MIS 685: The Healthcare Value Chain



Howe School of Technology Management

Stevens Institute of Technology

MIS 685: The Healthcare Value Chain

Sample Syllabus

Faculty: Carol V. Brown, Ph.D.

Healthcare IT Program Director

Office: Babbio #409, Stevens campus

Phone: 201-216-5581

Email: carol.brown@stevens.edu

Catalog Description

This course has been designed to provide foundational knowledge about the healthcare industry for information technology (IT) professionals working in (or aspiring to work in) the healthcare industry. After an introduction to the U.S. healthcare system from a stakeholder perspective, students learn about the information and communication needs of key interdependent stakeholders: healthcare providers (hospitals, physicians), suppliers of surgical and non-surgical equipment and drugs, third-party insurers and payers (including government), and the healthcare consumer (patients). The course materials include readings by current thought leaders, in-depth case studies, background summaries prepared by the instructor, and public Web-based resources. Students gain up-to-date knowledge about current healthcare IT solutions used by key players in the healthcare value chain, and also learn about resources for understanding future IT-related trends in this fast-changing industry.

Goals

The primary goal of this course is to provide current or new IT professionals with an understanding of how IT enables different stakeholder groups in the healthcare value chain to achieve their performance outcomes. Today’s IT industry provides software packages and IT operational support to a variety of different healthcare organization contexts for ambulatory and in-patient services. The U.S. healthcare system is also a heavily regulated work environment in which clinical and operational outcomes are dependent on communications and data sharing across suppliers, insurers/payers, other intermediaries, and healthcare consumers. The knowledge gained in this course will better prepare the student to effectively design, develop, and implement healthcare IT (HIT) solutions and provide IT support for different groups of stakeholders within the healthcare value chain.

This course is also a prerequisite for the three other MIS courses that are part of the unique 4-course Healthcare IT Management certificate at Stevens: MIS 686, MIS 687, and MIS 688.

Outcomes

Students will gain the knowledge to:

• Describe the roles of various stakeholders in the U.S. healthcare system and their interdependencies

• Identify the role of IT in supporting communications and information exchange across different stakeholders in a healthcare value chain

• Describe the potential value of operational and clinical IT solutions to physicians, nurses, administrators, and other healthcare decision-makers

• Understand federal and state regulatory, political, and cultural factors that can impact the investment in and utilization of healthcare IT in different types of organizations

• Anticipate the IT implications for policy changes on different stakeholder groups

• Identify opportunities for patient-centered technologies and other emerging trends

Course Delivery and Materials

The course content will be delivered in six modules using the Stevens’ WebCampus (WebCT) platform. Some course materials will be provided online, including the instructor’s introductions to each module and assignment descriptions. Links will also be provided to copies of readings that do not need to be purchased, and are accessible via the Stevens library or public Web sites.

In addition, all students will be required to purchase several case studies and other reading materials from the Harvard Business School Press; the total materials costs are less than $50.

WebCampus collaboration tools will be used for postings to Discussion forums, communicating with class members about current issues, submitting some assignments and receiving feedback from the instructor, and communicating with invited “guests” from the healthcare industry for a specific week’s topic.

Course Assignments

Most weekly assignments involve writing up responses to questions about the assigned readings and conducting some Web-based research on specific topics. Some of your findings will be shared using the Discussion forum tool on WebCampus. A term paper assignment enables each student to study in-depth an HIT topic of particular interest. The course also includes online quizzes to ensure student understanding of important HIT and healthcare value-chain concepts.

EXAMPLES OF COURSE MODULES & TOPICS

|Module 1: Industry Introductions: the U.S. Healthcare System and HIT Industry |

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|Challenges Facing the U.S. Healthcare System |

|HIT Connectivity Across Healthcare Stakeholders |

|Module 2: The Patient: the Consumer Perspective |

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|Quality and Safety in Healthcare Delivery |

|Personal Health Records |

|Websites for Patients and Patient Communities |

|Module 3: The Healthcare Providers: Acute and Ambulatory Settings |

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|Clinical IT Implementations in Community Hospitals, Medical Centers, & Ambulatory Settings |

|Mobile Devices at the Point-of-Care |

|A CIO Perspective: HIT Support for Clinical Operations |

|Module 4: The Suppliers |

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|Pharamaceutical, Biotech, and Medical Device Firms |

|Intermediary Suppliers for Healthcare Providers and Patients |

|Module 5: The Third-Party Insurers and Payers |

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|Managed Care Companies, Insurers & Employers |

|Federal and State Governments |

|Healthcare Information Exchanges |

|eHealth Trends |

|Module 6: Health Care Reform: Current Topics |

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|The U.S. Debate: What Needs to be Fixed? |

|HIT and U.S. Healthcare Reform |

Last updated 01.31.2009 cvb

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