Syllabus

Schedule

Detailed Course Schedule

Week 1

Theme: Introduction and Demand

Readings:

• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 1 — Introduction
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 2 — Health and Health Behaviors
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 3 — Demand for Health Care Services
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 4 — Demand for Private Health Insurance
• ICU Bed Supply, Utilization, and Health Care SpendingAn Example of Demand Elasticity
• Seven Million Americans Live In Areas Where Demand For Primary Care May Exceed Supply By More Than 10 Percent

Videos:

• Why Are American Health Care Costs So High?
• Why Can’t America Have a Grown-Up Healthcare Conversation?

Learning Outcomes:

• Discuss economic assumptions in healthcare and with regards to healthcare behavior
• Apply basic economic demand concepts
• Evaluate the relationship between health, healthcare insurance, and use of healthcare services

Week 1 Discussion:

Economists often assume that people are rational and forward-looking in their decisions. What is meant by the terms “rational” and “forward-looking?” Give concrete examples of a decision in which people are likely to be rational and forward-looking and one in which this assumption seems less tenable. What empirical tests would you use to determine whether people are rational and forward-looking in a particular context or not?

Week 1 Textbook Assignments

Complete the following exercises from the Sloan & Hsieh text:

• – 2.1 (p. 73)
• – 3.9 (p. 123)
• – 4.6 (p. 163)
• – 4.7 (p. 163)

Submit your responses in a WORD document with APA formatting.

Week 2

Theme: Supply

Readings:

• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 5 — The Market for Physician Services
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 6 — Hospitals
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 10 — The Supply of Private Health Insurance
• How does provider supply and regulation influence health care markets? Evidence from nurse practitioners and physician assistants
• Matching Supply and Demand for Hospital Services
• Projecting Surgeon Supply Using a Dynamic Model

Video:

• How to Grow the Supply of Healthcare

Learning Outcomes:

• Compare and contrast factors that affect the market for physician services
• Analyze hospital models and hospital behavior
• Explain the business of health insurance including government regulation

Week 2 Discussion:

What is the theoretical relationship between hospital ownership and hospital performance? Do private and not-for-profit hospitals enjoy any advantage that might increase their measured efficiency relative to that of for-profit hospitals? What do the Newhouse and the physicians’ cooperative models imply about the efficiency of private non-for-profit hospitals relative to that of for-profit hospitals?

Week 2 Budget Topic Proposal Assignment

Please submit a short paragraph describing the topic for your health informatics budget project.

Projects can address a wide range of informatics areas including EHR system updates, clinical quality reporting, revenue cycle management optimization, cost accounting system implementation, or data warehouse implementation. Please do not select a complete EHR implementation for this project.

Week 2 Textbook Assignments

Complete the following exercises from the Sloan & Hsieh text:

• – 5.2 (p. 207)
• – 5.5 (p. 208)
• – 6.7 (p. 255)
• – 10.2 (p. 461)
• – 10.5 (p. 461)

Submit your responses in a WORD document with APA formatting.

Week 3

Theme: Market Structure

Readings:

• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 7 — Quality of Care, pp. 261-277
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 11 — Private Financing of Health Care Services
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 12 — Government Financing and Private Supply
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 13 — Public Supply and Financing
• How Allina Health Used Data to Improve Quality and Reduce Cost
• Making Technology Talk: How Interoperability Can Improve Care, Drive Efficiency, and Reduce Waste
• Three-Year Impacts Of The Affordable Care Act: Improved Medical Care And Health Among Low-Income Adults
• The Changing Dynamics of US Health Insurance And Implications For The Future Of The Affordable Care Act
• The American Health Care Act And Medicaid: Changing A Half-Century Federal-State Partnership
• Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform site
• The Senate’s BCRA Bill: High Premiums, Huge Deductibles, AND Massive Medicaid Cuts

Videos:

• Is Obamacare Working? The Affordable Care Act Five Years Later
• The American Health Care Act: A Republican Response to The Affordable Care Act

Learning Outcomes:

• Discuss the economic impact of quality
• Compare and contrast different payment systems
• Debate the rationale for public provisions of health insurance
• Evaluate different approaches to healthcare reform

Week 3 Discussion:

Explain the distinction between patient-driven competition and payer-driven competition. Give examples of how these two types of competition would lead to different outcomes in a hospital market.

Week 3 Textbook Assignments

Complete the following exercises from the Sloan & Hsieh text:

• – 11.4 (p. 502)
• – 12.4 (p. 561)
• – 12.7 (p. 561)
• – 13.4 (p. 625)

Submit your responses in a WORD document with APA formatting.

Week 4

Theme: Overview of Financial Management

Readings:

• Nowicki: Chapter 1 — Financial Management in Context
• Nowicki: Chapter 2 — Organization of Financial Management
• Nowicki: Chapter 3 — Tax Status of Healthcare Organizations
• Return on Information: A Standard Model for Assessing Institutional Return on Electronic Health Records
• Determining the ROI of Clinical Care Improvement
• Does electronic health record use improve hospital financial performance? Evidence from panel data

Video:

• Dan Michelson: The New Do or Die in Healthcare Finance: Margin and Outcomes Management

Learning Outcomes:

• Assess the value of healthcare financial management particularly in the changing face of healthcare
• Discuss the roles and responsibilities of key financial managers
• Analyze the rationale for tax-exempt status for healthcare organizations including the importance of community benefits to tax-exempt status

Week 4 Discussion:

Explain the meaning and rationale of granting corporate status to healthcare organizations, and the advantages corporate status provides. What are the steps necessary to qualify for tax-exempt status?

Week 4 Assignment— Executive Summary for Informatics Budget Project

This week complete an Executive Project Summary for your informatics budget project. The Executive Project Summary should include the items below submitted in a WORD document and be about 2-3 pages in length. Use APA formatting.

• Project type (e.g. what kind of informatics project or system)
• Purpose (1 sentence)
• Overview (1-2 paragraphs that list benefits)
• Need (1-2 paragraph on business drivers, regulatory issues, etc)
• Resources required (should address staffing, equipment, software)
• Project management support needs (i.e. what kind of PM support, expertise required, scope of responsibilities)
• Technical considerations (i.e. who will provide technical support for project – internally or externally)
• Timeline (start date to finish date)
• Estimated cost (TBD – updated based on week seven budget)

Week 5

Theme: Operating Revenue

Readings:

• Nowicki: Chapter 4 — Third Party Payment
• Nowicki: Chapter 5 — Medicare and Medicaid
• Nowicki: Chapter 7 — Reimbursement
• Bad Debt Increasing Amid Coverage Expansions
• Uncompensated Care Costs Fall in Medicaid Expansion States: Study
• The long-term financial impact of electronic health record implementation

Videos:

• Sharp Healthcare: navigating from volume to value based reimbursement
• Medicare and the Doc Fix: Healthcare Triage News
• Medicaid has a Huge Return on Investment

Learning Outcomes:

• Examine new methods of financing and delivering healthcare
• Identify methods of payment, including bad debt and charity care
• Analyze the current benefits of and financing for Medicare and Medicaid
• Examine the various methods of setting charges as well as methods of reimbursement to providers

Week 5 Discussion:

Discuss the differences between second-party payment and third-party payment. What led to the creation of the third party payment system? Why do healthcare organizations choose to shift costs to other payers?

Week 5 Textbook Assignment (Case Study)

Read the Case Study, Bobcat Integrated Delivery System, on page 381 in Nowicki. Do problems 5, 6, 8 and 9.

Submit your responses in a WORD document using APA formatting. Make sure to provide an introduction and conclusion to your case study. The body of the case will be the responses to each of the questions.

Week 6

Theme: RCM, Materials Management, Financial Analysis

Readings:

• Nowicki: Chapter 9 — Managing Revenue Cycle
• Nowicki: Chapter 10 — Managing Materials
• Nowicki: Chapter 14 — Financial Analysis and Management Reporting
• Optimizing revenue cycle performance before, during, and after an EHR implementation
• Teaming Up to Take Down Costs
• Achieving Strategic Cost Reduction in the OR
• Transforming Revenue Cycle Management for Healthcare Provider
• Population Health Management’s Revenue Cycle Impact

Videos:

• Benefits of Revenue Cycle Management: A TouchWorks Success Story
• What’s the Future of Revenue Cycle Management in Healthcare?
• Why Yield Remains a Critical Revenue Cycle Metric in 2017

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain the important elements of a revenue cycle including ratios used to evaluate revenue cycle performance
• Evaluate the importance of materials management as well as methods of valuing inventory and identify costs related to inventory
• Identify the major components of financial statements and explain each step of the financial analysis process

Week 6 Discussion:

What are the steps to managing accounts receivable? What is the best way to evaluate revenue cycle management performance?

Week 6 Textbook Assignment (Case Study)

This week we will continue with the Case Study on page 381 in Nowicki: Bobcat Integrated Delivery System. Do problems 12, 13, 16 and 18.

Submit your responses in a WORD document using APA formatting. Make sure to provide an introduction and conclusion to your case study. The body of the case will be the responses to each of the questions.

Week 7

Theme: Resource Allocation, Budgeting, Cost Accounting

Readings:

• Nowicki: Chapter 12 — Budgeting
• Nowicki: Chapter 13 — Capital Budgeting
• Nowicki: Chapter 6 — Cost Accounting
• The total cost of EHR ownership: healthcare organizations should consider support costs, upgrade fees, and other long-term costs of EHR systems in determining the total cost of ownership
• Solve the Puzzle of Electronic Health Record Implementation Budgeting
• Cost Accounting Provides Keys to Continuous Cost Management
• Taking an Incremental Approach to Cost Accounting
• Putting Workforce Productivity in Perspective: Are You Taking What Matters into Account?
• How Cleveland Clinic Used TDABC to Improve Value

Video:

• The Value of Cost Accounting in Healthcare

Learning Outcomes:

• Define and understand the importance of budgeting including the various types of budgeting
• Explain each step of the capital budgeting process and the methods used to evaluate the capital budgeting process
• Explain methods of classifying, allocating and assembling costs

Week 7 Discussion:

Why is it important to be able to classify costs a variety of different ways? What is the point of allocating costs?

Week 7 Assignment – Final Informatics Budget Project

This week you will submit your final informatics budget project. Your final project will include:

• An updated executive summary incorporating any feedback you received in week four with a new section that describes how you will monitor and control your capital budget. This section should be 1-2 paragraphs explaining how often the budget should be reviewed and how you will know the budget is on track.
• A budget completed in Excel – an example budget template is provided below for reference (or feel free to develop your own). Start by identifying key cost areas for the project then research costs and document any assumptions.

Make sure to reference the sources you use in your research.

MeHI EHR Budget Template

Week 8

Theme: Future Frontiers & Economic Controversies

Readings:

• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 16 — The Contribution of Personal Health Services to Longevity, Population Health, and Economic Growth
• Sloan & Hsieh: Chapter 17 — Frontiers of Health Economics

Videos:

• Doctors, Quality of Care, and Pay for Performance
• Patients Don’t Shop Around, Even When They Can

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain the relationship between health and economic sectors and personal and population health
• Review and debate economic controversies

Week 8 Discussion:

Consider the share of GDP spent on healthcare in every country increases over time. Do you expect this share to continue to rise in the future? Is it possible that a country such as the US will spend more than 30 percent of its GDP on personal health care services in 2030? Explain why this would happen if you think so.

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 healthcare economics and financial management.
• – How can you apply these learnings? How is what you learned in this class relevant to your current and/or future work?
•  

Submit your reflection in a WORD document with APA formatting.

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Health Informatics page

APA Style Guide

• https://www.apastyle.org

UNE Libraries:

• Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
• MSIN Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/health-informatics/
• Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.

UNE Student Academic Success Center

The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:

• UNE Student Academic Success Center

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

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.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

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.

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.

Attendance Policy

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.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

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.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

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.

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.