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Health Care Management Concentration (undergraduate)
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Credits:
18
Concentration Description
The undergraduate concentration in Health Care Management provides students with theoretical and practical understanding of health care administration. Students gain knowledge of economic, financial, historical, legal and scientific concepts within health care systems. The concentration covers the regulatory requirements, management of personnel and fiscal practices that insure proper management within the health care industry.
A Key Element in Your Bachelor’s Degree. The Health Care Management concentration is accepted in any Cambridge College bachelor’s degree, as open electives. It is typically of interest to students doing a bachelor’s degree in Management Studies, as it is a management specialty. It can also provide valuable knowledge to students in related fields.
Program Outcomes
Students will gain a practical understanding of health care in the United States, including:
- Economics and finance of health care
- Introductory survey of federal and state regulations
- Essentials of human resources in health care organizations
- Introduction to the science of epidemiology and related statistical tools for maintaining public health.
Careers and Further Study
Graduates may serve as valuable team members and advance into management positions in health care organizations. To advance further, students may wish to do a master’s degree in health care management.
Curriculum
Prerequisite Course
Introduction to Business
BSM 200 • 3 credit(s)
Students learn how American business operates. The course begins with a study of business in its broader perspective, looking at the context within which American business fits, and the investment markets which provide the capital needed to grow. The external factors influencing business development and the role business plays in the world economy are examined. The course then focuses on the internal organization and the operations of American business, highlighting major issues associated with managing functional areas of a business, such as marketing, production, technology, and supply chain management. In the later part of the course, financial management, both personal and business, and financial institutions are studied.
Concentration Courses
Economics for Managers
BSM 300 • 3 credit(s)
This course provides an overview of economics and establishes a foundation and vocabulary for future courses. It gives an applied, practical introduction to macroeconomics and microeconomics. At the macro-economic level the course helps the learner understand how the American economy functions, and what impact changes in the economy may have on the individual and the organization, as well as the impact of the global economy. At the microeconomic level the course examines how individuals and firms make economic decisions. This knowledge becomes the basis of understanding key concepts of supply, demand and pricing, as well as average and marginal costs and breakeven analysis.
Comparative Health Care Systems
BSM 350 • 3 credit(s)
This course surveys the historic development, organization and unique characteristics of the health care delivery system in the US. We explore the history and functions of health care providers in America; contrast that history and structure with those of other developed nations, discuss organizational patterns of health care facilities, current payment and reimbursement systems, external accrediting agencies, governmental regulation, and medical staff organization.
Human Resource Management in Health Care
BSM 351 • 3 credit(s)
This course provides an essential overview of policies, practices and organizational structures within human resources management in health care settings. Students will compare and contrast the relationship between human resources management and general management; explore the roles, responsibilities, requirements and expectations of human resource management in health care organizations; review compensation and benefits, recruitment, selection and retention of staff, training and development, and other topics in the field of human resources management in health care.
Legal and Ethical Aspects of Health Care
BSM 354 • 3 credit(s)
This health law course surveys current federal and state regulatory structures and policies governing the provision of healthcare. Students will learn about professional licensure, malpractice, the provider-patient relationship, informed consent, the regulation of healthcare facilities, the organization of healthcare entities (such as integrated delivery systems), the regulation of health insurers and managed care providers, managed care liability, Medicare/Medicaid, federal self-referral and "anti-kickback" prohibitions, and other ethical topics.
Epidemiology and Public Health
SCI 339 • 3 credit(s)
Epidemiology and Public Health introduces the foundations of epidemiology and biostatistics as applied to the study, monitoring and maintenance of public health. This course focuses on the foundations and methods of epidemiologic investigation; accurate sampling, analysis and presentation of data, and the use of classical statistical approaches to describe the health of populations. Topics include the dynamic behavior of disease; outbreaks, spread, epidemics, pandemics, and control strategies. Additionally, this course discusses and reviews epidemiologic study designs, cause and effect, treatment efficacy, and ethical and legal issues in epidemiology.
Health Care Policy and Reform
HCM 301 • 3 credit(s)
This course examines the structure of the health system, current topics in health care reform, the policy process, and advocacy for public health. Attention will be given to disparities in access to care, the quality of care, the structure of the delivery system, the challenges of long term care and the aging population, and the drivers of cost growth.
