CAHME Accreditation Fosters High Quality Professional Education
CAHME recognizes flexibility and innovation are essential to the design and development of curricula and course
formats which:
- Meet the diverse educational needs of all students, both full-time and part-time.
- Address the broad scope of career opportunities in the field of health services administration.
Each Program's mission, goals, and objectives serve as the basis upon which the Criteria are applied. The emphasis placed on various applications of health services administration will therefore depend upon the Program’s specific objectives.
Healthcare management is used as the single term to include:
- Health care administration
- Health services management
- Hospital or other health care organization-specific administration and management
- Health planning and evaluation
- Health policy and other related activities
Programs accredited by CAHME are housed in different settings within the university including:
- Schools of business
- Medicine, public health
- Public administration
- Allied health sciences and graduate studies.
A variety of degrees reflect the disciplinary focus of the program such as MA, MBA, MHA, MHSA, MPH, MS, and others.
All programs seeking CAHME accreditation are subject to the Criteria for Accreditation. Those standards embody the following Values:
- Maintain flexibility and adaptability while stimulating and promoting high standards that lead to excellence in education
- Be customer oriented, especially toward students and employers representing the many sectors of healthcare
- Recognize the diversity of institutions and programs offering graduate degrees in healthcare management
- Focus on purpose and results, not only structures or methods
- Support multiple models but insist on demonstration of meeting standards and established competencies
- Encourage exemplary performance through the documentation, communication and utilization of documented best and innovative practices in teaching, scholarship and service
Three key public stakeholders, in addition to students and employers have a vested interest in the accreditation:
United States Department of Education: The Secretary ensures accrediting agencies are reliable authorities in the quality of education or training offered by the institutions of higher education or the higher education programs they accredit.
Council on Higher Education Accreditation: Serves students and their families, colleges and universities, sponsoring bodies, governments, and employers by promoting academic quality through formal recognition of higher education accreditation bodies and coordinates and works to advance self-regulation through accreditation.
Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors: (ASPA) Represents the interests of the specialized and professional accreditation community to higher education and government. Sets standards through a "Code of Good Practice" for accreditors.
