Health Care Management

HA102 Principles of Health Care Management (3 credits)

This course will provide students with an understanding of the five principles of management as they relate to the health care industry. Particular attention will be paid to planning, organizing, staffing, controlling, and leadership within the different types of health care organizations. Students will also compare and contrast non-profit versus for-profit health care organizations.

HA203 Health Care Economics (3 credits)

This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the issues and concerns of health care economics. Students will analyze the way economics affect health care delivery: physician, nursing and other health care provider shortages; supply and demand in health care; regulatory and cost containment concerns. The course will focus on how economics influences the behavior of health care organizations and the impact on the health care market. PR: SS103.

HA225 Complementary and Alternative Medicine (3 credits)

This course is designed to provide students with a review of alternative medicine approaches, practices, and therapies, and their role in the delivery of health care. The course will compare Western and Eastern medicine, including a brief history and philosophy of the approach to illness and patient
care. Students will examine legal, regulatory, ethical, and reimbursement issues surrounding complementary medicine practices. The goal is to give students an understanding of the increasing role of alternative medicine in the US health care system. PR: HA102 or PS101.

HA240 Introduction to Epidemiology (3 credits)

This course introduces the student to the study of disease and health-related events through an historical and current perspective as it relates to public health. The focus will be on understanding the concepts and foundations of epidemiology. Topics will include classifications of disease, definitions of incidence and prevalence, outbreak investigation, case control and experimental studies, measures of mortality, measures of risk, survival analysis, and the ethical issues surrounding these topics. PR: MH102 & sophomore status.

HA302 Marketing for Health Care Organizations (3 credits)

This course provides an examination of the issues and techniques relevant to the development of sound marketing plans for health delivery systems. The student is exposed to all elements of marketing health care organizations, including market research, strategic marketing, consumer behavior, product development, pricing, ethical issues, marketing communications strategy, selling, and planning. Marketing to specific health care audiences, such as patients, employees, and suppliers, is analyzed and examined. Differences in marketing approaches between profit and not-for-profit organizations and techniques used in marketing to multi-cultural environments will be explored throughout the course. The development of a marketing plan for a health care product or service will bring an applied orientation to the subject. PR: MK105.

HA305 Financial Management for Health Care Organizations (3 credits)

Students will apply financial and basic economic principles to the management of health care facilities. Topics include demand for and utilization of health care services, cost analysis, reimbursement methods (e.g. private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid), and the budgeting process. PR: FI201 & AC101.

HA307 Health Care Delivery Systems (3 credits)

This course will address the issues surrounding the various methods, as well as the challenges, of delivering health care to contemporary society. Topics include eligibility, risk management, managed care, HMOs, PPOs, public health agencies, and the private sector. PR: HA102.

HA318 Aging in the 21st Century (3 credits)

This course focuses on the process of aging in the 21st century and the components that make this process unique to this place in time. The course will examine in detail, through readings, research, and discussions, the physical and psychological aspects of aging, as well as the legal, financial, health care, and social issues that face the elderly. The national responses to aging, age-based prejudice, potential failures in the health care service support systems, and evaluation of aging services will be covered. Human responses to death and dying as well as differences between normal aging and disorders that occur in the elderly are also examined. PR: junior status.

HA400 Senior Seminar in Health Care (3 credits)

This capstone course will explore current issues and trends in the health care industry. Through analysis of case studies and internship experiences, students will apply problem-solving and critical thinking skills to develop models for the selection, implementation, and evaluation of solutions. The focus is on health care administrators as managers and professionals in real world situations that require advanced strategies. Senior research paper and presentation are required. CR: HA498 or HA499.

HA421 Public and Community Health Administration (3 credits)

This course presents the principles of the public health perspective relative to contemporary community problems and provides skills by which management may promote community health through public policy. The course reviews both quantitative and qualitative strategies to evaluate community health. Disparities in health status, the relationship of poverty to poor health, the prioritization of the most prominent community health problems, and the mobilization of local resources to address them are considered. In addition, the specific mission of public health with respect to the following topics is discussed: infectious disease, environmental health, maternal and child health, AIDS, substance abuse, and tobacco control. PR: junior status.

HA425 Health Care Regulation, Policy, and Politics (3 credits)

This course is designed for the student interested in gaining a better understanding of the factors that shape health care policy in this country. The course is intended to familiarize students with state and federal health regulations and policies, and with how these relate to politics. Emphasis is placed on the development and impact of government programs that provide, finance, and regulate personal health services. Political and social barriers that influence policy decisions about health and health care delivery are discussed. The course will review health care policy development and implementation at the local, state, and federal levels. Major health care and related social issues and concerns are addressed in both readings and class discussions. The players involved in the political health care debate and their strategies to influence policy will be analyzed. The stages of the policy process will provide structure for examining case studies of several significant health care policies. PR: HA305 & HA307.

HA498 Health Care Management Bachelor Thesis (3 credits)

As an alternative to completing an internship, during the senior year students may elect to write a research paper on an approved topic. The paper will focus on a current health care issue and involve significant research. Students must submit a written report to the faculty mentor, who provides guidance throughout the project. PR: senior status & departmental approval. CR: HA400 & Dean's approval.

HA499 Health Care Management Internship (3 credits)

The Health Care Administration Internship provides the student with the opportunity to apply academic theory in a health care management setting. Interns will be supervised by both a faculty advisor and the employer and governed by the terms outlined in the Internship Handbook. PR: MN421 & approved Internship Petition.

PR = prerequisite(s)
CR = corequisite(s)