NEW PROGRAM PROPOSAL: AAS AND DIPLOMA IN MEDICAL ASSISTING OWENSBORO COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE June 9, 2017

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1 NEW PROGRAM PROPOSAL: ACTION AAS AND DIPLOMA IN MEDICAL ASSISTING Agenda Item J-5f OWENSBORO COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE June 9, 2017 Recommendation That the Board of Regents approve an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) and Diploma in Medical Assisting, and certificates in Medical Office Insurance Billing and Coding, Medical Office Administrative Assistant, and Phlebotomist, for Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) to be implemented in fall Rationale The proposed AAS degree is consistent with the missions of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) and OCTC and supports the statewide postsecondary education strategic agenda and the statewide strategic implementation plan. As the only healthcare profession educated specifically to work in outpatient/ambulatory patient care facilities, medical assistants are educated in: office and medical terminology, customer relations and communications, medical office procedures, taking vital signs, patient preparation for examination and treatment, administration of medications, venipuncture, and basic laboratory techniques. OCTC will seek program accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) to insure program graduates (AAS and Diploma) meet the competencies required to achieve national certification, and to assure the healthcare employer that OCTC graduates have received a high-quality learning experience. The Green River Area Occupational Outlook to 2020 ranks medical assistants in the top 25 fastest growing occupations in the Green River Area Development District, which includes OCTC s service area. According to their data, Green River Area Occupational Outlook to 2020 projects at least 68 new medical assistants will be needed by Further supporting the growing need for certified medical assistants is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ruling that credentialed medical assistants (as well as licensed health care professionals) would be permitted as specifically directed by the overseeing healthcare provider to enter medication, radiology, and laboratory orders into the Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system. This requirement went into effect January 1, 2013, and is making a significant impact on the need to hire credentialed, certified medical assistants. Owensboro Health, the largest employer in the region with more than 3,900 employees, began a $65 million construction project on three new state-of-the-art One Healthplex outpatient facilities in This project, scheduled for completion in December 2017, will offer primary and urgent care, specialty services, outpatient testing, patient education and wellness care. At any given time, Owensboro Health has open positions for medical assistants. With the three new Healthplex facilities opening in 2017, that number will more than double. Owensboro Community and Technical College has the facilities and support services available for the Medical Assisting program. The classrooms, both lecture and clinical, will utilize space located on the Downtown campus. Likewise, the program director will utilize an office next to the classrooms at the Downtown campus. The Downtown campus was selected as a prime location for Medical Assisting program as it is a hub for workforce training, and it has a fully 147

2 equipped Certified Nurse Assistant/phlebotomy laboratory that can be shared for instructional purposes. For program start-up, OCTC will seek Perkins funds to assist with the purchase of start-up equipment, instructional materials, and adjunct faculty salaries. OCTC will also be seeking KY TRAINS funding to support the program director s salary for the first year of the program. Background According to the Kentucky Public Postsecondary Education Diversity Policy and Framework for Institution Diversity Plan Development, OCTC has automatic eligibility. An executive summary of the proposal is attached. A copy of the full proposal has been forwarded to each member of the Board s Academic Affairs and Curriculum Committee. 148

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Associate in Applied Science and Diploma in Medical Assisting Owensboro Community and Technical College A Proposal for Initiation of a New Degree Program A. Centrality to the Institution s Mission and Consistency with State s Goals The objectives of the Medical Assisting program supports the institutional and strategic priorities of the institution in those students are provided with an opportunity to improve the quality of their lives personally, economically, and professionally. The Medical Assisting credentials are consistent with the missions of both KCTCS and OCTC. OCTC s mission is to improve our community s economic development and competitive advantage by providing high quality, excellent learning experiences through career degree programs, workforce development, and transfer to baccalaureate degree programs. The Medical Assisting program will promote economic development and a competitive advantage through workforce development by providing students the option to advance their education in medical assisting. Completion of one or more of the medical assisting credentials will increase the student s employability, as well as increase their opportunities for professional advancement. The proposed credentials support the statewide strategic agenda and implementation plan in that they provide opportunity by expanding the availability of flexible, affordable, competency-based postsecondary programs, as well as strategies like employer partnerships and Project Graduate, to support working-age adults in the pursuit of job-enhancing postsecondary credentials (Objective 3, Strategy 3.2). As stackable credentials, the Medical Assisting AAS, Medical Assisting Diploma, embedded certificates, plus the Phlebotomist Certificate will have impact on the healthcare industry by addressing current and emerging workforce demands, entrepreneurial business opportunities, and opportunities for additional education/training (Objective 9, Strategy 9.5). By including these credentials in OCTC s Strategic Plan, the college will provide additional healthcare professionals, thereby maximizing the impact of postsecondary education s contribution to improving the workforce of Kentucky and the United States. B. Program Quality and Student Success The Medical Assisting program prepares students for a challenging professional career working in an outpatient/ambulatory care facility. 149

4 As the only healthcare profession educated specifically to work in outpatient/ambulatory patient care facilities, medical assistants are educated in: office and medical terminology, customer relations and communications, medical office procedures, taking vital signs, patient preparation for examination and treatment, administration of medications, venipuncture, and basic laboratory techniques. Overall, these marketable skills prepare the student for employment in a high demand profession at the local, regional, or national level. Moreover, the proposed Medical Assisting Diploma and embedded certificates are stackable credentials in the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Medical Assisting pathway. This allows students to incrementally build their skill set and increase their employability as they work toward the AAS in Medical Assisting. Students will also be able to complete an additional practicum to earn the Phlebotomist Certificate, another marketable credential. Finally, OCTC will seek program accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) to insure program graduates (AAS and Diploma) meet the competencies required to achieve national certification, and to assure the healthcare employer that OCTC graduates have received a high-quality learning experience. C. Program Demand/Unnecessary Duplication OCTC is proposing to adopt the existing Associate in Applied Science Medical Assisting and Medical Assisting Diploma to meet the increasing demand from healthcare employers in the region for qualified and certified candidates to fill medical assisting positions. The Green River Area Occupational Outlook to 2020 ranks medical assistants in the top 25 fastest growing occupations in the Green River Area Development District, which includes OCTC s service area. According to their data, Green River Area Occupational Outlook to 2020 projects at least 68 new medical assistants will be needed by National data also supports this growing trend. Medical assistants are in high demand and employment opportunities in this field are expected to grow 23 percent through 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median annual wage for medical assistants is $30,590 with an upper range of $43,880 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.) As the field of healthcare advances and an aging population creates an increased need for healthcare services, this growth is likely to continue for many years. Further supporting the growing need for certified medical assistants is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ruling that credentialed medical assistants (as well as licensed health care professionals) would be permitted as specifically directed by the overseeing healthcare provider to enter medication, radiology, and laboratory orders into the Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system. This requirement went into effect January 1, 2013, and is making a significant impact on the need to hire credentialed, certified medical assistants. Incidentally, Kentucky only has 1,350 certified medical assistants and very few of those are located in the Owensboro region (Source: Judee Barone, American Association of Medical Assistants). 150

5 To assess the current and future projected needs of the local workforce, OCTC s Workforce Solutions and Academic Affairs: Held nine face-to-face meetings with area healthcare leaders during the academic year. Convened two separate focus group sessions with healthcare leaders, practicing medical assistants and their managers, in the fall of Hosted a GO CAREERS Medical Assistant Employer Forum with the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation in January of Surveyed 49 employer contacts on their need to hire medical assistants. Surveyed 26 employer-selected (high performing) medical assistants for a review and evaluation of the proposed courses. The resulting theme of the above activities was an expressed growing need for certified medical assistants by Owensboro Health, Wendell Foster Center, Ohio County Hospital, and the Bridgewater Medical Center. Owensboro Health, the largest employer in the region with more than 3,900 employees, began a $65 million construction project on three new state-ofthe-art One Healthplex outpatient facilities in This project, scheduled for completion in December 2017, will offer primary and urgent care, specialty services, outpatient testing, patient education and wellness care. At any given time, Owensboro Health has open positions for medical assistants. With the three new Healthplex facilities opening in 2017, that number will more than double (Source: Beth Renschler, Director of Owensboro Health s One Health Clinics). The results of the forums, meetings, and surveys solidified the need for a medical assisting program that provides a quality education that allows the successful graduate to sit for a national certification exam and become a certified medical assistant as deemed necessary for the local employers. Equally important is the support for a work and learn program model (an expansion of the successful GO FAME program) to offer students a better understanding of the demands of the job, as well provide greater relevance and reinforcement to the classroom instruction. To further support the adoption of the AAS and diploma in Medical Assisting, current OCTC healthcare students were surveyed. The survey emphasized a work and learn model program. With 67 completed surveys (N=296) for a 23percent response rate, the following results were obtained: percent of responders believe there is a need for an OCTC Medical Assistant credential that is stackable to a two-year degree where a portion of the academic credit earned is transferable to other high-wage healthcare career options percent of responders believe the length and the timeframe proposed for OCTC s diploma program (10-11 months) is reasonable percent of responders believe the proposed work and learn format (attend classes two days and work three days per week) will benefit students percent of responders believe there is a value in a program where employers provide industry paid work experience opportunities to students while taking classes, pay for at least half of the tuition, provide mentoring at the job site, and consider hiring students for a full time position after they complete the program. 151

6 The Associate in Applied Science Medical Assistant and Diploma Medical Assisting are existing credentials listed the KCTCS CATALOG , and are offered by six of the KCTCS colleges. The proposed Medical Assisting program will serve the Owensboro Community and Technical College region (Daviess County, Hancock County, Ohio County, and McLean County), which is separate from the service regions of the geographically closest KCTCS colleges, Henderson Community College and Jefferson Community and Technical College. In addition, Ross Medical Education Center, a for-profit institution located in Owensboro, offers a medical assisting program for area students. The proposed OCTC program will differ from the Ross Medical Education Center program in that OCTC program students will complete a credential from an accredited institution, with transferable academic credits at tuition rate that is financially more affordable for students. In response to all of the above information, OCTC s leadership team unanimously agreed to pursue this proposed program utilizing the existing KCTCS Associate in Applied Science - Medical Assisting and Diploma- Medical Assisting credentials. OCTC s launch of these credentials provide a timely solution for meeting this increasing workforce need in the Owensboro region. D. Cost and Funding of the Proposed Program OCTC has the facilities and support services available for the Medical Assisting program. The classrooms, both lecture and clinical, will utilize space located on the Downtown campus. Likewise, the program director will utilize an office next to the classrooms at the Downtown campus. The Downtown campus was selected as a prime location for Medical Assisting program as it is a hub for workforce training, and it has a fully equipped Certified Nurse Assistant/phlebotomy laboratory that can be shared for instructional purposes. For program start-up, OCTC will seek Perkins funds to assist with the purchase of start-up equipment, instructional materials, and adjunct faculty salaries. OCTC will also be seeking KY TRAINS funding to support the program director s salary for the first year of the program. Thereafter, all Medical Assisting program faculty salaries and a yearly program budget will be included in the operating budget of the college. E. Program Review and Assessment OCTC s review and assessment of the Medical Assisting program will include, but not be limited to, the following: 1) The college annual review of all professional and technical programs. Considered are: Graduation/completion rate data. National Certification for Medical Assisting exam data. Individual class testing. Attainment of student learning outcomes. Diploma completers continuing on to the AAS in Medical Assisting. 152

7 Medical Office Insurance Billing and Coding Certificate completion data. Medical Office Administrative Assistance Certificate completion data. Phlebotomist Certificate completion data. Employer and student satisfaction surveys. Biannual Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) survey. Advisory board feedback. These data sets are used to provide an overall view of program effectiveness and attainment of student learning outcomes. Information obtained through the review process leads to program improvement as well as increased performance and effectiveness. 2) Their associate dean or department chair, and the chief academic officer annually review program faculty members. 3) Teaching effectiveness is evaluated through student evaluation of instruction. 4) The Phlebotomist Certificate, along with the certificate and diploma credentials embedded in the Medical Assisting AAS degree will be included on the cyclical program review by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). F. Conclusion The proposed Medical Assisting program is consistent with the missions of KCTCS and OCTC, and supports the statewide postsecondary education strategic agenda and the statewide strategic implementation plan. The curricula for all credentials is approved. Local, state, and national needs support the establishment of these credentials. A program evaluation plan is in place, and OCTC has resources available to implement this program. 153

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