Syllabus

Schedule

Detailed Course Schedule

Week 1

Theme: Introduction to Leadership

Readings:

• Dubrin Chapter 1 – The Nature and Importance of Leadership
• Dubrin Chapter 2 – Traits, Motives, and Characteristics of Leaders
• Dubrin Chapter 6 – Leadership Ethics and Social Responsibility
• NHS Healthcare Leadership Model
• NHS Leadership Academy
• NCHL Health Leadership Competency Model™
• The Profile of an Effective Healthcare Leader

Video:

• The Importance of Strategic Healthcare Leadership: Doug Smith, President & CEO of healthcare executive search firm B. E. Smith, discusses healthcare reform, care management and healthcare recruitment with Krista Klaus, host of Kansas City Power Lunch, on KMBZ 1660AM.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify general and task-related traits that contribute to leadership effectiveness
• Describe how emotional intelligence contributes to leadership effectiveness
• Articulate what leaders can do to foster an ethical and socially responsible organization
• Apply a framework for understanding leadership

Week 1 Discussion:

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?

Week 1 Assignment – 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:

• – Select a leadership framework
• – Apply framework to scenario
• – Provide specific examples on how leadership competencies might be used, including emotional intelligence
• – Address any ethical concerns

Submit your response in a 3-4 page, double spaced WORD document. Use APA format.

Week 2

Theme: Types of Leadership

Readings:

• Dubrin Chapter 3 – Charismatic and Transformational Leadership
• Dubrin Chapter 4 – Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes, and Styles
• Dubrin Chapter 5 – Contingency and Situational Leadership
• Leadership and Leadership Development in Health Care: The Evidence Base
• Surgeons’ Leadership Styles and Team Behavior in the Operating Room
• Situational Leadership: Long-Term Success in the Rapidly Changing Healthcare Environment

Videos:

• Healthcare Leadership Advice: Watch this video to get healthcare leadership advice from former healthcare executive and current Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker.
• The Most Important Skillset for Interim Leaders

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe transformational and charismatic leadership in terms of traits, behaviors, and communication style
• Provide an overview of the contingency theory of leadership effectiveness
• Present the case for the entrepreneurial style of leadership
• Apply task- and relationship-oriented attitudes and behaviors considering situational influences

Week 2 Discussion:

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?

Week 2 Assignment

This week’s assignment is based on activities from the Dubrin textbook. First, complete the following leadership assessments in your text:

• – p. 80 – Behaviors reflecting charisma
• – p. 116 – Task-oriented attitudes and behaviors
• – p. 128-129 – What style of leader are you or would you be?
• – p. 132 – Entrepreneurial thinking and behavior

Then, write a 2-3 page, double spaced WORD document; in your document respond to the items below. Use APA format.

• – Summarize your results. Were there any surprises? What areas did you identify for skill development?
• – Now consider that you are in a leadership role on a health informatics project, what skills from the assessments do you think would be most important and why?
• – Conclude with any actions you may take given your analysis and results.

Week 3

Theme: Leadership Skills and Tactics

Readings:

• Dubrin Chapter 7 – Power, Politics and Leadership
• Dubrin Chapter 8 – Influence Tactics of Leaders
• Dubrin Chapter 9 – Developing Teamwork
• Dubrin Chapter 10 – Motivation and Coaching Skills
• Dubrin Chapter 11 – Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership
• 27th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey – Review executive summary
• Power, leadership and transformation: the doctor’s potential for influence (2012)
• Power of persuasion: Influence tactics for health care leaders
• Leadership characteristics for Lean Six Sigma (2015)

Video:

• Healthcare Management & Leadership: The management and leadership at the Cleveland Clinic is second to none. With our leadership roundings we talk to our caregivers so we can understand what their concerns are.

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe the relationship between power and influence and how a leader might influence group members
• Describe leader actions that foster teamwork, motivate and empower others, and engage employees
• Explain how a leader can establish an environment that fosters creativity
• Identify several leadership practices that contribute to organizational innovation

Week 3 Discussion:

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.

Week 3 Assignment – 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:

• – Discuss what changes might need to be made to move forward with the clinically integrated network.
• – How will employee and physician engagement and empowerment play a role in this effort?
• – How might influencing or creativity skills be used?
• – What leadership practices might contribute to innovation?

Link your ideas to the class readings. Submit your response in a 2-3 page, double spaced WORD document. Use APA format.

Week 4

Theme: Strategic Leadership and Leadership Development

Readings:

• Dubrin Chapter 13 – The Nature and Importance of Leadership
• Dubrin Chapter 14 – International and Culturally Diverse Aspects of Leadership
• Dubrin Chapter 15 – Leadership Development and Success
• The Power of Servant Leadership to Transform Health Care Organizations for the 21st-Century Economy

Video:

• Transforming Health Care through Nurse Leadership: Nurses can help transform the nation’s health care system, create healthier communities, and build a Culture of Health. But what are the keys to nurse leadership? From stepping outside of your comfort zone to finding a mentor, leaders from the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action and the 2014 Breakthrough Leaders in Nursing share their advice.

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe how leaders contribute to the management of knowledge and the learning organization
• Pinpoint leadership initiatives to enhance the acceptance of cultural diversity
• Explain how leaders develop through self-awareness, education, and mentoring

Week 4 Discussion:

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?

Week 4 Assignment – 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. You will turn in the second half of the plan in week 7, along with a resubmitted first half.

Part I (sections 1-4):

1. Complete a Self-Assessment: Choose one of the self-assessments from below:

• – Jung Typology Test™
• – Discover Your Personality Type
• – The Eight-Minute Test That Can Reveal Your Effectiveness as a Leader
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Review the results. Draft a response of 2-3 paragraphs that addresses the following:

• – What strengths do you have that you would like to cultivate?
• – What development areas did you identify?
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2. Create a Life Mission Statement: A mission statement guides your long term goals and can serve to guide your development efforts, particularly in the area of leadership. Resources:

• – Creating a New Mission Statement
• – Personal Mission Statements Of 5 Famous CEOs (And Why You Should Write One Too)
• – Developing a Personal Mission Statement Worksheet
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In 2-3 paragraphs, draft a mission statement, and provide a short explanation of why you selected the mission you did.

3. Master Core Skills: Consider if there are any core supervisory skills you could further develop (e.g. coaching for performance, leading meetings, hiring/firing). Draft a response of 2-3 paragraphs that addresses the following:

• – Which of these skills would be most useful to further develop this coming year?
• – When (and with whom) will you practice this skill in the coming month?
• – Find resources for learning to give feedback, delegate, lead meetings, or hire/fire employees.
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4. Identify Leader Role Models: Identify two leaders – one with whom you have worked and another who is well-known. You may need to research the well-known leader. Draft a response of 2-3 paragraphs that addresses the following:

• – What characteristics do you admire most about the leader with whom you have worked and why?
• – What characteristics do you admire most about the well-known leader and why?
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Part II (Sections 5-8) will be due week 7

Week 5

Theme: Strategic Planning Fundamentals

Readings:

• Harrison Chapter 3 – Fundamentals of Strategic Planning
• Harrison Chapter 4 – Strategic Planning and SWOT Analysis
• Strategic Planning and Radiology Practice Management in the New Health Care Environment

Video:

• What Is a SWOT Analysis? Provides a brief overview of what a SWOT Analysis is, and how to perform one

Learning Outcomes:

• Demonstrate the ability to assess healthcare strategic planning problems and, using the various knowledge disciplines, develop comprehensive and practical solutions
• Exercise strong individual managerial problem-solving skills through the use of SWOT analysis
• Formulate strategy and implement change through the use of gap analysis

Week 5 Discussion:

Provide examples of how gap analysis can be used to improve the quality of healthcare services.

Week 5 Assignment – Case Study: SWOT Analysis

Read the case study on page 110 of the Harrison textbook. Write a response in which you do the following:

• – Answer questions outlined in the case
• – Reference information from the chapter and class materials that relate to the issues discussed
• – Support your analysis with outside research as well
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Submit your response in a 2-3 page, double spaced WORD document. Use APA format.

Week 6

Theme: Strategic Planning and HIT

Readings:

• Harrison Chapter 6 – Strategic Planning and Health Information Technology
• Harrison Chapter 7 – Strategic Planning and the Healthcare Business Plan
• Federal Health IT Strategic Plan
• Implementing strategic change in a health care system: The importance of leadership and change readiness
• Towards an implementation framework for business intelligence in healthcare
• A framework for developing a domain specific business intelligence maturity model: Application to healthcare

Video:

• Change Management vs. Change Leadership — What’s the Difference? The large majority of organizations expect to achieve results by MANAGING change; more than 70% fall well short. The minority that learn how to LEAD their change equip themselves with the essential linchpin required for sustainable success.

Learning Outcomes:

• Articulate the role of health information system development and integration
• Demonstrate the use of healthcare information in management and organizational decision making
• Demonstrate the ability to make financial decisions and develop a strategy for change

Week 6 Discussion:

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.

Week 6 Assignment – Case Study: performance management – the Coastal Medical Center exercises and questions

Read the the information on performance management on page 145 of the Harrison textbook. Write a response in which you do the following:

• – Answer questions outlined in the case
• – Reference information from the chapter and class materials that relate to the issues discussed
• – Support your analysis with outside research as well
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Submit your response in a 2-3 page, double spaced WORD document. Use APA format.

Week 7

Theme: Strategic Management for Health Systems, ACOs, and Post Acute Care

Readings:

• Harrison Chapter 9 – Accountable Care Organizations and Physician Joint Ventures
• Harrison Chapter 10 – Strategic Planning and Post-Acute Care Services

Video:

• Building a Physician Alignment Strategy Around Patient Care: The University of Tennessee Medical Center has embarked on a unique program to standardize care in its six Centers of Excellence. Who is leading the charge? An engaged physician community.

Learning Outcomes:

• Master the concept of physician-hospital alignment and health system integration including consumer, provider, and regulatory developments
• Describe the challenges faced by healthcare executives as they develop a strategy to meet post-acute care needs as well as increase efficiencies across the continuum of care
• Relate the concept of healthcare consolidation to the development, assessment, and redesign of healthcare systems

Week 7 Discussion:

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?

Week 7 Assignment – 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):

5. Find a Mentor: Draft a short mentoring plan of about one page that addresses the following:

• – Identify 2-3 possible candidates
• – Develop a list of your objectives and questions you would like to ask
• – Set a timeframe to schedule a meeting
• – Have a mentor review your leadership development action plan and provide feedback
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6. Seek Challenging and Varied Experiences: What kind of jobs/tasks do you have the least experience with? Some examples: projects/taskforces, turnarounds, line management, crisis management, set up new department, big leaps in scope/scale. Select one of these experience gaps and identify 2-3 opportunities to gain that experience and timeline for completion. Provide your response in 2-3 paragraphs.

7. Schedule Training: Investigate leadership training opportunities in your organization. If resources are available, sign up for an appropriate course. Outline a plan in about 2-3 paragraphs to address the training needs you may have over the next 12-24 months. If you can’t find training opportunities through your pleasant employment, choose one of these:

• – Dale Carnegie – Leadership Training For Managers
• – Disney Institute
• – American Management Association
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8. Seek Feedback: Develop a plan for seeking feedback from your subordinates (or peers if you are not a supervisor). Draft a response of 2-3 paragraphs that addresses the following:

• – Who will you ask?
• – When do you plan to do it?
• – Find resources for learning to receive constructive feedback.
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Week 8

Theme: Strategic Management and Value

Readings:

• Harrison Chapter 12 – Pay for Performance and the Healthcare Value Paradigm
• Harrison Chapter 13 – The Future of Healthcare

Videos:

• Baldrige Strategic Plan – St. David’s Healthcare. An example of how one organization approached strategic planning
• Healthcare Technology Outlook 2020: In Technology Outlook 2020 Healthcare the Healthcare Research Programme in DNV R&I identifies global megatrends and technologies that will be pertinent to the healthcare sector in 2020
• Implants & Technology — The Future of Healthcare? Kevin Warwick is Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, where he carries out research in artificial intelligence, control, robotics and cyborgs. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the IET.
• Measured Outcomes: A Future View of Value-Based Healthcare

Learning Outcomes:

• Demonstrate the ability to link quality, efficiency, and financial decision making in an organization’s strategic plan
• Articulate the concept of value and discuss performance measures that are important in healthcare organizations
• Discuss the fundamentals of population health, include the role of the patient-centered medical home and telemedicine, as well as the HIT needed to support these initiatives

Week 8 Discussion:

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?

Week 8 Assignment – Reflection

Provide a response of about 350-500 words that reflects on what we have covered in this class and your experience. Address the following key areas:

• – What are the top three things you learned in this class and why? Address both leadership and strategic management.
• – How can you apply these learnings? How is what you learned in this class relevant to your current and/or future work?
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Student Resources

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Questions? Visit the Student Support Health Informatics page

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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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Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

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.

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UNE Online Student Handbook

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Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

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