Online Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration Concentrations

- Health Information Management
- Medical Practice Management
- Human Resource Management

 

Course Information

Health Information Management

This Health Information Management concentration is designed to prepare students for a technical career in the healthcare industry. Concentration coursework addresses reimbursement, health and clinical data management, privacy and security of healthcare data and patient communication.

►Introduction to Health Information Management (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to the health information management field with an emphasis on the study of record-keeping practices in various healthcare settings. Topics include the structure of healthcare organizations, the management of patient medical records, the release of patient information, forms control and design, indexes, registers, regulatory accrediting agencies, and recent healthcare reform agendas. Additionally, legal and ethical issues applicable to health information will be discussed.

►Healthcare Reimbursement (3 credits)

This course provides an overview of the various U.S. healthcare payment systems and how they function. Topics include the foundations of insurance, the emergence of HMOs and managed care, private and public reimbursement, risk management, and the role of billing and coding in reimbursement. Additionally, students will learn how various healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and outpatient centers are reimbursed for their services.

►Health and Clinical Data Management (3 credits)

In this course, students will use medical practice software and apply clinical knowledge to support data management functions in a healthcare organization, such as coding for reimbursement, practice analysis, and assessing clinical outcomes.

►Privacy and Security of Healthcare Data (3 credits)

In this course, students are exposed to the concepts of privacy, security, confidentiality, ethics, and regulations pertaining to the use of health information. Topics include legal and ethical environment of protecting healthcare data, HIPAA privacy standards, and health information disclosure.

►Patient Communication and Service Excellence (3 credits) 

This course emphasizes respectful communication interactions in a wide range of healthcare settings. Strategies for effectively communicating with patients of all ages, as well as abusive, depressed, or impaired patients, are illustrated through examples and various scenarios. 

 

Medical Practice Management

The Medical Practice Management concentration is designed to prepare students to face the broad range of challenges involved in navigating the issues and opportunities within an organization, and increasingly complex healthcare system. Topics include financial management, healthcare reimbursement, marketing, and patient communication. Students will be better equipped to provide recommendations for operational or infrastructure improvements that will allow medical practices to be better positioned for future success.

►Financial Management for the Medical Practice (3 credits)

In this course, students are presented with the methods and approaches for managing the private medical practice from a financial perspective. Topics include financial analysis, maximizing revenue, expense management, internal control, financial reports, benchmarking and operational planning.

►Healthcare Reimbursement (3 credits)

This course provides an overview of the various U.S. healthcare payment systems and how they function. Topics include the foundations of insurance, the emergence of HMOs and managed care, private and public reimbursement, risk management, and the role of billing and coding in reimbursement. Additionally, students will learn how various healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and outpatient centers are reimbursed for their services.

►Patient Communication and Service Excellence (3 credits) 

This course emphasizes respectful communication interactions in a wide range of healthcare settings. Strategies for effectively communicating with patients of all ages, as well as abusive, depressed, or impaired patients, are illustrated through examples and various scenarios. 

►Marketing the Private Medical Practice (3 credits)

In this course, students will be exposed to the various marketing strategies employed by physicians in private practice, with an emphasis on Internet and social media marketing. Topics include marketing for competitive advantage, direct marketing, website design, and practice branding.

►Medical Practice Management (3 credits)

This course provides an overview of all aspects of the medical practice. Topics include marketing, patient communication, customer service, specialty practices, financial management, and the roles of medical office personnel.

 

Human Resource Management

The Human Resource Management concentration is designed to teach human resource managers how to effectively lead in a hospital or healthcare setting. The program covers a wide range of human resource responsibilities, including interviewing and hiring, compensation and benefits management, conflict resolution, and patient communication.

►Patient Communication and Service Excellence (3 credits) 

This course emphasizes respectful communication interactions in a wide range of healthcare settings. Strategies for effectively communicating with patients of all ages, as well as abusive, depressed, or impaired patients, are illustrated through examples and various scenarios. 

►Recruitment and Selection in Healthcare (3 credits)

This course presents the human resources management focus of recruitment and staffing selections in a healthcare setting. Students will be exposed to the methods and processes for this task and gain an appreciation for the strategic role human resources plays within an organization. 

Training and Development for Healthcare (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to training human resources in healthcare organizations. Training topics include adult learning theories, needs assessment, feedback models, evaluation, planning, and instructional design.

►Conflict Resolution and Negotiation (3 credits)

This course exposes students to the nature of conflict within organizations and the various forms of employable conflict resolution techniques. Emphasis is given to overcoming positional or contentious strategies while building collaboration and offering choices. Focus is placed on understanding the interdependence of groups within the system and the cohesion necessary for organizational effectiveness.

►Employee Benefits (3 credits)

This course exposes students to the nature of the various types of employee benefits on the market. Emphasis is placed on the factors involved in making employment benefit decisions, such as distinctions between personal or small organizations and large employee groups, and knowing the funding options available for each.

Students must complete 120 credit hour to graduate (through transfer, testing, prior learning evaluation or credits earned at Central Christian College of Kansas). Each CCC Online three-credit course is six weeks and can be completed 100% online.

120 credit hour break down:

• General Education Core: 36 Credit Hours
• Christian Worldview: 12 Credit Hours
• General Electives: 18 Credit Hours
• Major Core: 30 Credit Hours
• Bridge Courses: 9 Credit Hours
• Concentration Courses: 15 Credit Hours

Online Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration Major Core

►Professionalism and Human Performance (3 credits)

This course provides students the opportunity to acquire a foundation in computing and writing, both of which are needed to be successful in this academic environment. Students will engage in a self-assessment process that helps to gauge learning style, adaptability to change, and other concepts in an effort to raise awareness. Particular emphasis will be paid to the value of enhancing one’s soft skills in preparation for success in life. 

►Financial Management in Healthcare (3 credits)

This course provides students with an introduction to finance in the healthcare setting and exposes students to the financial management techniques used by healthcare professionals. Topics include billing and coding/reimbursement, the legal and regulatory environment, revenue determinants, managed care finance, financial statement analysis, financial accounting, costing and financial decision-making. 

►Healthcare Marketing Strategies (3 credits)

This course provides students with an overview of the strategic marketing function in healthcare organizations. Students will be exposed to the role that marketing plays in healthcare.

►Ethical Issues in Healthcare (3 credits)

This course raises student awareness about current ethical issues in the healthcare. Students will be able to enhance their own moral and ethical reasoning by analyzing and responding to a case study in healthcare management. These are the same ethical concerns faced by healthcare clinicians, administrators and managers. Students will engage in decision-making activities in order to apply related principles of ethics to current events in healthcare.

►Principles of Managed Care (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to the foundations of the managed healthcare system in the United States. Students will be exposed to the operational aspects of managed care and health insurance in the commercial sector. Different forms of managed healthcare will be presented.

►Leadership and Change in Healthcare (3 credits)

This course concentrates on the development of students' abilities to exercise leadership at the management level in healthcare organizations. The focus is to help leaders understand how best to motivate and coordinate employees and the responsibilities of leaders in leading change within an organization. The course will provide students with the opportunity to understand leadership from conceptual, personal, skill-based, and work-based perspectives. Students will explore leadership theory and practice as it applies to the healthcare sector.

►Statistics for Healthcare Managers (3 credits)

This is an introductory course in statistics applied to the healthcare setting. Course outcomes include the ability of students to analyze statistical data, understand the role of statistical theory, and determine appropriate statistical methodologies.

►Human Resource Management (3 credits)

Adult learners explore the values and perceptions of selected groups affecting social and economic life through an analysis of policies and practices of recruitment, selection, training, development and compensation of employees. Special attention is given to Equal Opportunity and Office of Safety and Health Administration legislation through a series of case studies and simulations. 

►Strategic Planning (3 credits)

This course introduces adult learners to various management planning models and techniques and applies these to business cases. It stresses the concepts of strategic planning and strategic management.

►Applied Research Project (3 credits)

The Applied Research Project is a major research effort designed to enhance knowledge in an area related to one’s work or community and provide research skills to assist in effective decision making. The adult learner completes a research project related to his/her employment environment. Statistical analysis concepts and methods assist the adult learner in identifying a topic, collecting data, and measuring results. A college faculty member monitors the progress of the independent study, and an on-site contact makes certain that the adult learner devotes at least 200 clock hours to the project. An oral report of initial project findings is given by each adult learner in this term.

Bridge Courses

►Business Law (3 credits)

Business Law studies the history, background, sources and influences of modern-day law as it pertains to the business activities of individuals, corporations and other legal entities. As a part of this module particular emphasis will be placed upon the laws governing contracts, creditors’ rights, secured transactions, bankruptcy, agency, partnerships and corporations. Today’s managers need to understand the basic legal concepts to avoid costly courtroom problems and other legal issues.

►U.S. Healthcare Systems (3 credits)

Topics covered include the history of the U.S. healthcare delivery system, its current status and the role of healthcare providers, such as clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and related healthcare facilities. Additional topics include professional roles in healthcare, healthcare planning, regulation, quality, politics and major healthcare reform issues challenging the industry today. Students will gain an appreciation for the complexities of cost, quality and access in healthcare.

►Principles of Healthcare Management (3 credits)

This course explores the types of managerial functions necessary for organizational operation. It is based on the topics of planning, organizing, directing, controlling and decision-making. Specific application to healthcare settings will be explored.