CAHME to Accredit Fully Online Programs

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by freddyboy, May 24, 2015.

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  1. freddyboy

    freddyboy Member

    The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) began to accept applications for accreditation of fully online Master of Health Administration programs and MBA-HCAs in January of 2015.

    This is a significant change in their previous position regarding the acceptance of fully online programs. It's essentially a full reversal of their previous view of online instruction and an acceptance in the efficacy of the distance learning modalities as equivalent to face to face instruction.

    It will require 120 hours of synchronous online learning time as well in field activity (such as ACHE involvement). Programs must be Regionally accredited to apply. I'm sure it will also include a practicum of sorts, but nevertheless, this is a big time deal for those of us in graduate level distance learning MHA programs.

    Part of the rationale for this change in policy is that other professional bodies, such as AACSB accredit fully online programs.

    http://cahme.org/CAHME/Students/FAQ/CAHME/Students/FAQ.aspx?hkey=993cb433-ee16-4273-9b61-a975521c4ca9
     
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    sO, the CAHME is trhe Commission on Accrteditation of Healthcare Management Education accredits degrees in the healthcare management education?
     
  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    I did not know that the discipline of Health Carev Management had its own accreditor aside from SA, RA, NA, AACSB, ACBSP, OR IACBE.
     
  4. freddyboy

    freddyboy Member


    Yes, absolutely. CAHME is to Healthcare Administration programs what AACSB is to Business schools. It is the platinum standard.
    Many hospitals require Master's degrees from CAHME programs for entry into their Administrative Fellowships, and it's an advantage when applying for fellowships that don't require it. The Administrative Fellowships are what gets you in the door of hospital administration.

    What is most interesting from the distance learning perspective is that any online regionally accredited MHA program can apply, and as long as the school has enough resources committed to it and meet guidelines, they may very well eventually be able to obtain CAHME.

    I've reviewed some of the guidelines, and in my opinion it would appear that some of the larger for-profit RA schools with substantial resources ( such as a Kaplan, Phoenix et al), oversight, faculty, etc., may be able to obtain CAHME. It may make the "for profit" issue a non-issue. Universities that have experience and resources to carry out synchronous/televideo instruction as well as in setting up clinical practicum sites will have an advantage. For the record, I'm attending a Catholic B/M university with RA that happens to have a strong online MHA program.
     

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