WHC 301 - The Healthcare Delivery System

Course unit(s): 1
This course provides an overview of the healthcare delivery system in the U.S., specifically the interwoven relationships between providers (physicians, hospital systems, ancillary service providers, pharmaceutical companies, medical supply companies), payers/funding sources (traditional insurance companies, HMOs/PPOs, government payers) and regulatory agencies (e.g. CMS-the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and State Departments of Health). Students will be provided with an historical perspective of the healthcare system and an understanding of some of the current environmental forces impacting managerial decision-making in healthcare organizations. These include changes in public policy and reimbursement models and the creation of large hospital-based networks that encompass multiple levels of care, from acute care to transitional care to outpatient and home-based services.