Graduate program in population and health systems management receives award for innovation in education

First-of-its-kind collaboration between Boise State, a leading public university and HFMA, a major professional association, is recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).

Chicago, Feb. 23, 2023 – The Master in Population and Health Systems Management program (MPHSM) created by Boise State University  and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) has been named as the 2023 recipient of the prestigious CAHME/George and Regi Herzlinger Innovation Education Award.

The award will be presented during the CAHME Awards Ceremony at the American College of Healthcare Executives 2023 Congress on Healthcare Leadership on March 19.

This first-of-its-kind MPHSM program was designed to bridge the gaps between the clinical, operational and financial segments of the healthcare industry. It explores the relationship between epidemiology and actuarial science in the context of population health. The five-semester online program includes four industry-recognized healthcare finance certificates offered through HFMA.

“Boise State and HFMA collaborated to create an innovative degree program that applies management principles to the study of population health. The participation of HFMA is unique and reflects a program that is out-of-the-box to educate students to be well prepared to lead innovation,” said prize donor, Regina Herzlinger, DBA, Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

“This national award recognizes the significant impact that CAHME Accredited programs have in encouraging innovation for future health leaders,” said Anthony Stanowski, DHA, FACHE, President and CEO of CAHME.

“Boise State students, faculty and staff are truly excited to be the recipients of this highly coveted award. It is emblematic of a passion that is embedded at Boise State and the College of Health Sciences … innovation! … Innovation is critical to our relevance and being distinctive in educating the next generation of healthcare leaders,” said Boise State University Dean and Professor, College of Health Sciences Tim Dunnagan, Ed.D. “Special thanks for this creative educational opportunity needs to go to the Program Director Jenni Gudapati, faculty, staff and students, as well as our unique and powerful partnership with HFMA, who were key in making this program come together. In short, we have tapped the best that can be garnered from the skill and capacity forged from a public and private partnership.”

“We are honored to be recognized with Boise State University by CAHME as the 2023 recipient of the George and Regi Herzlinger Innovation Education Award for the MPSHM program,” said HFMA Director, Partnership Relationships and Chief Partnership Executive Todd Nelson, FHFMA, MBA. “This degree is an industry game changer because it addresses contemporary needs in healthcare education through the lens of population health, risk mitigation and finance. Our students graduate with the skills needed to help shape a new era in healthcare.”

In 2022, CAHME partnered with the George and Regi Herzlinger Charitable Fund to create a national award that honors the Herzlingers’ breakthrough contributions in creating and inspiring medical and healthcare education innovations.

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About Boise State University

From groundbreaking research and academic programs to how faculty and staff are reimagining higher education, Boise State is committed to doing things like they’ve never been done before. We are finding solutions through innovation. For more information about the MPSHM program, visit boisestate.edu/phsm. Learn about innovation all across campus at boisestate.edu/about/innovation.

About HFMA

With more than 96,000 members, the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is the nation’s premier membership organization for healthcare finance leaders. HFMA builds and supports coalitions with other healthcare associations and industry groups to achieve consensus on solutions for the challenges the U.S. healthcare system faces today. Working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, HFMA identifies gaps throughout the healthcare delivery system and bridges them through the establishment and sharing of knowledge and best practices. We help healthcare stakeholders achieve optimal results by creating and providing education, analysis, and practical tools and solutions. Our mission is to lead the financial management of healthcare.

About CAHME

Since 1968, the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) has served the public interest by advancing the quality of healthcare management education globally. CAHME accredits 139 academic programs and also certifies programs in healthcare quality and safety and in population health. Leading academics and healthcare practitioners volunteer at CAHME to ensure that graduates entering the healthcare field have undergone an educational process meeting rigorous, measurable standards for effectiveness. The result is a formal academic education focusing on key competencies, plus practical experiences. This enables new graduates to quickly add value to an organization and grow into future leaders. CAHME is the only organization recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation to grant accreditation to individual academic programs offering a graduate degree in healthcare management. For more information, visit cahme.org.

About George and Regi Herzlinger

An industry icon, proclaimed by Money magazine as the Godmother of consumer-driven health care, Regina E Herzlinger has taught thousands of students that only through innovation can we meet the ever-changing needs of healthcare consumers. She is a New York Times bestselling author, and the first tenured female faculty member at the Harvard Business School. Her recent book, “Innovating in Healthcare: Creating Breakthrough Services, Products, and Business Models,” (Wiley) is now available.

George Herzlinger is an MIT Ph.D. physicist who co-founded Belmont Instrument (now Belmont Medical Technologies), which makes the Belmont Rapid Infuser, a unique device that delivers heated blood quickly to people bleeding to death from gunshot wounds, accidents, postpartum hemorrhages, and victims of violence. This device has saved more than a million lives worldwide.

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