Joseph Haralson, vice president for ancillary and support services at Lebanon Community Hospital, has just received Diplomate status in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
The distinction places him among the most respected and knowledgeable of international health care executives. To achieve the Diplomate status, Haralson completed continuing education courses, underwent interviews by fellow ACHE members and passed a 230-question, five-hour exam.
Haralson has been at Lebanon Community Hospital since January 2000. He oversees the hospital’s ancillary and support services, including Imaging, Laboratory, Nutrition Services, Engineering, Volunteer Services, Plant Services, Therapies (occupational, physical and respiratory) and the Regional Laundry. Before coming to Lebanon, he was at North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City, where he was the assistant administrator for Outpatient Services and a compliance officer.
“Working toward and receiving this Diplomate credential is something that has been very important to me,” Haralson said. “In my mind, it represents a commitment to maintaining a high level of expertise in a rapidly changing industry. It’s a personal goal. It helps me stay abreast of what’s happening in health care policy. It helps me serve the community in an effective fashion.
“I received tremendous support from Steve Jasperson (LCH executive vice president of Hospital Operations) and Larry Mullins (president and CEO of Samaritan Health Services). I certainly want to thank them for that support.”
The educational courses and the exam knowledge required for ACHE’s Diplomate status cover many health care areas. Among them are the governance and organization of health care facilities, effective management, government regulations, ethics and more.
In addition to his Diplomate status, Haralson also has an academic degree in physical therapy and master’s degree in business administration (MBA), and he has broad experience in health care administration. He has served as administrative coordinator of Rehabilitation Services and Radiology at St. Luke’s Hospital East and West in St. Louis, Mo., and as director of Administrative and Fiscal Services for the Irene Walton Johnson Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Before joining the administrative staff at North Lincoln Hospital, he was president and venture manager of his own medical rehabilitation company. He also directed rehabilitation programs at providence Hospital in Medford and the Medford Spine and Sports Therapy Center.
During his tenure at Lebanon Community Hospital, Haralson has helped the hospital establish benchmarks for quality performance in both clinical and non-clinical arenas, and he has overseen the construction and implementation of the hospital’s Urgent Care Walk-In Clinic, which opened last fall.