Health Care Administration [Houston]--Texas Woman's University
Health Care Administration--Houston Center
Program Director: Kelley Moseley, Professor
Location: MGJ 719
Faculty: Associate Professor D. Garza; Assistant Professor J. Sakowski.
The master's degree program in Health Care Administration prepares graduates for management positions in the variety of firms and organizations that comprise the health services industry. The industry is undergoing rapid and dramatic change. Therefore, the faculty seeks to prepare managers who possess the tools and knowledge that will enable them to analyze problems, formulate solutions, and implement decisions to guide their organizations through dynamic times. The course of study will encourage development of the student's personal and leadership potential by fostering attitudes of lifelong learning, social and ethical responsibility. The Houston program is accredited by The Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration.
The program achieves its goals by:
Offering flexible educational opportunities to working students, with particular awareness of the needs of women and minority students.
Contributing to the effectiveness of the health care delivery process through faculty and student research and technical consultation.
Enhancing the profession of health services through active participation of faculty and students in support of professional health service management associations.
The Health Care Administration curriculum provides professional education in both basic and applied health administration. This educational focus involves providing knowledge and skills required for health services managers to function successfully in a complex and rapidly changing environment. The broad content areas include:
Health Care System Organization and Operation--History and organization of the health care system, financing, and utilization of health services, health status and disease occurrence, legal aspects of health care.
Management of Health Care Organizations--Organization theory and behavior, health care planning and marketing, human resource management, and leadership.
Quantitative and Financial Management--Statistics, quantitative, economic, and financial analysis; planning and strategic assessment; accounting; and performance measurement.
Health Services Applications--Human resources, financial and management problem solving in health care settings, ethics, values and social responsibility, communication skills, research design and synthesis, quality assessment, and health policy.
Admission Requirements
Applications for graduate study are accepted for Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Completed applications should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admission prior to:
May 30 for Fall Semester
October 30 for Spring Semester
March 30 for Summer Semester
In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, the Program in Health Care Administration requires the following:
Current resume.
Three letters of reference.
Documentation to support waiver of foundation course requirements. (See section below on Preparation for Graduate Study.)
An interview with an HCA faculty member. (Strongly recommended.)
Applicants may be admitted for graduate study in Health Care Administration either unconditionally or provisionally. No other enrollment options are available. The program will accept the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), or Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Unconditional admission requires the attainment of a minimum index score, depending upon the entrance test taken. The grade point average (GPA) is calculated based on the final 60 hours of undergraduate/graduate study.
Unconditional admission requires the attainment of a 3.0 GPA and the minimum indices shown below. The index is calculated as follows:
GPA x 200 + GMAT = 1,000
GPA x GRE (verbal and quantitative) = 2,750
GPA x 100 + MAT x 10 = 800
Provisional admission is offered to applicants who attain the minimum index score but whose GPA is below 3.0. Students admitted in this category must earn at least a "B" grade in each course during the first 12 semester hours taken in the HCA program. Failure to do so will result in dismissal.
Graduate Degree Offered
Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA)
Preparation for Graduate Study
While no specific undergraduate major is required for admission to the program, prerequisite preparation is expected to have been completed. The applicant must demonstrate, by education and/or experience, knowledge of financial accounting, microeconomics, medical terminology, introductory management, and statistics. Students should also have competence in microcomputer operation including, at a minimum, knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet applications. Students who lack clinical background are required to enroll in HCA 5001 Concepts of Health and Disease for Administrators. Individuals lacking the necessary prerequisite preparation will be required to obtain the necessary skills during their first year of study by taking Financial Accounting or HCA 5221 - Introduction to Microeconomics.
General Requirements
Total Hours Required: Minimum of 57 semester hours, but requirements may exceed this number depending upon prior academic preparation, student experience, and career objectives.
Core Courses: Individual course plans may vary. Courses are subject to approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
HCA 5203 Introduction to Health Services
HCA 5211 Seminar Series I. Sociology of Medicine and Health
HCA 5222 The Economics of Health and Medical Care
HCA 5243 Health Services Law and Related Ethical Issues
HCA 5303 Organization Theory and Health Care Management Practice
HCA 5332 Organizational Behavior in Health Administration
HCA 5342 Human Resources in Health Care
HCA 5353 Strategic Management
HCA 5362 Seminar Series II. Leadership and Career Development
HCA 5452 Statistics
HCA 5462 Operations Analysis
HCA 5472 Health Information and Management Science
HCA 5503 Health Care Finance
HCA 5512 Cost Accounting for Health Care Organizations
HCA 5522 Seminar in Health Care Finance and Accounting
HCA 5602 Performance Measurement and Quality Management
HCA 5611 Seminar Series III. Ethical Analysis in Health Services
HCA 5612 Health Policy Analysis
HCA 5932 Organizational Policy and Strategy
HCA 5963 Research Design, Methods and Analysis
HCA 5012 Epidemiology
Culminating Project: All students are required to complete and orally defend a professional health administration project and produce a formal written paper. Students must enroll in *HCA 5963 Research Design, Methods and Analysis in order to develop the necessary research skills prior to beginning the project. The paper/project must address a current relevant topic related to health care administration. The research process is guided by a faculty committee and must demonstrate the student's ability to identify a problem or issue, gather and analyze data, evaluate options, and produce recommendations. The fieldwork project may be used to fulfill this requirement. Depending upon the project topic, the paper and oral defense must also demonstrate the student's ability to apply and synthesize management, quantitative or financial knowledge and skills.
Portfolio: Each student is required to develop and maintain a professional portfolio documenting the attainment of goals and skills acquired in the course of their graduate study. This portfolio and student goals are developed jointly by the student and advisor. The portfolio is to be reviewed periodically with the advisor and submitted at the conclusion of the program of study for evaluation.
Electives: Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, will select at least 8 semester hours of approved elective courses in order to obtain additional breadth or depth in a particular field of Health Care Administration study.
Fieldwork Opportunities: Internships and field experiences are available in health care organizations. They are designed to provide students with the opportunity to integrate and apply knowledge and skills from their course experiences. While fieldwork is not required, it is strongly recommended for all individuals who lack health care experience or whose experience is primarily technical or clinical. The decision regarding whether the fieldwork should be included as one of the elective courses is made jointly by the faculty advisor and student at the completion of the first 24 credit hours of study. In addition many courses include fieldwork projects, tours and assessments of local health care organizations. A maximum of 6 hours may be earned in fieldwork or internship.
Final Examination and Portfolio Submission: Students are required to complete an oral examination covering their professional paper/project and the content of the health care administration curriculum. The purpose of the exam is to determine the student's ability to apply, synthesize, and analyze health care administration facts, principles, and theories. Students will also submit their portfolio during the last semester of study for joint evaluation by the student and faculty. If goals have not been achieved, remedial work may be required.
Course Method and Delivery: Some courses in the program may be delivered in a non-traditional distance learning format. As a result, student involvement on campus will vary depending on method of delivery.
Courses of Instruction in Health Care Administration
*Subject to approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
*HCA 5001. Concepts of Health and Disease for Administrators. Major body systems, definitions of health, illness, disease, pathogenesis, disability, and death. Roles and responsibilities of health care team members in the processes of diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. Structures, functions and disease processes of the human body systems and fundamental medical terminology. Designed for the graduate level student with little or no prior clinical experience. Self instructional methods will be utilized for practice and mastery of medical vocabulary, and the structure and functions of body systems. One lecture hour a week. Credit: One hour.
*HCA 5012. Epidemiology for Health Administrators. Epidemiology principles, models, measures and methods from a community or population based perspective are offered for analysis and development of health policy and disease management. Socioeconomic, cultural, psychological, and physiological aspects of health and disease issues are evaluated for their influence on health care delivery to the community. Two lecture hours per week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5203. Introduction to Health Services. Examines the structure and operation of U.S. health industry and the political and social environment in which it exists. The health system will be analyzed in terms of cost, access, availability, quality, and appropriateness. Topics include role of government in regulating health services; health insurance; types, categories and functions of various health organizations in the health care continuum; and human resources. Reviews use of basic biostatistics in health services management, and factors influencing the utilization of health services. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
*HCA 5211. Seminar Series I--Sociology of Medicine and Health. Overview of medical sociology focusing on the social and behavioral aspects of health and illness, utilization of health services, patient and practitioner roles. Topics include definitions of sociology, health and disease, illness behavior, patient-provider relationship, access and use of health services, social epidemiology. Prerequisite: HCA 5203. One lecture hour a week. Credit: One hour.
*HCA 5221. Introduction to Microeconomics. Foundation of economic theory principles needed to prepare the student for HCA 5222 Economics of Health and Medical Care. Introduction to the scope of economic analysis, the agents involved in economic transactions and the structures of the economic marketplace. Credit: One hour.
*HCA 5222. The Economics of Health and Medical Care. Application of microeconomic principles to problems of resource allocation in markets for health care products, services, and labor. Development of a foundation for understanding health policy and its economic impact in the marketplace. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5243. Health Services Law and Ethical Issues. Review of legal process and application of law and ethics to health service organizations. Topics include government enforcement of competition, health care business organizations, institutional-patient-professional relationships, liability, negligence, risk, and malpractice. The interaction of law and ethics is discussed in relation to personal inurement, fraud and abuse, and fiduciary responsibility. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
*HCA 5303. Organization Theory and Health Care Management Practice. Application of management theory and concepts to health services organizations. Introduction to organization structure, organizational behavior, change and re-engineering, planning, management roles, leadership, control, group process, decision-making, systems thinking, and problem solving. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
*HCA 5332. Organizational Behavior in Health Administration. Application of the theories of management and organizational behavior in a health services setting. Topics include individual behavior, interpersonal and group dynamics, organizational culture, power, influence and conflict. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5342. Human Resources in Health Care. Application of the theories and concepts of organizational behavior to the personnel management function. Human resources management topics include legal and regulatory influences, job analysis, recruitment, selection, placement, compensation, performance improvement and appraisal. Prerequisites: HCA 5203, HCA 5332, and HCA 5303 or permission of instructor. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5353. Strategic Management. Application of strategic management techniques for health care organizations. Emphasis on analyzing the environment, change, developing mission and goal statements, strategy formulation, and implementing strategy via marketing and operational decisions. Students will develop a strategic plan demonstrating ability to analyze and interpret epidemiologic, organizational, market, and financial information. Prerequisites: HCA 5203, HCA 5303, HCA 5332, NUR 5113. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5362. Seminar Series II--Leadership and Career Development. Development of leadership potential by strengthening abilities in creative thinking, interpersonal team skills, communication (oral and written) and listening skills, diversity issues, negotiation and conflict management. Improvement of personal effectiveness by goal setting, establishing networks, using interviewing techniques and increasing self awareness. Use of self assessments, group projects and videotaping of interactions and presentations. Prerequisite: Completion of 12 semester hours of HCA courses. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5452. Statistics for Health Care Administrators. Application of quantitative techniques to the solution of the problems of health services. Foundation topics include decision making methods, optimizing, data classification, measures of central tendency, variability, probability, sampling and estimation, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, linear regression, and forecasting. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5462. Operations Analysis. Application of management science and operations research techniques to the solution of the problems of health services. Applications include forecasting, queuing, inventory management, simulation, linear programming, decision models and project scheduling. Prerequisite: HCA 5452 Statistics. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5472. Health Information and Management Science. The role of information systems and decision-making models in health care organizations. Health information topics include computer hardware and software, planning information processing, clinical and administrative systems, methods to support decision making, vendor evaluation and selection, project management. Management science topics include performance measurement, linear programming, sensitivity analysis, integer and goal programming. Prerequisites: HCA 5203, 5303, 5452, 5462. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5503. Health Care Finance. Financial management tools for health care organizations. Focuses on financial statement analysis, management of working capital, budgeting, present value, financial markets, investment decisions, variance and cost analysis, internal controls, performance evaluation and pricing. Prerequisites: HCA 5203, HCA 5222, HCA 5303 and financial accounting. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5512. Cost Accounting for Health Care Organizations. Development of skills in using cost information to improve management decision making. Focuses on understanding the vocabulary of cost accounting, uses of cost accounting information, tools, methods, and trends relevant to health care organizations. Topics include management requirements, approaches to defining cost, costing models, allocation, cost-volume-profit analysis, cost estimation, budgeting, variance analysis, control systems, ratio analysis, productivity, performance measurement, relationship to quality and information requirements. Prerequisites: HCA 5303, HCA 5502 and financial accounting. Two lecture hours a week.. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5522. Seminar in Health Care Finance and Accounting. Application of financial management and accounting methods and tools to the solution of management problems using projects and case studies. Topics include capital investment decisions, reimbursement, risk management, variance and cost analysis, and cost accounting. Prerequisites: HCA 5502, HCA 5512, and HCA 5222. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5602. Performance Measurement and Quality Management. Development of skills in evaluation methods and performance management with particular emphasis on the management of quality. Standard setting, performance assessment process, CQI/TQM will be discussed. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5611. Seminar Series III--Ethical Analysis in Health Services. Review of the values and ethical issues involved in the practice of health care administration. Topics include moral basis of ethics, fiduciary duty, conflict of interest, confidentiality, resource allocation, consent, death and related administrative and biomedical issues. Methods to analyze and deal with ethical questions will be explored. Prerequisites: Completion of 12 semester hours or permission of instructor. One lecture hour a week. Credit: One hour.
*HCA 5612. Health Policy Analysis. Presents definitions of health policy and the process of policy making. Review of how values impact policy, role of interest groups and political influence. A framework for analyzing policy is presented as well as methods for evaluating cost and benefit of health policies. Prerequisite completion of 24 semester hours of HCA courses. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5712. Managing the Hospital Setting. Examination of the American community hospital within the context of the social, political and economic environment. Review of the operational aspects of hospital administration from the perspectives of each key stakeholder. Topics include definition of organization structure, interaction of components, governance, financing, medical staff, nursing services, clinical support services, operational and service support, human resources and quality management. Prerequisite: completion of 12 semester hours of HCA courses or permission of instructor. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5722. Managing the Long-Term Care Setting. Demographic, social, political and organizational aspects of long-term care services. The course has three primary goals: to understand the process of aging and the social, psychological and medical needs of this population; to identify various populations at risk of requiring long-term care; to provide students with the knowledge and skills to successfully manage the variety of long-term care facilities which exist. Topics include long-term care system, financing care, need assessment, disabled population, types of services, management issues, nursing home
operations, residential facilities, home health, hospice, and future directions. Prerequisite: completion of 12 semester hours of HCA courses or permission of instructor. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5732. Managing the Outpatient Setting. Overview of the system for providing outpatient services, role of government, management and operational issues, and future trends in process and structure. Topics include system definitions, types of settings, utilization, physician and administrative roles, legal and organizational issues, financial management and reimbursement, operational systems, planning and marketing. Prerequisite: completion of 12 semester hours of HCA courses or permission of instructor. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5742. Alternative Systems of Health Care Delivery. Analysis of the evolving relationships between the buyers, providers, insurers, patients, and regulators of health services. Focus will be on the dynamic process that influences the organization for delivery, price, utilization, quality, and accountability. Examination of the historical development of the U.S. and comparative health systems will be conducted. Topics include delivery systems, managed care trends, legal and regulatory issues, provider-payer-patient perspectives, insurance products, organizational structures, pricing and reimbursement strategies, quality, and utilization control. Prerequisite: completion of 12 semester hours of HCA courses or permission of instructor. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5752. Development of Health Facilities. Examination of the physical aspects of planning, design and construction of health facilities. Emphasis is placed on the process and participants involved in the development of buildings to serve the health care industry. Topics include facility planning, methods of project delivery, role of owner, architect and building contractor, construction scheduling, cost estimating, and site analysis. Students will create and present their own facility design. Prerequisite: completion of 12 semester hours of HCA courses or permission of instructor. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5762. Marketing for Health Services. Presents the role of marketing in the process of purchasing and providing health care services. Focuses on the broad view of marketing as a means of identifying and delivering value to both the provider and consumer of services. Topics include marketing philosophy, market research, identifying the customer, business and market planning, product design and development, promotion, pricing and service delivery, market segmentation, and business development. Prerequisite: completion of 12 semester hours of HCA courses or permission of instructor. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5782. Interdisciplinary Models of Health Care Delivery. Addresses the evolving role of the health care team and strategies team members can use in providing comprehensive, quality care to the health care consumer. Topics include rationale for the interdisciplinary approach, re-engineering and work redesign, professional autonomy, cross-training and group dynamics. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5902. Issues and Trends in Health Administration. Group study of current issues and trends in Health Care Administration. Prerequisite: Permission of advisor. May be repeated for credit with different topics. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5911. Individual Study in Health Care Administration. Advanced work in a specialized field of Health Care Administration. Prerequisite: Permission of advisor. Credit: One hour.
*HCA 5912. Individual Study in Health Care Administration. Advanced work in a specialized field of Health Care Administration. Prerequisite: Permission of advisor. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5932. Organizational Policy and Strategy. This is the final course in the HCA curriculum. It is designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply the theories, models and techniques acquired in all preceding courses. The focus of the course is on the application of knowledge in the management of a health service organization. Students will be expected to perform the management role as a member of an administrative team making day-to-day and strategic decisions involving human resources, financial, planning, and operational issues. Prerequisite: Completion of all required HCA courses. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5941. Fieldwork in Health Care Administration. Field experience in a health care organization under the supervision of a selected health care administrator and faculty. Project assignments are undertaken to integrate and apply administrative skills to practical problems. Prerequisite: Completion of all core/required courses and approval of faculty advisor. May be repeated for credit. Four laboratory hours a week. Credit: One hour.
*HCA 5942. Internship in Health Care Administration. Field experience in a health care organization under the supervision of a selected health care administrator and faculty. Project assignments are undertaken to integrate and apply administrative skills to practical problems. Prerequisite: Completion of 24 semester hours and approval of faculty advisor. May be repeated for credit. Eight laboratory hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
*HCA 5951. Cooperative Education. Cooperative work-study arrangements between the University and selected institutions appropriate to the Health Care Administration program. The student will apply the ideas and processes learned in other courses in practical experience under cooperative supervision. Cooperative planning and evaluation are essential elements in the course. Available only to students employed in a management position in a health care setting. For one hour of credit, 4-8 hours of work per week are required.
*HCA 5963. Research Design, Methods and Analysis. Introduction to the research process and models available to conduct health services research. Topics include: problem identification, computerized literature search, critique of research, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, research questions and hypothesis testing, research design, methodology, data analysis techniques and ethical issues in research. Prerequisites: HCA 5203, HCA 5303 and knowledge of basic statistics. Two lecture hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
HCA 5973. Professional Paper/Project. Independent research leading to the production of a written document of scholarly quality. Prerequisite: Permission of faculty advisor. May be repeated for credit. Credit: Three hours.
