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In the April 2015 Issue

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CAAHEP recently experienced issues with its database, including the Annual Reports Management System (ARMS). The issue has been corrected. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We apologize for any inconvenience in the disruption of service.

 

 


CAAHEP Blog 
Check out the April 1st post "Accreditors Breathe a Sigh of Relief" on CAAHEP's Blog:


 

CAAHEP Board of Directors Meeting Schedule
The CAAHEP Board of Directors takes accreditation actions six times per year (Jan., Mar., May, Jul., Sept., and Nov.). The following are upcoming meeting dates and locations (where appropriate):


May 15, 2015
Conference Call

July 15-16, 2015
New Orleans, LA

September 18, 2015
Conference Call

November 20, 2015
Conference Call

 


Reminder:
CAAHEP Fees to Increase July 2016

Just a reminder that CAAHEP's institutional fees will increase effective for the year that begins July 1, 2016. This is the first increase in over 15 years! The fee will be raised from $450 per year to $550 per year. This is the fee paid by every institution that sponsors one or more CAAHEP-accredited programs.


 

Kathleen Megivern, JD, Executive Director, said, "The increase in institutional fees will not take place until July 1, 2016, so that our educational institutions will have adequate time to budget for the increase no matter when their fiscal year begins. Programs and institutions will receive notices throughout the coming year as reminders to prepare for the new fee structure."


 

Any educational institution or CAAHEP accredited program with questions on the new institutional fee should contact the CAAHEP office for assistance

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From the President
Thomas Skalko

 

As we prepare for the CAAHEP Annual Meeting of Commissioners, I want to just offer a few words about the happenings in CAAHEP and the accreditation world. To say that it is interesting times is an understatement. 

 

In March, I had the privilege of attending the spring meeting of the Association for Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA). Among the topics introduced was an update on activities affecting accreditation at the Federal level. While primarily addressing issues with institutional accreditation, I would encourage all CAAHEP stakeholders to pay attention to some of the concepts. Of particular note and of some interest are some of the white papers that have emerged from the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee regarding higher education accreditation and reform. 

 

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has released three policy papers that discuss concepts that will affect higher education. Of the items of interest is a proposal to overhaul accreditation for colleges and universities. While not specifically a program accreditation issue, the concepts, if enacted, will impact higher education and may serve as some framework for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Rather than discuss the complexities of the concept white papers, I would encourage our CAAHEP readership to visit: http://goo.gl/DvaG7L for detailed information. According to the white paper:

 

The data collection from each of these accreditors (specialized and institutional) may add undue burden on institutions with each accreditor requesting different volumes and types of data. A survey commissioned by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation found that very few common data elements are required by all accreditors (Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Retrieved 30 March 2015).

 

The paper goes on to identify several categories for discussion and potential reform.

 

Refocus Accreditation on Quality

Proposal #1: Repeal Accreditation-Related Regulations and Statute that are Unrelated to Direct Institutional Quality and Improvement

Proposal #2: Permit Flexibility and Nuance in Accreditation Reviews

Proposal #3: Encourage Gradation, Distinction and Clarity in Accreditation Status and Reviews

Proposal #4: Delink Accreditation from Institutional Eligibility for Federal Student Aid

 

Redesign Accreditation to Promote Competition and Innovation

Proposal #1: Establish New Pathways to Accreditation and/or Title IV Eligibility for Non- College Providers of Higher Education

Proposal #2: Eliminate the Geographic-Based Structure of Regional Accrediting Agencies

 

The non-geographic structures for academic design may be based on:

    1. Basic Institutional Classification including doctoral, masters, baccalaureate, associate and special focus schools.
    2. Selectivity Based on Performance on ACT percentile scores for the institution.
    3. Dissolve regional boundaries and allow institutions to choose their institutional accreditor. This element would make all regional accreditors national in scope.

 

Keep Recognition of Accrediting Agencies Independent and Free from Politics

"The Secretary's decision to recognize an accrediting agency must remain objective, fair and guided by law, rather than politically motived desires."

 

I encourage everyone to spend some time reviewing the changing landscape. While much of the attention is on institutional accreditors, the climate begs that we keep informed and alert to the changing perspectives on accreditation.

 

In addition to the concept paper on accreditation are concept papers on "Risk Sharing: Concepts and Proposals" and "Consumer Information: Concepts and Proposals."

 

I look forward to seeing you all in Kansas City, Missouri for the CAAHEP Annual Conference. Please feel free to contact CAAHEP or me if we can be of service.

 

Thom Skalko, Ph.D., LRT/CTRS, FDRT

President, CAAHEP

CAAHEP Board Re-Appoints Public Member 

At its March 20th meeting, the CAAHEP Board of Directors voted to re-appoint Pauletta Brown Bracy, PhD, MLS, as a Public Member on the Board of Directors. This is the second three-year term for Dr. Brown Bracy. She has a background in Library Science and is in the Office of Academic Affairs at North Carolina Central University in Durham.
 

News from the ASPA Meeting


CAAHEP had a strong presence at the Spring Meeting of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA). In addition to President Thom Skalko, Vice President Carolyn O'Daniel and Executive Director Kathy Megivern, CAAHEP also supported the attendance of three Committees on Accreditation staff leaders: Sarah Marino from Medical Assisting; Keith Orloff from Surgical Technology/Surgical Assisting; and Cindy Weiland from Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

 

But the biggest news is about the ASPA elections. Barry Eckert, PhD, FASAHP, CAAHEP Board Member (and Treasurer) was elected to the ASPA Board of Directors as the 

Katie Bowe

"Chief Academic Officer" representative and Katie Lukovich, CST/CSFA,  former recent graduate Commissioner and CAAHEP Board member, was elected to the ASPA Board to represent Practitioners.

 

ASPA is the "voice" for specialized /programmatic accreditors and  CAAHEP is pleased to  eased to  be able to show such strong support for this important organization.                 

           

Open Hearings on Standards and Comments Welcome


There are Open Hearings scheduled for two sets of CAAHEP Standards later this month in Kansas City, Missouri. The first hearing, scheduled for April 19 at 11:00 AM (Central) is on the Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Anesthesia Technology. The Hearing will take place at the Intercontinental Kansas City at the Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. The proposed Anesthesia Technology Standards are posted on the CAAHEP website

 

The second Open Hearing is also scheduled for April 19 starting at 11:15 AM (Central) in Kansas City on the Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Emergency Medical Services Professions. These proposed Standards are posted on the CAAHEP website and comments are being collected via electronic survey.  

 

For additional information on these Standards and the Open Hearings, please visit the CAAHEP website. 

First Two Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician Programs Accredited

Congratulations to Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida, on becoming the first two CAAHEP accredited Orthotic and Prosthetic Technical programs. The CAAHEP Board of Directors took action on the recommendation from the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) for the initial accreditation of these programs. While the Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician profession has been part of CAAHEP for some time and the profession's Standards were adopted in 2011, it has taken time to develop procedures on assessing programs and actually having programs go through the accreditation process. These two programs were found to meet or exceed the Standards of the profession. Kudos to both!

For a link to these and other programs that achieved CAAHEP accreditation in March, please refer to the list of accreditation actions below or visit the  CAAHEP website for a searchable database. 


CAAHEP President Recognized by ECU

Congratulations to CAAHEP President Thomas Skalko, PhD, LRT/CTRS, FDRT, on being selected for induction into the 2015 2015 Servire Society at East Carolina University. The ECU Servire Society recognizes those who have demonstrated a commitment to volunteer service and will challenge the ECU community to serve the larger community external to the university.

Each year, the Servire Society recognizes faculty, staff, and students who have contributed 100 or more hours of volunteer service to the community in the previous year.  

 

CAAHEP 2015 Annual Meeting

The 2015 Annual Meeting is next week and final preparations are underway. The Annual Meeting program book is posted on the CAAHEP website. This year, we are "going green" and asking participants to download the file or print out a copy to bring with you. Only the agenda will be available onsite. 


 

In addition to the many presentations and spotlights on professions, the Annual Business Meeting of the Commissioners will include elections, voting on Bylaw changes, approval of new Committees on Accreditation, new sponsoring organizations, and potential new profession. And, the annual awards luncheon to honor this year's recipient of the CAAHEP Exceptional Service Award. 


See you in Kansas City!
 

Accreditation Actions


March 20, 2015, Accreditation Actions

Each profession in the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) system has a Committee on Accreditation (CoA) that consists of experts in the profession that are responsible for reviewing programs and making appropriate recommendations for accreditation to CAAHEP.  CAAHEP reviews recommendations received from its CoAs in each profession, assures due process was followed, and takes final action on an accreditation status. Links to each program's website is included where available.

CAAHEP took the following actions at its 3/20/2015 meeting. Actions are identified by profession, action taken, and date of the next comprehensive evaluation. In some cases, the concentration and/or degree are also specified.


The following program was found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and was granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2015. This action requires no progress report and was approved on the consent agenda.


Medical Assisting

American School of Technology, Columbus, OH (Diploma)


The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2020. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.


Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD (Cardiac)

Nova Southeastern University-Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Vascular)

Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, Bowling Green, KY (General)

Washburn University, Topeka, KS (General)

Washburn University, Topeka, KS (Cardiac)

Washburn University, Topeka, KS (Vascular)


Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic

Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque, NM

Century College, White Bear Lake, MN

Howard Community College, Columbia, MD

National College of Technical Instruction-Roseville, Roseville, CA

Pro EMS Center for Medics/Mount Auburn Hospital Consortium for Paramedic Education, Cambridge, MA


The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2022. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.


Medical Assisting

Community Technical and Adult Education, Ocala, FL (Certificate)

Davenport University- Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI (Associate)

Everest College-Springfield, Springfield, MO (Diploma)

Miller-Motte Technical College, Chattanooga, TN (Associate)

Montgomery County Community College, Pottstown, PA (Certificate)


The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2023. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.


Medical Assisting

Bridgerland Applied Technology College, Logan, UT (Certificate)

College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, ID (Certificate)

College of the Albemarle, Elizabeth City, NC (Diploma)

Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, ID (Associate)

Linn Benton Community College, Albany, OR (Associate)

Montgomery Community College, Troy, NC (Associate)

Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College, Ogden, UT (Certificate)

Ogeechee Technical College, Statesboro, GA (Diploma)

Olympic College, Bremerton, WA (Certificate)

Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OH (Associate)


The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2025. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.


Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Oakland Community College-Southfield, Southfield, MI (General)

Dona Ana Community College, Las Cruces, NM (General)


The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA). The programs were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2020.


Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic

American River College, Sacramento, CA

Moreno Valley College-Riverside Community College, Riverside, CA


The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA).  The programs were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2021.


Medical Assisting

Ivy Tech Community College-South Bend, South Bend, IN (Certificate)

Lenoir Community College, Kinston, NC (Associate)


The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA). The programs were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2022.


Medical Assisting

Bryant & Stratton College-Buffalo, Buffalo, NY (Associate)

Chattahoochee Technical College-Austell Campus, Austell, GA (Diploma)

Davis Applied Technology College, Kaysville, UT (Certificate)

Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston-Salem, NC (Associate)

Greenville Technical College, Greenville, SC (Certificate)

International Business College-Fort Wayne, Ft Wayne, IN (Associate)

International Business College-Fort Wayne, Ft Wayne, IN (Diploma)

Ivy Tech Community College-Muncie, Muncie, IN (Associate)

Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Kirkland, WA (Certificate)

Manchester Community College-Manchester, Manchester, NH (Associate)

Medina County Career Center, Medina, OH (Certificate)

Mid-State Technical College, Marshfield, WI (Diploma)

Nebraska Methodist College, Omaha, NE (Certificate)


 

The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA). The programs were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2023.


Medical Assisting

Baker College of Clinton Township, Clinton Township, MI (Associate)

Bryant & Stratton College-Albany, Albany, NY (Associate)

Cecil College, North East, MD (Certificate)

Central Carolina Community College-Lillington, Lillington, NC (Diploma)

Central Carolina Community College-Pittsboro, Pittsboro, NC (Diploma)

Chattanooga State Community College, Chattanooga, TN (Certificate)

Concorde Career College-Portland, Portland, OR (Diploma)

Concordia University-Milwaukee Campus, Milwaukee, WI (Certificate)

Henry Ford College, Dearborn, MI (Certificate)

Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus, Columbus, IN (Associate)

Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus, Columbus, IN (Certificate)

Ivy Tech Community College-Lafayette, Lafayette, IN (Certificate)

Manchester Community College-Manchester, Manchester, NH (Certificate)

Mayland Community College, Spruce Pine, NC (Diploma)

McFatter Technical College, Davie, FL (Certificate)

Mercy College of Health Sciences, Des Moines, IA (Certificate)

Ohio Business College, Sheffield Village, OH (Diploma)

River Valley Community College, Claremont, NH (Certificate)

South University-Montgomery, Montgomery, AL (Associate)

Southeastern Technical Institute -South Easton, South Easton, MA (Diploma)

The University of Akron, Akron, OH (Associate)


The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted initial accreditation for a period not to exceed three (3) years. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.


Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician

Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City, OK

St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, FL


 

The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted initial accreditation for a period not to exceed five (5) years. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.


Cardiovascular Technology

Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus, Ozark, AR (Adult Echocardiography, Associate)

Central Georgia Technical College, Warner Robbins, GA (Invasive Cardiovascular Technology, Associate)

Central Georgia Technical College, Warner Robbins, GA (Adult Echocardiography, Associate)

Loma Linda University, Riverside, CA (Cardiac Electrophysiology, Associate)


 

Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (General)


Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic

Lenoir Community College, Kinston, NC

Montgomery County Fire Rescue Training Academy, Rockville, MD

Pee Dee Regional Medical Center EMS, Florence, SC

St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute, Spokane, WA


 

The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA).  The programs were granted initial accreditation for a period not to exceed five (5) years.


Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic

Central Georgia Technical College, Macon, GA

Central Ohio Technical College, Newark, OH

Cherokee Nation EMS, Tahlequah, OK

Durham Technical Community College, Durham, NC

Eastern Maine Community College, Bangor, ME

Ingalls Memorial Hospital, Harvey, IL

Lamar Institute of Technology, Beaumont, TX

Mercy College of Ohio, Toledo, OH

Mid-Michigan Medical Center, Midland, MI

Riverside Medical Center, Kankakee, IL

The Roger Williams University/American Safety Programs & Training Inc Consortium for Paramedic, Providence, RI


Medical Assisting

East Central College, Union, MO (Associate)

East Central College, Union, MO (Certificate)


 

The following program had a transfer of sponsorship approved, with a status of continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2017. 


Cytotechnology  

Hunter College, New York, NY 

 

1361 Park Street, Clearwater, FL 33756  

727-210-2350  727-210-2354 fax

[email protected]    www.caahep.org 

 

� CAAHEP 2013