Descriptions for courses offered in MHA and Certificate in Health Management
HAP-610. Applied Database Management in Health Care. This course is designed to develop data modeling skills using entity relationship diagrams. Students apply these skills in the development of an end-user database system for a clinical or community health care setting. 3 s.h.

HAP-620. Health Care Reimbursement Systems. This course integrates information about the various U.S. healthcare payment systems. It examines the complex financial systems within today's healthcare environment and how payment systems function. The course gives the student an appreciation for the complexity of reimbursement systems and an understanding of the profound impact they have had on providers, payers, consumers, public policy makers, and the development of classification and information technology over time. 1.5 s.h. Summer and Fall

HAP-622. Health Care Marketing. This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the key principles underlying strategic marketing and how these principles are applied in the health care industry. The course will expose students to marketing fundamentals and demonstrate how an application of these fundamental principles should be applied to the overall strategic plan of a helath care organization. 1.5 s.h. Summer and Fall

HAP-630. Systems Analysis and Design. This course provides the student with a fundamental understanding of the system development life cycle, particularly as it relates to the design, development, implementation and evaluation of health information systems. Students also gain hands-on experience in using various data and process modeling tools by completing a systems analysis project in a health care setting. 3 s.h. 

HAP-632. Quality Management in Health Care. This course is intended to provide the student with an understanding of components of a quality management program–quality assessment, risk management, and utilization management, and outcomes assessment. JCAHO standards for measuring quality will be introduced. Students will learn and apply principles, processes, and tools used in Continuous Quality Improvement. Students will also learn about outcomes assessment and the need for doing risk adjustment. An understanding of the types of data elements and information systems requirements needed for assessing outcomes, quality, and appropriate utilization will also be presented. 3 s.h.

HAP-635. The Language of Medicine. The Language of Medicine is a course designed to expose students to the clinical aspects of healthcare. The course introduces students in Health Administration and Policy to a word-building technique that enables them to substantially understand medical terms used in clinical settings. The course provided an introduction to disease processes. Common abbreviations and acronyms used in patient care are also introduced. It is believed that the knowledge gained from this course will enable students to communicate and interact more effectively with practitioners in healthcare facilities and better understand the meaning of clinical data. The course is particularly recommended for students with no clinical experience in healthcare.

HAP-702. Health Care Financing. This course will provide students with an understanding of the variety of mechanisms for financing health care in the United States. Of particular interest are the consequences that each mechanism has for the cost and efficiency with which health care is provided. Specific topics include the range and implications of service payment mechanisms, mechanisms for capital acquisition and their effects, organizational structures, markets for firm governance, and for-profit vs. not-for-profit enterprises. 3 s.h.

HAP-703. Quantitative Methods in Finance and Economics. This course provides the student with an appreciation for, and skills in, the principle methods used to assist decision-makers in financial and economic analysis. Primary focus is on the tools of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis. Statistical methods for supporting these analyses will be explored conceptually and practically. 3 s.h.

HAP-704. Health Policy. This course is designed to provide students with a conceptual and analytical understanding of health policymaking and politics. Political and policymaking institutions and processes that affect the structure and functioning of the U. S. health care system will be examined. Fundamental concepts and issues associated with political decision making and the delivery of health services will be explored, including the impact of constitutional and other legal provisions, the activities of political parties and interest groups, the involvement of health professional associations and client organizations, and the relationships between economic factors and evolving health policymaking patterns. 3 s.h.

HAP-705. Health Economics. This course is designed to provide students with a conceptual and analytical understanding of health economics. Health care systems in the United States will be examined from the perspective of supply, cost and demand determination. Fundamental concepts and issues associated with economic decision-making and selected economic issues will be explored through the application of various socioeconomic concepts and behavioral models. 3 s.h.

HAP-707. Fundamentals of Research Administration. This course will concentrate on the five major participants in the research enterprise. The infrastructure for research administration, pre-award, post-award financial requirements, responsible conduct of research, and technology transfer will be covered. The management, cost and audit principles will be reviewed. Opportunities for decision-making will be provided through case studies. 3 s.h. Spring.

HAP-718. Health Administration Directed Study. 1-3 s.h.

HAP-719. Health Care Management and Operations. This course provides the student with an understanding of the major functions of management including planning, organizing, directing and controlling. Students gain an understanding of governance, organizational structures, accreditation/licensure processes, and reimbursement issues in health organizations. 3 s.h.

HAP-721. Health Care Delivery Systems. This course is a systematic approach to understanding the origin and evolution of the U.S. health care delivery system. Topics include the history of medical care in the U.S., descriptions of the variety of health personnel and facilities that comprise the system, including an investigation of selected contemporary health policy issues, public health, mental health and alternative systems. 3 s.h.

HAP-722. Health Behavior and Epidemiology. An introduction to health behavior and the principles, strategies, and perspectives of epidemiology. Examples are drawn from selected diseases, health relevant behaviors, and health service problems. The course provides a general understanding of health states of populations, prevention efforts and the basic conceptual tools for translating epidemiological findings. 3 s.h.

HAP-725. Statistical Analysis in Health Systems. Systematic instruction in research design and selected methods for health services research. Introduction to the use of ANOVA, simple regression, multiple regression, discriminant analysis and path analysis as statistical techniques that might be applied in health administration and health care research. Prerequisite: Completion of at least one undergraduate level statistics course with a grade of “C” or better. 3 s.h.

HAP-726. Health Care Accounting. This course introduces the student to selected financial accounting topics such as principles of health care accounting, financial statement preparation, governance and internal control, financial statement analysis, capital structure and leverage, working capital management, stock and bond valuations. 3 s.h.

HAP-729. Financial Management for Health Care Organizations.  This course introduces the student to selected strategic finance topics such as cost concepts, costing systems, cost-volume-profit analysis, cost and revenue prediction, pricing strategies, budgeting, variance analysis, inventory managment, performance evaluation, and incentive compensation. Prerequisite: HAP-726. 3 s.h. 

HAP-730. Operations and Project Management. This course is designed to provide students with an overview of Operations Management within a healthcare organization. More specifically, it will focus on the many tools available to assess the organization's strategic and tactical position as well as the tools and techniques required to shift an organization from its current state to one closer to the leadership's stated vision. Emphasis will be placed on using project management as discipline used to deliver on strategic objectives, including a review of the required governance that must be in place to be effective. 3 s.h. 
  
HAP-732. Introduction to Decision Analysis. This course is focused on the interpretation and translation of data through decision models. These structures are used as a tool for improving evidence-based decision making in health care settings. Topics include: clinical decisions and decision analysis, policy analysis approaches, expected value, contingent probabilities and uncertainty, utility assessment, decision trees, Markov, Monte Carlo and simulations models in decision analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, and sensitivity analysis. The course is designed primarily for the student in a health-related discipline who desires a greater understanding of conduct and interpretations of decision analysis and cost-effective analysis. The design and construction of a decision model is required. 3 s.h.

HAP-733. Mediation and Negotiation for Health Care  Management. The purpose of this course is to educate managers to be more effective, by providing theory and practice skills in negotiation, mediation, and conflict management. Cases and exercises will relate specifically to applications in the health care environment. The course will model and practice negotiation and mediation at the individual, group, organizational and inter organizational level. Student will engage in in-class exercises, and will prepare papers based on the subject of conflict, mediation and negotiation. 3 s.h.

HAP-735. Health Law and Risk Management. This course introduces the student to legal concepts and issues related to health care management. Special topics include liability, risk management, patient-provider relationships, fraud and abuse, antitrust, and health legislation. This course will also examine selected business law topics including agency and partnership, business corporations, and joint ventures. 3 s.h.

HAP-737. Organization Theory and Behavior. This course introduces the major historical and contemporary theories of organization and human behavior in the workplace. Emphasis is placed on the study of organization structures, principles, techniques and processes as they relate to the management of health services organizations. Opportunities to gain a better understanding of organizational behavior issues such as motivation, leadership, decision-making, interpersonal conflict, and group dynamics are provided in case analyses and skill-building exercises.  3 s.h.

HAP-738. Management and Health Information Systems. This course provides an overview of the variety of information systems used in health care. Concepts related to strategic information systems planning will be introduced. The intent of the course is to give students a broad understanding of the use of technology in health care to manage both clinical and administrative information. 3 s.h.

HAP-739. Health Care Strategic Marketing and Management. This course includes health care administrative decision-making with emphasis on analyzing business problems, formulating policies, and implementing plans for action. Comprehensive cases provide the opportunity to study the proper interrelationships among production/operations, marketing, human resources, and the other functions involved in managing a health care enterprise. Special emphasis is place on the planning function and the principles of health care marketing. 3 s.h.

HAP-740. Human Resources Management. This course addresses the traditional personnel functions in health service organizations such as recruitment, selection, job analysis, performance appraisal, compensation/benefits, employee health and safety, grievance, collective bargaining, employee discipline, and discharge. Additionally, current social, behavioral, and legal issues are discussed from a human resource planning and management perspective. The student will not only gain a better understanding of human resource processes, procedures, and issues, but will also acquire skills important to the effective management of people in organization.  3 s.h.

HAP-743. Managing Across the Continuum of Care. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the role and functions of the health care manager in a variety of health care settings (examples include physician group practice, long term care, home care). Students have an opportunity to work with individual in these areas and obtain practical experience. Special attention is given to the unique regulations and standards governing the management of these organizations as well as the key issues facing key stakeholders in these settings. Additionally, students are introduced to career opportunities in consulting, the pharmaceutical industry, and entrepreneurial initiatives.  3 s.h.  

HAP-752. Health Administration Field Project. This is an applied experience that integrates the principles, theories, and concepts of health administration with problems or issues existing in the health field. Emphasis is on application of financial management, human resource management, planning and marketing to a well-defined problem or issue confronting the health administrator. Students must have completed at least 18 hours in the program prior to doing a field project.  3 s.h.

HAP-753. Seminar in Ethical Leadership. This course is intended to help students gain insight into viewing leadership from multiple perspectives including viewing from an ethical lens, thereby allowing them to expand their personal effectiveness by considering and utilizing alternative leadership approaches to various situataions. Students will be encouraged to explore and expand their current leadership skills, team process skills, and critical thinking abilities. Students will increase personal insight into their own strengths and abilities as a leader, will review current literature and readings and speak to leaders in the field regarding their own perceptions and learnings, and will assess the qualities necessary to lead healthcare organizations in the future. 3 s.h. 

HAP-754. Health Administration Internship. The Internship is an essential component of the Residential MHA Program. It is intended to provide MHA students with opportunities to apply theories and techniques learned in the classroom to actual situations, issues or problems within the healthcare community. It provides a student an opportunity to work with an experienced healthcare manager in a health care facility for a concentrated ten-week period of time. The scope of the Internship is broad and students should expect to be involved in a wide-range of management-level activities. Students may expect to be engaged in at least two projects as a component of the Internship experience. 6 s.h.