NHA is excited to announce a new sponsorship with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP), the largest programmatic/specialized accreditor in the health sciences field and Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB), one of the Committees of Accreditation (CoA) for medical assisting education programs under the Commission.
The goal of CAAHEP is to assess the quality of institutions, allied health programs and services, measuring them against accepted quality standards. In serving as a CoA of CAAHEP, MAERB is required to review programs based upon CAAHEP’s Standards and Guidelines, create policies that support CAAHEP’s Policies and Procedures, follow CAAHEP’s policies, and recognize and honor the diverse communities of interest, both within and beyond the medical assisting field, that have a stake in the education of medical assistants.
NHA as a Sponsoring Organization of CAAHEP
CAAHEP has three categories of organizational membership: Sponsoring Organizations, Committees on Accreditation (described above) and Associate Organizations. Sponsoring Organizations, such as NHA, are organizations or agencies that establish or support one or more CoAs and support the CAAHEP accreditation system.
CAAHEP developed the system of sponsorship to ensure that CoAs were responsive to and informed about their various communities of interest who are served by the accreditation. Sponsoring Organizations expand the communities of interest and enhance the specific CoA’s realm of knowledge while providing a broader representation of the professional community in addressing the educational needs of a profession. This also includes inclusion of additional stakeholders in defining educational needs and identification of areas where collaboration may benefit the educational process. Sponsoring Organizations also have the responsibility to appoint a CAAHEP Commissioner (who is eligible to run for a position on the CAAHEP Board).
NHA brings value to the relationship by providing access to the professional community along with industry insights, data and research. This collaboration between NHA, CAAHEP and MAERB – each leaders within the allied health space – will foster stakeholder relationships and growth and change within allied health professions.