Common Competencies for All Healthcare Managers: The Healthcare Leadership Alliance Model MaryE. Stefl, PhD, professor and chair. Department of Health Care Administration, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas – – • .
E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y Today’s healthcare executives and leaders must have management talent sophisti- cated enough to match the increased complexity of the healthcare environment. Executives are expected to demonstrate measurable outcomes and effectiveness and to practice evidence-hased management. At the same time, academic and profession- al programs are emphasizing the attainment of competencies related to workplace effeaiveness. The shift to evidence-based management has led to numerous efforts to define the competencies most appropriate for healthcare.
The Healthcare Leadership Alliance (HLA), a consortium of six major profession- al membership organizations, used the research from and experience with their indi- vidual credentialing processes to posit five competency domains common among all practicing healthcare managers: (1) communication and relationship management, (2) professionalism, (3) leadership, (4) knowledge of the healthcare system, and (5) business skills and knowledge. The HLA engaged in a formal process to delin- eate the knowledge, skills, and abilities within each domain and to determine which of these competencies were core or common among the membership of all HLA associations and which were specialty or specific to the members of one or more HLA organizations. This process produced 300 competency statements, which were then organized into the Competency Directory, a unique and interactive database that can be used for assessing individual and organizational competencies. Overall this work helps to unify the field of healthcare management and provides a lexicon and a basis for collaboration among different types of healthcare executives.
This article discusses the steps that the HLA followed. It also presents the HLA Competency Directory; its application and relevance to the practitioner and academ- ic communities; and its strengths, limitations, and potential.
For more information on the concepts in this article, please contact Dr. Stefi at msten@trinity.edu.
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P eter Drucker (2002) has said thatlarge healthcare institutions may be the most complex in human history and that even small healthcare organiza- tions are barely manageable. Some time has passed since Drucker’s observation, but the complexity of healthcare orga- nizations, along with the demands on managers and leaders, has not dimin- ished in any way. Today, executives in all healthcare settings must navigate a landscape influenced by complex social and political forces, including shrinking reimbursements, persistent shortages of health professionals, endless require- ments to use performance and safety indicators, and prevailing calls for trans- parency. Further, managers and leaders are expeaed to do more with less.
Since 1999, the Society of Health- care Strategy and Market Development and the American College of Healthcare Executives have been producing Future- scan, a compendium of healthcare trends and projections for the next five years. In Futurescan 2008, the publication’s execu- tive editor, Don Seymour, reflected on the past ten years in healthcare:
society appears to be sending a clear, overarching message to the nation’s hospitals: Take care of more people who have growing expectations and more complex medical needs v̂ -hile providing increasingly sophisticated care with relatively fewer resources.
In an environment of escalated public demand, it is only lógica! to question the competence of healthcare lead- ers and managers. As noted in Griffith (2007), the increased difficulty of run- ning a healthcare organization has led to the need for managers with more sophisticated capabilities.
The questions now become. Have mid- and senior-level managers been keeping pace with changing demands? Are healthcare academic programs at- tracting sufficient numbers of students ‘ and adequately preparing them to oper- ate effectively in this dynamic environ- ‘ ment? These concerns were the focus of the 2001 National Summit on the Fu- ture of Fducation and Practice in Health ‘ Management and Policy. Principally fiinded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this conference brought together practitioners, policymakers, and educators to examine the effective- ness of healthcare administration and the role of academic preparation and continuing professional development in tackling the current and future chal- lenges of healthcare delivery.
The Summit’s deliberations focused on evidence-based approaches (see Kovner 2001 ) to developing manage- ment talent, including how to measure the outcomes of health management education (Griffith 2001) and how to determine whether administration students and practicing managers had acquired the competencies necessary to perform effectively in their roles.
THE COMPETENCY MOVEMENT The emphasis on measurable outcomes and competencies did not happen ovemight. The widespread acceptance of evidence-based medicine was a natural precursor to an evidence-based approach to healthcare management (Kovner and Rundall 2006). Also, the development and promotion of compe- tencies for graduate medical education (Batalden et al. 2002) set the stage for healthcare administration.
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More broadly, higher education has struggled with the issue of compe- tency-based education for some time (Calhoun et al. 2002; Westera 2001). The main idea behind this initiative is to design curricula based on the roles that graduates will assume after complet- ing their degree and to incorporate the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that future employees will need. Efforts to promote competencies have been undertaken in numerous fields, including public health (Council on Linkages Between Academic and Public Health Practice 2001) and the health professions (IOM 2003). The controver- sial Spellings report (issued in 2006 by the Secretary of Education’s Commis- sion on the Future of Higher Education convened by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings) pushes universi- ties nationwide to measure student outcomes and then make these results available to the public.
To meet the needs of healthcare administration, a number of univer- sity programs have developed a set of competencies (e.g., Cherlin et al. 2006; Shewchuk, O’Connor, and Fine 2005; 2006; White, Clement, and Nayar 2006) or competency models (e.g., Campbell et al. 2006) for their students. A review of these efforts is beyond the scope of this article, but note that these various programs typically use a similar pro- cess for developing their competencies: (1) existing competency literature is reviewed, (2) subjea matter experts (either faculty or practitioners) are ap- proached to provide depth and content validity, and (3) a survey of practi- tioners is condurted. In other words, academic programs take steps to ensure
that their competency models are tied witb the realities and needs of health- care management practice. However, little evidence shows a link between actual performance and competency attainment (Bradley 2003), an area of inquiry tbat clearly needs more atten- tion as competency models continue to develop.
Aside from this work in academia, the National Center for Healthcare Lead- ership has expended considerable effort in creating a competency model that can be applied to professional development and to academic programs (Calhoun et al. 2004; NCHL 2005). In addition, many healthcare associations have used expert opinion and job analysis surveys to delineate the KSAs that form the basis for their credentialing exams. However, these KSAs were not usually shared with tbe broader healthcare management community.
THE H E A L T H C A R E L E A D E R S H I P A L L I A N C E The Healthcare Leadership Alliance (HLA) is a consortium of major profes- sional associations in the healthcare field:
• American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE);
• American College of Physician Executives (ACPE);
• American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE);
• Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA);
• Healthcare Information and Manage- ment Systems Society (HIMSS); and
• Medical Group Management
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Association (MGMA) and its educa- tional affiliate, the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE).
Together, these associations represent more than 100,000 management profes- sionals. II ‘
In response to concerns about the adequate preparation of healthcare managers and administrators, the HLA convened the Competency Task Force to examine the credentialing and certifica- tion processes of its member organiza- tions. First meeting in late 2002, the Tasii Force was composed of a repre- sentative from each organization’ and a facilitator (this author). The Task Force was charged with a straightforward responsibility: Determine if there were management competencies shared by all members of the HLA organizations. If so, the Task Force would determine how these competencies could be used to advance the field.
Reviewing the Credentialing and Certification Processes I ask Force work began with an exchange of information regarding each associ- ation’s credentialing and certification processes. Five of the six organizations had well-established processes, while AONE was considering launching its own certification program.^ Certifica- tion programs are designed to ensure that individuals in a professional posi- tion meet the basic educational, skill, and/or experiential requirements of their respective profession (Raymond 2001 ). Thus, credentialing or certifica- tion exams should be job-related and should be designed to test whether the professional possesses the KSAs essential
for his or her job. For large organiza- tions, certification exams are typically objective, with questions constructed following the job analysis studies.
Four associations (ACHE, HFMA, HIMSS, and ACMPE) used well- established psychometric processes (job analysis surveys or role delineation studies, review by subject matter experts, and content analysis) to determine the KSAs for their certification exams (NCCA 2007). All engaged reputable psychometric firms to ensure the reli- ability and validity of their processes. The ACPE’s certification process was slightly different from that employed by the rest of the group. Following an on-site tutorial session, ACPE candidates were tested by faculty experts using an in-basket exercise and requiring a verbal presentation. All associations’ certifica- tion exams were discriminatory; first- time pass rates ranged from 60 percent to 85 percent (Stefl 2003a).
In general, the certification processes of the HLA organizations were intended to provide early careerists an opportuni- ty to demonstrate their competence. At the time of the Competency Task Force’s review of KSAs, most HLA associations (except AONE) offered a fellowship status for those with more senior-Ieve! accomplishments and contributions. Most associations (except HIMSS) awarded the Fellow status only after that member had attained certification and the requisite competencies. Thus, the Task Force’s review excluded the fellow- ship processes.
Identifying Common Competencies The extensive review of the credentialing and certification processes of the HLA
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members revealed a number of overlap- ping and complementary competencies. The Task Force determined that these KSAs clustered into five competency domains that were common among the membership of all six associations (Stefl 2003a):
1. Communication and Relationship Management: The ability to com- municate clearly and concisely with internal and external customers, to establish and maintain relation- ships, and to facilitate constructive interactions with individuals and groups
2. Leadership: The ability to inspire individual and organizational excel- lence, to create and attain a shared vision, and to successfully manage change to attain the organization’s strategic ends and successful perfor- mance
3. Professionalism: The ability to align personal and organizational con- duct with ethical and professional standards that include a responsibil- ity to the patient and community, a service orientation, and a com- mitment to lifelong learning and improvement
4. Knowledge of the Healthcare Environ- ment: The demonstrated understand- ing of the healthcare system and the environment in which healthcare managers and providers function
5. Business Skills and Knoivledge: The ability to apply business principles, including systems thinking, to the healthcare environment; basic busi- ness principles include (a) financial management, (b) human resource
management, (c) organizational dy- namics and governance, (d) strategic planning and marketing, (e) infor- mation management, (f ) risk man- agement, and (g) quality improve- ment
In keeping with the current focus on outcomes and evidence-based manage- ment, these five domains were viewed as common competencies or compe- tency domains. While “competency” can be defined in a variety of ways, the Task Force adopted a definition from Ross, Wenzel, and Mitlyng (2002): Competencies are clusters that “tran- scend unique organizational settings and are applicable across the environ- ment. “That is, the domains identi- fied by the Task Force are generic and demonstrable.
The Task Force viewed these com- petency domains as interdependent (see Figure 1). Because leadership competencies are central to a healthcare executive’s performance, the Leadership domain anchors the HLA model. All other domains draw from the Leader- ship area, but the other competencies also feed and inform leadership. In Figure 1, the two-way arrows outside the circles indicate that the other four do- mains draw from each other and share overlapping KSAs.
The identification of these five domains sends a powerful message to the healthcare field: Healthcare managers in a wide range of positions and settings share a common body of knowledge and a common lexicon. Such a message can break down bar- riers between various health manage- ment professionals, provide a stronger
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F I G U R E 1 The Healthcare Leadership Alliance Competency Model
Competency Domains
Communtcation and Relationship
Management Professionahsm
Business Knowledge and
Skills
Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment
Source: ^ 2005. M\ Rights ReservedbyMembtrrs of the HLA Competency Task Force: American College of Healthcare txeaiiives.
American College of Physician Executives, American Organizalion of Nurse Executives, Heallhrare Pinancial Management
Association, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, and the certiñcation body of the Medical Group
Management Association—American College of Medical Practice Executives.
basis for collaboration, and engender mutual respect and teamwork. Most importantly, the work itself suggests that a common background, expertise, and language are shared by members of the C-suite, the practice management com- munity, and healthcare managers in a range of positions and settings (Rossiler and Stefl 2005).
Using the Dreyfus Model Much of the discussion regarding competencies attempts to distinguish the performance expectations for
entry-level, mid-career, and senior-level managers. In its deliberations, the Task Force was guided by the skill acquisition model developed by Stuart Dreyfus and Hubert Dreyfus (1986). The Dreyfus model has been applied to the nursing field (Benner 1984), and it guided the development of ACMPE’s competency and certification model. More recently, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education applied the model to develop core competencies for medical residents (Batalden et al. 2002), and the model has been discussed in relation to
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health administration education (Stefl 2003b).
The original Dreyfus model outlined five stages for skill development: novice, advanced beginner, competent, profi- cient, and expert. As skills develop, the individual’s reliance on rules decreases and the ability to make independent judgments increases. By the time a person reaches the proficient and expert levels, he or she can recognize patterns in the environment and operate (at least partially) on intuition.
For example, an entry-level manager will consult a policy manual to deal with a distraught and angry patient or family member. A mid-level manager, however, is already thoroughly familiar with the protocols governing the situ- ation and will employ strategies and responses that have effeaively diffused similar situations in the past. A se- nior-level executive will respond more intuitively, recognizing patterns in the situation and knowing implicitly when to apply rules and when to be more creative. This intuitive and discrimina- tory knowledge can only come from experience and practice in applying management skills. Each manager in this scenario is using KSAs in the Com- munication and Relationship Manage- ment domain.
When the situation is viewed in terms of the Dreyfus model, the new manager is acting as a novice, the more experienced manager is functioning at the competent level, and the senior ex- ecutive is responding at the proficient or expert level. Progressing from one skill level to another, especially from novice to competent, typically requires experi- ence coupled with guided reflection.
This progression underscores the need for mentoring throughout career stages as well as the importance of continued professional development and lifelong learning.
The HLA Task Force recognized that the Dreyfus model could serve as a framework for individual development in all competency areas (Stefl 2003a). An individual who was competent in one domain (e.g.. Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment) could be a novice in another (e.g.. Professional- ism). Members who achieved certifica- tion by each HLA organization were considered to be at the competent level. Members who sought Fellow status within their respective associations could operate at the proficient level. The Task Force believed that the expert level was beyond the realm of testing or cre- dentialing. Experts are acknowledged by their peers and typically receive honors or distinctions from their professional associations.
Organizing and Generating Competency Statements According to Shewchuk, O’Connor, and Fine (2005), broad competency domains have limited usefulness. Their lack of specificity prevents any real application in the work setting or for curricular design. Although core compe- tencies common among all healthcare executives engender understanding and collaboration, they mask the different expectations for each type of healthcare manager. For example, chief financial officers are expected to have a wider range of financial analysis competen- cies (a subset of the Business Skills and Knowledge domain) than are needed by
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the general membership of ACHE. Simi- larly, information systems managers are expected to have broader abilities in technology design and implementation than required of chief nursing officers.
Specialty competencies for the membership of each HLA association would likely complement the core competency domains. More specific KSAs within each domain would also be useful. In fact, many of the competen- cies outlined by the individual associa- tions in their job analyses were more detailed and unique to their own group. What was needed was a mechanism that combined and compared the various KSAs and tbat determined wbich of the detailed competency statements could apply across the entire healthcare man- agement field. A competency directory was conceived as a way to accomplish those tasks.
A psychometric firm assisted tbe Task Force in developing the HLA Com- petency Directory.^ The firm reviewed the competency statements from all HLA associations and, in the process, eliminated or combined overlapping KSAs and then prepared an initial com- petency listing. All competency state- ments were then organized according to the five competency domains (see Figure 1).
The preliminary competency listing was reviewed and expanded by a panel of experts (or subject-matter experts |SMEs|) during a two-day meeting in September 2004. Each HLA association nominated three of its members, one of whom had some academic involve- ment/background, to serve on the SME panel. In general, panel members were senior-level executives who were certi-
fied by tbe association they represented (except those assigned by AONE, which had no formal certification process) and were actively engaged with the associa- tion and its professional activities. The use of SMEs is a standard prartice in competency studies (NCCA 2007); ex- perts are often used to provide content validity to the competencies identified in job analysis studies.
During the SME review meeting, other competencies were added to the initial listing. Some of the added KSAs were clearly specific to an individual association, while others were more generic and thus were judged appro- priate to all healthcare managers. The discussion revolved around identifying tbe appropriate domain for a specific competency and determining whether a competency was common or specialty. Subsequent to this meeting, a series of webinar-enhanced conference calls was conducted with the Task Force, the psychometric consultant, and the SME panels for each HLA association. Tbe purpose of these calis was to review and refine the individual competency statements, determine whether the competency should be listed as a skill or knowledge, and categorize whether tbe competency was common or specialty. Throughout this iterative process, two surveys were administered to all SME panelists. These surveys allowed experts to rank the perceived relevance of each competency statement and to identify gaps or omissions in each competency domain.
Competency statements were catego- rized as either knowledge areas or skills. All skills were coded using 11 action verbs, such as “manage,” “execute,” and
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“develop.” Finally, approximately 32 key words were assigned to each of the coin- petenq’statements, including “technol- ogy,” “physicians,” and “outcomes.” The Task Force developed and assigned key words and skill areas in an attempt to fit the needs of association members.
THE HLA COMPETENCY DIRECTORY The process resulted in the creation of the HLA Competency Directory,” an Excel-based interactive tool, it con- tains a series of filters that allow the user to sort by skills versus knowledge, core versus specialty, keyword, skill area, or professional association. This design enables the user to customize searches according to the user’s need or circumstance.
The Directory contains 300 compe- tency statements organized under the five domains of the HLA model. The vast majority (232 or 77.3 percent) of the skills and knowledge listed are com- mon to all the management professions represented by the HLA associations; only 68 specialty competencies were identified. Table 1 shows the number of core and specialty competencies by the five domains. Also, the table divides the Business Skills and Knowledge domain into various functional areas.
Virtually all of the specialty com- petencies fail within the Business Skills and Knowledge domain, providing further evidence that healthcare manag- ers in different roles share an extensive common knowledge and skill base. Because the Professionalism domain in- corporates ethical codes and standards, the lack of variance in this area suggests that a common value set for al! types of healthcare managers exists.
The Financial Management and In- formation Management functional areas produced the highest number of spe- cialty competencies, reflecting the highly technical aspects ofthese functions. Even so, the number of core competen- cies in both areas is substantial. Fewer specialty competencies were listed under Risk Management or Strategic Planning and Marketing. This may suggest that these areas are generic, or it may reflect the lack of expertise in these categories among those involved in developing the directory. Few specialty competencies were noted under Other Business Skills and Knowledge, reflecting the general nature of this category. This functional area, for example, incorporates skills and knowledge related to quantitative and analytical decision making, project management, and systems thinking.
When the specialty competen- cies were examined, most (45 or 66.2 percent) pertained to the membership of two or more of the HLA associations. Twenty of the specialty competencies were relevant only to ACMPE; these competencies reflected the unique aspects of practice management. HIMSS claimed the remaining three specialty competencies, which related to aspects of the information technology field. No competencies were unique to finan- cial managers, nurse executives, or the general managers represented by ACHE. All otber specialty competencies were claimed by two or more associations.
M O D E L AND D I R E C T O R Y A P P L I C A T I D N S
To the Practitioner Field The HLA model and the Competency Directory offer a number of benefits
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TABLE 1 HLA Core and
Domain
Specialty
COMMON COMPETENCIES FOR ALL
Competencies by Domain
Number Core
HEALTHCARE
Specialty
MANAGERS
Total
Communication and relationship management
Leadership I
Professionalism
Knowledge of the healthcare environment
Business skills and knowledge
Financiid immagetnem
Human resource management
Organizational dynamics and governance
Strategic planning and marketing
¡nformation management
Risk management ^
Quaiity improvement
Other business skills and Imowledge
Total
22 23 2 3 ••
20
144
18
16
11
17
24
15
10
33
3 1
1
2
61
17
8
7
4
12
3
7
3
25 24
24 22
205
35
24
18
21
36
18
17
36
232 68 300
to healthcare management. First and foremost, this work helps distinguish and define the profession by providing a common framework and lexicon for a wide variety of healthcare managers. Acknowledging the fact that a common body of knowledge and skills exists can engender teamwork and mutual respect (Rossiter and Stefl 2005). The compe- tency domains and individual compe- tency statements can serve as the basis for joint educational programming be- tween various professional associations. These KSAs are also helpful in clarifying job descriptions or in constituting work teams with complementary skills and knowledge. This project represented an unprecedented collaboration among the HIA organizations, an effort that can be a model or a foundation for future
interprofessional teamwork among these associations, within the practice setting, and within educational or aca- demic programs.
Other tangible benefits of this proj- ect include the following;
• AONE (2005) has produced a self- assessment tool that incorporates competencies for nurse executives into the HLA competency framework. These nurse executive competencies were developed by AONE simulta- neous with but independent of the HLA model and the Directory. Con- sequently, this tool is more refleaive of the clinical setting. The tool pro- vides space for respondents to rate their performance level—from novice to expert on the Dreyfus scale—for
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each competency area. Respondents are then encouraged to prepare a development plan for areas in which they are lacking. Feedback has re- vealed that this tool has been valu- able in writing job descriptions and in conducting performance reviews (Thompson 2006). The tool is avail- able on the AONE website to mem- bers only.
• ACHE has produced the ACHE Healthcare Executive Competen- cies Assessment Tool 2008. This tool organizes the 300 statements in the Directory into convenient subcat- egories. For example, Relationship Management, Communication Skills, and Facilitation Skills are components of the Communication and Relation- ship Management domain. Like the AONE tool, the ACHE self-assessment instrument allows respondents to rate their performance on a five-point scale, ranging from novice to expert. This tool also provides resources for improvement in each subcategory, directing users to available publica- tions, educational programming, self- study courses, and other assessment means. ACHE encourages its affiliates to use the tool, which is updated an- nually, for personal and professional improvement. Distributed to all ACHE affiliates, the tool is available for download on the ACHE website: www. ache.org/pdf/nonsecu re/careers/ competencies_booklet.pdf.
To the Academic Community The HLA model and the Competency Directory were originally envisioned to be useful for academic programs.
Effective in the fall of 2008, the Com- mission on Accreditation for Healthcare Management Education’s (2007) criteria require that graduate health adminis- tration programs adopt a competency model as the basis for curricular offer- ings. The HIA model has been con- sidered by many of these programs. Because programs will need to link course content as well as individual student achievements to the model, thus far few programs could adopt all 300 statements in the Direaory. However, the five competency domains and the subcategories listed in the ACHE assess- ment tool represent a framework that programs can readily use.
Drawing on the HLA model and assessments conducted at individual universities (Shewchuk, O’Connor, and Fine 2005; 2006; White, Clement, and Nayar 2006), four graduate programs^ collaborated to produce a set of 30 competencies (O’Connor et al. 2008). These competencies are more macro than the HLA statements. For example, only one statement pertains to financial management, a distinct difference from the 24 finance-specific competencies found in the Direaory. The intent of this collaborative project was to de- termine if a joint competency model, based on the HLA domains, could be developed by the four separate entities. The programs involved were natural partners. Each had strong relationships with the practitioner community, each offered both full-time on-campus and executive program options, and three of the four required a year-long ad- ministrative residency for on-campus students. All programs were located in the southeastern United States and had
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students whose primary interest was operations.
In 2007, a web-based survey was conducted with faculty, preceptors, and recent graduates of the four university programs. Respondents were asked to indicate, on a five-point scale, how strongly they felt new graduates needed each of the 30 competency areas. Overall, 340 individuals responded, or 49,2 percent of the total number of people contacted. Respondents indi- cated that all competencies were neces- sary, although some were judged more important than others. However, ratings of the individual competencies were re- markably consistent across respondents from all four programs. Further, ratings from all three respondent groups were similar, especially between faculty and preceptors. ‘
These results provide a good field test and validation of the HLA compe- tency model and demonstrate that the model can be simplified and adapted for use in health administration gradu- ate education. The success of this col- laborative project may encourage other university programs to draw on the HLA model in the future.
Limitations and Future Adjustments The HLA Competency Directory is a work in progress. Building consensus around the 232 common competen- cies was an iterative process, with each review further refining the list. With the healthcare industry changing rapidly, healthcare management competencies clearly will require continual updat- ing and validation. Since the Directory was made available in November 2005, many of the HLA associations have
conducted new job analyses, requiring any new information to be added to the Directory.
The Directory may have other limitations. First, although physicians were well represented in ACMPE’s origi- nal job analyses and ACPE was a full participant in delineating the compe- tency domains, clinical concerns may have been inadequately represented as a result of ACPE’s nonparticipation in the Directory’s development (Griffith 2007), Second, the SMEs chosen by the HLA associations may have unknowing- ly introduced some bias. In the future, the number of SMEs may be increased or a general membership survey may be conducted to further validate the ‘
competencies. Third, Griffith (2007) argues that the Directory lacks emphasis on insurance and quality management and measurement, and it does not ofïer a clear distinction between skills and knowledge. All of these concerns may be easily addressed in future versions of the ‘ Directory.
Future updates should also focus on specialty competencies, which were unevenly distributed among the HLA associations. The largest number of specialty KSAs was attributed to ACMPE (2003), which maybe a reflection of the organization’s extensive previous work on its Body of Knowledge for Medical Prac-
tice Management.
C O N C L U S I O N The HLA common competencies make an important contribution to the grow- ing body of knowledge about competen- , cies in healthcare management (Carman and lohnson 2006), The HLA model, complete with the Dreyfus framework,
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can be used for individual and organiza- tional assessment, employee selection, and team development. In addition, the model can be adapted for use in aca- demic programs, as demonstrated by the joint project by healthcare administra- tion graduate programs. A unique and useful tool for individuals and organiza- tions, the HLA Competency Direaory can be used to foster collaboration and advancement across the broad spec- trum of healthcare management. In this environment of constant and dramatic changes, these are important benefits.
N O T E S 1. The members of the Task Force were
Cynthia A. Hahn, FACHE (ACHE), Roger Schenke (ACPE), Andrea Ros- siter, FACMPE (MCMA/ACMPE), Pamela Thompson, FAAN {AONE), Joseph Abel, PhD (HFMA), and Julianna Kazragys (HIMSS).
2. In October 2008, AONE launched a certification program. For more information visit www.aone.org.
