Carl Nichols

ELKINS — Carl Nichols, MBA, FACHE, vice president of Professional Services for Davis Health System (DHS) recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), 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.

Nichols joined Davis Health System in 2007 as the director of Central West Virginia MedCorp. In 2010, he was named vice president of Physician Practices.

He earned his Masters of Business Administration from West Virginia University and completed the Certified Medical Practice Executive program through the American College of Medical Practice Executives in 2009. His professional affiliations include the American College of Medical Practice Executives, Medical Group Management Association and the West Virginia Medical Group Management Association.

“Earning the distinction of board certification from ACHE is an outstanding achievement,” said DHS CEO Vance Jackson. “We commend his commitment to Davis Health System and in bringing valuable insight back to our local healthcare community.”

Nichols is one of only 50 ACHE Fellows in West Virginia. 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.

A resident of the Elkins community, Nichols is an active member of the Rotary Club of Elkins, the Chamber of Commerce; Elks lodge 1135 and the Leadership West Virginia Class of 2015.

The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE offers its prestigious FACHE credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management. ACHE’s established network of more than 80 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level. In addition, ACHE is known for its magazine, Healthcare Executive, and its career development and public policy programs. Through such efforts, ACHE works toward its goal of being the premier professional society for healthcare executives dedicated to improving healthcare delivery.

The Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives was established to further advance healthcare management excellence through education and research. The Foundation of ACHE is known for its educational programs — including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 4,000 participants — and groundbreaking research. Its publishing division, Health Administration Press, is one of the largest publishers of books and journals on health services management including textbooks for college and university courses.