How It Works

Get to know the courses and the instructors.

BUS-N 525 Value Creation and Financial Performance in Healthcare Systems (3 cr.)

The purpose of this course is to help healthcare professionals better understand the economic and financial forces that underlie much of the decision-making in healthcare.

  • Effectively use Microsoft Excel to import, manipulate and analyze financial data.
  • Measure the financial performance and health of a firm based on its financial statements.
  • Identify relevant costs associated with healthcare activities using activity-based costing and other accounting methods.
  • Evaluate investment decisions by calculating and using criteria including Net Present Value, Return on Investment and the incremental costs and benefits.
  • Propose investments and/or cost-saving initiatives that generate a positive financial return while preserving or increasing health outcomes.

Instructor:

Russell Rhoads

Clinical Assistant Professor of Financial Management
rarhoads@iu.edu

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BUS-N 526 Business Management of Patient Care (3 cr.)

The purpose of this course is to apply marketing and operations management principles to understand how to improve patient care. In this course, students explore the predictors of service quality and patient satisfaction. Then, they map and understand work flow in clinical environments and identify changes that improve healthcare outcomes and lower costs.

  • Apply behavioral decision-making frameworks to anticipate patient behavior and the predictors of patient satisfaction.
  • Use operations management principles to understand how decisions are made, tasks are distributed, resources are employed and services are delivered in a healthcare system.
  • Link work flow and bottlenecks in patient care to clinical performance measures and patient satisfaction.
  • Evaluate the quality of an operation.
  • Identify ways to improve operational processes.

Instructor:

Kim Saxton

Emerging Programs Faculty Chair, Clinical Professor of Marketing
mksaxton@iupui.edu

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BUS-N 527 Leading People and Managing Behavior in Healthcare Organizations (3 cr.)

The purpose of this course is to comprehend how organizational structures, incentives and dynamics explain the observed behavior of clinicians, patients and managers in healthcare systems.

  • Examine the power of reframing to make sense of organizations and demonstrate true leadership.
  • Design organizational structure for activities, units and groups in healthcare delivery settings so they are more productive.
  • Evaluate and apply best practices from human resources management in healthcare delivery settings.
  • Analyze contrasting models of leadership and power dynamics and their application to patient care and management of a healthcare system.
  • Examine culture and its role in healthcare organizations.
  • Recognize and develop the traits of high-performing teams.
  • Gain skills in effective conflict resolution.

Instructor:

Barb Cutillo

Lecturer in Management
bcutillo@iu.edu

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BUS-N 528 Healthcare System Strategy and Innovation (3 cr.)

The purpose of this course is to apply concepts of strategic management to evaluate competitive strategies for a healthcare system and to identify innovations that increase profitability and improve medical outcomes.

  • Evaluate the difference between clinical care as a social enterprise and clinical care as a for-profit enterprise.
  • Apply foundational concepts of business strategy to prioritize patient care focus and goals within a clinical organization.
  • Identify the traits of an organizational mindset which fuels innovation that positively transforms the healthcare industry.
  • Comprehend requirements for pursuit and implementation of innovation in healthcare that reduces cost and improves patient care quality.

Instructor:

Todd Saxton

Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship
tsaxton@iupui.edu

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BUS-X 529 Immersive Capstone Experience (3 cr.)

The purpose of this course is to directly apply learning business acumen and executive skills of diagnosing business problems, developing solutions and communicating those solutions.

  • Analyze ambiguous business situations and identify problems to be solved.
  • Apply cross-disciplinary business knowledge and analytical tools to explain business challenges and formulate possible solutions.
  • Formulate an actionable plan for implementation of a recommended solution and quantify the predicted impact upon organizational performance.
  • Communicate effectively in verbal and written form to team members and the client.

Instructors:

Kim Saxton

Emerging Programs Faculty Chair, Clinical Professor of Marketing
mksaxton@iupui.edu

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Pam Hunt

Associate Faculty in Management
pamhunt@iu.edu

Capstone projects that make an impact.

You're not just earning a certificate. You are gaining skills to make a difference. Hear from local organizations who've partnered with our program to solve real-world challenges using our students' fresh perspectives.

Learn about the IU Pathology Lab Project

Frequently Asked Questions About How it Works

Yes, all classes and other exercises are completely online—allowing you to complete this healthcare management certificate from any location in the world. Live online classes meet biweekly on Thursdays, 6-8:40 p.m. ET. Although your classes meet online only six times each quarter, homework and other assignments are due each week (even when class does not meet). This approach is one of the most flexible among healthcare management degrees online.

Students tell us they need to invest 3 to 5 hours per week to master the material and complete their assignments. We expect you to dedicate this much time every week, even though classes only meet online every other week.

Synchronous classes meet online every other week in each of four 12-week quarters. Class sessions are 2.5 hours long—held 6-8:40 p.m. ET with a 10-minute break. Typically, classes meet in weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, and students are expected to be present. On the even weeks, classes will not meet live, but you will still have assignments to complete.

Considered a mini-MBA, the Graduate Certificate in Medical Management consists of five 3 credit hour courses for a total of 15 credit hours. The yearlong course of study is to take one class (or 3 credit hours) per quarter for three quarters. In the fourth and final quarter, you will take two classes (or 6 credit hours).

Kelley offers two ways to transfer your graduate certificate credit hours to a Kelley MBA program. For those in central Indiana, all 15 credit hours can be transferred into the Kelley Evening MBA, a hybrid program that combines online and in-person education. You need to be able to attend classes in person on the IUPUI campus in downtown Indianapolis. Students interested in the Evening MBA should apply in summer for acceptance in the winter cohort, which starts in early November. Students outside of the Indianapolis area can transfer 12 credit hours into the Kelley Executive Degree Program MBA. Students can apply for any quarter after completing the Graduate Certificate in Medical Management. More information about how to apply to these MBA programs is made available directly to graduate certificate students.

Want to see what our classes are like?

Participate in our next webinar, which is a mini-class version of what you’ll learn in the program.

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