AMERICAN COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATORS (ACHCA).Committed to Administrator Professionalism The American College American College is the name of:
ACHCA Australian Catholic Health Care Association (name changed to Catholic Health Australia) ) was founded in 1962 as the American College of Nursing Home Administrators, out of a commitment to professional excellence, to provide better nursing home administrator education and improve the overall caliber of administrators. The small group of long-term care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. professionals that joined forces to form ACHCA believed that a professional organization for administrators was essential to enhance the standing of nursing homes. When ACHCA came into being, the American Health Care Association The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is non-profit federation of affiliated state health organizations, together representing more than 10,000 non-profit and for-profit assisted living, nursing facility, developmentally-disabled, and subacute care providers that care for (AHCA--formerly known as the American Nursing Home Association [ANHA ANHA Alaska Natural History Association (Anchorage, Alaska) ANHA Alabama Nursing Home Association ANHA Alliance of National Heritage Areas ]) and the American Association American Association refers to one of the following professional baseball leagues:
AAHA Alexandria Area Hockey Association AAHA Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association AAHA African American Holiday Association AAHA Association of Alaska Housing Authorities AAHA American Amputee Hockey Association ]) represented facilities and the organizations that owned them, but there was no organization representing individual administrators that bridged the divide between the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors of long-term care or focused on the professional development of administrators' leadership and management skills. This was the void ACHCA's founders sought to fill. Emphasizing Professionalism ACHCA collaborated with George Washington University George Washington University, at Washington, D.C.; coeducational; chartered 1821 as Columbian College (one of the first nonsectarian colleges), opened 1822, became a university in 1873, renamed 1904. and the U.S. Department of Health, Education & Welfare's Nursing Home Branch to develop a curriculum and encourage colleges and universities to offer courses specifically in nursing home administration. ACHCA formally adopted its Code of Ethics Code of Ethics can refer to:
In 1967, Congress passed legislation mandating that all nursing home administrators be licensed in their respective states. This legislation grew out of a perception that nursing home administrators were not well trained, although Congress provided the states with minimal guidance in establishing their licensure programs. The resulting state regulations varied considerably from state to state. ACHCA worked with federal officials and surveyors on the issue of administrator licensure. Continuing Education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). ACHCA, long recognized for its quality continuing education programs, began offering continuing education from its earliest days. ACHCA's commitment to professional growth and development gathered added impetus with the formation of the Foundation of American College of Nursing Home Administrators as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization in 1971. The foundation has conducted research on matters relating to long-term care administration, such as the use of physician extenders in nursing homes, an action guide for addressing wandering behavior among residents, two administrator salary surveys and a study of Level A compliance decision making. The foundation has also developed educational programming and undertaken fundraising activities on behalf of ACHCA. ACHCA's professional development activities received a major boost in 1973-74 with a $475,800 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Kellogg Foundation grant had three primary purposes: to conduct a survey of nursing home administrators to identify their demographic characteristics and educational needs; to fund educational planning activity; and to develop a professional certification program for nursing home administrators. While licensure establishes minimum competency, professional certification serves as a means for administrators to demonstrate professional excellence gained through experience and continuing education. ACHCA launched its first Nursing Home Administrator Professional Certification Program in 1978. At about the same time, ACHCA received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare for the development of continuing education self-study programs. ACHCA has offered self-study programs on a wide range of topics as a convenient way for administrators to sharpen their skills, broaden their knowledge base and satisfy their continuing education requirements for licensure. Changing with the Times Long-term care has been buffeted by changes for much of the last 37 years. ACHCA was founded as a professional society for nursing home administrators, yet even by the mid-1970s there was a growing concern among the then-ACNHA's members that the organization's name did not adequately reflect the composition of its membership. It was not until 1983, though, that the American College of Nursing Home Administrators became the American College of Health Care Administrators. The name change was an acknowledgment that long-term care is comprised of not only nursing homes, but also assisted living as·sist·ed living n. A living arrangement in which people with special needs, especially older people with disabilities, reside in a facility that provides help with everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, and taking medication. centers, retirement housing and subacute care programs and facilities. Today, professionals in assisted living and subacute care constitute a significant proportion of ACHCA's total membership. ACHCA continues to evolve with the times. The association re-engineered its nursing home administrator professional certification program and launched professional certification programs for assisted living and subacute care managers/administrators in 1997. Administrators must meet set criteria achieved through professional practice and continuing education to qualify to sit for a knowledge-based exam that is psychometrically validated. ACHCA is also harnessing information technology to extend the reach of its activities, going online with its Web site in the fall of 1996, offering readily available information about ACHCA's programs, benefits and services. Visitors to the Web site can also access information about upcoming programs and the ACHCA Professional Development Catalog. ACHCA also began publication this year of E-Compass, an electronic newsletter available to members via e-mail and the ACHCA Web site at www.achca.org, and Career Link was launched in April 1999 as the new online employee recruitment tool with which employers can advertise and administrators can conduct career searches. ACHCA recently completed a partnership with North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. Broadcasting in presenting a 17-week series of one-hour radio programs broadcast weekly on WALE wale n. A mark raised on the skin, as by a whip; a weal or welt. v. To raise marks on the skin, as by whipping. 990 AM (Providence, Rhode Island  “Providence” redirects here. For other uses, see Providence (disambiguation). Providence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. ) and KFNX 1100 AM (Phoenix, Arizona). ACHCA President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Karen S. Tucker, CAE (1) (Computer-Aided Engineering) Software that analyzes designs which have been created in the computer or that have been created elsewhere and entered into the computer. , hosted a different expert guest each week on the program, which was called Health Care Information and Inspiration. Each segment focused on a topic related to healthcare and aging. Taped shows were "Webcast," as well, on ACHCA's Web site. Throughout its history, ACHCA has promoted professional development of the long-term care administrator and projected a positive image of long-term care. ACHCA's educational programs and professional certification programs continue to provide tangible evidence of the sophistication so·phis·ti·cate v. so·phis·ti·cat·ed, so·phis·ti·cat·ing, so·phis·ti·cates v.tr. 1. To cause to become less natural, especially to make less naive and more worldly. 2. of today's long-term care administrator. Moving into the next millennium, ACHCA will continue to strengthen its professional development offerings. ACHCA will advocate on behalf of administrators' sharing their perspectives and distinct voice in the long-term care arena, with the aim of continually improving the delivery of quality long-term care. |
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