Graduate Courses

The faculty has approval to offer the following courses in the academic years 2019–2020 and 2020–2021; however, not all courses are taught each semester or summer session. Students should consult the Course Schedule to determine which courses and topics will be offered during a particular semester or summer session. The Course Schedule may also reflect changes made to the course inventory after the publication of this catalog.

Health Care Transformation: HCT

HCT 280. Aspiration, Innovation, and Inertia in Health Care.

Define "value" in health care. Review the historical context for today's health care landscape and explore why attempts at health care reforms to-date have been unsuccessful. Examine how money moves through the health system. Explore pathways for transforming health care through a value-based health care delivery framework. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 180C, 280C, 380C. Independent Study.

Restricted to students pursuing a Master of Science in Health Care Transformation. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

HCT 281. Creating Value for Individuals and Families.

Explore how value is created in health care. Introduction to methodology for identifying patient segments, assessing patients' unmet needs, and identifying the outcomes that matter most to patients. Examine the "capability, comfort, and calm" meta-framework for designing and measuring patients' health outcomes. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 382. Redefining Health Delivery Solutions.

Identify gaps in current health care systems. Examine possibilities for organizing new care models by improving existing service operations and processes, redefining health care delivery into integrated practice units, and designing new services. Explore human-centered design principles, frameworks for transforming organization and structure, and operational process improvement methods. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 386. Health Care Finance and Payment.

Review concepts of cost and managerial accounting, with an emphasis on the importance of aligning financial and medical success. Explore how to use cost and accounting tools to assess the effect of payment system design on clinical care and organizational performance. Conduct cost analyses and new payment models. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 387. Measuring Outcomes that Matter.

Examine the importance of shifting from measuring process indicators to measuring health outcomes. Explore an overview of the current measurement environment in health care. Investigate measurement strategy, including identifying the critical outcomes, finding or developing validated measures, creating an analysis plan, designing systems for collecting and evaluating health outcomes data, and accelerating learning by clinical teams. Define culture, strategy, and measurement in health care transformation. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 388. Leading Teams for Health Care Excellence.

An introduction to strategies for effective communication and negotiation. Explore the keys to effective leadership, such as strong communication and team-building skills, exercised with a clear understanding of one's own leadership style. Examine frameworks and tools for assessing personal leadership strengths and weaknesses. Identify skills for leading transformation, giving and receiving feedback, managing ambiguity, resolving conflict, building teams, and creating a learning culture. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 390. System Design and Population Health.

Analyze the factors that contribute to health disparities. Explore the role of health systems in improving the health of communities and populations as a whole. Examine international health care models from developed and developing countries, with an emphasis on care design for underserved communities. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 391. Strategy for Health Care Innovation.

Analyze and apply the concepts of tradeoffs, fit, consistency, culture, and cause to achieve effective strategy in value-based health care. Address system improvement, integration, and rationalization. Identify pathways for growth in value-based health care, including growth across multiple facilities, locations, and patient segments. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 396C. Project Planning and Preparation.

Design an action learning project aimed at improving some aspect of health and/or health care in a team setting. Includes background research, identifying an organizational setting and client, creating a business proposition and project "pitch," and creating measurement and analysis plans. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 297C, 397C. Project Measurement and Implementation.

Implement a project, conduct outcome measurement, analyze the organizational setting and team, and gather data for analysis. Refine goals, outcomes, and analysis plans to adapt to meet the needs of the selected project. For each semester hour of credit earned, one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

HCT 198C, 298C, 398C. Project Evaluation and Dissemination.

Analyze and present project results in teams. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.