Proposal for a New Certificate Program In

Proposal for a New Certificate Program in

Community Health Center Administration

1. The educational objectives of the program

The goal of this certificate program is to prepare a workforce of individuals to administer, lead and develop community health centers for North Carolina. The objectives of the program, to be offered by the Department of Public Health and the Department of Health Services and Information Management are: 1) provide a 15 credit hour curriculum specifically tailored to the unique challenges of creating and administering federally-qualified rural and urban community health centers; 2) offer the curriculum in a hybrid, DE, and face-to-face format; 3) market the program to existing and prospective administrators of community health centers; and, 4) provide a cohesive set of courses that will be part of a focus area in public health administration within the Master of Public Health program.

This certificate program has been developed in collaboration with the North Carolina Community Health Center Association and the North Carolina Office of Rural Health. The North Carolina Community Health Center Association requested the creation of this curriculum and provided financial support.

1. Admission and retention standards for successful completion of program

The certificate program is open to any individual with an earned baccalaureate degree and an interest in continuing or pursuing a professional career track in developing and/or administering community health centers.

Demand for the program is estimated to be on the order of 12 – 16 students per year based on discussions with the Executive Director of the North Carolina Community Health Center Association. A more specific estimate of demand within the state will be established by a survey of North Carolina center directors to be completed by the end of February 2010. Participation of Dr. Mansfield in the Leadership Development Institute of the National Association of Community Health Centers will provide linkages to regional and national markets.

Admission priority will be given to individuals employed in community health centers or enrolled in agraduate program related to community health center administration at an accredited university.

Admission will require:

a) an official transcript from the each school from which the individual received a bachelor’s or graduate degree;

b) a letter of recommendation from an individual familiar with the applicant’s work experience, achievements, and professional capabilities.

c) a resume; and,

d) a short essay (less than 500 words) describing the applicant’s professional goals and aspirations.

For individuals enrolled in a graduate program at an accredited university,documentation of enrollment and an official record of the individual’s academic progress at time of application to the certificate program may be submitted in lieu of transcripts.

Application deadlines are April 15 for fall or summer matriculation and October 15 for spring matriculation. Admission will be decided by a committee of three faculty appointed from the departments of Public Health and Health Services and Information Management.

Students must complete the course of study with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to be awarded the certificate in community health center administration.

Students enrolled in the certificate program who are not also enrolled in an ECU graduate program will not be eligible for graduate assistantships or financial aid. Students accepted into a graduate program at ECU may transfer no more than 9 credit hours. Requests for transfer of credits toward a graduate degree must be approved by individual graduate degree programs.

1. Proposed course sequence associated with the certificate, including titles and course descriptions for existing courses and new courses that may be developed

The certificate will require completion of 15 s.h. of graduate credit hours from the courses listed below.

Course Current Course Schedule

MPH 6200 Community Health Organization and LeadershipFall, Spring, Summer

*COHE 6100 Community Health Administration Fall, Spring

COHE 6600 Management of Health Care Operations Fall

COHE 6310, Health Care Accounting and Financial Administration Fall

HIMA 5060, Health Informatics Fall

*Also required ina recently revised MPA/HSIM certificate program in community health administration

**DE courses are indicated by italics for the term offered

Individuals who are not enrolled in a graduate program related to community health center administration orwho do not have significant work experience in a community health center are required to take COHE 6000, MPH 6000, or equivalent.

Course Descriptions

Existing Courses

COHE 6600. Management of Health Care Operations (3) P: COHE 6000. Focus on day to day operational aspects of managing health care organizations. Operational needs of various health care providers. Emphasis on legal, marketing, service, quality, and personnel issues.

COHE 6310. Health Care Accounting and Financial Administration (3). Application of the theories, principles and concepts of financial management and accounting to decision-making and accountability in health care organizations.

HIMA 5060. Health Informatics (3) P: Consent of instructor. Informatics in health care delivery systems with a focus on the clinical, public health, and consumer aspects.

COHE 6100. Community Health Administration (3).P: COHE 6000 or consent of instructor. Role and application of basic administrative theory and practice in health service institutions and agencies.

New course

MPH 6200 Community Health Organization and Leadership (3). Leadership, community organization, planning, advocacy, and communication skills for administration of community health centers and integrated health care systems.

The catalog copy for the certificate program;

To be attached

1. Statement of how the proposed course sequences associated with the certificate will meet the stated educational objectives.

The core curriculum is similar to the focus and sequence of core courses in many graduate health administration programs. All students will take five courses. Community Health Organization and Leadership (MPH6200) is a foundation course followed by Community Health Administration (COHE6100).Community Health Organization and Leadership will provide the context and essential conceptual framework for the Community Health Administration course, in which the specific challenges of managing the activities of community health centers will be addressed. The Health Informatics(HIMA 5410) course will provide students with an understanding of how data and technology of electronic health records are structured and employed to inform effective management ofthe delivery, quality and cost of services; essential concepts taught in Management of Health Care Operations(COHE 6600) and Health Care Accounting and Financial Administration (COHE 6310).

1. Statement of the need for the proposed program and the basis for such a need, supported by either externally or internally derived data.

North Carolina has an extensive array of rural and community health centers that have evolved from the mid-1970s. There are now 125 clinical sites operated by 27 community health centers (CHCs) providing care to over 400,000 patients. These centers serve as the focus of primary care and safety-net services in communities across the state. These clinics operating on fees, public funds, and grants are augmented by many rural health centers that could potentially become CHCs. Virtually all of these centers were created to serve populations designated as medically underserved. CHCs are here defined as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and FQHC look-a-likes. East Carolina University, working with the North Carolina Office of Rural Health in the 1970s and 80s assisted in developing many of the CHCs in the eastern region of the state; and with the growth of the medical school, nursing and allied health programs, ECU has supplied many of the doctors, nurses and other health personnel to provide clinical operations. The CHC component of North Carolina’s health care system has grown dramatically and recent federal policy has provided resources for many new community health centers to be started. Nationwide, the number of federally qualified health centers has increased from 750 to over 1,200 from 2001 to 2007. Expansion is expected to continue, creating a need for additional administrators at a time when many are reaching retirement. In addition to the need for additional personnel, there is also a need for new skills and abilities. Complexity has increased and new technologies have emerged requiring additional competencies for successful administration.

In spring 2009, the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHA) approached faculty at ECU to request that ECU develop a certificate program to provide training for the administrators necessary to operate these health centers. (see Attachment 1)Recognizing that ECU had faculty talents across disciplines and departments, and experience in previous collaborations to meet needs such as this one, the Department of Public Health (Brody School of Medicine) and the Department of Health Services and Information Management (College of Allied Health Sciences) responded to the request and received a grant of $50,000 from NCCHA to develop the curriculum.

We began by seeking advice from the practitioners who operate community health centers about what was needed in such a curriculum. Chris Mansfield, Professor in the Department of Public Health, conducted an executive interview with Benjamin Money, MPH, Chief Executive Officer of NCCHA about the competency areas perceived to be of highest importance. Dr. Mansfield also participated at Mr. Money’s request on a panel of faculty from other universities and state-level associations convened by National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to define competencies. This panel, called the Leadership Development Institute (LDI), is a network of faculty in health administration programs and practitioners to create model curricula. Members of that panel shared surveys that were used in other regions to develop curricula and the format of delivery of programs similar to the one being developed at ECU. The LDI envisions both local and nationally coordinated certificate programs for which it will develop competency standards, model curricula, and intensive short courses offered nationally. The creators of this “hub-and-spoke” model have provided ECU an opportunity to be spoke in the wheel without having to re-invent it.

With two surveys used in other regions as a beginning, we then conducted a literature review of competencies have been determined in other health administration programs. The literature review was done by a graduate student in the MPH program and will be part of the student’s professional paper which is an “Assessment of Demand and Curriculum Components Needed for Development of a Competency-Based Certificate Program in Community Health Center Administration.” Working with Professors Chris Mansfield and Elizabeth Layman, the student developed an inventory of competencies grouped in 6 domains. This inventory was reviewed by faculty in the Department of Health Services and Information Management for construct validity. It was then reviewed by Mr. Money and Mr. John Price, Director of the North Carolina Office of Rural Health for content and construct validity. The competencies were then listed in a survey to be ranked by CEOs and CFOs of CHCs in North Carolina. The survey was pilot tested with four CHC administrators, refined and then distributed as an internet-based assessment that asked CHC administrators to rank the importance of competencies and indicate how they preferred the program to be delivered.

The survey also asked about their preferences for program delivery, e.g. face to face versus DE, preferred times and days of scheduling, and whether their clinic facilities were available for DE instruction. (see Attachment 2).

1. Names of the faculty associated with or contributing to the certificate program, either by teaching one or more of the courses associated with the program or participating in the design of the course sequence.

Xiaoming Zeng, MD, PhD.HIMA 5060

Michael H. Kennedy, PhD. COHE6310

Tom Ross, PhD.COHE6310

Robert Kulesher, PhD.COHE 6600

Elizabeth B. Layman, PhD.COHE 6100

Paul D. Bell, PhD.COHE 6100

Chris Mansfield, PhD.MPH 6200, COHE 6100

1. Name and curriculum vita of the faculty member who will be designated as the coordinator of the program for purposes of communication with the Graduate School.

Chris Mansfield, Professor, Department of Public Health (CV is Attachment 3)

1. If the proposed graduate certificate program contains no new courses, no new faculty, no additional costs, and maintains the admissions and academic standing requirements of a related degree program, the proposal will be given expedited review in the approval process.

One new course will be developed for the certificate program – MPH 6200. No new faculty or additional resources are needed. The current faculty in the Departments of Health Services and Information Management and Public Health will teach the proposed courses. Affiliate faculty who are current or recently retired administrators of CHCs may be recruited to teach specialized topics.

1. The unit offering the certificate program must specify what professional license, if any, for which the certificate qualifies.

None

1. CIP code: 51.0701

Friday, February 12, 2010 1