Just as every patient enters the medical system with their own history, health administrators bring their own unique background and skills to their chosen roles. This is particularly true in the case of Sheronica Barcliff (MSHA ‘13). As CEO and Founder of the Barcliff Group, an Atlanta-based consulting firm, Barcliff relies on her experience as an entrepreneur, speaker, community liaison, and healthcare quality and equity expert to evolve a patient-focused approach into person-centered care.

“My life’s work in this arena is to push the needle forward in the ability to measure quality for the purpose of improving healthcare service and delivery,” says Barcliff. “We need to put a face and call-to-action to the real issues in healthcare equity, and to create cultures where there is an ongoing ambition to operate in excellence not solely motivated by profitability.” 

A Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Woman Business Enterprise (WBE), The Barcliff Group puts its core values at the forefront of their work. They seek to create “a deep-rooted, systematic change in healthcare delivery through the intentional provision of equitable, quality, value-based care.” The firm centers on management and administration consulting, strategic planning, communications, health information technology, and NCQA accreditation and regulatory compliance. Barcliff makes sure clients are paired with a consultant who aligns with their values and vision. 

“Our motto is ‘excellence without exception,’” she says.

As the industry has been rocked by the global events of the last two years, Barcliff sees this moment as an opportunity for overdue, systemic change: “We can look to the pandemic, social justice, economical, and political climates as points of major change. This, in concert with the advancements in health technology, need for remote services, and the increased need for mental and behavioral health services, have heightened healthcare consumer consciousness and the value system behind delivery.” 

That value system is taking on more meaning and nuance in 2021. “Trust is hard to earn, but easy to lose – especially surrounding marginalized communities,” she says. “If we truly want to build more trustworthiness, we must address and hold accountable the good, bad, and treacherous history of our country and the prevailing thought systems, ethics, values, and superiority complexes that continue to exploit marginalized communities to date.”

On Giving Back: The Barcliff Group has a commitment to philanthropy through its foundation, Living Legacies. The arm gives to a number of community organizations and healthcare needs. “As administrators, we should be the torchbearers of promoting cultures of quality and operational excellence,” she says. “We must want to be a change agent and swim the upstream battle to see the value in cultural competencies, integrity, and equity.”

On her time at VCU: “Aside from having the honor of studying alongside the best cohort of clinical and administrative professionals, the VCU MSHA program provided the opportunity to directly apply my studies...it has certainly served me well to date,” she notes.