UMUC

Graduate School of Management and Technology

Course Descriptions - HCAD (Health Care Administration)

HCAD 600 Introduction to Health Care Administration (3)

An introduction to the principles of management and leadership as the foundations for the administration of health care products and service delivery. The evolution of management principles and practices are traced, and the bases for health care administration are analyzed. Emphasis is on the management of global health care systems in technological societies and the need for innovation and creativity in health care administration. Focus is on mastering graduate-level critical thinking, writing and ethical decision making skills.

HCAD 610 Information Technology for Health Care Administration (3)

(Formerly ADMN 669.) An overview of the management perspective of information technology (IT) and how health care administrators can use IT to maximize organizational performance. Fundamental principles of IT and data management and their implications for health care administrators are reviewed. Discussion explores the use of technology, databases and other analytical tools to structure, analyze and present information related to health care management and problem solving. Topics also include strategic information systems planning, systems analysis, system design, evaluation and selection. Current applications, such as patient care, administrative and strategic decision support, managed health, health information networks and the Internet are examined to determine how they may be used to meet the challenges facing health care administrators today and in the future. Focus is on the legal and ethical issues related to IT and their practical implications for the health care administrator.

HCAD 620 The U.S. Health Care System (3)

(Formerly ADMN 670.) A comprehensive examination of the complex, dynamic, rapidly changing health care system in the United States. The health care system’s major components and their characteristics are identified. Emphasis is on current problems in health care financing and delivery. Social, economic and political forces that have shaped and continue to influence the system are traced. The health care system in the United States is compared with systems in industrialized and developing nations. Analysis covers current trends in health care and prospects for the future.

HCAD 630 Public Health Administration (3)

(Formerly ADMN 671.) An in-depth study of the field of public health, emphasizing leadership and management. The current U.S. public health system is analyzed, focusing on federal, state and local public health entities and their management issues. Connections and relationships between the system of public health and the private personal health services market are also analyzed. Topics include the history and current status of public health, core functions, legislation, ethics, accountability (including assessment and evaluation) and the politics and financing of public health, particularly in light of the increased utilization of evidence-based budgeting. Contact with a public health agency to analyze a public health program or policy may augment text and lecture presentation.

HCAD 635 Long-Term Care Administration (3)

(Formerly HCAD 670 and ADMN 675.) A study of the management of skilled nursing, intermediate care and long-term care facilities; day care, residential care, social HMOs and community-based programs; and home health services. Longterm care administration is examined as encompassing all of those activities that relate to caring for and satisfying the essential needs of the aging population, including housing, health care, nutrition, education and recreation. Textbooks and readings are supplemented by case studies in management of long-term care services and facilities.

HCAD 640 Financial Management for Health Care Organizations (3)

(Formerly ADMN 672.) Prerequisite: MGMT 640. An in-depth study of health care economics and the financial management of health care organizations. The economic principles underlying the American health care market and the financial management of health services organizations within that market are examined. Analysis covers free market and mixed market economies; barriers to free market economies; health care industry regulation, licensure and certification; and various coverage and health care payment mechanisms. Topics also include reimbursement mechanisms and their effect on health care provider organizations, managed care, capitation and per case or per diagnosis payment, as well as how these financial strategies are utilized by third-party payers. Focus is on financial challenges such as uncompensated care, cost increases, increased competition and increased regulation and how health care providers should respond to them.

HCAD 650 Legal Aspects of Health Care Administration (3)

A comprehensive analysis of the more significant legal issues encountered by health care administrators and the ramifications of those issues. Both theoretical and practical applications of law are addressed with an analytical focus on the prompt identification of legal and bioethical issues arising from and affecting various health care employment settings. The intersection of law, ethics and bioethics is scrutinized in various contexts. The principles of health care law in a complex constitutional system are examined in relation to current proposals and policy developments in areas such as privacy, contracts, tort reform and the regulation of the health care marketplace. Topics include legal and regulatory constraints imposed on the health care industry, the liability of health care providers, the rights of patients, employment law and labor relations and administrative law for health care organizations.

HCAD 660 Health Care Institutional Organization and Management (3)

(Formerly ADMN 674.) A study of the nature of management and how it is applied in various health care settings. Critical perspectives, tools and techniques needed to successfully manage in the health care environment are examined. Discussion also addresses the management of the complex human and organizational relationships that exist both internally and externally in today’s health care settings.

HCAD 670 Health Care Administration Capstone (3)

(Formerly HCAD 690.) Prerequisite: 30 credits of program coursework. A capstone study of health care administration that integrates knowledge and skills gained from previous study in the development of a systems approach to health care administration. Focus is on public and private health care delivery systems, alliances with internal and external environments, and strategic decision making and implementation in the rapidly evolving global arena of health care administration.