HCA - Healthcare Administration

Students in this course will distinguish managerial concepts and practices as they apply to a variety of healthcare organizations, compare and contrast governance, strategy, structure, firm conduct, and performance across different types of health organizations (hospitals, clinics, physician practices, long term care, etc.), and create a culture of continuous improvement. Students will demonstrate leadership that creates a vision for all organizational stakeholders and integrate managerial principles to resolve problems and opportunities and achieve efficient and effective operation. The course will focus on synthesizing leadership and managerial skills necessary for change management implementation while integrating a biblical framework into managerial decision-making.

Students in this course will establish biblically consistent policies and procedures that respect human dignity and patient wishes in end of life situations, ethically prioritize decisions concerning patients receiving scarce or expensive medical procedures, and evaluate medical information security for compliance with ethical and legal standards. Students will integrate a biblical perspective into policies and procedures that guide medical research, experimentation, and healthcare delivery. Students will design networks that support effective and ethical patient-provider relationships.

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 solutions for problems and opportunities for the organization, and analyze health information systems for compliance to organizational objectives. Students will assess crisis management plans and implement technology and information system modifications. A biblical worldview will be integrated throughout the course.

Students in this course will analyze leadership, governance structures, and performance outcomes for alignment with mission, vision, values, and goals. Students will determine the required changes in management processes resulting from changing regulatory policies, marketplace dynamics, and standards of the healthcare industry. Students will assess how personnel structures, systems, and technology influence high reliability healthcare providers, recognize the influence of governance systems and legal structures, and evaluate a culture of safety and reliability for appropriateness. The roles, responsibilities, and relationships among executive management and the governing body will be evaluated from a biblical worldview.

Students in this course will identify the political and legal procedures through which public health problems are addressed, assess the role of culture and patient choice in the creation of health policies, and analyze the public and personal cost implications of various healthcare policies. Students will determine effective procedures for the implementation of policy decisions and assess policies 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 evaluate the current system of financing health care and the factors affecting it, analyze cost measurement and allocation processes, and determines the organization's financial condition and potential for the future. Students will analyze budgetary concepts and the differences between the goods and service industries and determine the pros and cons of single payer vs. third party systems. A biblical worldview will be integrated throughout the course.

Students in this course will assess the healthcare delivery system, the resources that comprise it, and its strengths and weaknesses. Students will identify the components of public health and epidemiology, and the availability and role of alternative medicine in treatment programs. Students will determine the theoretical basis for the healthcare system, including its history, development, and epidemiology for major health policy issues, and assess health issues and intervention strategies from the perspective of health providers, community leaders, and community residents within a biblical worldview framework. Students will demonstrate methodological skills including the calculation of rates, analysis of vital statistics, and programming data using a basic statistical package and distinguish the challenges for privacy and patient rights resulting from increasing use of technology within the healthcare industry.

Students in this course will evaluate quality improvement programs and project management concepts, including planning elements, for adaptability to the healthcare environment. Students will compare and contrast the reliability and validity of various outcomes assessment tools from both the patient and organizational perspectives. Students will examine from a biblical framework the critical decisions managers make when placed in a project management role.

Students in this course will analyze the factors in the healthcare environment that impact strategy and evaluate the functions of a healthcare organization in terms of a strategic development framework that creates value and ensures sustainable organizational success. Students will apply critical thinking to the analysis and evaluation of healthcare from a strategic perspective, compare and contrast the role of social responsibility in creating value for stakeholders, and analyze 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 evaluate solutions and strategies for complex business problems and opportunities within the health care industry, evaluate personal management capabilities and design a plan for lifelong growth, and integrate critical analysis with healthcare administration disciplines. Students will synthesize ethical standards in decision making and strategy development, create appropriate communication strategies to achieve organizational goals, and integrate a biblical framework into the practice and standards that guides interactions within the healthcare industry. The assessment of technologies for implementation in healthcare organizations will be featured throughout the course. Prerequisite: successful completion of all core courses