Professional Organizations
We highly encourage students to become paying (student) members of professional organizations that are pertinent to the field of healthcare management. The following is not an all-inclusive list: but just few of the many professional organizations that can assist with a career in healthcare administration.
Students are encouraged to participate in professional organizations as much as possible. Being an active participant in professional organizations gives students the chance to network with individuals currently working in the field who can provide a wealth of knowledge that only comes from first-hand experience. Upcoming meetings will be posted in the building as well as announced via email & TRACS for those interested in attending.
The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) is an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE offers its prestigious FACHE® credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management. ACHE's established network of more than 80 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level. In addition, ACHE is known for its magazine, Healthcare Executive, and its career development and public policy programs. Through such efforts, ACHE works toward its goal of being the premier professional society for healthcare executives dedicated to improving healthcare delivery. The Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives was established to further advance healthcare management excellence through education and research. The Foundation of ACHE is known for its educational programs—including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 4,500 participants—and groundbreaking research. Its publishing division, Health Administration Press, is one of the largest publishers of books and journals on health services management including textbooks for college and university courses.
Healthcare Financial Management Association
HFMA is the nation's leading membership organization for healthcare financial management executives and leaders. More than 37,000 members—ranging from CFOs to controllers to accountants—consider HFMA a respected thought leader on top trends and issues facing the healthcare industry. HFMA members can be found in all areas of the healthcare system, including hospitals, managed care organizations, physician practices, accounting firms, and insurance companies.
MGMA-ACMPE is the premier membership association for professional administrators and leaders of medical group practices. In 2011, members of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), and its standard-setting body, the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) voted to merge to form a new association, MGMA-ACMPE. Since 1926, the Association has delivered networking, professional education and resources and political advocacy for medical practice management. The Association started as a small network of clinic managers, called the National Association of Clinic Managers, which met for the first time in Madison, Wis., in 1926. The name was changed to the Medical Group Management Association in 1963 to reflect the diverse management roles found in group practice.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is the national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. Close to 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 40,000 individual members come together to form the AHA.
AHA ensures that members' perspectives and needs are heard and addressed in national health policy development, legislative and regulatory debates, and judicial matters. Advocacy efforts include the legislative and executive branches and include the legislative and regulatory arenas.
Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.
Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.
For more information, visit the HIMSS website: www.himss.org
Texas Hospital Association
Texas hospitals and the 365,000 health care professionals they employ share one overarching mission: to make quality, compassionate, affordable health care accessible to all Texans. THA’s experienced team has earned a reputation among Texas hospitals as the go-to resource and thought leader in hospital-related education, advocacy and issues.
Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals
An organization of rural and community hospitals, corporations, and interested individuals working together to address the special needs and issues of rural and community hospitals, staff, and patients they serve.
As the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH) rounds the corner to two decades of service to rural hospitals in Texas, they continue to take aim at challenges both old and new. To a large degree, the struggle for rural hospitals has been to survive the rigors of increasing costs and decreasing reimbursements.
Association of University Programs in Health Administration
This organization does not offer paid memberships available to students. The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) is a global network of colleges, universities, faculty, individuals, and organizations dedicated to improving health by promoting excellence in healthcare management education. AUPHA fosters excellence and innovation in healthcare management education, research and practice by providing opportunities for member programs to learn from each other, by influencing practice, and by promoting the value of healthcare management education. It is the only non-profit entity of its kind that works to improve the delivery of health services - and thus the health of citizens - throughout the world by educating professional managers at the entry level.
AUPHA's membership includes the premier Baccalaureate and Master's degree programs in healthcare management/health administration education in the United States and Canada. Its faculty and individual members represent more than 500 colleges and universities. In addition, a large number of health care institutions, hospitals and other health services delivery organizations and associations worldwide participate in, and benefit from, the network and services of AUPHA.
This organization does not offer paid memberships available to students. The Commission on Accreditation Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) is an interdisciplinary group of educational, professional, clinical, and commercial organizations that is devoted to accountability and quality improvement of education for healthcare management and administration professionals. CAHME serves the public by promoting, evaluating, and improving the quality of graduate healthcare management education in the United States and Canada.
Students entering CAHME accredited programs are assured of appropriate content, high standards of quality, and membership in a network of professional colleagues that transcends boundaries of universities and professional associations and colleges. With a strong partnership between academe and the field of practice, CAHME serves universities and programs in a voluntary peer review process designed to continuously improve academic education. CAHME accreditation establishes the standard of measurement for the world community.
ACHCA is a non-profit professional membership association dedicated to administrative leadership and excellence in post-acute and aging services care across the spectrum of health care services. We offer professional certification, career development opportunities, ongoing education and networking opportunities to our members. For more information about ACHCA, visit their website.