In the Dec 2013 Issue

Open Hearing Scheduled

From the President

Happy Birthday CAAHEP!

A Tribute to a True Friend of CAAHEP

CAAHEP Sponsor Spotlight: ASE

Wanted: Recent Graduate Commissioner

CAAHEP Annual Meeting

Accreditation Actions

Open Hearing Scheduled

An Open Hearing on the proposed

Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Medical Illustration

is scheduled for Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 PM EST. The Open Hearing will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens, 3505 Kyoto Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410.

To view and comment on the proposed Standards, please visit the CAAHEP website.

CAAHEP Board Meeting Schedule

The CAAHEP Board of Directors takes accreditation actions six times per year (Jan., Mar., May, July, Sept., and Nov.). The following are the upcoming meeting dates:

Jan. 15-16, 2014
West Palm Beach, FL

Mar. 21, 2014

Conference Call

May 16, 2014

Conference Call

July 30-31, 2014
Charlotte, NC

CAAHEP Leadership Conference

For Committee on Accreditation Chairs, Staff, and Liaisons.

Jan. 17-18, 2014

West Palm Beach, Florida

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From the President

Cameron Harris,
RPSGT

Year-end is a good time to pause for reflection upon the accomplishments of the past and the challenges of the future. Looking back, CAAHEP had a busy year completing nearly 400 accreditation actions and starting or completing several projects to improve operations and support its committees on accreditation. Looking forward, CAAHEP's 20th year will pose challenges and opportunities created by external factors such as the impact of the Accountable Care Act (ACA) on our affiliated professions and Federal scrutiny of accreditation as congress considers reenactment of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The CAAHEP Board of Directors has and will continue to posture our organization for appropriate and effective reaction to challenges and action on opportunity.

Committees on Accreditation (CoAs) are the backbone of CAAHEP's accreditation system and the Board has approved a number of services to enhance CoA effectiveness. The Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors (ASPA) provides a connection with other programmatic accreditors and a voice in the broader education and accreditation communities. ASPA's annual meetings offer networking and professional development opportunities that can be valuable to our CoAs. CAAHEP maintains membership in ASPA and offers a limited number of "scholarships" for CoA staff and members to attend ASPA meetings and gain exposure to the broader community of programmatic accreditors. The Board appointed a task group, led by Kerry Weinberg, to promote CAAHEP's visibility and influence on behalf of our CoAs. The group has developed an informational brochure that is available for each CoA to customize and distribute to their stakeholders. A public service video that was produced several years ago has been updated and now features our recent graduate Board member, Katie Lukovich. This video will be offered to public television stations to run as public service announcements. With a more internal focus, CAAHEP has established the Recommendation Review Committee (RRC) as a standing committee of the Board. Under the leadership of Kalyani Naik, the RRC provides critical feedback to the CoAs and clarification of recommendations to the Board resulting in more efficient consideration of accreditation actions.

As offspring of the American Medical Association's Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation, CAAHEP was incorporated 20 years ago on May 25, 1994. We will be reflecting on our past as we celebrate this milestone anniversary. (See related article below.) Please plan to attend the CAAHEP Annual Meeting on April 27-28, 2014 to help us celebrate. Our location in San Antonio, Texas has afforded us the opportunity to offer a tour of the Medical Education Training Campus (METC) at Fort Sam Houston as part of the meeting. The keynote speaker will be Rear Admiral William Roberts, M.D., MBA; Commandant of the METC.

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Happy Birthday CAAHEP!

The coming year, 2014, will mark the 20th anniversary of the incorporation of CAAHEP. It seems an appropriate time to look back at where we started and how far we have come.

The first indication of the momentous changes that lay ahead came in an announcement in October 1992 from the American Medical Association of their intent to reduce their role in accreditation of allied health programs effective December 31, 1993. A Task Force was formed to work on the structure of an organization to succeed the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA). There were many challenges and lots of disagreements as the Task Force worked to create a draft proposal. The first draft was circulated in March 1993 to the communities of interest and more than 200 letters were received in response to the request for written comments. As the Task Force worked on incorporating many of the suggestions, there was a fair amount of angst about that December 1993 deadline. In June of 1993 the AMA, responding to requests from many of the organizations involved, agreed to continue to support CAHEA until July 1, 1994 so that any disruption in accreditation services could be kept to a minimum.

The Articles of Incorporation of the new Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) were filed in the State of Illinois on May 25, 1994 and CAAHEP was born! Like all births it was the result of lots of labor and a fair amount of pain along the way!

In addition to structural and political issues, the financial challenges were enormous. The system had previously been supported entirely by the AMA - staffing, rent, travel - the new organization would need to figure out a way to pay all of these expenses and more. It was determined that a fee of $3,000 would be set for all participating organizations - both sponsors and Committees on Accreditation. That fee has not increased in the 20 years of CAAHEP's existence! Even so, in recent years, as many of those early organizers have retired and the institutional memory disappears, new leadership at sponsoring organizations sometimes questions the need for that $3,000 fee. In many ways that is a tribute to the success of the effort to create and build a new accrediting organization.

Even as we honor and celebrate the past, a 20th anniversary is also a time to look ahead at the next 20 years and beyond. The leaders of CAAHEP continue to work at improving the strength and quality of this important accreditation system.

Editor's note: A special thank you to CAAHEP Past President Bill Horgan for his historical perspective contribution to this article. Bill served on the first Board of CAAHEP.

A Tribute to a True Friend of CAAHEP

Judy Jondahl, MS, RN

At the end of this year, CAAHEP will be losing a dedicated, hard working, true-believer in CAAHEP accreditation. After serving as Director of Accreditation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) for nearly 14 years, Judy Jondahl, MS, RN, will be retiring. In addition to her role in MAERB, Judy is currently the CAAHEP Commissioner for the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and is a former member of the CAAHEP Nominating and Elections Committee.

A joint announcement from the AAMA and MAERB states, "With deep gratitude for all of her excellent contributions to medical assisting accreditation, the MAERB announces that Judy Jondahl, MS, RN has submitted her resignation from the position of MAERB Director of Accreditation. Ms. Jondahl states that 'after much thought and discussion with my family, I have come to the conclusion that the time has arrived for me to move onto another of life's adventures, retirement. It is difficult to believe I have worked for 61 years, the last 13 (almost 14) as Director of Accreditation. They have been exciting years, and I value the people I have had the honor to work with in reaching for MAERB's and my goal of achieving quality education for medical assistants.'

"Director Jondahl brought the CRB/MAERB into the modern age, streamlining processes and reports with the use of technology. She was pivotal in restructuring policies to ensure fair, unbiased, and uniform review of programs undergoing programmatic accreditation. Educated and trained as a nurse, Ms. Jondahl nevertheless devoted much of her personal, as well as professional, life to the promotion of medical assisting education," AAMA/MAERB continued.

CAAHEP Sponsor Spotlight

The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is a CAAHEP sponsoring organization that is actively involved with a number of the Committees on Accreditation in the sonography field. ASE is a sponsor of the Advanced Cardiovascular Sonography, Cardiovascular Technology, and Diagnostic Medical Sonography CoAs and has reviewed and adopted the Standards for each of these professions.

About ASE:

ASE is a professional organization of more than 16,000 physicians, cardiac sonographers, nurses and scientists involved in echocardiography, the use of ultrasound to image the heart and cardiovascular system. Founded in 1975, ASE is committed to excellence in cardiovascular ultrasound and its application to patient care through education, advocacy, research, innovation and service to our members and the public.

For information about echocardiography and the characteristics of becoming a sonographer, visit the ASE website and its FAQ page.

Wanted:

Recent Graduate Commissioner

In 2014, there will be an available position on the CAAHEP Commission for a Recent Graduate Commissioner, who represents the interests of students in the accreditation of health science education programs. The Recent Graduate Commissioner also serves on the CAAHEP Board of Directors. If you are or know of a recent graduate in one of the professions in which CAAHEP accredits programs, please share the following information and encourage the recent graduate to consider this position. Becoming involved with an organization such as CAAHEP is a tremendous opportunity to become more involved with your profession, gain experience, and broaden your professional network.

Recent Graduate Qualifications:

A "recent graduate" is someone who has graduated from a CAAHEP accredited program no more than three years prior to being elected. The candidate must:

understand and be willing to represent on the Commission the interests of students enrolled in health science education programs.
be working in the health science field for which he/she was trained.
demonstrate active involvement in his/her health science field.

The role and responsibilities of a Recent Graduate include monitoring the accreditation actions taken by the Board, participating in the Board/Committee on Accreditation quality assurance process, and fulfilling the obligations associated with serving on the Board of Directors including participating in Board meetings.

In addition, as a CAAHEP Commissioner, the recent graduate attends the CAAHEP Annual Meeting, participates in the business of the Commission (such as electing the CAAHEP Board of Directors, reviewing/voting on Bylaw changes, approving new organizations for membership, etc.), participates as an observer in a CAAHEP accreditation site visit, and address the Commission at the Annual Meeting on the topic of his/herchoice.

The Recent Graduate Commissioner serves for three years, with the term beginning July 1, 2014.

Interested parties need to complete a Recent Graduate Nominations Form and return it to the CAAHEP office by February 28, 2014. Please contact the CAAHEP office if you have any questions or need additional information.

Make Your Reservations!

CAAHEP 2014 Annual Meeting

April 27-28, 2014

Hyatt on the Riverwalk

San Antonio, TX

Reservations are now being accepted at the Hyatt on the Riverwalk. Please use the following link to reserve your hotel accommodations:

https://resweb.passkey.com/go/CAAHEP2014

Accreditation Actions

The following programs achieved CAAHEP accreditation at the November 15, 2013, Board of Directors meeting. Where possible, there are links directly to each program's website.

Cardiovascular Technology

Continuing

Bryan College of Health Sciences, Lincoln, NE (Adult Echocardiography, Noninvasive Vascular Study) (Baccalaureate)

Initial

Eastwick College, Ramsey, NJ (Adult Echocardiography, Noninvasive Vascular Study) (Associate)

Sanford Brown-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ (Adult Echocardiography) (Associate)

Sanford-Brown College-Columbus, Columbus, OH (Adult Echocardiography) (Associate)

Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Continuing

Aurora St Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI (General, Vascular) (Certificate)

Austin Community College, Austin, TX (Cardiac, General, Vascular) (Certificate, Associate)

Cincinnati State Technical Community College, Cincinnati, OH (Cardiac, General, Vascular) (Certificate, Associates)