CAHME is viable, reliable

Iam responding to Mark Lisa’s letter (May 7, p. 27) in which he stated: “I fail to see any extraordinary value of a degree from a (CAHME) accredited program.” I agree that a hiring decision is made based on many qualities, including a person’s education. Coming from a Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management program, or any other university program for that matter, does not guarantee success.

CAHME is a voluntary process that more than 80 programs have chosen to pursue. They do it because CAHME accreditation demonstrates that a faculty wants to continue to improve. CAHME accreditation requires that programs implement competency-based curricula developed by academia and leading healthcare practitioners.

This requires that students not only know the content, but are able to apply it post graduation.

CAHME program faculties are expected to implement rigorous assessment methods to ensure performance in critical areas that Lisa says are often lacking: “quantitative, verbal and written communication.”

CAHME requires that programs post on their website acceptance rates and graduation rates. This level of transparency allows prospective students to make more informed decisions.

CAHME accreditation is recognized by healthcare employers, and thus gives students from CAHME accredited schools a leg up in securing competitive fellowship opportunities. Graduation from a CAHME accredited program is recognized by many hospitals and healthcare organizations that recognize the value of CAHME’S approach, and they use it as a criterion in selecting fellows.

The students I meet when I visit CAHME programs are bright and enthusiastic about their prospects. CAHME has proven over 45 years it is a viable, reliable tool to help graduate healthcare management education be relevant. During the past five years, 35 major national associations and provider organizations have provided material support to CAHME because they believe CAHME challenges the academic community to educate students who will be called on to meet the needs of our complex healthcare environment.

John S. Lloyd President and CEO Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education

Arlington, Va.