Master of Advanced Studies in the Leadership of Healthcare Organizations

Curriculum

Fall Quarter

Strategic Management and Organizational Change - 4 units - LHCO 202

This course examines principles and applications of strategic management and the change management concepts necessary to effectively apply these principles in healthcare organizations. The course will provide you with a structured stepwise approach to the strategic management process, and includes methods for assessing key features of organization environments and competitive situations, approaches for developing strategic plans, and processes for ensuring the successful implementation of strategy.

Process Improvement in Healthcare - 4 units - LHCO 219

In this course you will learn and apply concepts and techniques of business process analysis and improvements as building blocks for operations improvement strategies in healthcare. You will analyze and improve processes in various contexts using different process improvement tools from simple process-mapping to computer-based process modeling.  In addition, the use of fundamental and sophisticated analytical techniques to design and manage efficient and effective operations and processes will be covered. The importance of balancing technical/analytical and organizational/behavioral aspects of business process improvements will be highlighted.

Current Topics in Healthcare - 2 units - LHCO 221

The course will address current topics in the healthcare industry, especially related to population health and current evolving trends. Special guest lecturers from the San Diego Healthcare community will be invited to address the seminar. This will provide an opportunity for students to hear directly from healthcare leaders and involve a question and answer session.

Modern Healthcare - 2 units - LHCO 215

This course describes and analyzes the healthcare delivery system in the U.S. You will gain an understanding of the health policy process and how healthcare is financed. Organizational structures of institutions and professional groups are assessed. Actions taken by employers, insurers, consumers, and government, and the effects on physicians and provider organizations are analyzed.

Winter Quarter

Conflict Resolution, Negotiation & Team Building - 2 units - LHCO 204

This course studies key management concepts and roles of management and how they apply in successful, dynamic organizations. You will examine the competencies of effective managers in developing customer focus, planning, selecting and developing individuals and teams, communicating, managing resources, using technology and being adaptable. You will be exposed to the theory and process of effective negotiation as well as various team building and conflict resolution strategies in a variety of contexts.

Using and Managing Information and Information Technologies - 4 units - LHCO 203

This course is designed to familiarize you with the principles of information systems design and management for healthcare. It will provide you with an understanding of current trends in information technologies for healthcare and management issues unique to the field.  The course includes a hands-on computer lab.

Outcomes and Quality Improvement - 4 units - LHCO 209

This course will provide you with a critical overview of the tools used to measure outcomes and quality of care, development and use of practical guidelines, advantages and disadvantages of various methods, and the use of such analysis in administrative decision-making.

Project Management for Healthcare Professionals - 2 units - LHCO 217

This course covers the core body of knowledge and skills of project management specific to the healthcare industry. You will learn how to define, plan and execute a project on time, on budget and within performance specifications. Topics in the course include project life cycle, definition, and charter creation; assembling high performance teams; risk analysis; and project closure.

Spring Quarter

Healthcare Leadership - 4 units - LHCO 216

This course describes the critical knowledge and skills needed to be effective leaders in today’s complex healthcare environment. The course sessions cover conflict resolution, leadership and negotiation skills, strategic planning, and ethics. Guest speakers include business leaders and entrepreneurs from the local healthcare industry.

Statistics and Applied Decision-Making - 2 units - LHCO 212

In this course, you will learn statistical methods and their most common applications in healthcare management. Topics covered will include data presentation, sampling, the development and use of confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and simple regression. You will also explore elementary probability theory and decision-making under uncertainty.

Topics in Health Law - 2 units - LHCO 220

This survey course introduces you to the relationship of law to healthcare, including liability, government regulation, financial and ethical issues, contracting and negotiation and dispute resolution. The course will incorporate the most current trends related to health law and feature guest speakers on relevant topics.

Financial Accounting and Analysis - 2 units - LHCO 213

In this course, you will learn the use of financial information within a healthcare organization. Topics will include capital structure, working capital and cash management, the time value of money, and capital budgeting.

Topics in Financial Management and Decision-Making - LHCO 206

This course will present you with real-life applications in healthcare provider organizations of financial management and decision-making. Topics include budgeting, uses of financial reports, development of long-range financial forecasts, benchmarking, business plan development and actuarial analysis in projecting healthcare delivery costs.

Independent Study Project

Professional Development Seminar: Mentorship & Assessment - 2 units - LHCO 218

In this course, a faculty member will direct your study in the development of mentorship and leadership skills as related to your research interest. Readings, assignments, and formalized career assessment and mentoring sessions are designed to integrate coursework with the development of your independent study proposal on an applied research topic.

Independent Study Capstone Course - 4 units - LHCO 298

The Capstone is the cornerstone of the MAS program. You will be involved in a high-level research project that integrates what you have learned in your formal coursework. The Capstone will be an independent and creative scholarly activity in an area related to one or more of the topics covered in the formal curriculum. Your work will be evaluated by a member(s) of the faculty and may also include industry advisors when appropriate.