additionally a single
health care system cohort can potentially convene intense sessions at the facilities of the
health care system to accomplish optimal convenience for the student cohort members.
*Map:
http://www.ibhe.state.il.us/Academic%20Affairs/Applications/public/materials/CRegionMap**CIP 2010:
http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/intimate, individual physician-patient interaction to the complex population-based
decision making in the executive suite and board room of integrated health care
organizations serving large populations of enrollees. The CEMHA Program seeks to
provide the essential leadership addressing this complex challenge.
Projected Enrollments:
Year 2014-15
2015-16
2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
Enrollment
(cumulative:
two year
program)
10 22 27 40 50
Contact Information:
Name:
John
DeNardo
Title:
Professor
Department:
Health Policy and Adminstration
Address 1:
School of Public Health
University of Illinois at Chicago
1603 W Taylor St
City/State/Zip:
Chicago, IL 60612-4394
Phone:
(630) 290-5573
Fax:
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Part 1 [Page 1 of 41 ]1. Degree Program Title and Overview
What is the specific title of the proposed degree program as it would be listed in the IBHE Program Inventory? The name should be what typically is used for similar programs nationally. Provide a short description of the program, including highlights of the program objectives, and the careers, occupations, or further educational opportunities for which the program will prepare graduates.
Program Title: Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare Administration (CEMHA) The Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare Administration program is designed to produce “clinician‐executives” who can integrate their extensive clinical experience with a thorough understanding of the complex factors affecting the delivery and sustainability of healthcare organizations. This program targets individuals who already have extensive experience as practicing clinicians (usually 5 to 10 years practice experience following completion of degree education and clinical training) and some leadership experience, and trains them to become strategic executives who will impact the future direction of their organizations. The goal is to provide educational resources and team‐based, inter‐professional experiences to healthcare professionals who want to broaden their thinking about the dependencies that exist in healthcare and to maximize their organization’s impact for their patients, employees, and for society at large. What makes the CEMHA program special is that it is specifically designed for clinician‐executives, allowing them to leverage their own experience and learn from the experiences of other executives in discussions and course projects. This program will examine various stakeholders and will emphasize value‐based perspectives for leading healthcare systems in an increasingly complex environment. The School of Public Health’s competency with inter‐professional education will give students a broad understanding of the issues facing health care, and allow them to consider multiple healthcare perspectives in addressing those problems. As students progress through the program with their cohort, they will learn from the prior experience of their peers, and build relationships with other healthcare professionals. Classes will be delivered using a blended approach, using both in class and distance modalities giving students the flexibility to engage in learning while continuing to work. Courses will focus on traditional management and leadership education, with specific application to the healthcare industry.
2. Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Code
Recommend the University’s preferred six-digit CIP code for this program.
(51.2211) Health Services Administration ‐ A program that focuses on the application of policy analysis, public administration, business management, and communications to the planning and management of health services delivery systems in the public and private sectors, and prepares individuals to function as health services administrators and managers. Includes instruction in health systems planning, public health organization and management, public health policy formulation and analysis, finance, business
Approved November 19, 2010
Part 1 [Page 2 of 41 ]and operations management, economics of health care, organizational and health communications, marketing, human resources management, and public health law and regulations.
3. Enrollment and Degree Projections for the First and Fifth Years of the Program
In the Excel table below, summarize enrollment and degrees conferred projections for the program for the first and the fifth years of operation. If possible, indicate the number of full-time and part-time students to be enrolled each fall term in the notes section. If it is not possible to provide fall enrollments or fall enrollments are not applicable to this program, please indicate so and give a short explanation. The degree projections should encompass the fiscal year as reported to the IBHE.
Table 1
STUDENT ENROLLMENTAND DEGREE PROJECTIONS FOR THE PROPOSED PROGRAM
Year One
5th Year (or when fully implemented) Number of Program Majors (Fall
Headcount) 10 50
Annual Full-time-Equivalent Majors (Fiscal
Year) 10 50
Annual Number of Degrees Awarded 0 25
Students are to be enrolled in a cohort. To facilitate continuity in the cohort model, all students will be enrolled full‐time.
4. Background
Briefly describe the historical and institutional context of the program’s development. Include a short summary of any existing program(s) upon which this program will be built and of any existing administrative unit(s) and program(s) that will share resources with this program. (Note: Student and occupational demand for the program is addressed in #6, below.)
The School of Public Health currently offers a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration (MHA) for individuals hoping to advance their careers in the administrative domain of healthcare management. Students who have applied to this program in the past have tended to fall into three broad categories: 1) applicants who applied to the program straight from their undergraduate program; 2) applicants who have had some experience working in junior level administrative positions, but wish to progress into more senior positions; and 3) applicants who have clinical terminal degrees and wish to advance their careers into departmental management. In the past, these three groups had been admitted into the same program. However, we believe that each group has its own set of competencies and constraints, which warrants consideration of new programs to accommodate the specific needs of each group.
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Part 1 [Page 3 of 41 ] The most significant difference appears to be for group three—individuals in relatively senior clinical positions who have limited administrative experience. Applicants with a clinical background have extensive training in a specific aspect of the provision of health care. Their clinician commitment to healthcare leads them to perceive the world through the lens of treatment benefitting “a patient”. In the new role they seek, it is critical that they learn to shift their perspective to seek community, organization, and group benefit through the delivery of healthcare services. As they transition into an administrative role, though, they will need additional education in leadership, as well as core business functions and inter‐professional collaboration to give them a broader understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing health care. We expect graduates of this program will assume “bridge spanning” roles in their health care delivery organizations by combining continued clinical practice with executive responsibilities. This combined role and the attendant joint clinical and administrative perspective is critically important to innovative and effective future directions of the health care system. Additionally, in seeking further education, these professionals may be more constrained than individuals in the other two groups, by the demands of their jobs. Due to the unique clinical competencies of this group, and the time constraints that exist as a function of their work, we propose the Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare Administration (CEMHA) program for this third group. This program, offered through the School of Public Health, is a good fit for healthcare professionals because of its overall philosophy emphasizing values and population‐based management. We will build on UIC’s unique competencies in inter‐professional education and distance learning to provide relevant instruction and flexibility for our students. We will also recruit highly recognized professionals from UIC and other Chicago organizations, with clinical and managerial experience to deliver specific content through lectures and to teach classes on topics with which they have content expertise, so that students can learn from their experience. 5. MissionIllinois Administrative Code: 1050.30(a)(1): A) The objectives of the unit of instruction,
research or public service are consistent with the mission of the college or university; B) The objectives of the unit of instruction, research or public service are consistent with what the unit title implies.
Briefly describe how this program will support the University’s mission, focus, and/or current priorities. Demonstrate the program’s consistency with and centrality to that mission.
One aspect of UIC’s mission is “to train professionals in a wide range of public service disciplines, serving Illinois as the principal educator of health science professionals and as a major healthcare provider to underserved communities.” As the healthcare system in the United States continues to grow, clinician managers who can effectively provide strategic direction in these organizations will be needed as healthcare organizations work to deliver high quality care at a reasonable cost.
Approved November 19, 2010
Part 1 [Page 4 of 41 ] As we will document below, the healthcare sector is a large employer in Illinois. Chicago supports a large and dynamic healthcare sector, including a number of hospitals, variety of insurance plans, and several physician groups located in large urban areas. In 2013, 721,100 people were employed in the health services sector in Illinois, 12% of the entire workforce (BLS, 2013). In addition, the Affordable Care Act is expected to increase demand for healthcare services—the number of eligible Medicaid recipients in Illinois is expected to rise 25.8% by 2019 (according to Kaiser’s State Health Facts website: statehealthfacts.org). To manage this new growth, healthcare organizations will need to train employees with clinical skills to manage the strategic aspects of their organizations. At the same time, national policy is emphasizing the need for quality care. As the healthcare system evolves, a national emphasis on demonstrable Community Benefit and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) will lead healthcare organizations to become increasingly responsible for addressing the varied needs of the populations they serve. This population‐based philosophy is integrated throughout the CEMHA program, and students will be trained to think of the population‐based implications of organizational policies and programs, in addition to the impact those policies will have on revenues and costs. More than ever before, healthcare organizations will need effective executives who can combine a clinical understanding of both the values associated with health care delivery and the implications of their decision to the larger population with general management skills. Consistent with this mission, the CEMHA program will train senior level health science professionals to address the challenges facing health care in the United States.6. Need for the Program and Future Employment and Additional Educational Opportunities for Graduates
Illinois Administrative Code: 1050.30(a)(6): A) The unit of instruction, research or public
service is educationally and economically justified based on the educational priorities and needs of the citizens of Illinois.
Explain how the program will meet the needs of regional and state employers, including any state agencies, industries, research centers, or other educational institutions that expressly encouraged the program’s development. (If letters of support are available, include them in the appendix as an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) document.)
Discuss projected future employment and or additional educational opportunities for graduates of this program. Compare estimated demand with the estimated supply of graduates from this program and existing similar programs in the state. Where appropriate, provide documentation by citing data from such sources as employer surveys, current labor market analyses, and future workforce projections. (Whenever possible, use state and national labor data, such as that from the Illinois Department of Employment Security at http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/ and/or the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics at http://www.bls.gov/).
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Part 1 [Page 5 of 41 ]Illinois healthcare is increasingly dominated by large integrated health systems, including hospitals, clinics, and large physician group practices. Collaborative leadership among hospital and clinic administrators and clinicians is essential for addressing the strategic challenges of health care delivery. The unique characteristics of care delivery in health care and the intimate service provided to each patient demand special insights that have few parallels in any other industry. However, the professional development of many healthcare professionals, including physicians and nurses, does not generally provide understanding of the management and population‐based perspective necessary for administration of an organization. The proposed CEMHA program provides educational resources and team‐based, inter‐professional experiences for emerging healthcare leaders. The effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of the health care delivery system depend upon the collaborative efforts and insights of clinicians and administrators. This program will produce professionals with both clinical and executive perspectives and competencies. A needs assessment was conducted with physician leaders and non‐clinician healthcare executives in the fall‐winter of 2011‐12. The needs assessment included analysis by the Continuing and Professional Education Learning Collaborative of the competitive landscape nationally for master’s degree programs designed to prepare clinician executives. The analysis indicated that there are only eight similar programs nationally and none in the Upper Midwest (two each in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and one each in California, Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas). Additionally a market survey was conducted through 24 intensive telephone interviews with individuals at a variety of levels in healthcare and related organizations including:
Senior operating executives including medical officers Medical directors and department chairs Hospitalists, practicing physicians, medical professionals and residents aspiring to management and leadership positions Hospital executives with responsibility for Finance and HR and a former Chief Learning Officer. Surveys of these individuals confirmed the need for executive education among healthcare professionals, including physicians. As the demand for health care services increases, due to changes in legislation and an aging population, there is a need for administrators who understand the clinical implications of providing care, but who can also balance the costs of providing care with the needs of patients. This program will train students to develop innovative strategies for improving the quality of health care while reducing health care costs. Additionally, employment in the health care sector in Illinois is expected to grow in the coming years. According to data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES.illinois.gov), health care in Illinois is projected to grow 13.2% over the next decade.
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Part 1 [Page 6 of 41 ] Nationally, employment in medical and health services management is expected to grow by 22% (BLS, 2013). Employment in 2010 Projected Employment in 2020Annual Growth Rate 2010‐2020 All Occupations 143,068,200 163,537,100 14.3% All Management Occupations 8,776,100 9,391,900 7.0% Health Care Practitioners and Technical Occupations (Federal) 7,799,300 9,819,000 25.9% Health Care Practitioners and Technical Occupations (Illinois) 334,885 379,014 13.2% Medical and Health Services Managers 303,000 371,000 22.0% The growing size of health care will require qualified clinician executives, who can understand the needs of different stakeholders within the organization and populations in the larger environment, and who can respond to the increasing complexity of health care. This will create opportunities for graduates of this program to advance in their organizations and to make important health care contributions in Illinois, or across the country.
7. Comparable Programs in Illinois
Illinois Administrative Code: 1050.30(a)(6): B) The unit of instruction, research or public
service meets a need that is not currently met by existing institutions and units of instruction, research or public service.
Identify similar programs and sponsoring institutions in the state, at both public and private colleges and universities. Compare the proposed program with these programs, and discuss its potential impact upon them.
For additional information about similar programs, check the Degree Program Inventory on the IBHE website (http://www.ibhe.org/BHEProgramInventory/default.htm) and review the Notice of
Intent website for programs being planned (http://www.ibhe.state.il.us/ODA/tracking/NOI/NOISearch.asp).
In Illinois, there are currently NO programs with the focus on executive‐level programs in health care administration designed for clinical practitioners who want to move into managerial roles, or find themselves taking on more managerial responsibilities.
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 2 [Page 7 of 41 ]
Somewhat comparable programs exist which explicitly examine business functions in a health care context at the Master’s‐level. They are of two basic types: 10 oriented towards training Baccalaureate trained nurses with a Master’s program in Nursing Administration and MHA programs (much like our existing one) that focus on students who typically have limited experience in the health care system. They include:
M.B.A. in Health Industry Management from Northwestern University—the caveat is that this program is for medical students pursuing both an M.D. and M.B.A. This program is not designed for practicing clinicians seeking to expand their managerial skills. M.S.N. and MBA in Nursing Administration from St. Xavier University M.S.N. in Health Services Management from Loyola University of Chicago (enroll. 44) M.S. in Nursing (Health Care & Nursing Administration) from Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville) (enroll. 22) M.S. in Health Systems Management from Rush University (enroll. 22) MBA in Healthcare Management from Loyola University Master of Health Administration from Governors State University
Ultimately, none of these programs are designed for students who already have extensive clinical experience and hold a doctoral degree in a clinical field. However, as we mention above, there is a need for such programs, which can supplement practicing clinicians’ knowledge with information about basic managerial functions. The CEMHA at UIC will be distinct from the existing MHA in that it will be directed at practicing clinicians who already have a clinical doctoral degree and extensive clinical experience. This is also different from dual‐Master’s programs like the M.D.‐M.B.A. program at Northwestern, which targets medical students pursuing an M.D. and allows them to pick up an additional degree in a shorter amount of time. It is possible that in the past, some clinician‐executives may have applied to the other Master’s programs around the state. As we mention in the background section, the MHA program at UIC receives applications from three groups of students, including our proposed clinician‐executives. The CEMHA program is unique in that it is designed for clinicians, who already have experience with the clinical aspects of healthcare, but who want to improve their understanding of the administrative aspects of managing healthcare systems.
Second, our program is inter‐professional—targeting many types of health care professionals, beyond physicians alone. This is distinct from the nursing administration degree programs and the MD‐MBA at Northwestern. The emphasis on inter‐professional education will ensure that our clinician‐executives receive a multi‐faceted understanding of the assumptions underlying the concerns of various stakeholders in the health system. When working in teams to solve problems, this inter‐professional perspective will also lead to nuanced solutions that consider multiple points‐of‐view.
Third, our program will be a hybrid program. While the M.D.‐M.B.A. at Northwestern and the MHA program at UIC are both completed on‐site, our CEMHA courses will be conducted both on‐site and online. Clinician‐executives are balancing their work load with school, and may not have regular weekly periods of time to attend classes. Offering online courses allows them
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 2 [Page 8 of 41 ] some flexibility to complete their work on their own time, an important feature of the program intended to accommodate the schedules of practicing clinicians. The online courses will allow clinicians to cover the same material at a time that is convenient to them during the week, allowing them flexibility to balance the program with their work. Complementing the online delivery will be limited on‐site class sessions that will follow a full‐time mode (classes 8 hours a day) which facilitates the development of collegial cohorts as students get to know each other and their professors face‐to‐face. These onsite class sessions will occur in a combination of full week and weekend blocks at times scheduled eight times during the program. Although we expect student enrollment from throughout the country there seems to be a growing demand for this program in Chicago itself, so we do not expect these on‐site class sessions will hinder our enrollment. In fact, we believe that these on‐site class sessions will enhance interest in the program because of the opportunity for personal interactions with faculty and colleague students unlike complete online programs.
Fourth, the cohort model is an essential element of the program. In essence students will move through all their courses as colleagues with their peers. We are interested in helping students to build social connections with other health care leaders at similar stages in their careers. While some other programs take a cohort perspective, the CEMHA will again be a cohort exclusively of clinician‐executives. Thus, the CEMHA provides an additional resource, in terms of a network of people that the students can go to for support and/or advice, even after they have graduated from the program.
Finally, rather than being offered through a business school, our program will be offered through the School of Public Health, which will ensure that the program will emphasize on values‐based management and population‐ based health (as does the current MHA program). This perspective provides a useful change for clinicians. Doctors are taught to first, “do no harm,” a critical value for treating individual patients. With population health they will be exposed to a different approach to ethical values that emphasizes equity and justice and the need to weigh tradeoffs. Our program incorporates this approach as a critical aspect for an effective healthcare organization. Our Ethical Issues in Healthcare Management course will present clinician executives with scenarios that they are likely to experience in their jobs, and will provide frameworks for balancing the needs of the organization against the needs of the populations they serve. The Health Policy and Politics course will take a population‐based approach to managing the needs of a community, while considering the effects of the political environment, economic and social factors, and public opinion on the delivery and access of health care. Overall, this program will emphasize multiple stakeholders and value‐based perspectives for executives to consider while managing a healthcare organization in an increasingly complex environment.
The current UIC MHA program and other programs across the state do not specifically address graduate executive education for clinicians. As noted previously regarding needs assessment, only eight such programs exist nationally and none are in Illinois or the Upper Midwest. As health care continues to expand, there is a growing need for clinician‐executives who can develop new and innovative solutions for delivering health care effectively and efficiently. While our program may draw some students away from other programs in the state, we expect that we will also attract clinicians at later stages of their careers, who may not have planned to pursue health care administration or to go back to school at all.
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 9 of 41 ] 8. The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career Success
Illinois Administrative Code: 1050.30(a)(6): A) The unit of instruction, research or public
service is educationally and economically justified based on the educational priorities and needs of the citizens of Illinois
Demonstrate how the proposed program will support one or more goals of The Illinois Public
Agenda, the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Strategic Initiative. Each program does not have
to contribute to every goal, but it must contribute to at least one.
(For more information about each of the four goals of The Illinois Public Agenda, go to the IBHE website: http://www.ibhe.org/masterPlanning/materials/070109_PublicAgenda.pdf)
Goal 1. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT. – Increase educational attainment to match the
best-performing states.
Goal 2. COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY. – Ensure college affordability for students, families, and
taxpayers.
Goal 3. HIGH QUALITY CREDENTIALS TO MEET ECONOMIC DEMAND. - Increase the
number of high-quality post-secondary credentials to meet the demands of the economy and an increasingly global society.
Goal 4. INTEGRATION OF EDUCATIONAL, RESEARCH, & INNOVATION ASSETS. – Better
integrate Illinois’ educational, research, and innovation assets to meet economic needs of the state and its regions.
While we believe that this program will contribute to all four of the goals outlined above, we believe that the primary goal for the program will be Goal 3: to increase the number of high quality credentials to meet economic demand. As we mention above, the size of the health care industry is expanding, and there is increasing demand for health care managers who can operate in such a complex environment. Unfortunately, the State of Illinois has few comparable programs available to practicing clinicians who already have extensive training in their own clinical area, but wish to expand their understanding of their health care organization, or the health care industry, more broadly. In addition, while the clinical education they received taught them the skills they need to succeed in their clinical specialty, it may not have formally prepared them to supervise other employees, to build organizational strategy, or to understand economic or financial principles that affect organizational operations. Some of the students who will enter our program will probably have informally acquired some of these skills “on‐the‐ job.” The goal of this program is to help them to formalize the information, to build upon what they have already learned, and to help them to navigate best practices to allow them to become high‐quality clinician‐executives.
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 10 of 41 ] 9. Program Description and Requirements
Illinois Administrative Code: 1050.30(b)(1) [applicable only to new units of instruction]: A) The
caliber and content to the curriculum assure that the objectives of the unit of instruction will be achieved; B) The breadth and depth of the curriculum are consistent with what the title of the unit of instruction implies; C) The admission and graduation requirements for the unit of instruction are consistent with the stated objectives of the unit of instruction.
1050.30(b)(3): Appropriate steps shall be taken to assure that professional accreditation needed for licensure or entry into a profession as specified in the objectives of the unit of instruction is maintained or will be granted in a reasonable period of time.
1050.50 (a)(2)(C) Requirement for Programs in which State Licensure is Required for Employment in the Field: In the case of a program in which State licensure is required for employment in the field, a program can be found to be in good standing if the institution is able to provide evidence that program graduates are eligible to take the appropriate licensure examination and pass rates are maintained as specified in the objectives of the unit of instruction. If there is no such evidence, the institution shall report the program as flagged for review.
a. Admission Requirements
Provide a brief narrative description of the minimum admission requirements for this program. Where relevant, include information about licensure requirements, student background checks, GRE and TOEFL scores, and admission requirements for transfer students.
Admission Requirements In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements: Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare Administration Baccalaureate Degree Required. Advanced Graduate Professional Clinical Doctoral Degree Required (M.D., Pharm. D., DNP‐Doctor of Nursing Practice, or doctoral degree in other clinical disciplines; exceptions to the doctoral degree requirement may be made for clinical disciplines not characterized by a doctoral degree or for candidates with exceptionally extensive clinical experience). Work Experience Clinical practice experience characteristics and duration are very important criteria for admission. Admission requires a minimum of 5 years clinical practice experience following completion of graduate and postgraduate education and training working in a professional practice organization capacity. Experience in excess of five years will receive additional admission consideration at the discretion of the admissions committee and program director. Experience in a leadership or supervisory role in a healthcare organization is preferred. Tests Required All CEMHA applicants must have achieved the relevant licensure and certification for their clinical field Letters of Recommendation Three professional references required, preferably from those who know the applicant in a clinical and managerial professional capacity. Personal Statement Required; addressing the applicant’s goals for graduate study and career development. Qualified candidates will demonstrate prior success and
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 11 of 41 ] professional experience in a clinical role in a healthcare system as well as evidence of leadership potential.
b. Program Description
Provide a description of the proposed program and its curriculum, including a list of the required core courses and short (“catalog”) descriptions of each one. (This list should identify all courses newly developed for the program. The learning objectives on which the curriculum is based are discussed in Section 10)
This section also should discuss:
The unique qualities of this program
Its delivery method (face-to-face, online, hybrid, etc.)
Its curriculum’s alignment with national standards (if applicable)
The School of Public Health (SPH) offers a two‐ year graduate program composed of 48 semester hours leading to the Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare Administration (CEMHA). The Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare Administration is a program designed for professionals with extensive clinical experience who would like to pursue upper‐level management careers in health services organizations such as hospitals, community‐based ambulatory care centers, managed‐care plans, the health supply chain, physician group practices, and long‐term care providers. Students enter the program with a cohort of other healthcare professionals, allowing them to build relationships and to gain insight from a diverse range of inter‐professional experience. Our intent is that these cohorts would remain intact until graduation although personal or professional contingencies may force some students to leave their cohort and follow a more individualized schedule. We expect that this will be the exception. Clinicians are trained to provide high quality care to individual patients, but this training does not prepare them with the management and population‐based perspective necessary for administration of health care organizations. In fact the development of a clinician emphasizes skills and attitudes almost opposite to the education of an organizational executive as illustrated in the following table. Clinician
Executive
Today‐Oriented Tactical, Short‐Term Future‐Oriented, Strategic, Long Term
Reactive
Proactive Decider
Delegator Autonomous‐ Independent Collaborative‐ Participative
Patient Advocate
Organization Advocate Professional Identification
Organizational Identification
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 12 of 41 ] Our overall goal is to enable our students to integrate these two perspectives to enable them to serve as effective bridges between these two world‐views. This bridging will be increasingly essential for the US health care system as the ACA is implemented. Students will benefit from the rigorous educational curriculum that combines competence in management with an in‐depth knowledge of the healthcare sector and of the management issues it faces. Required core courses emphasize financial management, strategic management, leadership, quantitative decision making, informatics, and health policy. The capstone associated with the program will build practical experience through a team‐based project which addresses an inter‐professional issue in an organization. These courses will follow a hybrid structure, combining online and face‐to‐face instruction. This combination provides students with the face to face experience which enhances personal interactions between faculty and students and between students with the flexibility of the distance (mostly synchronous as well as some asynchronous mode). Students will mostly be able to continue with their work although their supervisors would have to agree to scheduled week‐long absences for the face to face components.
The UIC Clinician Executive Master in Healthcare Administration (CEMHA) program is available to experienced clinicians to enhance their organizational knowledge and leadership abilities so that they can apply their clinical skills to careers in healthcare management. It is intended to be engaged through a hybrid distance learning model (to provide flexibility and continuity) with brief periods of on‐site instruction (to provide intensity and cohort building). The CEMHA will be pursued through a series of modules, each consisting of a few classes examining important aspects of healthcare management (e.g., Strategic Management; Financial Management; Organizational Leadership; Health Policy; and Quantitative Analysis in Healthcare). There are a number of features that make this program unique from other programs offered at UIC.
All admitted students must have extensive experience working as practicing clinicians.
Coursework will focus on traditional management concepts, with specific applications in the healthcare industry.
A cohort approach will allow students to progress through their coursework with a single group of colleagues. This allows them to take full advantage of the prior experience of their peers and increases the value of interaction, both during the program and in career paths following graduation.
The capstone course will allow students to gain practical experience as they develop solutions for complex problems facing the healthcare organizations in which they currently work, under the guidance of an executive mentor, preferably one assigned by their organization, but one assigned by program leadership otherwise. Students will work in teams to address an issue that exists in a healthcare system. They will systematically analyze the issue, develop solutions, and implement a plan to improve system outcomes or processes.
Students will spend the equivalent of two weeks on campus each semester (i.e., Fall, Spring, and/or Summer). Students will also spend 2 days on campus for orientation at the beginning of
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 13 of 41 ] the program, and four additional days on campus at the end of the program, for the capstone presentations. This is an important issue. The cohort value is much enhanced by intensive time on campus. The CEMHA program will build upon several existing courses in the MHA program although each course will be delivered separately from the existing course both because of major differences in distance format as well as additional faculty in some cases and variation in content. There are three new courses in the CEMHA program that do not exist in the MHA program and five courses required in the MHA program do not exist in the CEMHA program. These differences are planned specifically because of the admission requirements of the CEMHA program which require a doctoral level terminal clinical degree and extensive clinical experience, with pre‐ existing knowledge about health care delivery. Additionally, because of the CEMHA students’ previous academic and professional experience, some courses required for the traditional MHA program are not optimal for the CEMHA program. Finally, the anticipated future leadership roles of the CEMHA graduates will be substantially different from the MHA graduates’ future roles, although complementary and collegial. In fact it is the need for a “bridge spanning” role between the clinician professionals and administrative professionals in healthcare delivery organizations that the CEMHA program is specifically designed to address. The MHA biostatistics course is not required because CEMHA students have previously experienced graduate biostatistics in their doctoral programs and clinical practice. Accounting and Finance content will also differ in keeping with the role differences between health care finance executive’s and clinician executives’ roles. And the Preceptorship and Special Topics courses do not match the experience and needs of the CEMHA students. Finally, the relevant content for HPA 525 Population‐based Program Planning will be subsumed in the new Policy course –HPA 437—(the ACA’s emphasis on population health) and Ethics course—HPA 404— (the ethical tradeoffs between resources and patient needs). The pre‐existing academic and professional experience and credentials of the CEMHA students necessitates a substantially different level and focus of the coursework. The following courses are designated where appropriate with the existing MHA course numbers except for those courses that are entirely new (indicated as “NEW COURSE”). However it is understood that the courses will have different delivery methods as well as content differences, but nonetheless will derive from existing courses and in many cases will be taught by the same faculty. Prerequisite for each course will be: Admission to CEMHA Program and consent of the instructor. The following course schedule is preliminary and illustrative at this time: Year 1 Summer‐Fall HPA 410 Healthcare Organizational Leadership. 3 hours. Examines the roles, responsibilities, and impact of leaders of organizations in the health industry. Critical structures and techniques of effective organizational leaders are taught. HPA 403 U.S. Healthcare System. 3 hours. Overview of the U.S. healthcare system, including its evolution, utilization patterns, providers ‐ human, institutional and organizational ‐ financing, regulating, evaluating, and reforming.
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 14 of 41 ] HPA 437 Health Policy and Politics (NEW COURSE) 3 hours. Examines the process of developing health policy and for considering the needs of specific populations. This course considers the effects of the political environment, as well as economic and social factors, interest groups and social movements, and media and public opinion on the way health policy is created and implemented. Students will discuss current issues regarding health care delivery and access, including an in‐depth understanding of the Affordable Care Act. The course will also consider the relationship between healthcare organizations and public health policy. Year 1—Winter‐Spring HPA 494 Healthcare Human Resources Management 3 hours. This course will ask students to think strategically about how to manage their human resources. It will cover fundamental concepts such as recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, training and development, and appraisal of staff. It will also examine components of labor law, collective bargaining, and labor relations. Students will learn how to develop their human resources to support the mission of their organization. HPA 404 Ethical Issues in Healthcare Policy and Management (NEW COURSE) 3 hours. Introduces students to key ethical frameworks faced by healthcare managers. Students will be asked to consider the overlap and distinctions between public health and medical ethics, and to consider ethical dilemmas in several domains, including: resource allocation and access to health care, privacy in medical informatics, patient choice in clinical care, and research ethics. HPA 434 Law and the Healthcare System 3 hours. Survey of legal topics important to the management of healthcare organizations. They include: relationships among the parties involved in the delivery of healthcare and the law of business organizations. HPA 417 Quality Management in Health Services 3 hours. Surveys development of quality management and theoretical basics and diverse perspectives of quality management and regulation. Presents relevant research and management methodologies. Year 2—Summer‐Fall HPA 451 Healthcare Finance 3 hours. Examines practical aspects of finance in health care and recent developments in financial management of healthcare organizations, and applications of financial management techniques to specific problems facing healthcare managers. HPA 463 Managerial Health Economics 3 hours. Uses managerial economics to study healthcare system: demand for medical services; role of health insurance; productivity/cost measurement; labor markets and competition.
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 15 of 41 ] HPA 470 Quantitative Methods for Healthcare Managers 2 hours. Builds on basic statistical skills, teaching other quantitative methods within the context of specific decision‐making issues encountered by healthcare managers and leaders. EPID 400 Epidemiology 3 hours. Epidemiologic methods and emphasis on content addressing delivery, rationale, and cost benefit/cost effectiveness analysis of population‐based health promotion and disease prevention as well as critical analysis of medical literature and related biostatistics principles. Year 2—Winter‐Spring HPA 465 Health Information and Decision Support Systems 4 hours. Provides a framework for analyzing an organization’s information needs and implementing information technology (IT) policies. Topics include: privacy, usability, interoperability, and challenges of implementation. This course will discuss the set of health information technologies available to health systems, and addresses the opportunities and challenges of implementing them to generate value to consumers, by increasing quality, safety and efficiency, and to the organization, by reducing costs or increasing demand. HPA 441 Strategic Management of Healthcare Organizations 3 hours. Strategic management emphasizes the conceptual and technical considerations of planning and implementing the organization’s future direction. Topics include: the organization’s mission, vision, and values; the internal and external environments; plans for implementing organizational strategies; and an application of the material learned throughout the program. Students will learn a number of tools to analyze the organization’s strategy, and to manage the goals, strategy, and structure of healthcare organizations. Case studies will be used to reinforce the concepts. HPA 551 Marketing of Healthcare Organizations 3 hours. —This course will emphasize market research and the application of marketing strategies in healthcare organizations. Students will learn about marketing planning and strategy, market segmentation and positioning, new product development in health systems, and decisions about distribution, pricing, and promotion of health services. Coursework Continuing Throughout the Two Year CEMHA Program Independent Study Special Topics (select 2 of the following, which are completed at any time during the program by registering for “Independent Study, Course.” 3 hours. Population Health Evaluation Community‐Based Health Needs Assessment Long‐term care Managed care Practice Management Pharmaceutical and medical device industries Healthcare entrepreneurship Healthcare Innovation
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 16 of 41 ] Environmental health sciences Global health HPA 496 Capstone Course 3 hours. —Group based course The capstone leads students to identify and select an important organizational challenge or opportunity to be “worked‐up” within the framework of the CEMHA problem‐solving process. As the students progress through the curriculum, they apply the skills and concepts they have acquired to their final project report and presentation. Usually the project will be selected for its relevance to a problem in the healthcare delivery organization in which the student works. The Capstone Course will continue throughout the two years of the CEMHA program. c. Graduation Requirements
Provide a brief narrative description of all graduation requirements, including, but not limited to, credit hour requirements, and, where relevant, requirements for internship, practicum, or clinical. For a graduate program, summarize information about the requirements for completion of the thesis or dissertation, including the thesis committees, and the final defense of the thesis or dissertation. If a thesis or dissertation is not required in a graduate program, explain how the functional equivalent is achieved.
Degree Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the
following program requirements:
Clinician Executive Master of Healthcare Administration
Minimum Semester Hours Required 48 Course Work Required Courses: HPA 410 Healthcare Organizational Leadership (Healthcare Management) (3 credit hours) HPA 403 U.S. Healthcare System (3 credit hours) HPA 437 Health Policy and Politics (3 credit hours) HPA 494 Healthcare Human Resources Management (3 credit hours) HPA 404 Ethical Issues in Healthcare Policy and Management (3 credit hours) HPA 434 Law and the Healthcare System (3 credit hours) HPA 417 Quality Management in Health Services (3 credit hours) HPA 451 Healthcare Finance (3 credit hours) HPA 463 Managerial Health Economics (3 credit hours) HPA 470 Quantitative Methods for Healthcare Managers (2 credit hours) EPID 400 Epidemiology (3 credit hours) HPA 465 Health Information and Decision Support Systems (4 credit hours) HPA 441 Strategic Management of Healthcare Organizations (3 credit hours) HPA 551 Strategic Planning and Marketing (3 credit hours) HPA 496 Capstone Project—Individual or group‐based project (3 credit hours)Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 17 of 41 ] HPA 490 Independent Study Course (each group selects two special issue topic, which could include, but not limited to, the following) (3 credit hours) o Long‐term care o Managed care o Practice Management o Pharmaceutical and medical device industries o Healthcare entrepreneurship o Healthcare Innovation o Environmental health sciences o Global health Enrichment Experiences Orientation‐‐Team Building Activity HPA 490 Lecture Series Inter‐professional education day Comprehensive Examination None. Thesis, Project, or Course‐Work‐Only Options A team‐based capstone course which addresses an inter‐professional issue in an organization is required. No other options are available. Other Requirements Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 in the program, in accordance with the Graduate School requirements. Each student must complete a capstone project (HPA) and present it to HPA faculty and representatives from the organization. Credit will be granted for completion of the tasks in the published capstone syllabus, and submission of an acceptable paper, presentation, and set of deliverables that is the primary academic product of the CEMHA Capstone.
d. Specialized Program Accreditation
Describe the institution’s plan for seeking specialized accreditation for this program. Indicate if there is no specialized accreditation for this program or if it is not applicable.
The MHA program is currently CAHME accredited. We have designed this program with CAHME in mind and will pursue CAHME accreditation for the CEMHA program. The program will also pursue CEPH accreditation.
e. Licensure or Certification for Graduates of the Program
If this program prepares graduates for entry into a career or profession that is regulated by the State of Illinois, describe how it is aligned with or meets licensure, certification, and/or entitlement requirements.
Not applicable
10. Plan to Assess and Improve Student Learning
Illinois Administrative Code: 1050.30(b)(1)(D) Provision is made for guidance and counseling of
students, evaluations of student performance, continuous monitoring of progress of students toward their degree objectives and appropriate academic record keeping.
Approved November 19, 2010 Part 3 [Page 18 of 41 ] a. List the program’s student learning objectives.
Each objective should identify what students are expected to know and/or be able to do upon completing this program.
We expect our students to leave the program with a range of analytical and conceptual tools for thinking about issues in health care, but it is the ability to combine the clinician and management perspectives that is the most important goal aspect of our program. Our primary focus is on the application of these tools to the types of issues that they are likely to face as clinician executives in collaboration with administrators. Since our students will already have obtained a terminal clinical degree, and will likely have some experience with leadership, we will measure success in the following five categories of learning objectives: 1‐Clinical Leadership in the Community, 2‐Clinical Leadership in the Healthcare Organization, 3‐Strategic Thinking from a Clinical Perspective, 4‐Management of Clinical Operations, 5‐Critical Thinking. Clinical Leadership in the Community: Achieve mastery of how to plan and develop programs that respond to the healthcare needs of a community and also advance organizational mission as clinicians and executives in healthcare. Analyze the specific clinical health needs of the community and respond with specific program development and implementation to effectively meet the needs. Understand the socio‐cultural issues affecting the health of the target population and impact health policy to improve health status. Develop partnerships between public and private healthcare organizations to improve the accessibility and quality of community healthcare programs. Address core ethical precepts of their organization and the conflicts that may arise and create a strategy for addressing those potential conflicts in an open, constructive and honest way. Clinical Leadership in the Healthcare Organization: Demonstrate the ability to organize, manage, and continuously improve requirements of various levels of clinical delivery systems. Identify and act on the strengths and weaknesses of an organization in its delivery of clinical services to create continuous momentum for improvement. Take initiative in creating effective solutions to the interface of clinical services of the healthcare organization and community needs. Relate to the variety of clinical healthcare professionals in various healthcare organizations in order to build collaboration. Communicate clearly with community leaders and constituents to bring about desired changes in clinical services. Develop effective working relationships with medical staff, board members and other organizational leaders and translate the varying perspectives of clinicians, non‐clinician administrators, and board members to enhance collaboration on improving patient care throughout the organization.
