The Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management program is designed for students seeking careers in administration or management within a variety of healthcare settings, such as hospitals and large hospital systems, medical groups and smaller practices, community health organizations, or health insurance companies.
Healthcare administrators ensure that hospitals, medical practices, and health systems operate efficiently and effectively so that patients receive safe, high-quality care. Healthcare administrators need to be experts in both healthcare policies and business practices. Accordingly, the Healthcare Management major is an interdisciplinary program that brings together courses from the Management major and the Healthcare Studies major, plus courses created specifically for this program. As a Healthcare Management major, you will develop and learn to apply:
- Critical knowledge in how the U.S. healthcare system operates, and more specifically in areas such as healthcare laws and regulations, electronic health record systems, insurance and reimbursement policies, and quality assessment and patient safety
- A solid grounding in business and management principles
- A strong foundation in healthcare practices, roles, and principles
- Practical skills in project management, financial accounting, and effective communication, management, and leadership strategies.
Areas of Focus
Through selection of business, healthcare, and free electives, students can create tracks in an area of interest. Possible tracks include:
- Long-term care administration
- Healthcare Human Resources
- Operations Management
- Data analytics and visualization
- Clinical Trials Management
Notes About this Program
The Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management is not an AACSB-accredited Business Administration degree. Southern’s Business Administration majors (Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, etc.) require 11 core business courses plus 11 specialized courses and hold AACSB accreditation.
This program includes some but not all of the required courses in the Business programs. It is designed to give students a broader range of knowledge in both business and healthcare, and is designed to give students some flexibility in their course selection.
If you seek an AACSB-accredited degree with a healthcare emphasis, consider majoring in Management, Economics, Human Resources Management, or Accounting, and supplementing with a Minor in Healthcare Studies for a focused combination of credentials.
Topics Covered
Business Foundations and Skills
- Macro- and Micro-Economics
- Financial Accounting
- Business Information Systems
- Project Management
- Decision-Making with Excel
- Applied Statistics for Business / Health & Clinical Sciences
Healthcare Administration & Management
- Introduction to Healthcare and Hospital Management
- Healthcare Law and Risk Management
- Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
- Medical Insurance and Billing
- Healthcare Communication
- Healthcare Systems & Policy
- Healthcare Ethics
- Healthcare Leadership
- Electronic Health Information
- Medical Terminology
Business Electives Include:
- Human Resources
- Marketing
- Operations Management
- Economic Data Visualization
- Business Law
Healthcare Electives Include
- Long-Term Care Administration
- Clinical Trials
- Research Data Management
- Person-Centered Healthcare
Learning Outcomes
- Healthcare Systems Analysis: Analyze various healthcare systems and delivery models, including their structures, functions, and impacts on patient care and outcomes to evaluate organizational units.
- Financial Management: Understand financial management practices within healthcare settings, including budgeting, financial reporting, and economic analysis to ensure effective resource allocation.
- Leadership and Organizational Behavior: Demonstrate an ability to manage healthcare teams and drive organizational performance by utilizing leadership strategies, effective oral and written communication strategies and organizational behavior theories.
- Healthcare Policy, Law, and Regulation: Understand healthcare policies, laws, and regulations at federal, state, and local levels and their impact on healthcare organizations and practices.
- Quality Improvement: Evaluate quality improvement initiatives and methodologies to optimize patient care, safety, and organizational efficiency within healthcare organizations.
- Strategic Planning: Engage in strategic planning activities to advance organizational goals, adapt to changes in the healthcare environment, and address emerging challenges and opportunities.
- Healthcare Information Systems: Understand how healthcare information systems and technology are used to manage patient data, support clinical decision-making, and improve operational efficiencies within healthcare organizations.
- Ethical and Cultural Competency: Demonstrate cultural competence by analyzing ethical issues in healthcare management so to advance equitable care and foster an inclusive environment for diverse patient populations.
Careers
Healthcare Management graduates can build their careers in a wide range of settings—from large hospital systems and community medical offices and clinics to nursing homes, long-term care and rehabilitation facilities, health insurance companies, healthcare technology firms, medical product manufacturers, clinical research centers, and pharmaceutical companies.
The healthcare industry is one of Connecticut’s largest employers, and graduates with a B.S. in Healthcare Management enjoy a wide range of career opportunities.
Typical Job Titles
Here are examples of recent job listings that require a Healthcare Management or similar degree, all in Connecticut hospitals and other medical practices:
- Billing Manager
- Client Care Coordinator
- Licensing/Credentialing Manager
- Patient Account Analyst
- Performance Improvement Project Manager
- Practice Manager
- Project Coordinator
- Project Specialist
- Quality Improvement Specialist
- Revenue Integrity Analyst
Graduate School Preparation
The B.S. in Healthcare Management is an excellent pathway to graduate programs in:
- Business Administration (MBA)
- Health Administration (MHA)
- Public Health (MPH)
- Health Information Management
- Clinical Research
- Healthcare Informatics/Healthcare Analytics
School / College
College of Health & Human Services
Department
Healthcare Systems and Innovation
Contact
Dr. Larry Brancazio