ACPE offers new health IT certificate program

The American College of Physician Executives is offering a new—and largely online—health information technology leadership certificate program that can serve as a partial prerequisite for master's degrees in healthcare management from four participating universities.

ACPE previously has offered individual courses in health information technology, but this 40-hour course is the organization's first full program leading to a certificate in health IT leadership, said Debra Sher, chief of strategic marketing for the Tampa, Fla.-based ACPE. The total program cost is $4,800, which includes the cost of tuition to a two-day "capstone course" at an ACPE fall institute.

All courses in the certificate program are eligible for elective credit in the ACPE's master's degree program, which is offered jointly with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh; UCLA; and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia.

Costs for the graduate education programs range from $22,950 to $33,880. In-person attendance requirements vary for the four schools' master's programs, ranging from entirely online, partially online and partially on campus, to all classes on campus. Degrees offered are a master's in medical management, an MBA with a focus in medical management and a master of science in healthcare quality and safety management.