Health Care Administration and Policy (BS)

Introduces economics and demonstrates the relevance of economic principles to the study of health care delivery systems and public health. Combines elements of a traditional introductory economics curriculum with broad coverage of microeconomics and specific application to current issues in health care delivery and public health policy. Prepares students for further study of health economics.

Biostatistics and its use in health and health services research. Familiarizes students with statistical concepts and methods to analyze and interpret data and conceptually addresses statistical theory. Introduces Excel software to manage data and perform statistical tests.

Broad concepts and skills of management; application of these techniques to health care organizations, nonprofit and community-based organizations. Students appreciate the variability of management styles and personalities and begin to develop their own style.

Examines health care delivery systems internationally and explores contemporary issues affecting the institutions that provide health care and the people who seek health services. Covers the historical development of international health care systems, the organization and financing of systems of care, and the policy process and priority setting. Also covers current efforts at health care reform. Provides students with the necessary professional skills to be effective participants in efforts to evaluate and improve the delivery of health care nationally and internationally.

Covers health care financing with an emphasis on the financial drivers of the U.S. health care system. Provides an overview of key accounting practices, financial statements and managing budgets. Covers cost containment strategies and the ethics of financial management.

Covers health care systems in the United States with an emphasis on historical development through governance and civic engagement. Evaluates health care delivery and financing through a decision-making framework, while exploring social determinants of health through the lens of cost, quality and access to care.

Provides a historical and current overview of the federal/state/local law and policy-making processes that are relevant to population health, including how policies are implemented in society and the impact of those policies on health outcomes.

Examines decisions made by patients, practitioners, health care administrators, and public policy makers using economic tools and models. Gives particular emphasis to using economic models to understand and predict decision making under scarcity and imperfect information, which provides insight into the successes and pitfalls of a health care system.

Applies the themes of science, systems and leadership across the continuum of health and health care. Application and discussion of core competencies to facilitate critical thinking.

Core concepts in process engineering, specifically related to systems improvement and patient safety. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for integrating process engineering within health care to optimize health care outcomes. The IOM addresses multiple dimensions of health, including efficiency, effectiveness, safety, equity, patient-centeredness and access. These domains provide the framework from which faculty approach course content.

Presents an overview of population health and its management. Emphasizes a solutions-based perspective within the legal and social context of the United States using epidemiological methods.

Examines how culture influences health, health care practices, barriers to health care, interactions with health care professionals and health disparities in both global and domestic contexts. Addresses the need for cultural competence among health practitioners.

Focuses on communicating topics related to health through an examination of theoretical frameworks, communication techniques, and different technologies including eheatlh and mhealth. Addresses communication through channels that promote the health of individuals and communities. Topics may include clinician to client communication, peer to peer communication, health literacy, health in the media, and effective public health communication.

Legal doctrines provide protection of consumers, health care providers, and health care institutions with regard to health care delivery including access and cost. Provides an overview of the legal obligation and rights of private and public stakeholders in the delivery and receipt of health care services.

History of medicine in the modern world and its relationship to contemporary issues in medicine with emphasis on the broader context of ways in which technology, personalized medicine, genomics, ethical issues and shared decision making between patients and providers have evolved.

Leadership, leadership theory and inter-professionalism in practice. Applies didactic content to case studies and activities designed to promote critical thinking and effective teamwork. Solidifies concepts through the use of assignments, exams and discussions.

Explains the principles, approaches and functions of population health, extending to quantitative and qualitative methods, with strong emphasis on the connection between population health education and public health careers.

Racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. Explores disparities in healthcare seen at the provider and system level and their effects on health in the community. Also considers the historical context of racial and ethnic health disparities and the demographic and conceptual issues surrounding health disparities research. Reflects on the effects of behavior, socioeconomic status and group-specific disparities on community health status.

Integrates the theory and practice of ethics within health-related disciplines and the application of bioethics by health science professionals, including health disparities.