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Building the Body of Knowledge

By Lydia S. Middleton, MBA, CAE posted 11-10-2011 12:27

  
Among the three strategic initiatives that have been identified by the AUPHA Board for prioritization in the next three years is an effort that we have named "Defining the Field." This initiative will encompass several distinct areas of focus, the most immediate of which is the development of a Body of Knowledge for the field of healthcare management education.

Many fields have developed bodies of knowledge. The MGMA has a widely promulgated product that defines in great detail the body of knowledge for medical group management. AHIMA has developed a body of knowledge for the field of health information management. It is one of the responsibilities of an organization that represents a profession to define the scope of that profession, and that is frequently done through the definition of a body of knowledge and the setting of standards that demonstrate the extent to which individuals or organizations possess that body of knowledge.

As our field continues to grow and expand, healthcare management programs are often required to define their scope and the body of knowledge that they will seek to impart to their students. In the past, this decision has been guided for the accredited graduate programs by the content requirements previously proscribed in the CAHME Standards. With the approval in June of the most recent revision of the CAHME standards, the content requirements have been eliminated in an effort to allow programs more freedom to define their own mission and more creatively meet the demands of their students and the marketplace.

This leaves the field without a clear definition of where the field of healthcare management begins and ends. At AUPHA we see the field as a broad spectrum ranging from programs focused on the delivery setting with a strong emphasis on public and community health. On the other end of the spectrum is the more entrepreneurial end of the healthcare industry, with programs focusing on preparing students for roles in consulting, biotech, pharma, device manufacturing, etc. I believe that all of these programs are producing students that will make vital contributions to the overall health system, and have a place in the AUPHA Community. 


In order to ensure that we can continue to define the field through the broad range of content frequently offered in our programs, AUPHA is setting about defining the body of knowledge provided in our programs to one degree or another. This will be a broad-ranging effort, just as our membership has broad range. And we welcome everyone who wishes to contribute to the effort to do so. This is a unique opportunity to define, or perhaps redefine, our field and we don't want to leave anything out!

As a first step to moving this agenda forward, AUPHA has engaged its fourteen faculty networks to begin the work of building the body of knowledge for their own content area. The expectation is that by March 31st each of the networks that have a relevant content area will have contributed a draft BOK. The list of content areas covered in this initial effort is below:

Cultural Competence & Diversity
Ethics in business and healthcare decision-making
Financial analysis and management
Global Healthcare Management
Governance
Health Policy
Healthcare Economics
Healthcare Financing/Insurance
Healthcare Law
Healthcare Marketing
Healthcare Organization
Human resources and health professional management
Information systems management and assessment
Leadership
Long-Term Care
Management / Operations of healthcare organizations,
Managerial Epidemiology
Medical Practice Management
Organizational development/organizational behavior theory
Population/community health
Quality assessment / Quality Improvement
Research Methodology
Statistical analysis and application to decision making
Strategic Management
US Healthcare System

The Networks that will be playing a role here are: Ethics, Finance/Economics/Insurance, Global Health, Health Policy, Long-Term Care, Management/Advancing Women in Management, Medical Group Management, Public Health, Diversity, Health Information Management, and Quality Improvement. 

If you are a member of any of these networks, I encourage you to get in touch with your Network Chair to find out how you can contribute. It could be as simple as sharing your syllabi and participating on a conference call. 

You will see that the list of networks above leaves out a sizable amount of content that we need to include in this effort. Such areas as law, marketing, entrepreneurialism, pharmaceutical and biotech, etc. will need to be added as the project proceeds. We are looking for faculty who may wish to contribute to the effort in these areas.

And I am surely missing content areas that need to be included so please let me know! We will be recognizing all contributors in all published materials, both in print and online. This is your opportunity to put your mark on the field in a way that will be significant for years to come.

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