Q&A: HFMA’s new learning platform detailed in this discussion with Strategy Senior Vice President Mary Mirabelli

In 2020, a team within HFMA began looking at how to upgrade the online education experience for members. With the backdrop of a global pandemic and the halting of live events, it was clear that online learning would be more critical than ever, and HFMA’s system was due for an upgrade.

In January, HFMA debuted its new e-learning platform, so I sat down with HFMA Senior Vice President of Strategy Mary Mirabelli, who led the charge, to talk more about the new system and what members can expect. 

1. What drove that decision to switch learning management systems?

Mary Mirabelli: Our system was more than seven years old, which in technology terms is pretty outdated. It didn’t have a lot of the functionality that today’s learners really need or expect. So we needed something that looked contemporary and would allow us to transform how we do online education and do a better job of helping people learn. This meant really learning about trends in online education and choosing the right vendor partner. We evaluated about 20 different systems before settling on one.

HFMA’s new learning management system has a contemporary look, and better organization and navigation.

2. What can members expect from the new platform?

Mirabelli: In the older iteration, it was really confusing and hard to find what you were looking for, so now before you even get into a course, you’ll find much better organization and navigation. The catalog will all be in one place and easier to search. You’ll also get personalized suggestions for learning paths and courses. We’ve added a gamification aspect, too, so learners can earn trophies and status in the system.

One of the aspects of the new system we’re very excited about is the ability to white-label courses to our Enterprise member organizations. Among other things, they’ll be able to use our tools to do simulations where employees demonstrate skills and employees will get real-time feedback from their managers.

3. What’s the future of online learning for HFMA?

Mirabelli: Right now we’re focused on porting content from one system to the other, so while it will be a much-improved experience, we’ll be going back and refreshing many courses in 2021. However, we’ve already done overhauls of two important courses, including “HFMA’s Business of Health Care^®” and “Denials Management.” Those two modules are good examples of what we’re capable of moving forward.

Thinking long term, this new system is perfectly designed to meet the challenges today and tomorrow. Given where we are with this pandemic, there will have to be more online learning, and our system will be more interactive and more engaging and allow us to embrace the way members want to learn today.