Course Descriptions

Courses numbered 1000-1999 are open to freshmen; 2000-2999 to sophomores; 3000-3999 to juniors; 4000-4999 to seniors. It is recommended that students elect courses in the years for which they are listed. Freshmen will be admitted to courses above the 2000 level only with the consent of the instructor and the student’s advisor. Juniors and seniors taking freshman courses may be expected to do additional work. Any course above 4999 is a graduate course.

NOTE:
The number in parentheses following the course title indicates the semester hours of credit assigned to the course.
An H following the course number indicates an honors level course.

HLTH 4000
Health Care Systems & Organizations [Course] (3)
Health Care Systems and Organizations introduces the history and evolution of our health care system and provides an intensive analysis of interrelationships among and a general overview of health care environments, consumers, providers, organizational arrangements and regulatory, reimbursement and market mechanisms.

HLTH 4100
Health Care Operations Management [Course] (3)
This course provides an overview of the field of operations management in the health and human services arena and establishes a foundation and common vocabulary for future course work. It emphasizes the health care supply chain, risk and cost management, resource allocation and utilization and process management. The course assumes adult learners have limited academic knowledge of operations management theory, and little or no experience in real world management situations to bring into the classroom. In each session the class explores some aspects of management in theoretical terms and then focuses on application of the theory to the practical problems facing managers in health and human services organizations. Prerequisites: PSYC 4410, SOCS 3410, PSYC 4520, and BUAD 4350.

HLTH 4250
Health Care Reimbursement Systems [Course] (3)
This course covers the current state of the health insurance industry and reimbursement for services in the United States. The status of managed care and its continuing evolution is examined in depth. Private and public reimbursement structures and functions are studied in detail as well as application of reimbursement processes. Prerequisites: PSYC 4410, SOCS 3410, PSYC 4520, and BUAD 4350.

HLTH 4500
Internship [Practicum] (2 - 6)
The internship projects integrate the theory of the course offerings into operation and practice. Such intern experiences add insight and focus to the students' career planning and open thinking to a range of placement possibilities. Students are assigned to an organization in the community in the area of interest.

HLTH 4800
Contemporary Issues in Health Care & Marketing [Course] (3)
Constant changes in business and environmental conditions present daunting challenges to modern organizations and their members. Traditional textbooks often do not fully portray the complexity of health care reality. Through this module, adult learners will consider theory and reality to develop and demonstrate meaningful application of management skills and competencies. The course will introduce the learner to the data and technology-driven enterprise that is healthcare marketing today. In studying the marketing process, the learner will look at what marketing is, the nature of marketing strategy and the environment in which marketing operates. Special emphasis will be placed on how healthcare organizations are responding to the changing demographics of an aging population. At the core of marketing is the consumer. In healthcare, the consumer can be the patient, the family, the physician, the company buying care, a judge making a referral for mental health care, or an insurance company.

HLTH 4910
Applied Research Project Part I [Course] (3)
The applied research module requires adult learners to select a problem they have encountered at work or elsewhere, conduct research to determine its cause(s), and make practical recommendations to solve the problem based on the results of the study. Intended to provide solutions to concrete problems, questions, or concerns within an organization, the research project enables adult learners to apply the academic skills and knowledge acquired across the healthcare curriculum. The value of the research project, therefore, depends on its applicability to real management or organizational concerns. While the project is individual, adult learners gain a basic understanding of the applied research process through collaborative work with their academic Project Advisor, Workplace Site Contact person, and classmates. Part One covers introduction to research, research problem statement and literature review.

HLTH 4920
Applied Research Project Part II [Course] (3 - 5)
The applied research module requires adult learners to select a problem they have encountered at work or elsewhere, conduct research to determine its cause(s), and make practical recommendations to solve the problem based on the results of the study. Intended to provide solutions to concrete problems, questions, or concerns within an organization, the research project enables adult learners to apply the academic skills and knowledge acquired across the healthcare curriculum. The value of the research project, therefore, depends on its applicability to real management or organizational concerns. While the project is individual, adult learners gain a basic understanding of the applied research process through collaborative work with their academic Project Advisor, Workplace Site Contact person, and classmates. In Part Two the student will collect and analyze data and present both written and oral reports. Prerequisite: HLTH 4910