Medical Fitness Association FAQs

The Medical Fitness Association supports its Industry Partners. We have a list of our Partners on our homepage. We encourage and promote our Partners, because they are committed to the philosophy and spirit in delivering medically based fitness and exercise platforms. Members needing products and services should consider these companies that deliver exemplary services to our members and facilities.

• The Medical Fitness Association Facility Certification program launched in 2008 in the United States. There are currently 45 Certified Facilities.
• First certification offered specifically to facilities in the medical fitness industry that provides physician approval and referral.
• Based on the Medical Fitness Association publication, Standards and Guidelines for Medical Fitness Center Facilities.
• Certification process involves an in-depth review of a facility’s adherence to the prescribed standards and guidelines for delivering a medically sponsored, integrated, accountability based fitness and exercise platform.
• Certification process is an integral part of ensuring the quality and safety of the facility’s programs and services that are necessary to meet the vital role that medical fitness centers perform.
• Recognized as the mark of excellence in the health and fitness industry.
• Click here to review more certification details.

The Medical Fitness Association saw the need to improve the professionalism in management throughout the fitness industry and to that end created two Management Credentials for the Fitness Industry. As American healthcare evolves over the next decade, a greater emphasis on prevention and health risk management will begin to take center stage. We want to help all fitness facilities be prepared to safely handle the referrals that may come their way. The two credentials, the Fitness Facility Director Certification (FFD) and the Medical Fitness Facility Director Certification (MFFD), were developed to help prepare the entire industry for this transformation of health care. The exams are based on 9 primary tasks of the facility manager and over 150 knowledge statements. More information is available under the certifications tab on the MFA website.

• The Fitness Facility Director Certification is designed to enhance the knowledge of directors of health and fitness facilities throughout the entire fitness industry and to introduce a few concepts surrounding medical fitness. This is the foundational credential for management and is a pre-requisite before being able to sit for the second exam.
• The Medical Fitness Facility Director Certification is specifically designed for managers and directors of medically integrated fitness facilities who understand the importance of prevention, exercise as medicine and full integration of their facilities into the local continuum of care. This credential covers the same content areas as the Fitness Facility Director, but delves more specifically into the clinical aspects of providing medically integrated programming throughout the entire facility.

A Medical Fitness Association initiative, designed to promote an increase in physical activity levels in all ages and to highlight the medical fitness difference.  During this international event, medical fitness centers and communities are asked to offer programming that focuses on teaching families the skills they need to develop healthy lifestyle habits.  We encourage all our members to have their facility participate in a number of ways including:

• Health Fairs
• Educational Seminars
• Demonstrations
• Open House
• Local School Activities
• Senior Citizen Participation
• Fun Run

Many facilities choose to participate by entering in the Aspire 2012 National Walking Challenge: 70,000 Steps in 7 Days.  This program encourages local communities to get up and move by striving for 70,000 Steps in 7 Days from each participant.  Centers can use this event as a fundraiser and donate all monies raised to local programs and scholarship funds in the fight against obesity or other health related issues.  The challenge involves wearing a pedometer and tracking how many steps a day a person is achieving.  There are two categories in this program, total steps and the average step per person. This program takes place once a year in April.

Once a year, the Association offers an inclusive three day program that is dedicated to educating future industry leaders.

• Focuses on a curriculum directly related to the operational success of medical fitness centers that can make all the difference in the future success of your facility and your career.

Within the Medical Fitness Association there are six regional chapters which act as components of the Association. Regional Chapters allow professionals in the medical fitness industry to network more directly and frequently.

Objectives:

• Introduce potential members to the Medical Fitness Association
• Develop future leaders for the Medical Fitness Association
• Broaden participation in the Medical Fitness Association activities nationally
• Networking
• Provide educational opportunities for all Medical Fitness Association members
• Share information with colleagues in the region
• Input on public policy positions
• Participate in discussions on the Medical Fitness Association’s role in public education, public relations, healthcare policy and reimbursement issues

The Medical Fitness Association offers the following publications:

• Medical Fitness Association’s Standards and Guidelines for Medical Fitness Center Facilities
  Published in conjunction with Health Learning, this expanded edition of the Standards and Guidelines features a set of nationally derived parameters that are applicable to the design and operation of a medical fitness center.  Included are sample job descriptions, a Facility Certification checklist, policies and procedures, and industry resources.  If your facility is planning to apply for certification, we highly recommend the purchase of this publication.
• Benchmarks for Success
  Benchmarks for Success, the eighth edition, is the most comprehensive, up-to-date resource of its kind in the medical fitness industry.  It provides a broad and valuable range of information about medical fitness centers across the country, including facility features, programming, financial data and membership information.  The guide provides statistics on the growth and profitability of the industry that are especially pertinent to the development, staffing, management, programming, and marketing of medical fitness centers.

You can find the W-9 Form here.

If you have any questions or concerns, please fill out our Contact Us.