ACMCA

Eligibility

In order to qualify for membership in the American College of Managed Care Administrators, the applicant must have a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent in experience, and have been employed for a minimum of one year as a manager of professionals who are directly or indirectly involved in managed healthcare. The ACMCA is the first and only national association dedicated to managed care professionals. This provides a forum for healthcare managers in a large variety of different facets of the healthcare field to come together for the purpose of making managed care work for patients, payers, and providers. Some of the healthcare management professionals who could benefit by joining ACMCA include directors of managed care, CEOs. COOs, CFOs, CIOs, physician and nursing leaders, executives in Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) such as HMOs, Competitive Medical Plans (CMPs), PPOs, PHOs, insurance companies, Employee Assistance Plans (EAPs), Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPOs), managed indemnity plans, point of service plans, and direct contracting arrangements. In addition, utilization review managers, planning and marketing managers, multi-specialty group practice managers, case managers and health benefits managers are invited.

Overview

Managed care will continue to grow in the United States over the next five to ten years. Managed care is a system of managing and financing healthcare delivery to ensure that services provided to managed care plan members are necessary, efficiently provided, and appropriately priced.

Managed care has risen as a result of the pressures on healthcare costs and not as a by-product of healthcare reform. Payers for healthcare are seeking methods to control their ever-increasing costs and have found that an effective method of control is through managed care. Managed care is a market-based phenomenon that is happening now.

In response to managed care, many providers (including hospitals and physicians) have begun partnering and restructuring into what have become known as integrated health systems. Such a system involves a network of hospitals, physicians and other organizations that provides or arranges to provide a coordinated continuum of services to a defined population and is willing to be held fiscally and clinically responsible for the resulting health outcomes of the population served. Such systems often include or are closely aligned with an insurance product.

Integrated health systems take all different forms, the exact nature of which is influenced by many factors including local market conditions, organizational characteristics and corporate cultures. One estimate is that there are currently about 150 integrated health systems in the developmental stage in the U.S., and that the ultimate number will be 300-400.

In order for managed care and integrated health systems to achieve their goals of coordinated, cost effective care, healthcare management professionals across all types of healthcare organizations will need to be able to work cooperatively.

Benefits of Belonging To ACMCA

1. The American College of Managed Care Administrators is a major voice in America that speaks on behalf of the managed care administrators and managers throughout healthcare. You have an opportunity to participate in the development of the management field of managed care administration. It provides major professional identification within the healthcare industry in managed care.

2. For those healthcare leaders that are currently serving in a management position in the managed care field, you are eligible to join the American Academy of Medical Administrators and simultaneously be a member of the  American College of Managed Care Administrators. You will receive all the benefits that the Academy provides, plus special benefits tailor-made to the membership of ACMCA.

3. Your membership in a professional healthcare association provides many opportunities for you to relate to other disciplines and levels of management. These valuable local, regional, and national contacts afford you networking benefits to advance your current performance as managed care administrator, and also in the upward occupational mobility of your career. Examples of such networking, include your presence at the AAMA Annual Conference and Convocation, national ACMCA management conferences, national educational conferences directed by the American Academy of Medical Administrators, and local meetings in your state or region.

4. You receive a tuition discount for any local regional, or national education program conducted by the American College of Managed Care Administrators or the American Academy of Medical Administrators As you advance in your career and develop special knowledge and experience that would be of value to your peers you will have the opportunity to be a speaker at these programs. This provides advantages for exposure and networking experiences. Contact hours for continuing education are provided to all members through the AAMA Research & Education Foundation, Inc.

5. You have a large array of opportunities to be as professionally active as you wish within ACMCA and AAMA through your participation as a Board member, committee chairperson, committee member, AAMA Regional Director, AAMA State Director and numerous other official opportunities. You can be a leader in the development of a regional or state educational conference which will allow for the exchange of information among members so that they may develop solutions in dealing with the management concerns of managed care.

6. You will receive, as part of your membership dues, the quarterly publication of the Academy entitled the Executive which highlights local and national activities, presents articles of timely importance and regularly features members and their achievements. You will be encouraged to prepare articles for submission to this publication which creates further opportunities for your present and future career aspirations. Editorial Board memberships are available for ACMCA members.

7.The American Academy of Medical Administrators recognizes Academy members of all its college by having an outstanding system of awards which are presented at the AAMA Annual Conference and Convocation. In addition, awards will be given at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Managed Care Administrators.

8. The American Academy of Medical Administrators is the only professional healthcare association that welcomes as members healthcare leaders in all functional areas and at all levels of management from department head through chief executive officer. Among our 4,000 members are chief executive officers and other senior healthcare leaders including national college members in cardiology, healthcare facility planning, information oncology and others.

Role of ACMCA

• Foster the professional identification within the healthcare industry of those individuals who are in managed care related management positions.

• Foster a formal and informal climate of information exchange among members so that they may develop solutions and innovate approaches m dealing with the management concerns of managed care.

• Encourage and support mechanisms for review of training programs for managed care administration.

• Function as a significant source of advice to organizations concerning managed care healthcare management

Mission of ACMCA

The mission of the American College of Managed Care Administrators is to develop innovative concepts in the field of managed care administration and to promote the advancement of its members in knowledge, professional standing, and personal achievements through continuing education and research in managed care administration.

Philosophy of ACMCA

We believe health services management should provide an environment for delivering the optimum level of patient care with the dignity and human concern. We believe ACMCA must maintain a high level of social consciousness and fiscal accountability in the performance of managed care related duties for the benefit of patients/payers and providers.

We take pride in being a college of the American Academy of Medical Administrators. And we believe that service to our membership is our central focus and we should provide services that meet the individual need of our affiliates.