Course Listings

Introduction to Healthcare Administration

HCAD 600 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: An introduction to the principles of management and leadership as the foundations for the administration of healthcare products and service delivery. A comprehensive examination of the complex, dynamic, rapidly changing healthcare system in the United States is provided. Topics include the healthcare system's major components and their characteristics. Emphasis is on current problems in healthcare financing and delivery. Social, economic, and political forces that have shaped and continue to influence the system are traced. The healthcare system in the United States is compared with systems in industrialized and developing nations. Analysis covers current trends in healthcare and prospects for the future.

Information Technology for Healthcare Administration

HCAD 610 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: An overview of information technology (IT) from a managerial perspective and how healthcare administrators can use IT to maximize organizational performance. Fundamental principles of IT and data management and their implications for healthcare administrators are reviewed. Discussion explores the use of technology, databases, and other analytical tools to structure, analyze, and present information related to healthcare management and problem-solving. Current applications, such as patient care, administrative and strategic decision support, managed health, health information networks, and the internet, are examined to determine how they may be used to meet the challenges facing healthcare administrators today and in the future.

The U.S. Healthcare System

HCAD 620 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: A comprehensive examination of the complex, dynamic, rapidly changing healthcare system in the United States. The healthcare system in the United States is compared with systems in industrialized and developing nations. Analysis covers current trends in healthcare and prospects for the future. Ethics, beliefs, and values related to healthcare are discussed. Managerial functions and their effectiveness for health outcomes and organizational performance are investigated and evaluated. Marketing, quality of care, and effective decision making are explored.

The Business of Healthcare

HCAD 625 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: Prerequisite: HCAD 620. A detailed exploration of operational issues unique to the dynamic and highly regulated realm of healthcare. Discussion covers challenges presented by regulatory mandates, market forces, and multiple interconnected matrix organizations, as well as defining and meeting the needs of the community.

Public Health Administration

HCAD 630 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: An in-depth study of the field of public health, emphasizing leadership and management. Current U.S. and global public health systems are analyzed, focusing on public health entities and their management issues. Topics include the history and current status of public health, core functions, legislation, ethics, accountability (including assessment and evaluation), and the politics and financing of public health, particularly in light of the increased utilization of evidence-based budgeting. Global health security, governance, and diplomacy are discussed in detail as they apply to public health issues and global community collaboration. Structural determinants of health are examined in terms of their influence on healthcare delivery and public health issues.

Long-Term Care Administration

HCAD 635 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: A study of the different components of the long-term care service delivery system. Topics include residential settings (such as skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and continuing care retirement communities) as well as home care services, community-based service programs, and hospice care. The goal is to apply contemporary management theory, concepts, and models to the entities that make up the long-term care service delivery system. The specifics of long-term care management and leadership are discussed. Societal trends in attitudes and approaches to long-term care are defined and evaluated.

Financial Management for Healthcare Organizations

HCAD 640 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: An in-depth study of healthcare economics and the financial management of healthcare organizations. The economic principles underlying the American healthcare market and the financial management of health services organizations within that market are examined. Analysis covers healthcare industry regulation, licensure, and certification and various coverage and healthcare payment mechanisms. Topics also include reimbursement mechanisms and their effect on healthcare provider organizations, managed care, capitation, and per case or per diagnosis payment, as well as how these financial strategies are utilized by third-party payers. Focus is on financial challenges, such as uncompensated care, cost increases, increased competition, and increased regulation, and how healthcare providers should respond to them. Ratio analysis, cost analysis, and other financial management techniques are also explored.

Strategic Financial Management in Healthcare

HCAD 645 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: Prerequisite: HCAD 640. An in-depth study of the concepts and competencies needed to plan the usage and management of enterprise financial resources to achieve long-term organizational objectives and return maximum value in a volatile healthcare finance environment. Emphasis is on identifying and quantifying available or potential resources, devising a plan for utilizing finances and other capital resources to achieve goals, and capital budgeting and management. Topics also include risk analysis, multiple financing methods, supply chain costs, valuation, and mergers and acquisitions. Current accounts and working capital management are explored, as are strategic planning and financial forecasting. Macroeconomic principles are investigated as they relate to the healthcare system. Analysis covers free market and mixed market economies, barriers to free market economies, and the application of macroeconomics as an analytical tool to craft economic and fiscal policy.

Legal Aspects of Healthcare Administration

HCAD 650 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: A comprehensive overview of the intersection of law, ethics, health information technology, and bioethics in various contexts. The principles of healthcare law are examined in the areas of privacy, information security, contracts, torts, the liability of healthcare providers, the rights of patients, employment law and labor relations, and administrative law for healthcare organizations, among others. The managerial function of compliance is explored as it applies to the law and ethics, and specific tools and strategies are defined and discussed.

Healthcare Institutional Organization and Management

HCAD 660 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: A study of the nature of management and how it is applied in various healthcare settings. Contemporary theories, critical perspectives, models, and best practices designed to foster performance excellence in the highly competitive healthcare environment are examined. Discussion covers principles of organizational behavior and culture development and adaptation. Consumer behavior and its influence on institutional sustainability are evaluated. Strategies for quality assurance and institutional change are explored.

Strategic Issues in Healthcare Leadership

HCAD 665 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: Prerequisite: HCAD 660. An examination of strategic issues driving the future of healthcare. Focus is on identifying trends and preparing competent leaders to meet the needs of changing communities, integrating rapid technological and scientific advances, and ensuring health care institutional viability. Topics include development and dissemination of strategic goals and shaping organizational values, the effect of ethics and power on leadership decision making, shared governance and collaboration, and change and performance management.

Healthcare Administration Capstone

HCAD 690 | 3 Credits

Course Desc: (Formerly HCAD 670.) Prerequisite: Completion of 36 credits of program coursework. A capstone study of healthcare administration that integrates knowledge and skills gained from previous study in the development of a systems approach to healthcare administration. Focus is on public and private healthcare delivery systems, alliances with internal and external environments, and strategic decision making and implementation in the rapidly evolving global arena of healthcare administration. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: HCAD 690 or HCAD 670.