Complete HCMT-515 concurrently or prior to HCMT-545.
Explore Healthcare Administration
Make measurable change in healthcare environments with a cutting-edge healthcare administration degree. Champlain's online master's in healthcare administration challenges you to think boldly and innovatively, and arms you with the technical knowledge, interdisciplinary strategies, and creative problem-solving techniques needed to become a change agent in your organization.
Build Your Career Future
Champlain's master's in healthcare administration will equip you with the skills needed to increase efficiencies, foster collaboration, and make measurable improvements to patient access and quality of care in a variety of healthcare settings. With a comprehensive, interdisciplinary education that encompasses quality and process improvement, human resources, finance, leadership, and information systems, as well as key soft skills like communication and critical thinking, graduates of Champlain's online MHA degree program will be prepared to take on the challenges faced by today's healthcare organizations.
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Academic Excellence and Recognition
Regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education
Ranked among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs by U.S. News & World Report
Designated as a Military Friendly School for our commitment to the military community
Named the Best Private Online College by Intelligent.com
Prepare For What's Next
As an experienced healthcare professional, you are more than familiar with the complexities and challenges that face the healthcare field, and are optimistic about the opportunity to bring fresh thinking to the industry. With a valuable combination of healthcare expertise and the critical soft skills needed in advanced roles, graduates of Champlain's master's in healthcare administration program will be prepared to pursue leadership roles in the field.
Healthcare administration occupations are expected to grow 32% between 2019 and 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations, due to an increased demand for healthcare services as the population ages. The median annual salary for these roles is $104,280 per year.* Additionally, master's degrees are in high demand and employment in master’s-level occupations is projected to grow by 15% from 2019 to 2029. A master's degree also pays off: the median salary for professionals with a master's degree is $78,210.*
*Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2020; job titles: Payscale, 2020
Top Jobs for Master's in Healthcare Administration Graduates
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Operations Officer
- Clinic Manager
- Health Care Consultant
- Health Services Manager
- Hospital Administrator
- Nursing Director
- Program Manager
Program Details
Learn more about Champlain's 100% online master's in healthcare administration program, designed for working professionals.
Champlain's online healthcare administration courses encompass the top skills needed by today's healthcare professionals.
Healthcare Administration Courses (30 Credits):
Students learn about the U.S. health care system, including the government's role in the industry, cost and quality issues, managed care, reimbursement mechanisms, legal and regulatory issues, profit vs. non-profit care, the role of technology, and then compare it to international health care systems. Students will begin to conceptualize new models of delivery through analysis of barriers to process improvement and the use of design thinking and analytics. Students will appraise development, implementation and management of system components.
This course is designed to introduce a systemic process for planning, organizing and controlling healthcare projects using design thinking and innovation. The course presents a practical methodology for completing projects more quickly with fewer problems. Student work consists of readings, research, class special-topic presentations, group activities, a project management journal, and participation in a real world healthcare project. Students will be encouraged to apply project-management techniques to solve existing real-world healthcare business problems using design thinking and innovation.
Prerequisites
Managing information as a strategic resource is challenging. Students will design IT systems to capture, combine, and transform data into information to measure processes/outcomes of care, support clinical decision-making and management decisions, empower patients, and improve health care operations. Students explore health information systems within the context of associated business processes to develop innovative solutions. Management of change as related to clinical systems will also be stressed to help build buy-in, engage individuals and ultimately improve workflow and system design.
Prerequisites
Complete HCMT-515
Students gain systemic overview of the financial operations of common healthcare organizations, both public and private and an understanding of various financial components enabling health services to be delivered. Students identify key issues confronting the financial management of healthcare systems and provide innovative strategies for effective management of these financial management challenges. Topics explored include traditional and innovative financial management techniques and data analytical methods applied to healthcare settings, as well as financial management challenges unique to the industry.
Prerequisites
Complete HCMT-515 concurrently or prior to HCMT-527.
Students learn to apply elements of regulation, law and ethics to the administrative process in a variety of healthcare settings and situations. Healthcare administrators can avoid many legal disputes by understanding basic concepts such as patient rights, informed consent and privacy regulations. Course themes include the legal barriers that interfere with process improvement, malpractice, and the limits on sharing information across institutions. Students analyze recent legal developments, including the Affordable Care Act, medical marijuana, and right to die legislation.
Prerequisites
Complete HCMT-515 concurrently or prior to HCMT-535.
The complexity of today's health care environments challenges organizations to become adaptive and innovative. Everyone must find a way to adopt new leadership skills for health care organizational survival. Students learn to meet this challendge wherever they will exert influence in an organization by developing knowledge and skills to effectively lead change, including communicating with others in the organization, identification of how change is accomplished and impacts people, and affects organizational relationships and ultimately, patient outcomes.
Prerequisites
Complete HCMT-515 and HCMT-545
During a firm's planning, operations, and control cycles, many choices and decisions must be made. We introduce you to financial information within an orgranization that supports decision making and performance measurement in addition to how to use this information to make a business case to various stakeholders. Students will also consider how weigh both qualitative and quantitative factors when making decisions.
Prerequisites
Complete MBA-524 or HCMT-527
Students learn about healthcare organizational measurements, assessments and improvement practices related to the quality of healthcare services and examine and analyze traditional and innovative quality, structure and process assessments including risk management, credentialing and the role of oversight agencies. They will then develop innovative applications of outcomes-based process improvement methods, focusing on rapid cycle tools such as PDSA, and utilizing data analytical methods that result in improved patient outcomes.
Prerequisites
Complete HCMT-515
Talent management is the process of attracting and retaining skilled employees and cultivating critical knowledge and skills, recognizing that quality employees drive business success. Using a strategic perspective, students learn to recognize and develop talents, evaluate performance and influence behavior, using data analysis and innovation to drive organizational success. Additionally, students focus on the interrelationship between organizational culture and traditional human resources functions. Other themes include ethical issues, the global workforce and links between social responsibility, culture and business success.
Prerequisites
Complete HCMT-515
Students review and apply skills gained through the program to an independent healthcare project. Students develop a project plan; establish objectives collect and analyze information and deliver a final product with the support of a faculty advisor. This experience provides an opportunity to observe, apply and develop technical, interpersonal, and conceptual skills while integrating leadership expertise and knowledge of healthcare administration to improve healthcare delivery.
Prerequisites
Complete HCMT-555 and HCMT-560.
In addition to developing advanced communication and analytical skills, and a strategic mindset, graduates of the healthcare administration master's online program will demonstrate a mastery of the following industry-specific competencies:
- Explain and compare the organizational elements and structure, delivery modalities, barriers to system and process improvement (including past, current and future information technology processes) for US and global healthcare systems and, using existing and proposed system designs, and innovative and design thinking, conceptualize more effective systems.
- Analyze the structure and interdependence of healthcare system elements and issues using critical thinking and data analytics to formulate innovative system designs that improve healthcare delivery, and identify or develop innovative, qualitative and quantitative analytical methods to measure outcomes.
- Exhibit and nurture, through action and affect, the attributes that facilitate effective teamwork, including those that create cross-functionality and innovation and design-thinking, and are manifestations of internet-based and other technology-enabled collaboration.
- Maintain accurate financial records, prepare budgets, analyze variance and assess financial opportunities and risks, making recommendations for action based upon organizational goals, data visualization and management techniques, and GAAP metrics. Apply the methodologies used in healthcare finance and reimbursement processes to evaluate and execute decisions regarding optimal organizational and system direction.
- Use economic and data analysis tools to measure return on investment of change projects (including information technology systems, quality and process improvement systems), and evaluate proposed options for short and long term changes in service lines, capital expansion, talent management, and other issues facing healthcare organizations in a manner that exhibits innovation and design thinking.
- Perform ongoing critical self-reflection from academic and work-based learning experiences, articulate the personal learning and growth that has resulted from those experiences, and integrate this into action plans for future professional growth, in support of the advancement of healthcare systems.
- Create policy and processes, and execute decisions in compliance with the legal, regulatory and ethical considerations inherent in managing healthcare systems and organizations, with particular attention to information technology processes and structure and how these considerations impact all aspects of healthcare delivery.
- Integrate concepts of ethics, privacy, law and regulation to achieve optimal organizational effectiveness while adhering to personal and professional values in all elements of health IT and healthcare delivery.
- Develop innovative solutions to strategic, tactical and operational issues in managing healthcare systems and associated information technology through the combined use of information, data analytics, organizational knowledge, talent management, and critical and design thinking.
- Create innovative, comprehensive and useable data-driven action plans that are based on the attainment of measurable results, clear trails of accountability and all appropriate risk assessment.
- Identify barriers to continuous improvement processes and using a variety of tools, design and build innovative systems for measurement, analysis and accountability as they apply to healthcare settings.
- Use oral and written communication skills to meet the needs of various audiences. Use and integrate appropriate technology and software skills to develop informative, explanatory, and persuasive presentations to a variety of audiences.
- Use team, talent management, and organizational skills, supervision, and coaching techniques to effectively lead across organization, department, and work group units to meet diverse stakeholder and organizational goals in a variety of healthcare environments.
In addition to the admission requirements for all graduate program applicants, our online master's of healthcare administration program has specific requirements that must be met.
Related Work Experience Requirement
We expect that applicants have a minimum of 2 years experience or current employment in a healthcare setting with opportunities for applying new skills. Applicants with limited work experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Champlain College Online's healthcare administration faculty are expert practitioners in the field. Their industry expertise ensures that our master's in healthcare administration curriculum is aligned with the needs of employers, and reflects the skills today’s healthcare professionals need for success. Classes led by our seasoned experts will give you real-world insight into the field and create a rich community of career-focused learning.
Alumni of the Champlain College Online master's in healthcare administration program work in healthcare organizations nationwide, including:
- Aetna U.S. Healthcare
- Burlington Housing Authority
- Central Vermont Medical Center
- Child & Family Services
- CIGNA
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
- Department of Defense (DOD)
- Humana
- Inova Health System
- North Country Hospital
- Northwestern Medical Center
- Rex Healthcare
- Rutland Regional Medical Center
- Spartanburg Regional Medical Center
- Veterans Administration
- Veterans Affairs
- University of Vermont Medical Center
- Veterans Affairs
- Wageworks
Titles our alumni hold include:
- Administrator
- Assistant Director of Operations
- CEO
- Director of Community Relations
- Director of Marketing
- Director of Materials Management
- Director of Performance & Productivity
- Health Outcomes Liaison
- Health Systems Specialist
- Licensed Nurse Practitioner
- Management Analyst
- Patient Benefits Advisor
- Practice Manager
- Principal Technical Consultant
- Nurse Consultant
- Radiology Supervisor
- Team Leader
- VP of Hospitalist Services
- Vice President of Rehabilitation
Tuition & Costs
Continuing your education is an investment in your future. Learn more about our affordable tuition rates.
Affordability
Cost shouldn't be a barrier to going back to school. We provide a number of options to make your online education affordable.
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Meet the Program Director
Lanaya Sandberg
MBA MS Healthcare Administration
Program Director
- BS, Healthcare Administration
- MS, Healthcare Administration
About
Lanaya Sandberg is Assistant Professor and Director of the undergraduate and graduate Healthcare Administration programs at Champlain College Online. She has worked in various roles within the healthcare delivery system over the course of her career, beginning initially in provider contracting for managed care organizations before working on mergers and acquisitions, operational and strategic planning, and dental benefits administration. She has held positions as Chief of Staff, Associate Vice President, and Director during her time working in management support, client engagement, strategy and provider network management, and revenue cycle management.
Lanaya is a three-time graduate from Champlain College, having earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, an MBA, and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration. She is a Certified Physician Practice Manager, a Certified Professional Compliance Officer, earned her Fellow, Academy for Healthcare Management credential, and has her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Why Champlain
Online Experience
"I was 100% certain I would only do my bachelor's, but great advising led me to apply for the master's program. Going back to school helped me pursue further dreams and eventually be promoted, and gave me confidence in my own abilities and skillset."
Vanessa Goodwin
Bachelor's & Master's Degrees in Healthcare Administration
Program Administrator, UVM Medical Center
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