Degree Specialization in Healthcare Management

In this course, students are introduced to an overview of the U.S. healthcare system. The historical background of the shift from an acute care hospital-based system to a chronic/preventive care ambulatory focus and influence of current trends such as the Affordable Care Act and the aging population are presented. Students will examine differences between non-profit and for-profit healthcare organizations, and how quality, safety, and competition within the healthcare industry impact patient care. Assignments and discussions provide opportunities to compare and contrast the U.S. healthcare system to other nations’ healthcare systems.

This course will focus on the historical context of health care delivery and policy-making procedures. Students will focus on the political, economical, and social aspects of health care policy impacting both providers and patients. Further discussion will provide insight into the complexity of health care policy reformation, how the policy-making process works, and how moral and ethical decision-making at the policy level influence health care providers within the institutional settings. Public health awareness and preparedness will also be discussed as related to influencing political officials to formalize policy-making efforts through legislative reform.

This course provides the student with an overview of healthcare risk management pertaining to the role of the risk manager within the healthcare setting, focusing on real-life issues addressed by risk managers, and exploring the liability issues that may be associated with perceived risks both occupationally and patient-related. Further reading and discussion will include examining risk and risk management outside the hospital setting regarding behavioral health, ancillary services, assisted living, and general emergency services. Students will also examine the issues surrounding privacy and compliance issues of medical records and record keeping, handling sentinel events, and the overall effectiveness of healthcare regulations pertaining to risk management.

Managed care and health insurance covers healthcare issues surrounding management, insurances, and managed healthcare plans and discusses the new regulations from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Students will learn about the basic foundations concerning insurance benefit plans for Medicare and Medicaid. The course will also cover fundamental ideas concerning cost-containment measures and quality of healthcare being delivered, focusing on a US-based approach to healthcare insurance plans for HMOs and other integrated insurance delivery systems.

The course introduces students to the multiple determinants of health including medical care, socioeconomic status, the physical environment and individual behavior, and their interactions. Major topics include: development of the public health system, epidemiological models, health-risk factors, disease trends, and risk-reduction programs and strategies. Special emphasis will be placed on developing basic skills relevant to community assessment and health promotion strategies. Assignments and discussions provide opportunities to apply epidemiological analysis techniques with an emphasis on assessment of cost and benefits of population-based interventions. Recommended Prior Course: ORG300