34157 Gill

Course Syllabus

Healthcare Systems Management

34157-010-20158

College of Business Administration

Management and Information Systems

Fall Semester 2015

Instructor:  Dr. Annette “Bonni” Gill, CRNA

                           agill11@kent.edu  (please allow two business days for a response)

                           (330) 998-4350 until 9p daily     

Required Text (s) and Course Materials:

1) McAlearney, A.S. & Kovner, A.R. (2013).  Health services management: Cases,

    readings and commentary (10^th ed.).  Chicago, Illinois: Health Administration

    Press. (ISBN: 978-1-56793-490-8)

 2) White, K.R. & Griffith, J.R. (2010).  The well-managed healthcare organization

     (8^thed.).  Chicago, Illinois: Health Administration Press. 

     (ISBN:  978-1-56793-721-3)

*Additional readings will be uploaded to Black Board by topic*

Course Description:  A common theme among well-managed healthcare organizations is a specific culture and management activities that allow the organization to maintain and sustain excellence over time.   Our current healthcare system is transforming from a system that was quantity based to a system that emphasizes quality.  Our current healthcare system demands teamwork and collaboration to better coordinate the care that is delivered while simultaneously

making the most judicious use of precious healthcare resources.  Healthcare managers must be acutely aware of the current healthcare climate/trends and its associated processes.  This course will identify practices that lead to high performance of healthcare organizations and provide an overview of the culture, management, economic and policy issues that face the healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.

Course Structure: Introduction to Healthcare Systems Management is delivered entirely online through the Black Board course management system.  Each student will use his or her Kent State University account to access Black Board.  Online participation and attendance enrich both learning. Online attendance and participation are integral components of the online learning experience.  All members of the learning community should place strong emphasis on active participation in all online activities. 

Failure to engage meaningfully in ALL online discussions/assignments will result in loss of credit for the individual assignment and lower course grades!!! 

Course Requirements:  Each student will need an Internet connection and a supported web browser (i.e. Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.) to access Blackboard (http://learn.kent.edu). 

Course Objectives:  Introduction to Healthcare Systems Management will provide students with a basic understanding of our healthcare system. The course describes how various components of the healthcare systems work individually as well as how they function as a whole.  The course will examine organization, function and various roles within the healthcare delivery system.  The course also covers important issues such as healthcare reform and discusses current trends that are likely to influence the direction of the healthcare system in the future.  At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:

Ø  Identify the components of the well-managed healthcare organization (HCO) describe their functions and explain how they work

Ø  Analyze how the components of the healthcare systems work independently and together

Ø  Understand the role(s) and responsibilities of the healthcare manager and how they are influenced by the healthcare organization

Ø  Articulate the role(s) and function(s) of the healthcare delivery system

Ø  Analyze the performance of the healthcare delivery system and identify facilitators as well as barriers to its success

Course Prerequisites: None

Technical Support:  If you need technical assistance at any time during the course or to report a problem with Blackboard:

Ø  Visit the Blackboard Student Resource Page

Ø  Blackboard Technical Support (330) 672- HELP ((4357)

Ø  Visit http://support.kent.edu to open a support ticket

Course Policies

Discussion Board:  Introduction to Healthcare Systems Management is delivered entirely online.  Discussion Board (DB) is the “class participation” portion of the course and is worth 50% of the overall course grade.  While DB is a substantial portion of the course grade, the goal of DB is to promote dialogue among members of the online learning community which will in turn foster learning with and from each other.  DB will consist of extended response questions based on the weekly reading assignments.  There are fifteen DB forums listed in the syllabus.  Each member of the online learning community should complete each of the fifteen DB assignments.  DB will open on Sunday. Responses to discussion board should be posted by Wednesday of the same week.  The rules of netiquette should always be applied when making initial and peer postings.  The instructor response is designed to enhance the didactic content for the week; therefore, it may contain additional readings and references designed to benefit the entire online community. All members of the online learning community are expected to participate fully and substantively in all discussion board forums. 

Late Work:  Please pay close attention to assignment due dates.  There will be no make up assignments.  Assignments will not be accepted after the scheduled due date unless there is a compelling reason and prior instructor approval.  Group project should be handed in by the due date even if a group member fails to deliver his/her portion of the project. 

Online Grading:  Points earned for assignments, tests and DB will be posted to Blackboard.  Students can access individual grades by clicking on the “My Grades” tab from the navigation bar located down the left side of the screen.  Grades will be updated within a week of assignment completion.

Note:  The course syllabus, course assignments and due dates are subject to change.  It is the student’s responsibility to check Blackboard and emails for instructor changes and updates.  Any changes will be clearly noted through course announcements and by email.

University Policies

Course Enrollment:  Students have the responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Student Tools on Flash Line) during the first week of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have to correct the error.  If registration errors are not corrected and you continue to attend and participate in classes in which you are not officially enrolled you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of  the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.  The last day to add full term classes without approval of the instructor is Sunday September 6, 2015.

Course Withdrawal:  The last date to withdraw from any course that meets for the full semester is Sunday September 13, 2015.  Students who withdraw after this date will receive a grade of W.   

Students with Disabilities:  University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content.  If you have a documented disability and require

accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments.  Please note, you must verify your eligibility for these accommodations through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit http://www.kent.edu/sas/index/cfm)

Academic Honesty:  Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature or other conditions of your academic work (e.g. tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get underserved credit.  In addition, it is considered to be cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any such misrepresentation.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University’s policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

Student Group and Plagiarism:  All group members are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of work turned in by the group, regardless of which member actually produced it.  Groups, as they plan their work, should budget sufficient time for a thorough review by group members before submitting an assignment.  Plagiarism on a group assignment will impact the grade of all members of the group.

Course Grades

Final course grades will be based on the percentage of total points earned over the course of the semester.  The maximum number of points possible for the semester is 1000.  Points can be earned through 15 Discussion Boards (600 points or 60%), 4 quizzes (200 points or 20%) and the final exam (200 points or 20%).  

Students should be advised that all grades are EARNED NOT GIVEN; therefore, no grades will be rounded!!

Course Assignments

Please be advised that course readings/assignments/ DB may change in an effort to enhance the student’s mastery of the content and the overall learning experience.  Students will be notified via Blackboard announcements and email of any changes to the syllabus or course content;  however,  it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to check Blackboard and KSU email for these updates!

HAVE A GREAT SEMESTER EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!