Great Plains Health
North Platte, Neb., January 3, 2024 – Danelle Franzen, MBA, MLS (ASCP), FACHE, Great Plains Health chief operating officer, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare leaders.
“This is one of the most distinguished accomplishments that a healthcare leader can earn,” said Ivan Mitchell, Great Plains Health chief executive officer. “By becoming an ACHE Fellow, Franzen has demonstrated her commitment to serving our patients, our community and the broader healthcare profession.”
Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. In fact, fewer than 9,000 healthcare executives hold this distinction. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education hours, demonstrating professional/community involvement and passing a comprehensive examination. Fellows also are committed to ongoing professional development and undergo recertification every three years.
“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,” said Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, president and CEO of ACHE.
Franzen also serves as the 2024 chapter president elect for the ACHE - Nebraska and Western Iowa Chapter and will serve as the chapter president in 2025. As the Great Plains Health chief operating officer, Franzen is responsible for the overall operations of the health system and ensures that the organization’s strategic objectives are carried out through its daily activities. Before assuming this position in 2022, Franzen served as chief provider network officer for two years. She began her healthcare career as a medical laboratory technician at Great Plains Health and has had several positions of increasing responsibility in laboratory and management.
Franzen earned a master's degree in business administration from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska. She earned a bachelor's degree in clinical laboratory science from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and an associate's degree from Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte.