The University of Alabama at Birmingham Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA) program has been chosen as a recipient of the 2018 CAHME/Cerner Award for Excellence in Healthcare Management Systems Education. The annual award delivered by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education , the premier accreditator in their field, in partnership with Cerner, one of the nation’s leaders in health care technology, recognizes outstanding education in the use of information technology and management systems in healthcare.
“We are honored by this award, especially because it recognizes how we integrate the important areas of leadership and health informatics in our graduate programs at UAB,” said Christy Harris Lemak, Ph.D., chair, Department of Health Services Administration. “It also highlights the ways we work closely with the UAB Health System and our many alumni partners in the field to develop future leaders.”
The MSHA program, ranked second in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report, is the highest ranked program at UAB and is located in the School of Health Professions’ Department of Health Services Administration.
“We are pleased that CAHME and Cerner have selected our program for this honor,” said Amy Y. Landry, Ph.D., Howard W. Houser Endowed Professor in Health Administration and program director, MSHA program. “It is truly a reflection of the hard work of our faculty, the excellence of our students, and the accomplishments of our alumni.”
The UAB MSHA program is only the third program to win the prestigious national award. It was chosen as the CAHME/Cerner Award winner because of the unique learning opportunities students are afforded. Students learn outside the classroom in their part-time jobs at UAB Health System, in simulation experiences, case studies, administrative internships, and administrative residency experiences.
Students also have the chance to earn a dual MSHA/Master of Science in Health Informatics. This combination allows students to integrate learning about health administration with curriculum focused either on data analytics or the user experience. The award will be presented at the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago on Sunday, March 25, 2018. On hand to accept the honor will be faculty, students and alumni of the UAB MSHA program.
“With the continued emphasis on health reform, my education at UAB has enabled me to address barriers to realizing the Triple Aim by stewarding organizational resources and focusing on the value provided to patients and communities,” said Luona Wang, MSHA/MSHI candidate. “UAB has awarded me unparalleled internship experiences that showed me how strategy and process improvement, when leveraged with informatics and benefit revenue cycle management.”
“Departmental and program leaders frequently rely on alumni to ensure that students are learning the most current information necessary to lead healthcare organizations,” said Mary F. Temm, DSc, president, Temm & Associates, Inc. and UAB’s Graduate Program Alumni Board President. “This has resulted in innovation within the MSHA curriculum, and it has contributed to the development of new educational offerings in the areas of health information technology and patient safety and quality.”
The CAHME/Cerner Award comes with scholarship funding to the program that will be used to further MSHA students’ first-hand experiences and education in health care. The national honor was also recognized in Modern Healthcare, the healthcare industry’s top source for news about business, policy, research and information.
To read UAB’s award application, please click here.
