HCAD - Health Care Administration

Students in this course will assess the impact of healthcare trends and issues on the organization's people, performance and policies, evaluate programs for strategic alignment with current trends and issues, and distinguish the various types of healthcare systems. Students will evaluate the various organizations that provide professional development, peer support, and continuing education, and determine present healthcare issues through research using scholarly sources. A Christian worldview of the ethical obligations of healthcare providers and institutions will be integrated and communicated throughout the course.

Students in this course will analyze governance structures and performance outcomes for alignment with mission, vision, values, and goals and select the appropriate legal structure for specific healthcare organizations. Students will analyze the policies, marketplace dynamics, and standards of the healthcare industry on organizational governance and structures, assess the influence of governance systems on human resource policies, and design personnel structures in relationship to the governing body and facility operations. The roles, responsibilities, and relationships among executive management and the governing body will be evaluated from a biblical worldview.

Students in this course will evaluate investment opportunities using various measurements of financial risks and rates of return, determine appropriate financing options for capital acquisitions, and create strategic financing plans for projects using capital budgeting and risk analysis techniques. Students will assess third party payer systems and reimbursement methods, analyze cost measurement and allocation processes, and determine the organization's financial condition and potential for the future. A biblical worldview will be integrated throughout the course.

Students in this course will evaluate the political and legal process through which public health problems are addressed, assess the role of culture and patient choice in the creation of health policies, and analyze the financing and policies of long-term care for the aged and disabled. Students will design policies based on scholarly research methods that address community and national health needs in the context of economic health and stewardship. A biblical worldview will be integrated into ethical and professional principles throughout the course.

Students in this course will assess an organization's technology security systems in view of HIPPA and governmental policies, evaluate technology trends and clinical applications to determine the potential problems and opportunities for the organization, and recommend health information systems in order to meet organizational objectives. Students will develop crisis management and technology lifecycle implementation plans. A biblical worldview will be integrated throughout the course.

Students in this course will evaluate the factors in the healthcare environment that impact strategy and integrate the functions of a healthcare organization into a strategic development framework that creates value and ensures sustainable organizational success. Students will apply critical thinking to the analysis and evaluation of health care from a strategic perspective, evaluate the role of social responsibility in creating value for stakeholders, and formulate operational strategies that promote continuous performance and process improvements. Biblically based policies and ethical strategies will be developed and evaluated throughout the course.

This course presents opportunities for students to demonstrate an integrated understanding of best practice healthcare administration policies and principles, as well as biblical and ethical standards. Students will complete a previously approved project that involves a healthcare product, service, or organizational unit as the focus for revising policy, procedure, or practice. Working in close consultation with the course instructor, students will formulate and defend a plan of action for the identified policy, procedure, or practice and prepare a formal presentation of the completed project. Prerequisite: successful completion of all core courses