Health Policy and Administration

Health administrators are charged with coordinating a wide variety of activities crucial to the effective and efficient delivery of health services and programs.  The health administrator plans, organizes, coordinated, and supervise the delivery of services within health care organizations, including hospitals, medical group practices, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, mental health clinics, insurance and pharmaceutical companies. The responsibilities of a health administrator take place in an environment influenced by many regulations and political forces.  Consequently, a thorough understanding of the factors influencing health policy is crucial to effective health administration. 

Students in the health administration and policy emphasis area also are eligible to apply for admission to the Master in Public Health and Master of Business Administration dual degree.

HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION EMPHASIS
DEGREE: MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH
DEGREE PLAN: PHLHPAMPH

CORE CURRICULUM

CHS 622         Epidemiology
CHS 623         Biostatistics*
CHS 655         Environmental Health
CHS 656         Social and Behavioral Aspects of Health
CHS 611         Internship 3-9 hours

EMPHASIS CURRICULUM

CHS 626         Introduction to Health Systems
CHS 627         Health Policy
CHS 657         Financial Aspects of Health Care I
CHS 670         Health Law and Justice
CHS 727         Health Care Strategic Planning
CHS 737         Health Care Org Behavior and Human Resources
CHS 738         Ethics for Health Care Managers
CHS 747         Health Care Marketing
CHS 757         Financial Aspects of Health Care II*

PREREQUISITES COURSES*

CHS 623   Must successfully complete one course in statistics (CHS 440) prior to enrollment
CHS 757   Must successfully complete CHS 657 prior to enrollment

 

MPH Health Policy and Administration Emphasis Area Competencies

  1. Use the principles of state and federal policy processes to develop, implement, evaluate and manage health programs and organizations;
  2. Relate the concepts of organizational structure and organization behavior to the management of health organizations within an open systems framework;
  3. Assess the legal implications of providing public health services.
  4. Develop financial information that depicts the financial situation of health related organizations in addition to the consequences of maintaining existing programs or adopting proposed programs;
  5. Integrate the curriculum and apply learned concepts in the process of developing, implementing, evaluating, and managing health programs and organizations.
  6. Understand the processes and elements of and delineate issues affecting the management of human resources in public and private health organizations.
  7. Identify and analyze the impact of stakeholder relationships on the administration of health organizations and the development of health policies.
  8. Understand the importance, identity, and the measurement of customer and target markets of various health programs, services and organizations.
  9. Understand, develop a philosophy of, and be able to identify the essential elements and skills necessary to strategically manage efficient and effective healthcare programs and organizations. 
  10. Understand the historical models of public and private healthcare organizations. 
  11. Demonstrate the importance of the principles of management including planning, organizing, influencing, and controlling in order to manage public health programs and organizations. 
  12. Identify, compare, and relate the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees, the medical staff, and health care administration.
  13. Articulate the issues facing health care professionals on a daily basis and how to strategically manage in the ever changing organizational environment.
  14. Observe organizations from multiple perspectives, thereby allowing the expansion of personal effectiveness by considering and using alternative leadership approaches to various situations.
  15. Demonstrate appropriate leadership strategies in given situations.
  16. Understand one’s own capabilities in exercising leadership in a changing health care environment.
  17. Be able to analyze a complex health service organization’s situation, evaluate historical trends, current operational conditions, and environmental settings in order to establish: (1) a unifying strategy; (2) the implementation of integrated functional policies; and, (3) a plan of action to achieve established objectives.