ACPE Launches New Master's Degree with Thomas Jefferson University

TAMPA, Fla., April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Physician Executives and Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health in Philadelphia are teaming up to offer an important new advanced degree aimed at physicians who want to improve the quality of health care.

The Masters of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety Management will prepare physicians and others in the medical industry to be leaders and advocates in the effort to make health care more cost-efficient and safer.

David B. Nash, MD, MBA, FACPE, Dean of Jefferson's School of Population Health and an ACPE instructor for nearly two decades, said the time is right for a master's degree in quality and safety, especially with the current push toward higher quality care in health care reform.

"Reform is making the notion of measurement and accountability front and center," Nash said. "There's no denying those concepts are going to be more important than ever."

Nash, who has taught courses on quality and patient safety for almost 20 years for ACPE, said the science has also matured. There are now better tools for measuring quality than there were five to 10 years ago.

For the degree, students will be expected to complete 125 hours of ACPE courses. Then, students will move on to Thomas Jefferson and complete nine online courses and finish with a Capstone Project at the ACPE Fall Institute. The average class time will be between eight and 12 hours per week. Enrollment will be in September and January.

The Masters of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety Management builds on the success of ACPE's advanced degree program. Since 1997, ACPE's degree programs have helped nearly 800 physicians from the U.S. and nine countries receive their graduate business training in health care.

ACPE CEO Barry Silbaugh, MD, MS, FACPE, said this new degree will help professionals build on their clinical foundation by teaching the science of quality, safety and reliability in addition to leadership and management skills.

"This science is absolutely essential to improving patient care on a systemic level," Silbaugh said. "Dean David Nash, an international leader in quality and safety and a longtime ACPE faculty member, has created an important new degree that we're proud to support."

Contact:
Carrie Johnson, ACPE Director of Public Relations
[email protected]
800-562-8088
http://www.acpe.org/

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SOURCE American College of Physician Executives