DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
HCSV 239 Spring 2005
SEMINAR IN HEALTH
SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Wednesday,
J.A. Suver, MHA Phone: (530) 846-9021
E-mail: jsuver@csuchico.edu FAX: (530) 846-9027
Office Hours: Friday,
1. Scope of Course: This course will integrate theory and
practice by examining issues and solutions to problems in the management of
health services organizations. It
functions as a capstone for the health services administration program,
allowing students to apply coursework from across the curriculum.
The class will
use case studies to apply knowledge and skills to real life problems. It will also
cover, in greater depth, health service organization finance and marketing, and
decision making and problem solving techniques.
2. Reading Materials:
·
Jonathon
Rakich, Beaufort Longest, and Kurt Darr Cases
in Health Services Management, 4rd Ed. (
·
Diana Hacker A Pocket Style Manual (Boston: Bedford
Books of St. Martin’s Press, 1993)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Jonathon Rakich, Beaufort Longest, and Kurt Darr Managing Health Services Organizations, 3rd
Ed. (Owings Mills, MD: Health Professions Press, 1992)
3. Course Format: Classes will combine case study presentations
and discussions. There will be a few
lectures, but the bulk of the class will be student presentations and
discussion.
4. Grading:
Exams
Take-home final.................................................................................................... 150
Projects
Case study write-up and presentation (team)................................................... 300
Case study write-up and presentation (individual)............................................ 300
Case study critique and presentation................................................................. 150
Other
Attendance............................................................................................ 50
points lost
for every session missed. One excused absence will be allowed.
Because this class depends on student presentations, all
work must be completed on time. No
credit will be given for late work!
Grades:
A.............. 930
- 1000 C........ 730 - 769
A-............. 900
- 929 C-....... 700 - 729
B+............ 870
- 899 D+...... 660 - 699
B.............. 830
- 869 D........ 600 - 659
B-............. 800
- 829 F......... 0 -559
C+............ 770
- 799
5. Projects and Activities
·
Case studies:
Presentation of two case studies from the CASES book and leading of class
discussion of the assigned case. The first case study will be done as part of a
team and the second will be done individually.
Two (2) copies of the case study write-up are due at the class prior to the class at which the case
will be presented and discussed.
·
Case study
critique: Written response to a case
study presented by other students. This
will be presented following the presentation of the case.
·
Reading quizzes:
Most weeks (starting week #3), reading quizzes will cover the assigned case
studies and assigned readings.
·
Take-home final:
A final case study will be provided. It
will be turned in at the time of the scheduled final.
This syllabus includes descriptions of each of the
assignments. Students should ensure that
submitted papers include all of the required items and comply with the
specifications listed in Section 9, below.
·
·
Class Participation:
Attendance is expected. Participation
means more than being present in class.
The bulk of this class is focused on discussion of the case
studies. Students are expected to
actively participate in class activities and discussions.
6. Confidentiality: During this course, the instructor, guest
speakers, or students may share information regarding specific organizations or
individuals. Such information should be
treated as confidential and not discussed outside of the classroom. If you are in doubt regarding the
confidentiality of any information, consult the instructor.
7. Students must ensure that appropriate credit is
given for all materials. Ideas taken
from other persons must be properly cited.
Any direct quote must be enclosed in quotation marks and must be cited.
8. You should be
aware that this class will be harder than most classes that you have
taken. Assignments should be of the same
quality that is expected of an employee in a professional position in the
health care field. That means that
grammar and spelling will be considered in grading assignments. It means that due dates and project
specifications are taken seriously. It
means that attendance is expected.
9. Written papers: All papers turned in for this course must
comply with the following requirements:
·
Use 81/2"
x 11" paper, with one-inch margins on all sides
·
Papers should
be typed, with all text, including quotes, double-spaced
·
Do not use
covers or cover pages
·
Use a readable
font with 10 characters to the inch (not 10 pitch)
·
Do not exceed
the maximum length for the assignment.
·
Papers should
be free of typographical and spelling errors and should be grammatically
correct.
10. Presentations: The presentations that you make in this class
must comply with the following:
·
Presentations
should cover the same area as the paper, but should not be just a reading of
the written paper
·
Dress
professionally
·
Be prepared to
respond to questions from the instructor and the class
·
Do not exceed
the maximum time for the presentation
·
Use
appropriate visual aids (e.g., overheads) and handouts.
Course Schedule and Assignments
NOTE: This is a
preliminary schedule. Specific team
membership, case study assignments and due dates will be determined once the
size of the class is known.
|
Session/Week |
Topic(s) |
Assignments |
|
1 (1/26) |
·
Introduction
·
Management
process/roles ·
Case study
method |
|
|
2 (2/2) |
·
Business
reports ·
Case study
exercise |
|
|
RESOURCE
UTILIZATION AND CONTROL |
||
|
3 (2/9) |
·
Financial
statements ·
Cost and
cost behavior |
|
|
4 (2/16) |
·
Budgeting ·
Performance
reports |
|
|
5 (2/23) |
·
Managed care ·
Case study
exercise |
) |
|
6 (3/2) |
·
Team case
studies |
|
|
7 (3/9) |
·
Team case
studies |
|
|
8 (3/16) |
·
Team case
studies ·
Productivity
·
Problem
solving/decision making |
|
|
ADMINISTRATION,
MEDICAL STAFF, AND GOVERNING BODY |
||
|
9 (3/23) |
·
Individual
case studies |
|
|
10 (3/30) |
·
Individual
case studies |
|
|
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NO CLASS DURING WEEK OF APRIL 10TH
<<<<<<<<<<<<<< |
||
|
HUMAN
RESOURCES MANAGEMENT/ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS |
||
|
11 (4/6) |
·
Individual
case studies |
|
|
12 (4/20) |
·
Individual
case studies |
|
|
STRATEGIC
MANAGEMENT |
||
|
13 (4/27) |
·
Strategic
planning/ marketing ·
Individual
case studies |
|
|
14 (5/4) |
·
Individual
case studies |
|
|
15 (5/11) |
·
Individual
case studies |
|
|
16 (5/18) |
FINAL DUE--Tuesday 5/23 |
|
Since we will
do in-class exercises from the CASES and WARD books, bring them to class
when any reading or case study is shown on the schedule.
CASE STUDY
Assignment: Two of the case studies from the
"CASES" book will be assigned. Develop a paper and presentation on
each. One of these will be done as part
of a project team. A third case will be
provided as a take-home final, but only a written component will be required.
A case study
is a "real world" problem and you will assume that you are a manager
in the organization. You should identify
the problem, develop a solution, and decide how you would implement your
solution.
Instead of the
academic style used in your other papers, your written analysis should be in
the form of a business report and should follow a business writing style. Your presentation will also be a "report
to your colleagues."
Your paper should be in the form of a report to your superior (as indicated by the case study). It should be a maximum of five pages, plus a
cover (transmittal) letter or memo. In
addition, attach copies of the overheads and/or handouts to be used in your
presentation. Presentations should be
approximately fifteen minutes.
===================================================================
CASE
STUDY CRITIQUE
Assignment:. Each student
will respond to a case study presented by other students. The response will include a two-page written
critique and a five minute presentation of the critique. Since the presentations tend to meld into
discussion, they will not be graded.
Content: Your critique should:
1.
Identify any
errors or shortcomings in the synthesis of the case and the identification of
issues.
2.
Identify
additional alternatives and additional information which should be considered.
3.
Analyze and
critique the proposed solution, including its strengths and weaknesses.
4.
Identify and
apply appropriate theories which suggest solutions to the problems found in the
case.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CRITIQUE AND
CRITICISM! The purpose of a critique is
to explore alternative responses to the situation and alternative methods of
presenting the information. These should
not be personal criticisms of the presenter!