Program in Health Care Administration
Website: https://twu.edu/business/mha/
Chair: Dr. Carla Stebbins, Associate Professor and Program Director
Location: IHSH 7114
Phone: 713-794-2364
E-mail: cstebbins@twu.edu
The Masters in Healthcare Administration is a Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) accredited program offered on two TWU campuses, serving the Houston Metropolitan Area and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Our hybrid program is designed to accommodate both working and full-time students. The thoughtfully designed curriculum includes a series of foundation courses to level incoming students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and career interests. A series of placement assessments allow students the option not to have to complete one or more courses in the series. Three immersion courses are sequenced over the degree, with the balance of courses offered 100% online with or without synchronous or asynchronous web-based class sessions. The immersion sequence includes three courses that require students to complete pre- and post-course work while participating in 3-day in-person instruction on the Dallas or Houston campus or another off-site location.
Mission
The TWU MHA Program will provide affordable, nationally recognized, graduate-level preparation for students from a variety of backgrounds in order to prepare them for varying levels of management roles across the health industry spectrum.
Who We Are
The multi-campus program draws upon well-established relationships within the largest medical complex in the world in Houston and the esteemed medical complex in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, enabling the program to integrate best-of-class, leading-edge delivery into the student experience.
- We provide an inclusive environment that embraces the diversity of students and faculty.
- The program design allows for flexible enrollment, using a variety of instruction methods, and is tailored to the individual needs and backgrounds of the student.
- We prepare graduates to analyze and solve difficult problems and to formulate and implement leading-edge, socially responsible, and ethical decisions while encouraging habits of life-long learning in our students and for ourselves.
Vision
To graduate professionals who are prepared to lead within health organizations and proactively respond to the needs of their people and the populations they serve.
Values
We achieve our mission and strive toward our vision by practicing the following values:
- Professional Excellence: We value high-quality, student-centered teaching that fosters transformational learning to facilitate our graduates having cutting-edge knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- Critical Thinking: We value critical thinking skills needed to discover creative solutions to problems in business and society.
- Analytical Ability: We value a community of scholars who can evaluate data and make informed, innovative decisions in business, in the community, and in their personal lives.
- Teamwork and Collaboration: We value and respect meaningful service through purposeful partnerships, collective expertise and empowered leadership.
- Ethics: We value integrity, respect, caring, and well-being.
- Diversity: We honor and respect diversity in all forms in our networks and community as we advocate for and empower future generations of students. Together, we are responsible for creating a brighter future for women and individuals from diverse backgrounds to make our society a better place.
- Communication: We value open and transparent communication to foster collaboration and to empower everyone to provide their perspectives in solving problems.
Graduate Degrees Offered
Minors
Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) minor requirements are established by the Health Care Administration Program in consultation with the College of Business. Specific student minor plans are established by the student’s academic and faculty advisor.
Faculty
The HCA Program is supported by full-time and adjunct faculty. All faculty are selected based on their academic preparation and proven success in the health sector.
Courses
Contact hours identified in the course descriptions are based on a 15-week term. Students who enroll in Summer or mini-terms are expected to meet the same total number of contact hours as a 15-week term.
HCA 5103. Foundations of Health Services. 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 the 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. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5223. Strategic Planning in Healthcare. Application of organization strategic planning theory and concepts to health services organizations. Topics include governance, competitive environment, distinctive attributes of health care organizations, vision, mission, goals and strategies, systems thinking, organization structure and design, organizational effectiveness, change management, planning, and management roles. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5253. Organizational Behavior in Health Care Administration. Application of theories and concepts of management and organizational behavior to health services organizations. Topics include personality, motivation, decision making, stress, interpersonal and group dynamics, communication, leadership, power, conflict, and organizational culture. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5263. Advanced Financial Management for Health Care Administration. Examination of the foundations of health care financial management decisions through a combination of case analysis and readings from the literature of health care finance. Emphasis is placed on understanding the role of risk in the financial decision-making process and on integrating the theory of financial decisions with practical problems in health care finance. Topics include: capital markets and the risk-return relation, estimating the cost of capital, valuation models, capital structure decisions, and agency relationships. Prerequisite: FIN 5243. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5343. Human Resources Management in Health Care Administration. Human resources management issues, including strategic role of job analysis and design, recruitment, retention, diversity, performance appraisal, termination, recognition, compensation and development, and Human Resources legal issues relevant to health care organizations. Prerequisite: HCA 5103. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5393. Health Law and Ethics. Orientation to the American legal system principles and processes related to health law, professional liability, and informed consent. Application of health law to ethical principles and theories. Prerequisite: HCA 5103. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5443. Operations Analysis in Healthcare Administration. Concepts, techniques, and managerial approaches for improving performance. Productivity, efficiency evaluation, forecasting, project management, simulation, quality management (CQI-TQM, six-sigma), yield, waiting time, inventory management, strategy, and decision making. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5463. Research Methods for Managerial Decision Making. 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. Prerequisite: Knowledge of basic Excel. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5473. Health Information Management. The role of information systems and decision-making models in health care organizations. Health information topics including computer hardware and software, planning information processing, clinical and administrative systems, methods to support decision making, vendor evaluation and selection, and project management. Prerequisite: HCA 5223. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5483. Population Health Management. Basic measures and determinants of epidemiology; incorporation of research findings into management decisions. Use of logic and assumptions to assess and understand the health status of populations, the determinants of health and illness, and the factors that influence the delivery and use of health services. Social epidemiology including social and behavioral aspects of health and illness, utilization of health services, and patient and practitioner roles. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5493. Performance Measurement and Quality in Health Care Administration. Basic measures and analysis of processes for quality and performance assessment utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods. Development of skills in evaluation methods and performance management with particular emphasis on the management of quality. Standard setting, performance assessment processes, and CQI/TQM. Prerequisite: HCA 5483, or permission of instructor. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5513. Financial Accounting in Health Care Administration. Principles of accounting; types of financial statements; recognizing and measuring transactions; assets, liability, and equity accounts; fund accounting; cash flow statements; financial statement analysis and time value of money. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5533. Management Accounting for Health Care Organizations. Principles and methods of cost allocation, job costing, cost-volume profit analysis, budgeting, variance analysis, profitability analysis, and relevant costs for decision-making. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5543. Health Care Finance. Principles, concepts, and use of the financial skills of net present value, financial analysis and forecasting, risk, cash and capital budgeting, stock and bond valuation, lease analysis, receivables management, business and merger valuations, and healthcare premium development. Prerequisite: HCA 5533 or ACCT 5433. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5623. Economics of Health Care. Application of microeconomics principles to problems of resource allocation of health care products, services, and labor. Development of a foundation for understanding and evaluating health policy and its impact. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5633. Health Policy Analysis. Definitions of health policy and the process of policy-making. Impact of values on policy and the role of interest groups and political influence. Framework for analyzing policy and methods using the tools of economics to examine health system change. Prerequisite: HCA 5883. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5743. Alternative Systems of Healthcare Delivery. Evolving relationships between the buyers, providers, insurers, patients, and regulators of health services. The dynamic process that influences the organization for delivery, price, utilization, quality, and accountability. Historical development of the U.S. and comparative health systems. 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 twelve hours in HCA program or permission of instructor. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5753. Development of Health Facilities. Physical aspects of planning, design, and construction of health facilities. The process and participants involved in the development of buildings to serve the health care industry. Facility planning; methods of project delivery; role of owner, architect, and building contractor; construction scheduling, cost estimating, and site analysis. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve hours in HCA program or permission of instructor. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5763. Marketing for Health Services. The role of marketing in the process of purchasing and providing health care services. Broad view of marketing as a means of identifying and delivering value to both the provider and consumer of services. Topics including marketing philosophy, market research, identifying the customer, business and service delivery, market segmentation, and business development. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve hours in HCA program or permission of instructor. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5773. Seminar in Finance and Accounting in Health Care Administration. Identification and development of financial models and solutions. Analysis of causes related to complex health care accounting and financial management issues. Prerequisites: HCA 5533 and HCA 5543. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5783. Interdisciplinary Models of Health Care. The evolving role of the health care team and strategies team members use in providing comprehensive, quality care to the health care consumer. Rationale for the interdisciplinary approach, re-engineering and work redesign, professional autonomy, cross-training, and group dynamics. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve hours in HCA program or permission of instructor. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5793. The Continuum of Care. Examination of major practice settings in the U.S. healthcare system including hospital, outpatient/physician practice, and long-term care within the context of social, political, and economic environments. Operational aspects of administration for each setting from the perspectives of key stakeholders. Prerequisite: Completion of 12 core hours in the program. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5803. Issues and Trends in Health Care Administration. Group study of current issues and trends in Health Care Administration. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve hours in HCA program or permission of instructor. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5883. Professional Portfolio and Healthcare Career Competencies. Final course in the HCA curriculum focusing on the integration of knowledge and application of theories, models, and techniques from preceding courses in the management of a health services organization. Students finalize and present a standardized content of papers, projects, cases, internship activities, awards and related activities to provide evidence of cognitive, behavioral, and developmental characteristics. These are evidence of identified skills and competencies, demonstration of ability in core content areas, identification of relationship of skills to career path, reflection and integration of learning, personal growth and development, and a career plan. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5903. Special Topics. Organized course with each section's title and content varying with specific subject matter and topic offered. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5911. Independent Study. Advanced work in a specialized field of Health Care Administration. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve hours in HCA program and permission of instructor. Credit: One hour.
HCA 5912. Independent Study. Advanced work in a specialized field of Health Care Administration. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve hours in HCA program and permission of instructor. Credit: Two hours.
HCA 5913. INDIVIDUAL STUDY. Advanced work in a specialized field of Health Care Administration. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve hours in HCA program and permission of instructor. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5933. Capstone in Health Care Administration. Final course in the HCA curriculum focusing on the integration of knowledge and application of theories, models, and techniques from preceding courses in the management of a health services organization. Decision-making involving strategic, human resources, financial, planning, and operations. Prerequisites: HCA 5393, HCA 5223, HCA 5343, HCA 5443, HCA 5483, HCA 5493, HCA 5533, HCA 5543, HCA 5623, HCA 5633, and HCA 5883; or permission of the program director. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
HCA 5941. Internship. Internship in a health care organization under the supervision of a selected health care administrator and faculty. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve hours in HCA program. Four clinical hours a week. Credit: One hour.
HCA 5942. Internship. Inernship 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 twelve hours in HCA program. and approval of faculty advisor. Eight clinical hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
HCA 5981. Fieldwork. Field experience with a health care organization under the supervision of a selected health care administrator and faculty. Prerequisites: HCA 5483 and completion of twelve hours in HCA program. Four clinical hours a week. Credit: One hour.
HCA 5982. Fieldwork. Field experience with a health care organization under the supervision of a selected health care administrator and faculty. Prerequisites: HCA 5483 and completion of twelve hours in HCA program. Eight clinical hours a week. Credit: Two hours.
