This course explores the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare organizations and leaders in an age of accountable care, and examines the critical role health informatics can and should play in the strategic management of healthcare organizations. Using case-based study techniques, students explore practice and system management, strategic planning, and change leadership. Students combine this insight into health leadership with the actionable insight offered through effective health informatics and business intelligence practices, to craft optimal solutions to internal organizational processes and to external business decisions.
Please note that all times in the syllabus and in Blackboard refer to Eastern Time. The discussion board and assignment links for each week will open at the start of the week for submissions.
Discussion Board Posts: These assignments will assess your ability to clearly and accurately apply concepts from your readings and from your own experiences. Each week you are expected to submit an initial post and comment on at least 2 other students’ posts. You need to follow APA guidelines for citing any sources you may reference in either your initial post or your response to others. Refer to the Discussion Rubric and discussion question for submission guidelines.
Initial post: You should submit your initial post by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Your initial post should be approximately 500 words; however, your post may occasionally be outside those parameters as long as you are able to accomplish the goals of the assignment. 500 words should allow you to explore the topic with sufficient detail.
Response to others: You should comment on at least 2 other students’ posts by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. Your comments to others should be thorough, thoughtful, and they should offer some new content. Do not merely respond with “I agree” or “I disagree.” Engage directly with the ideas of your classmates and briefly mention which part of the post you are responding to.
Weekly Assignments — Case Studies and other Activities — weeks 1-3 and 5-6. Refer to specific assignment rubrics and instructions for submission guidelines.
Key Assignments:
Leadership Development Plan —A key assignment in the class is a leadership development plan which allows you to consider areas where you may want to focus your development over the next 12-24 months. This plan is divided into 2 parts. There are 8 sections of the plan, divided as follows:
Course Reflection — Due week 8
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assessment Item | Possible Points | Percent of Total Grade |
---|---|---|
Weekly Assignments (5) | 60 pts - (12 pts each) | 30% |
Discussion Forums (8) | 40 pts - (5 pts each) | 20% |
Leadership Development Plan – Part I | 30 pts | 15% |
Leadership Development Plan – Final - Parts I and II | 60 pts | 30% |
Reflection | 10 pts | 5% |
Total | 200 pts | 100% |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Course learning modules are divided into weeks. Each week starts on Wednesday at 12:00 am Eastern Time (ET) and closes on Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday. All assignments must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on the due date.
Learning Modules | Topic | Assignments and Due Dates |
Week 1 |
Introduction to Leadership |
Introductory Discussion Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 5/6, responses by Wednesday 5/9 Leadership Framework and Ethical Scenario – Wednesday 5/9 |
Week 2 |
Types of Leadership |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 5/13, responses by Wednesday 5/16 Leadership Assessments – Wednesday 5/16 |
Week 3 |
Leadership Skills and Tactics |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 5/20, responses by Wednesday 5/23 Employee Engagement or Empowerment Case Study – Wednesday 5/23 |
Week 4 |
Strategic Leadership and Leadership Development |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 5/27, responses by Wednesday 5/23 Leadership Development Plan, Part I (first 4 sections) – Wednesday 5/30 |
Week 5 |
Strategic Planning Fundamentals |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 6/3, responses by Wednesday 6/6 SWOT analysis Case Study – Wednesday 6/6 |
Week 6 |
Strategic Planning and HIT |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 6/10, responses by Wednesday 6/13 Case study Performance management – the Coastal Medical Center exercises and questions – Wednesday 6/13 |
Week 7 |
Strategic Management for Health Systems, ACOs, and Post Acute Care |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 6/17, responses by Wednesday 6/20 Leadership Development Plan – submit Part II and resubmit part I – Wednesday 6/20 |
Week 8 |
Strategic Management and Value |
Discussion – Initial post by Friday 6/22, responses by Sunday 6/24 Reflection – Sunday 6/24 |
Learning Outcomes:
Course Materials:
Audio/Video:
Assignments:
Introductory Discussion: Please use this forum to introduce yourselves to your instructor and classmates. Briefly share if you are in a leadership role now or identify the leadership role to which you aspire.
Discussion Question: Choose one or two well-known leaders as a topic for this discussion. Discuss this leader’s traits, motives, and characteristics, based on information from this week’s readings. Identify the leader’s strongest and weakest personal attributes. Is there something that you particularly admire about the leader?
Leadership Framework and Ethical Scenario: Healthcare organizations are under increasing financial pressures because of healthcare reform and the shift to value-based care. These organizations must seek to balance maximizing profit with serving patients and, in particular, providing charity care; a common healthcare CFO statement is: “no margin, no mission.” In addition, physicians, nurses and clinical staff are limited resources. Due to all these factors, healthcare organizations face many ethical decisions involving their business operations.
Scenario: MidWest Health is a health system of four hospitals and over 30 clinics in the region it serves. There is strong competition in its markets, and many of its competitors are actively moving into new health models such as accountable care organizations (ACOs) and patient-centered medical homes (PCMH). Because profits are under pressure, MidWest Health must now evaluate how to best use its resources. For example, should MidWest Health invest its scarce resources in areas that make high profits, but may serve a smaller number of patients? Or, alternatively should they provide basic care to a larger number of patients? There is no one set answer to these types of questions, but they do have to be addressed. An important consideration for healthcare organizations is to support good care through ethically sound policy, decision making, and processes.
Use one of the leadership frameworks from this week’s readings (e.g. NHS or NCHL) to assess the scenario and how you might handle it as a leader. Your response should include the following:
Submit your response in a 3-4 page, double-spaced WORD document. Use APA format. See Leadership Framework Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.
Learning Outcomes:
Course Materials:
Videos:
Assignments:
Discussion Question: Identify a personality trait you think would help a manager to function as a contingency leader. Why do you consider that trait an asset? In addition, identify a trait you think might detract from a manager’s ability to function as a contingency leader. Why do you consider that trait a disadvantage?
Leadership Assessments: This week’s assignment is based on activities from the DuBrin (2016) textbook. First, complete the following leadership assessments in your text:
Then, write a 2-3 page, double-spaced WORD document; in your document respond to the items below. Use APA format.
See Leadership Assessment Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.
Week 3 — Leadership Skills and Tactics
Learning Outcomes:
Course Materials:
Video:
Cleveland Clinic. (2012, December 13). Healthcare management & leadership [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/b0P7tLk46Bc
Assignments:
Discussion Question: Do you agree that creativity is a legitimate part of a leader’s role? If so, what percentage of working time do you think a leader should invest in creative thinking? If you do not agree, why not? Explain your response.
Employee Engagement or Empowerment Case Study: Many healthcare organizations have formed or are considering forming accountable care organizations and/or clinically integrated networks. To date, only one-quarter of ACOs have produced shared savings and there is industry uncertainty over the transition to value-based care. However, organizations that embrace the new models have the opportunity to gain competitive advantage, innovate, and learn through the process – with potential for longer term clinical and financial gains. Assume you are a leader of a large Independent Physician Association (IPA) that wants to transition to a clinically integrated network. Consider what changes need to be made to move forward with this initiative. Address the following areas:
Link your ideas to the class readings. Submit your response in a 2-3 page, double-spaced WORD document. Use APA format. See Engagement Case Study Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.
Learning Outcomes:
Course Materials:
Video:
Assignments:
Discussion Question: Describe a recent example of revolutionary thinking by a healthcare organization. In what way was their thinking revolutionary? How were their ideas received by their employees, their public, and their competitors?
Leadership Development Plan, Part I: The Leadership Development Plan is designed to guide your leadership development activities over the next 12-24 months. The plan is meant to be a self-guided activity that allows for reflection and development. It is made up of 8 sections.
This week you will turn in the first half of your plan in a 3 to 4 page WORD document which is APA formatted. Part I (sections 1-4) includes the following elements:
See Blackboard for complete assignment prompt and refer to the rubric for Part I, Leadership Plan for submission guidelines. You will turn in the second half of the plan in week 7, along with a resubmitted first half.
Learning Outcomes:
Course Materials:
Video:
Assignments:
Discussion Question: Provide examples of how gap analysis can be used to improve the quality of healthcare services.
SWOT Analysis Case Study: Read the case study on page 110 of the Harrison (2016) textbook. Write a response in which you do the following:
Submit your response in a 2-3 page, double-spaced WORD document. Use APA format. See Textbook Case Study Rubric for submission guidelines.
Learning Outcomes:
Course Materials:
Video:
Assignments:
Discussion Question: What role does information play in strategic planning in healthcare? How can HIT help healthcare providers adapt to the rapidly changing healthcare environment? Provide examples of several HIT systems experiencing significant growth.
Case Study Performance management – the Coastal Medical Center exercises and questions: Read the information on performance management on page 145 of the Harrison (2016) textbook. Write a response in which you do the following:
Submit your response in a 2-3 page, double-spaced WORD document. Use APA format. Refer to the Textbook Case Study Rubric for submission guidelines.
Learning Outcomes:
Course Materials:
Video:
Assignments:
Discussion Question: How does involving physicians in the strategic planning process help a hospital reach its goals? Why is clinical integration important in the current healthcare environment?
Leadership Development Plan, Part II: This week you will do the second half of your plan (sections 5-8) and then submit your final leadership development plan. Final plan should include sections 1-8 and address any feedback you received on the Part I submission. Part II (sections 5-8) includes the following elements:
See Blackboard for complete assignment prompt and refer to the rubric for Part II, Leadership plan for submission guidelines.
Learning Outcomes:
Course Materials:
Videos:
Assignments:
Discussion Question: Where would population health management fit in the strategic plan of a hospital, a clinic, or an integrated system? How would you go about assessing community or population needs? What HIT requirements might need to be considered?
Reflection: Provide a response of about 350-500 words that reflect on what we have covered in this class and your experience. Address the following key areas:
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Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
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Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
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Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
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Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.