Online Executive Master of Health Administration

Health Systems Management 1: Organization & Delivery

The course is intended to provide the Executive Master of Health Administration (EMHA) student and future manager with a systems perspective of US health and health care structure and function. As the introductory course in the MHA program, it is to provide the fundamentals for all courses that follow, including finance and economics, strategy, quality improvement, policy and law, and others. Topics include an overview of the history, organization, and effectiveness of United States health care and public health systems, health system governance structures, roles, responsibilities as well as determinants of health, need, access and utilization.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, interactive debate discussion boards, case studies.

Learning methods include: discussion – and scenario-based inquisition, with active learning in problem-based case studies

Assessment methods: position papers, interactive discussion debate

Global Health Systems

This foundational course uses the subject matter of global health to teach students the critical management skill of how to analyze the structure and functions of health care systems. Once mastered, these skills can be applied to the assessment of systems at any level and in any type of community or setting. As the COVID 19 pandemic has demonstrated to all, American health care managers work in a world where global health issues are of immediate and critical relevance to strategic and day-to-day operations. The building blocks of health care systems, their impacts on intermediary and outcome variables, and key stakeholder and other analytical tools will be applied to various national systems from high and low resource nations around the world. Cultural, social, environmental and other variables impacting understandings of health and illness, and the policies and systems built to address them, will be examined. In addition to institutional health care systems, the roles played by the marketplace, transnational organizations, private entities and others in global health care will be explored.

Teaching methods include: active learning exploration, lectures, readings, interactive debate discussion boards, case studies and group assignments

Learning methods include: discussion – and scenario-based inquisition, with active learning focusing on group assignments and written assignments

Assessment methods: interactive discussion boards, case-study based written assignments, self-reflection tools, insight inventory

Health Systems Management 2: Principles of Leadership

This course provides an introduction and overview to healthcare leadership, human resources management, and organizational behavior in healthcare settings, reflecting the uniqueness of this sector as well as the universal concepts and principles utilized in the development of effective healthcare administrators and leaders. This course integrates theory with practice through readings, written assignments, group projects, and discussion boards from different organizational perspectives. The development of leadership, managerial and organizational skills will be accomplished through a strong emphasis on self-reflection and self-analysis utilizing the tools of the course. This course aims to provide a relevant understanding of organizational dynamics such as performance, organizational culture, teamwork, individual and shared values, and cultural competency. It will examine how healthcare leaders and their organizations relate to each other internally and to their external environments. Topics include values-driven leadership, team effectiveness, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, conflict management, human resources management, employee behavior and appraisal, and assessment and evaluation of leadership performance. This course emphasizes the reflection of the students’ past and current experiences with the integration of current evidence-based leadership and human resources management principles. The students will be required to submit their feedback from self-evaluation assignments, surveys, inventory tools, and group work that is intended to provide insight, awareness, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional and personal development for ongoing growth in healthcare leadership roles. 

Health Care Finance 1: Analysis

This course covers financial and managerial aspects of health care financial management. It provides a broad introduction to key concepts, issues, tools, and vocabulary useful both for managers and policymakers. There are three main topic areas covered in the course: financial accounting, finance, and managerial accounting and the focus is on use, not the preparation, of accounting information. Topics include financial analysis and management; methods and techniques for evaluating costs and cost-effectiveness of health, medical and pharmaceutical interventions. This course is the first of a two-course sequence in health care finance.

Teaching methods include: active learning exploration, lectures, readings, evidence-based case studies

Learning methods include: discussion – and scenario-based inquisition, with active learning focusing on case-based, problem-based, and collaborative learning

Assessment methods: case-study based written assignments and group/collaborative activities focusing on finance in the healthcare setting

Health Care Finance 2: Decision Making

This course builds on the accounting and financial concepts introduced in FIN 7021. The continued exploration of the healthcare environment includes an in-depth examination of third-party payer systems including managed care plus the legal and regulatory environment, particularly for non-profits. There are four main financial topic areas covered in the course: capital acquisition and structure, financial condition analysis and forecasting, revenue cycle management and capital allocation. This course is the second of a two-course sequence in health care finance.

Teaching methods include: active learning exploration, lectures, readings, evidence-based case studies

Learning methods include: active learning focusing on case-based, problem-based, and collaborative learning

Assessment methods: quizzes, exams, case-study based written assignments focusing on finance in the healthcare setting

Health Care Marketplace 1: Health Economics

The goal of this course is use economic analysis to introduce and to understand the basic elements and dynamics of the US healthcare system with a particular emphasis on policy implications. Over the past 50 years, the size and scope of the US healthcare economy has grown considerably. In 1960, the US spent about 5% of its gross national product on health. Current GDP on health is approximately 18%, far higher than other industrialized countries. The greater spending, however, does not seem to have purchased much better health. Why does the United States spend so remarkably on medical care for results that are not so remarkable? In seeking explanations and solutions, we will study the healthcare system in the United States and understand the factors that drive our appetite for healthcare goods and services. We will then examine alternatives to our current system, paying special attention to the ongoing legislative reform efforts coming from Washington DC.

Health Care Marketplace 2: Strategic Success

This course follows ECON 7021 and introduces the principles, methods and concepts of three different aspects of strategic management as it relates to health care organizations: 1) strategic planning and management, 2) competitive positioning and 3) alliances, mergers and acquisitions. Methods of evaluating and analyzing the external environment will include discussions of regulatory control, consolidation of industries, disruptive technologies and crisis/prevention management. The interaction of forces inside the organization such as structure, governance, resource management and culture will be analyzed for their impact on the organization’s competitive position and strategic direction.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, evidence-based case studies

Learning methods include: active learning focusing on case-based and problem-based, strategic and information-based group case assignment

Assessment methods: independent and group-based case-study based written assignments focusing on strategy and governance in the healthcare setting

Health Quality 1: Evidence-Based Decision Making for Managers

This course includes both theoretical models for health care quality work, as well as practical strategies for application and implementation of improvement initiatives in a health care setting. The course will review the Institute of Medicine’s Aims to drive safe, effective, efficient, timely, patient centered and equitable care. Students will learn various sources and categories of data that have proved useful in driving outcomes through quality improvement. It delineates the qualitative and quantitative quality improvement strategies employed by managers to engage in effective decision-making.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, evidence-based case studies

Learning methods include: active learning focusing on case-based and problem-based, strategic and information-based group case assignment

Assessment methods: independent and group-based case-study based written assignments, written exams

Health Informatics, Information Systems and Technology

This course introduces the discipline of health informatics and covers emerging trends. Various information systems, technologies and applications utilized in the context of health and healthcare are introduced. Their characteristics, strengths, challenges, purpose and impact are taught. Impact on patients, populations and healthcare providers is emphasized. Factors influencing adoption and use of various clinical and health information systems and technologies are taught. Key information technologies and systems such as electronic health records, health information exchanges, personal health records, public health information systems and mobile health technologies are introduced in this course. Topics such as telemedicine, interoperability and technical concepts are taught, and evaluation framework is introduced.

Health Policy 1: Health Policy & Regulation

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the structure, systems and policies of health care delivery in the United States. Topics include the uninsured, health care professions, hospitals, long-term care, mental health, integrated health care systems, the Veterans Administration Health Systems, pharmaceuticals and technology. The course prepares learners about the basic concepts in policy analysis and advocacy in practice settings. Discussions and assignments will focus on the development of public policy concerning medical care, public health and the relationship between public decisions and the marketplace. Topics include health policy formulation, implementation and evaluation.

Health Policy 2: Legal & Ethical Issues

This course presents an introduction to the legal and ethical issues that arise in management of health services organizations. Topics include ethics in business and clinical decision-making, tools for understanding ethics and ethical analysis, and professional and organizational guidelines in making ethical decisions.  The course examines codes of ethics and mission statements, organizational responses to ethical issues, including ethics processes, such as institutional ethics committees and institutional review boards. Additionally, the course will review legal principles and development, application and assessment, resource allocation and social responsibility. Other topics include liability, health care institutions as corporations, the nature and scope of public health authority, antitrust, fraud and abuse, privacy and confidentiality, tax implications, regulatory oversight, legal requirements for access to health care, nondiscrimination, conflicts of interest and constitutional constraints on public health initiatives.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, live webinar

Learning methods include: active learning

Assessment methods: quizzes and exams

Capstone Course - Emerging Issues in Health Systems Management

This course is the first of two half-semesters of the Master of Health Administration (MHA) Capstone course sequence. It is intended to integrate the foundational courses provided throughout the MHA program to help the student begin the capstone process. The goal of this course is to provide the student with the foundation needed to work toward developing the key competencies required for the creation of the health systems management capstone assignment in the final semester of the MHA Program. Some of the key competencies are: the ability to understand problems and emergent issues; mobilization to address issues through communication; analyze an emergent issue and synthesize current peer-reviewed literature; create best practice and evidence-based solutions to the emergent issue; seek information and apply analytical thinking skills through innovative thinking; create cost benefit analyses and financial support in order to solve an emergent issue; and, the ability to analyze federal, state, and local policies in application to resolve an emergent issue.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, live webinars

Learning methods include: active, inquiry-based and problem-based learning

Assessment methods: research framework, logic model, literature review outline

Capstone Course - Health Systems Management

In this course, students demonstrate how the knowledge and skills learned in their Master of Health Administration Program can be integrated and applied to analyzing an emerging health systems management issue of their choosing. This is the second course in the Capstone sequence.  The student will engage in the following processes: write a literature review through the analysis and synthesis of the identified literature; discuss best practice solutions to the emergent issue; determine implications and recommendations utilizing best practice; utilize the expertise of the mentor to further enhance the quality of the paper; and, write a publishable paper.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, live webinars

Learning methods include: active, inquiry-based and problem-based learning

Assessment methods: publishable written paper, peer-review of capstone, oral communication presentation

Health Systems Management 1: Organization & Delivery

The course is intended to provide the Executive Master of Health Administration (EMHA) student and future manager with a systems perspective of US health and health care structure and function. As the introductory course in the MHA program, it is to provide the fundamentals for all courses that follow, including finance and economics, strategy, quality improvement, policy and law, and others. Topics include an overview of the history, organization, and effectiveness of United States health care and public health systems, health system governance structures, roles, responsibilities as well as determinants of health, need, access and utilization.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, interactive debate discussion boards, case studies.

Learning methods include: discussion – and scenario-based inquisition, with active learning in problem-based case studies

Assessment methods: position papers, interactive discussion debate

Health Systems Management 2: Principles of Leadership

This course provides an introduction and overview to healthcare leadership, human resources management, and organizational behavior in healthcare settings, reflecting the uniqueness of this sector as well as the universal concepts and principles utilized in the development of effective healthcare administrators and leaders. This course integrates theory with practice through readings, written assignments, group projects, and discussion boards from different organizational perspectives. The development of leadership, managerial and organizational skills will be accomplished through a strong emphasis on self-reflection and self-analysis utilizing the tools of the course. This course aims to provide a relevant understanding of organizational dynamics such as performance, organizational culture, teamwork, individual and shared values, and cultural competency. It will examine how healthcare leaders and their organizations relate to each other internally and to their external environments. Topics include values-driven leadership, team effectiveness, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, conflict management, human resources management, employee behavior and appraisal, and assessment and evaluation of leadership performance. This course emphasizes the reflection of the students’ past and current experiences with the integration of current evidence-based leadership and human resources management principles. The students will be required to submit their feedback from self-evaluation assignments, surveys, inventory tools, and group work that is intended to provide insight, awareness, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional and personal development for ongoing growth in healthcare leadership roles.

Global Health Systems

This foundational course uses the subject matter of global health to teach students the critical management skill of how to analyze the structure and functions of health care systems. Once mastered, these skills can be applied to the assessment of systems at any level and in any type of community or setting. As the COVID 19 pandemic has demonstrated to all, American health care managers work in a world where global health issues are of immediate and critical relevance to strategic and day-to-day operations. The building blocks of health care systems, their impacts on intermediary and outcome variables, and key stakeholder and other analytical tools will be applied to various national systems from high and low resource nations around the world. Cultural, social, environmental and other variables impacting understandings of health and illness, and the policies and systems built to address them, will be examined. In addition to institutional health care systems, the roles played by the marketplace, transnational organizations, private entities and others in global health care will be explored.

Teaching methods include: active learning exploration, lectures, readings, interactive debate discussion boards, case studies and group assignments

Learning methods include: discussion – and scenario-based inquisition, with active learning focusing on group assignments and written assignments

Assessment methods: interactive discussion boards, case-study based written assignments, self-reflection tools, insight inventory

Health Care Finance 1: Analysis

This course covers financial and managerial aspects of health care financial management. It provides a broad introduction to key concepts, issues, tools, and vocabulary useful both for managers and policymakers. There are three main topic areas covered in the course: financial accounting, finance, and managerial accounting and the focus is on use, not the preparation, of accounting information. Topics include financial analysis and management; methods and techniques for evaluating costs and cost-effectiveness of health, medical and pharmaceutical interventions. This course is the first of a two-course sequence in health care finance.

Teaching methods include: active learning exploration, lectures, readings, evidence-based case studies

Learning methods include: discussion – and scenario-based inquisition, with active learning focusing on case-based, problem-based, and collaborative learning

Assessment methods: case-study based written assignments and group/collaborative activities focusing on finance in the healthcare setting

Health Care Finance 2: Decision Making

This course builds on the accounting and financial concepts introduced in FIN 7021. The continued exploration of the healthcare environment includes an in-depth examination of third-party payer systems including managed care plus the legal and regulatory environment, particularly for non-profits. There are four main financial topic areas covered in the course: capital acquisition and structure, financial condition analysis and forecasting, revenue cycle management and capital allocation. This course is the second of a two-course sequence in health care finance.

Teaching methods include: active learning exploration, lectures, readings, evidence-based case studies

Learning methods include: active learning focusing on case-based, problem-based, and collaborative learning

Assessment methods: quizzes, exams, case-study based written assignments focusing on finance in the healthcare setting

Health Care Marketplace 1: Health Economics

The goal of this course is use economic analysis to introduce and to understand the basic elements and dynamics of the US healthcare system with a particular emphasis on policy implications. Over the past 50 years, the size and scope of the US healthcare economy has grown considerably. In 1960, the US spent about 5% of its gross national product on health. Current GDP on health is approximately 18%, far higher than other industrialized countries. The greater spending, however, does not seem to have purchased much better health. Why does the United States spend so remarkably on medical care for results that are not so remarkable? In seeking explanations and solutions, we will study the healthcare system in the United States and understand the factors that drive our appetite for healthcare goods and services. We will then examine alternatives to our current system, paying special attention to the ongoing legislative reform efforts coming from Washington DC.

Health Care Marketplace 2: Strategic Success

This course follows ECON 7021 and introduces the principles, methods and concepts of three different aspects of strategic management as it relates to health care organizations: 1) strategic planning and management, 2) competitive positioning and 3) alliances, mergers and acquisitions. Methods of evaluating and analyzing the external environment will include discussions of regulatory control, consolidation of industries, disruptive technologies and crisis/prevention management. The interaction of forces inside the organization such as structure, governance, resource management and culture will be analyzed for their impact on the organization’s competitive position and strategic direction.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, evidence-based case studies

Learning methods include: active learning focusing on case-based and problem-based, strategic and information-based group case assignment

Assessment methods: independent and group-based case-study based written assignments focusing on strategy and governance in the healthcare settin

Health Quality 1: Evidence-Based Decision Making for Managers

This course includes both theoretical models for health care quality work, as well as practical strategies for application and implementation of improvement initiatives in a health care setting. The course will review the Institute of Medicine’s Aims to drive safe, effective, efficient, timely, patient centered and equitable care. Students will learn various sources and categories of data that have proved useful in driving outcomes through quality improvement. It delineates the qualitative and quantitative quality improvement strategies employed by managers to engage in effective decision-making.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, evidence-based case studies

Learning methods include: active learning focusing on case-based and problem-based, strategic and information-based group case assignment

Assessment methods: independent and group-based case-study based written assignments, written exams

Health Informatics, Information Systems and Technology

This course introduces the discipline of health informatics and covers emerging trends. Various information systems, technologies and applications utilized in the context of health and healthcare are introduced. Their characteristics, strengths, challenges, purpose and impact are taught. Impact on patients, populations and healthcare providers is emphasized. Factors influencing adoption and use of various clinical and health information systems and technologies are taught. Key information technologies and systems such as electronic health records, health information exchanges, personal health records, public health information systems and mobile health technologies are introduced in this course. Topics such as telemedicine, interoperability and technical concepts are taught, and evaluation framework is introduced.

Health Policy 1: Health Policy & Regulation

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the structure, systems and policies of health care delivery in the United States. Topics include the uninsured, health care professions, hospitals, long-term care, mental health, integrated health care systems, the Veterans Administration Health Systems, pharmaceuticals and technology. The course prepares learners about the basic concepts in policy analysis and advocacy in practice settings. Discussions and assignments will focus on the development of public policy concerning medical care, public health and the relationship between public decisions and the marketplace. Topics include health policy formulation, implementation and evaluation.

Health Policy 2: Legal & Ethical Issues

This course presents an introduction to the legal and ethical issues that arise in management of health services organizations. Topics include ethics in business and clinical decision-making, tools for understanding ethics and ethical analysis, and professional and organizational guidelines in making ethical decisions.  The course examines codes of ethics and mission statements, organizational responses to ethical issues, including ethics processes, such as institutional ethics committees and institutional review boards. Additionally, the course will review legal principles and development, application and assessment, resource allocation and social responsibility. Other topics include liability, health care institutions as corporations, the nature and scope of public health authority, antitrust, fraud and abuse, privacy and confidentiality, tax implications, regulatory oversight, legal requirements for access to health care, nondiscrimination, conflicts of interest and constitutional constraints on public health initiatives.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, live webinar

Learning methods include: active learning

Assessment methods: quizzes and exams

Capstone Course - Emerging Issues in Health Systems Management

This course is the first of two half-semesters of the Master of Health Administration (MHA) Capstone course sequence. It is intended to integrate the foundational courses provided throughout the MHA program to help the student begin the capstone process. The goal of this course is to provide the student with the foundation needed to work toward developing the key competencies required for the creation of the health systems management capstone assignment in the final semester of the MHA Program. Some of the key competencies are: the ability to understand problems and emergent issues; mobilization to address issues through communication; analyze an emergent issue and synthesize current peer-reviewed literature; create best practice and evidence-based solutions to the emergent issue; seek information and apply analytical thinking skills through innovative thinking; create cost benefit analyses and financial support in order to solve an emergent issue; and, the ability to analyze federal, state, and local policies in application to resolve an emergent issue.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, live webinars

Learning methods include: active, inquiry-based and problem-based learning

Assessment methods: research framework, logic model, literature review outline

Capstone Course - Health Systems Management

In this course, students demonstrate how the knowledge and skills learned in their Master of Health Administration Program can be integrated and applied to analyzing an emerging health systems management issue of their choosing. This is the second course in the Capstone sequence.  The student will engage in the following processes: write a literature review through the analysis and synthesis of the identified literature; discuss best practice solutions to the emergent issue; determine implications and recommendations utilizing best practice; utilize the expertise of the mentor to further enhance the quality of the paper; and, write a publishable paper.

Teaching methods include: lectures, readings, live webinars

Learning methods include: active, inquiry-based and problem-based learning

Assessment methods: publishable written paper, peer-review of capstone, oral communication presentation