Erlanger director earns top healthcare management credential

Chattanooga, Tenn. – Sondra McGinnis, RN, FACHE, director of operations for physician services at Erlanger Health System, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare leaders.

“The healthcare management field plays a vital role in providing high-quality care to the people in our communities, which makes having a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization critically important,” says Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, president and chief executive officer of ACHE.

“By becoming an ACHE Fellow and earning the distinction of board certification from ACHE, Sondra has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in serving patients and the community,” said Kevin M. Spiegel, FACHE, Regent for Tennessee and President and CEO of Erlanger Health System.  “She has the opportunity to apply her knowledge and take physician practices at Erlanger to the next level of service, allowing our medical staff to care for the patients in our region with the highest level of care.”

Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. In fact, only 9,100 healthcare executives hold this distinction. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional/community involvement. Fellows are also committed to ongoing professional development and undergo recertification every three years.

McGinnis is privileged to use the FACHE® credential, which signifies board certification in healthcare management and ACHE Fellow status.

Since 2003, McGinnis has worked at Erlanger in several capacities.  She has managed physician practices, monitored operational and financial data, developed workflows and policies and implemented electronic medical records into practices.  She completed her certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute during the past year, and has multiple years experience in managed care and quality improvement as well as over 20 years experience as a registered nurse.

For more information regarding the FACHE credential, please contact the ACHE Division of Member Services at (312) 424-9400, by emailing contact@ache.org, or visit ache.org/FACHE.