Region 5 chapters surpass student scholarship goal

Four chapters in HFMA’s Region 5 — Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama — awarded a combined total of 100 scholarships as of early March, following the launch of HFMA’s nationwide student scholarship program in June 2024.

Regional executives Bridget Cutchen, associate director, cash applications, with Emory Health in Atlanta, and Candi Powers, chief revenue officer at USA Health in Mobile, Ala., credited this achievement to chapter leaders integrating scholarships into strategic goals, forging connections with local colleges and universities and engaging current student members.

“Universities are interested in pathways to healthcare finance certification for their students,” Powers said, noting that HFMA membership and subsequent educational opportunities help better prepare them.

Scholarship specifics

The Region 5 chapters’ leadership set a deadline for awarding scholarships for a one-year membership (with the option to reapply annually), and after that point, remaining scholarships became available to any chapter in the region.

The chapters collaborated with 11 universities and two community colleges to set up educational events and recruit students for the scholarship program. The application was open to students in undergraduate and graduate programs, many of whom focused on academic tracks including finance, accounting and healthcare administration.

Chapters invited students to in-person and virtual educational and networking events for potential members to learn about the benefits of HFMA membership.

“We engaged chapter members who had received a student scholarship or joined as student members to share their experiences with HFMA[with potential student members],” Cutchen said.

“Our next generation of leaders need to be included in succession planning,” Powers said. “If we can plant those seeds early in the student population, we continue to prove our value.”

Managing the process and tracking success

Chapter-level efforts had already been in place to award student scholarships, and the funding of these scholarships by HFMA national “gave chapters the ability to engage students on a larger scale,” said Cutchen.

Progress on recruiting students for scholarships has been a standing agenda item on regional monthly meetings, and chapters tracking retention rates are seeing initial success in that area.