Healthcare Administration Online Master's Degree Program

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Students learn organization analysis from a holistic perspective. Financial reports and financial ratios are the basis for traditional organizational analysis and builds from that foundation into the analysis of customer, supplier and employee metrics. Focus is on the Balanced Scorecard and other holistic approaches.

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.

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.

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.