Health Administration and Policy (HAP)

Organization design, theories of management, the social psychology of organizations.

Prerequisites: None This course applies economic principles to the evaluation of health care markets. Topics include the production of health care markets. Topics include the production of health, supply and demand of medical care, and market structures. How the healthcare system is influenced by technology, different sectors of the workforce, government, pharmaceutical and health insurance industries will also be discussed.

Open to advanced students for study of specialized areas in health economics. Student will conduct an in-depth study of a special area of economic analysis of health issues.

How health policy in the U.S. is initiated, formulated and implemented. A comparative, cross-national and cross-state perspective is employed to analyze political culture, interest group and party behavior, the legislative and executive processes, and the dynamics of federalism.

A review of the queuing theory, linear and goal programming, networks, (pert,cpm, dynamic programming) simulation.

Introduction to the legal system and its potential for advancing public health policy implementation. Judicial decisions are analyzed to reveal the major legal issues confronting public health professionals. Topics include federal public health activity, state public health powers, patients' rights and other topics relevant to delivering health care to large populations.

This course focuses on the history and structure of health organizations in the U.S. Also examined are the functional interrelations among institutional and financial arrangements in the health industry. The course concludes with a comparison of international health systems.

An overview course focusing on the impact of laws and regulations on the processes involved in delivering health care services, and the ethical issues raised. Topics covered include civil liability in the provider-patient relationship; treatment consent and refusal, licensing and medical staff, antitrust, and managed care issues.

Specific topics include analysis of the market, the development and administration of a marketing program, and methods of evaluating marketing strategies.

Basic concepts and theories of human resources management and their application in the health care organization. Included are current human resources management theories and techniques and their impact on the health care organization's personnel management practices.

The course focuses on indicators of fiscal performance that are common to all health service organizations. Emphasized are the fundamentals of managing working capital, sources of funding and capital rationing. The course concludes with discussion of advanced methods of improving profitability.

This course examines methods of developing forecasts and the budgets for the programmatic activity of health organizations that function in the public or private section.

Prerequisites: HAP 5453 or permission of the instructor. This course examines the history, development and current theories of financing healthcare in the United States. The course considers financial management issues and the related strategic questions facing healthcare organizations. The course also reviews the affect these financial issues have had on community health status and the sources of revenue derived from health services operations.

Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor. The focus of the course is on the application of statistical analyses to administrative functions, issues or problems that are germane to health service organizations. Excel and other statistical packages are used to perform required calculations.

This course emphasizes advanced methods and computer applications that improve financial decisions and fiscal performance. The focus is on liquidity, profitability, debt structure and capital decision.

The course examines the use of management information and various approaches to the development of forecasts. Based on projections. The course also focuses on methods of managing the risks imposed on health organizations.

Course focuses on the structures and processes that characterize managed care organizations and integrated health systems. Contractual obligations and relations among health professionals are also discussed.

Prerequisites: BSE 5163 and HAP 5453 To provide the participants with enhanced skills to initiate, develop and sustain health care change. The program provides the participants with advanced skills in organizational development, team building, problem solving techniques and process improvement.

The purpose of this course is to integrate the principles of Health Administration, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Promotion Sciences and Environmental Health as components that contribute to public health practice.

Emphasized elements of organizational strategy with a focus on leadership, application of general themes to health industry. Components of strategic plan, and the development, implementation and evaluation of plans in relation to organizational environments.

Covers the methods, techniques and technologies used to collect, analyze, and disseminate information needed to effectively manage health service organizations. Includes, but is not limited to, the use of computers in managing organizations.

Prerequisites: HAP 5453 - U.S. Health Care Systems (can be taken concurrently) The course introduces the urgent need to improve the quality of healthcare and provides a review of the conceptual frameworks used for implementing quality improvement projects. There will be an emphasis on the role of leadership and organizational culture in driving better quality of care. (SP; I)

May be repeated; maximum credit 4 hours. Supervised experience in field work appropriate to training and career goals.

May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit 3 hours. Offers the student the opportunity to explore, with faculty guidance, areas of interest in health not specifically incorporated in formal courses.

Prerequisites: All required courses in the MHA program. This course serves as the capstone for the MHA Program. The course ensures that students possess the knowledge, skills and ability required of all senior administrators. The course also ensures that students are able to comprehend, integrate, and apply previous training to problems or issues that occur in a health service organization.

May be repeated; maximum credit 6 hours. Research for Master's

May be repeated; maximum credit 6 hours. Supervised research into the organization and administration of medical care and Public Health programs.

Reviews the strategies, methods, and techniques industry is using to control health care expenditures. Includes analysis of trends; interrelationships with industry and third party payers, managed care systems, and government; employee benefit packages, self insurance; employer health promotion, employee assistance programs and utilization control.

A comparative analysis of the evolution, administrative structure, finance and provision of medical care in selected countries throughout the world.

Prerequisites: BSE 5163 Biostatistics Methods I, HAP 5453 US Healthcare Systems, HAP 5883 Health Care Quality Mgt. A course of quantitative analysis and tools in Healthcare Quality and Quality Improvement. Several display and analyses quality tools will be discussed. SPSS software will be used to apply statistical methods on the analyses and reporting of databases for health care quality studies and improvement projects in healthcare organizations.

Prerequisites: Organizational theory & behavior HAP 5183 The course is the study of current theories of public organizations, management, and decision-making. The readings include both seminal and more contemporary work on the theories as well as their application to health and public sector organizations.

Prerequisites: HAP 5203 (Health Economics) or instructor's permission The course covers the economics of health insurance, its role in healthcare markets and its effects on healthcare financing and costs. The course examines both the efficiency benefits insurance provides and the efficiency losses insurance creates in health care markets and market failures. The course discusses basic insurance terminology, public private, employment-based health insurance plans and options.

Prerequisites: BSE 5163 Biostatistics Methods; HAP 5453 US Health Care Systems; HAP 5883 Health Care Qualtiy Mgt. Healthcare risks and how to implement strategies that can mitigate risks are discussed. It provides students with information on the functionality of risk management systems. It will reinforce the skills needed for risk assessment data management, configure facility management risks, perform risk analysis and create risk models in health care organizations.

May be repeated; maximum credit 6 hours. Topics vary.

Prerequisites: HAP 5883 Healthcare Quality Management. This course identifies current topics in healthcare quality from the different perspective of the provider, consumer and regulator. Participants will critique activities and mechanisms related to understand quality issues. The course will focus on practical application of quality in healthcare facilities, including process of documentation, performance monitoring, and outcome improvements.

May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit 4 hours. Participation in subject and field investigation under the supervision of the faculty.

May be repeated; maximum credit 4 hours. A forum for depth exploration, articulation, and discussion of current health care issues and trends, as well as their administrative implications. Doctoral students will lead, respond, discuss, and summarize issues.

May be repeated; maximum credit 16 hours. Research for doctoral dissertation.

Prerequisites: Organizational theory & behavior HAP 5183 The course is the study of current theories of complex organizations. Beginning with a comparison between closed and open systems of organizing, organizations are examined in the context of their environment. Special emphasis will be given to the internal and external environments as they relate to organizational innovation and change.

Prerequisites: None This course will explore various operations management techniques and tools unique to the healthcare industry. It will focus on the process improvement programs in the healthcare environment, exploring solutions for operation challenges related to complex reimbursement systems, physician relations, workforce challenges, and government relations. (F; I)

Prerequisites: None The focus of the course is on the role and use of epidemiologic tools in the field of health care administration. Epidemiologic techniques are applied to specific areas of health administration including management, planning, quality, assurance, marketing, directing, organizing, staffing, and community relations in the market of the healthcare organization.

Prerequisites: COPH students: completion of COPH MPH Core Courses (BSE 5163, BSE 5113, HPS 5213, OEH 5013, HAP 5453) or permission of the instructor Law students: Completion of all first-year courses This course will focus on providing law and public health students a real-life experience with public health law. Effective health officials, executives, and attorneys are familiar with the principles of public health law as well as the application of the law to the public health field as they protect, promote, and act to affect the health of the public. As future professionals, this course introduces the application of constitutional law, federal and state statutes, administrative and regulatory law, and case law to public health problems , issues and policy.

Prerequisites: None This course seeks to instruct public health and health administration students on professional writing, oral presentation skills, and conflict resolution and presentation skills, and conflict resolution and negotiation. It teaches those skills through intensive feedback (from the instructor and other students), discussions, and projects built to simulate health care delivery situations.