In this Issue:
Tidbits
Missourian Dale Carnegie said, "A person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still."  Why do we try? 

David J. Baltzer, RN, LFACHE, President.
I am going to stick my neck out, because if your chapter president doesn't, then who will? This is a personal topic for each of us. Whether or not this message convinces you, I am going to share information that I learned from an expert. And, I repeat, the topic is personal for each of us.
 
Once upon a time, I had a boss who was not a Fellow of the ACHE. He was proud of his credentials. The boss wanted me to be proud of my credentials. (I am proud of my Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine!) But, the boss wanted me to display my credentials his way. The boss insisted and on the website I was David J. Baltzer, MHA, RN, FACHE.
 
First, let me emphasize that every individual has the complete right and privilege to display their own credentials according to their own personal preference. However, credentials are important in healthcare and the ACHE is a credentialing professional organization. For example, Fellowship in the ACHE is board certification in healthcare management. Let me digress.
 
Several years ago an applicant self-identified as an ACHE Fellow "Designate." I asked, "What's Designate? That's a new one." "It means I've met all the Fellowship requirements except time." "That's new to me. Where did you get that?" "They said I could use it." "They who?" "ACHE." I decided to leave it alone and it happened that another Fellow was chosen for the position. The ACHE online Member Directory still shows the person is an ACHE Member. So, it's a good thing that they are an affiliate. But what would a hospital medical staff do if an applicant fudged by claiming board certification? It's serious. Credentials are important in healthcare!
 
Early in my career I had somewhere gotten the notion that it is redundant and therefore amateurish, if not unprofessional, to show a master's degree before the FACHE following a Fellow's name because fellowship implies the prerequisite graduate level. Since the boss and I were getting into a bit of a tiff over the topic, I decided to call a friend.
 
At the time, Thomas C. Dolan, Ph.D., FACHE was planet Earth's supreme expert on the topic of professionalism and ACHE credentials. Arguments anyone? Dr. Dolan served a total of 22 years as President of the ACHE and before that had a stellar background in academia. Dr. Dolan set a high bar for standards of excellence in professional healthcare management. In a phone conversation, Dr. Dolan agreed with the general principle that it is redundant to show a master's degree. And, said he, certifications come before the FACHE credential.
 
There are caveats. Dr. Dolan shows his Ph.D., because it is a higher degree than the minimally required master's. I show my RN because Registered Nurse is a licensed professional certification. The same is true for NHA which indicates my license as a Nursing Home Administrator. Physicians show their MD. There are other examples. To get written documentation, I called another friend.

Terra Levin, FACHE, CAE is ACHE Senior Regional Director and John Buell is Managing   Editor of ACHE's publication, Healthcare Executive. Terra and John referred me to the ACHE Style Manual. Page 10 says, "degrees/credentials following a name: Degrees/credentials should appear with the person's complete name at first mention. ACHE does not use periods when abbreviating degrees. ACHE only lists doctoral degrees (if any) immediately following the name, then the credentials follow the degree(s) with FACHE listed first if the person is a Fellow." There is additional detail in the "Credential Guidelines" section on page 35.
 
Why should we care about Fellow status in the ACHE? Because it shows that we have earned the distinction of a commitment to professional excellence. MO-ACHE wants to support you in this journey.
 
The MO-ACHE Membership Committee (MC) volunteers under the enthusiastic leadership of Chair Jon Vitiello, FACHE   [email protected] . The MC has four teams to help fulfill the MO-ACHE mission and provide excellent service. The newly formed MC Advancement Team is led by Roistan Pais. If you want to learn more about how advance to Fellow status, please contact Roistan at [email protected] . The other teams are: Recruitment, Retention, and Best Practices. The MC is recruiting additional volunteers. If you are interested in serving, please contact Jon or Nathan Riner, MC Vice-Chair [email protected] .
 
Please pardon me for sharing a pet peeve in what may seem to be snobbery. This is knowledge that was given to me by Dr. Dolan. It didn't help my relationship with my former boss. Nonetheless, the mission of the ACHE is "To advance our members and healthcare management excellence." Excellence is excellence. The height of the profession is board certification and how the credential is displayed. Convinced? No need. It's personal. But I am interested in your comments. Let me know your experience. [email protected]
 
 
Thank you for helping to advance healthcare leadership excellence in Missouri!


fellow
 

Become a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE)!
 
Earning the distinction of board certification in healthcare management as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) signifies your expertise, experience and commitment to continuing education and professional development. Just as members of the medical staff are board certified, having the FACHE credential by your name indicates a level of achievement in the profession.  The ACHE has new requirements for attaining Fellowship status that can be found at http://www.ache.org/mbership/credentialing/steps.cfm. 

For additional information, please contact: 
Jon Vitiello, MO-ACHE Membership Committee Chair 
Nathan Riner, Membership Committee Vice-Chair 
Roystan Pais, Advancement Team Leader 

Inspire Positivity Through Constructive Criticisminspire

Constructive criticism can help employees improve their work and thus theorganization. However, some managers can be negative when delivering the criticism, even if they have good intentions. Prefacing criticism with a comment such as "I want to help you do your job better" isn't constructive if it destroys an employee's confidence. Keep the strategies below in mind when providing advice to your employees:

  • Create an agenda. Criticism should typically be given soon after a mistake is made, but make you plan out what you will be saying prior to any conversation. Take a few moments to consider the situation and jot down some notes. Most importantly: Don't criticize in public.
  • Don't use humor. While humor can help to lighten the mood, jokes can send a mixed message. Criticism should be played straight when talking to employees about mistakes and performance problems.
  • Stay calm. If you lose your temper, you could lose control of the situation-and you don't want the discussion to turn into an argument. If necessary, wait a few minutes to calm down before speaking with your employees. If not, the conversation could have the opposite effect of your intentions.
  • Say something positive. There's no need to share extraneous praise, but it's important to give employees a reason to listen to you. Expressing confidence in them can make them more receptive to your message.
  • Offer suggestions. Pointing out errors is only a first step. Provide them with suggestions to avoid mistakes in the future, and ask him or her what could be done differently. Strong constructive criticism goes beyond identifying problems-it also is a way of offering ideas and solutions.

Adapted from Communication Solutions January 2016 newsletter, www.communicationbriefings.com.


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Reflections as Healthcare Administratorsreflections

Lindsey Lehman 2014 M-SEA Winner Reflections
Three days before receiving the Student Essay Award in early November, 2014, I accepted the opportunity to complete an Administrative Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. As most of you know, Administrative Fellowships are based on the idea of a medical residency: we are all post-masters and rotate every 3-4 months to a new area of the organization. I consider this opportunity to be both my biggest accomplishment and greatest challenge.

 

2017 MO-ACHE Student Essays  essays

The MO-ACHE Communications Committee, chaired by Jennifer Bjelich, FACHE conducts the annual MO-ACHE Student Essay Award (M-SEA).  M-SEA is open to all ACHE member students enrolled one of Missouri's 8 ACHE Higher Education Network (HEN) programs.  The purposes of the contest are to learn the thoughts of future healthcare leaders and generate original articles for the chapter newsletter.  The winning essayist receives $1,000 and recognition during the MO-ACHE Annual Meeting on November 2. 

A Link to the 2017 M-SEA Guidelines with a form for submission

Deadline is: September 30, 2017

Students, let us know what you think.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 
 
 


 
September 13, 2017 - MO-ACHE: A Data-Driven Approach to Clinical Performance Improvement (St. Louis)
1.0 Hours of ACHE Qualified Credits

Advanced data analytics have become imperative in today's value-focused environment as healthcare leaders work to position their organizations to succeed under evolving risk-based payment arrangements. Healthcare providers must have infrastructure and tools to be able to examine the growing wealth of data and identify key insights that will drive high-value care under Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial payment arrangements.
 
Jennie Dulac, RN, and Walter Morrissey, MD, of Kaufman Hall's Clinical Performance solutions team will share insight on their work with health systems across the country on using data and analytics to reduce unwarranted clinical variation - a well-recognized source of poor clinical outcomes, substandard care, and excessive costs. They will be joined by Thomas McAuliffe, the Director of Health Policy at Missouri Foundation for Health, and Timothy McBride, Ph.D., Chair of the MOHealthNet Oversight Committee
September 15 2017 - MO-ACHE & MUHMI Half-Day Workshop (Central MO)
4.5 Hours of ACHE Face-to-Face Credits

Topics Include:

    Developing, Mentoring, and Coaching Skills
    The Healthcare Executive's Role in IT Decisions
    Talent Management for Bench Strength Development
    Lunch and Networking
Save the Date - Registration will be posted shortly.

October 4, 2017 - The Next Era in Community Health Status Improvement - Advancing Clinical Performance in Kansas City

1.5 Hours of ACHE Face-to-Face Credits



October 11, 2017 - The Next Era in Community Health Status and Performance Improvement in St. Louis
1.5 Hours of ACHE Face-to-Face Credits
November 2, 2017 - Official Notice of MO-ACHE 2017 Annual Meetingannual

The MO-ACHE Board of Directors cordially invites you to attend the 2017 Annual Meeting on November 2 at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach, MO.  The meeting will take place from 7am-8:30am in the Parasol I Room.  This annual meeting of the chapter is held in conjunction with the 2017 ACHE Breakfast that is conducted by Missouri ACHE Regent, Katherine (Katie) L. Nowack, FACHE.  Guest speaker will be David A. Olson, FACHE, ACHE Chairman-Elect.  

Registration is through the Missouri Hospital Association website http://web.mhanet.com/convention-and-trade-show.aspx.

We hope to see you at this networking event with an update on your Missouri ACHE chapter!
Jim Brophy Image
Jim Brophy
, FACHE
Sponsorship Chair

Our Board of Directors has approved a Sponsorship Campaign to raise funds for the Missouri Chapter to host leadership development / educational and networking events across the state for our members.
 
Sponsorship levels are:
 
Platinum
$15,000
Gold
10,000
Silver
5,000
Bronze
3,000
 

These Sponsorship levels are consistent with other ACHE Chapters. Potential sponsors include health systems, hospitals and healthcare companies such as law, accounting, construction, architecture, and insurance firms that serve healthcare provider organizations.    
 
 

Platinum Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor


Should you have questions or potential Sponsors, please contact Jim Brophy or Jim Andrews:

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