Since 1998, COB’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) has attracted working health care professionals and those seeking a career in the health care industry.
In 2009, COB leveraged its existing MHA curriculum and faculty to begin offering a contractually arranged Executive option. It serves local health care organizations in a cohort model, enabling clinical and non-clinical professionals to earn their MHA. CoxHealth has completed its first cohort and Mercy has completed its third. Overall, 96 students have graduated from this program.
(Pull quote) 32% job growth is projected for medical and health service managers through 2029. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Making an impact on patient care
Each cohort includes capstone projects involving real-world problems and opportunities in areas such as patient safety, quality improvement, increased access and service line expansion. A unique capstone last year included research and a program on training clinical staff to meet the needs of autistic patients as they transition from pediatric patients into adults.
“In the past, several of the capstone projects have been implemented by Mercy and CoxHealth, resulting in improved patient care,” said Michael Merrigan, MHA program director.
The most recent cohort started in spring 2017 and was comprised of physicians, clinicians and managers from Mercy Health of Springfield. Half of the class graduated in December 2019 and the other half, which joined the cohort in progress, finished in December 2020.
Jeff Del Vecchio, a physician assistant in orthopedic surgery and Mercy clinical informaticist, graduated in December 2019. “I learned leadership tools needed to navigate our complex system, as well as gained the opportunity to continue to grow and develop as a leader,” Del Vecchio said.