Academic Catalog 2024-2025

Slippery Rock University

Health Care Administration & Management (HCAM)

HCAM 139 -  Foundations of Academic Discovery  

Foundations of Academic Discovery serves as the entry point to the Rock Integrated Studies Program. With its strong faculty-student interaction, the course promotes intellectual inquiry, critical and creative thinking, and computer skills needed for academic success. Through varied content, the course introduces students to academic discourse and information literacy while exploring topics such as diversity and inclusion and global awareness. This course will set students along the path to becoming engaged with issues and scholarship important to a 21st century education while they learn about themselves and their place in the world.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Enrollment limited to students with a semester level of Freshman 1 or Freshman 2.
Enrollment limited to students with the ROCK STUDIES 2 STUDENT or ROCK STUDIES STUDENT attributes.

HCAM 190 -  Experimental  

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 195 -  Health Care Workshop  

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format and on a timely topic.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 198 -  Selected Topics  

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 200 -  Introduction to Population Health  

Introduction to Population Health examines the social determinants of health, diverse population groups’ interface with a continuum of healthcare services, and fundamental issues of health equity. This course will focus on how population heath is a function of multiple interconnected healthcare system participants.

Credits: 3

HCAM 230 -  US Healthcare Systems  

This course offers an overview of the U.S. healthcare delivery system and challenges that confront the industry. It examines legal, technological, economic, political, ethical, and social forces that impact the healthcare industry. Students will learn about the delivery of healthcare services in various settings, as well as the role of government, professional agencies, and other industry related organizations. The allocation of scarce healthcare resources is examined through the lenses of social awareness, civic responsibility, and quasi-market forces. This course also equips students to become informed healthcare consumers and introduces them to healthcare employment opportunities.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms, Offered Summer Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

HCAM 250 -  Medical Terminology for Healthcare Administrators  

This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of medical language. Emphasis is placed on basic medical word construction and language derivation related to health care.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Thematic Thread(s): Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Human Diversity & Well-Being, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

HCAM 265 -  Introduction to Insurance and Managed Care  

This course examines Managed Care Organizations, insurance plans, Consumer Directed Health Care plans, and Health Care Exchanges. Students will explore the influence of managed health care and the various forms of health care insurance on the organization and delivery of health services in the United States are explored.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

HCAM 290 -  Experimental  

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 295 -  Health Care Workshop  

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format and on a timely topic.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 298 -  Selected Topics  

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 300 -  Healthcare Systems: Global Perspectives and Analysis  

This course examines health care systems from other countries in contrast to the United States system of health care. Students will be introduced to larger global perspectives about healthcare systems. Comparisons of healthcare systems' infrastructures, finance systems, level of government involvement, and key metrics of health outcomes will be discussed along with the interconnected socio-political issues across diverse populations.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 305 -  Fundamentals of Healthcare Quality and Safety  

This course examines a systems approach to continuous improvement processes in healthcare settings. Quality and process concepts and theories examined in this course are guided by data and processes at the unit and organization levels that reach beyond regulatory and accreditation compliance.

Prerequisites: HCAM 230D and HCAM 265*D (may be taken concurrently).
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 332 -  US Health Care Policy  

This course provides an overview of US health care policy in the postwar period. The course will examine the problems of health care costs, access, and quality in depth, consider alternative approaches to health care reform and use a comparative method to examine the health policies of other advanced industrialized countries. In addition, the course aims to introduce students to health policy analysis as an applied social science discipline.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 335 -  Current Topics in Health Care  

This course examines current topics in healthcare from the interests of various constituencies and organizations. It is designed to introduce students to the identification and study of current economic, regulatory, operational issues, and emerging trends impacting the healthcare industry. Matters of healthcare policy, healthcare reform, current clinical and non-clinical healthcare developments, policy process, and advocacy will also be examined.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Summer & Winter Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 360 -  Healthcare Organizational Dynamics  

This course introduces concepts associated with organizational dynamics in the healthcare industry. Students will examine content from individual, team, and organizational perspectives. Organizational dynamics are examined to provide a better understanding of how to deliver value within a competitive and changing healthcare industry.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms, Offered Winter Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 375 -   Ethics & Legal Fundamentals for the Health Professions  

This course connects theoretical foundations of ethics with practical legal issues facing health care leaders. The course will define the role of the health care provider, payer, consumers, delivery systems, and regulatory bodies in addressing challenges presented by health care law and ethics.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Human Diversity & Well-Being, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 385 -  Insurance and Cost Containment  

This course expands students’ understanding of content from HCAM 265, Introduction to Insurance and Managed Care. Students will explore foundational concepts of insurance and dynamic interrelationships associated with supply and demand-side controls, cost structures, cost containment, adverse selection, moral hazard, and related policies. Non-health insurance programs, underwriting, and claims management will also be introduced.

Prerequisites: HCAM 230C and HCAM 265C
C Requires minimum grade of C.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms, Offered Summer Terms Odd

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2, Sophomore 1 or Sophomore 2 may not enroll.

HCAM 390 -  Experimental  

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 395 -  Health Care Workshop  

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format and on a timely topic.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 398 -  Selected Topics  

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 400 -  Legal Environment of Healthcare  

Legal Environment of Healthcare acquaints future healthcare managers with legal issues relating to government, patients, healthcare employees, and contractors. This course surveys a wide variety of legal concepts, terms, and common-sense tips for entry-level healthcare organization employees.

Prerequisites: HCAM 230C and HCAM 275C
C Requires minimum grade of C.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms Even, Offered Spring Terms, Offered Winter Terms Odd

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2, Sophomore 1 or Sophomore 2 may not enroll.

HCAM 410 -  Strategic Leadership in Health Care Organizations  

This course will examine leadership principles necessary to be effective in a continuously changing health care industry. Concepts covered include cultural competency, patient and family centered care, community outreach, coalition building, teamwork effectiveness, and leading within an environment of change in the US health care system.

Prerequisites: HCAM 230D and (HCAM 360D or MGMT 351D)
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2, Sophomore 1 or Sophomore 2 may not enroll.

HCAM 415 -  Marketing for Health Care Organizations  

This course covers the application of marketing concepts, tools and techniques to marketing problems, emphasizing strategic thinking, and analysis in a healthcare environment. Students will gain perspective on how a healthcare marketing function links to the overall business system.

Prerequisite: MRKT 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 425 -  Long Term Care Management  

This course will examine long-term care organizations and care in the United States. Students examine external and internal long-term environments, the organization and delivery of services, administration, management, and leadership of long-term care organizations.

Prerequisites: HCAM 230D and (HCAM 360D or MGMT 351D) and HCAM 265D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2, Sophomore 1 or Sophomore 2 may not enroll.

HCAM 430 -  Finance for Healthcare Organizations  

This course is designed to build on accounting and financial management strategies used in profit and not-for-profit healthcare organizations. It will expose students to the practical application and theoretical constructs necessary to manage finances in a variety of healthcare organizations.

Prerequisites: HCAM 230D and ACCT 209D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 450 -  Internship-Health Care Administration & Management  

This internship provides students with an opportunity to apply theory to practice and develop competencies through a work-related experience in a profit, or not-for-profit, healthcare related organization.

Prerequisites: HCAM 230D and HCAM 360D and HCAM 265D and HCAM 400D and (HCAM 405 (may be taken concurrently)D or HCAM 305*D) (may be taken concurrently).
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-12

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Summer & Winter Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 470 -  Healthcare Practice Management  

This course will prepare students with the fundamental knowledge needed to manage various types of healthcare practices. This includes topics such as differentiating between types of medical practices; accreditation, credentialing and licensing; regulatory compliance, compensation, productivity and provider contracting; billing & the lifecycle of a claim; patient experience & referral analysis; quality & utilization management; coordination of care; and innovation in care, payment and organizational models.

Prerequisite: HCAM 360D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2, Sophomore 1 or Sophomore 2 may not enroll.

HCAM 480 -  Healthcare Value-Based Reimbursement and Process Improvement  

This course details drivers of value in health care and identifies major challenges to value-based care. Students will examine and apply various healthcare value-based reimbursement programs and leadership strategies to improve quality and reduce costs in health care.

Prerequisites: HCAM 305C or HCAM 405C
C Requires minimum grade of C.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Enrollment limited to students with a semester level of Junior 1, Junior 2, Senior 1 or Senior 2.

HCAM 490 -  Independent Study  

In-depth reading and/or research with the guidance of a faculty member in an area selected by the student. Prerequisites: 12 credits in major courses, application and permission of the instructor, departmental chairperson and dean of the college where the study will be conducted. Independent Study courses give students the opportunity to pursue research and/or studies that are not part of the university's traditional course offerings. Students work one on one or in small groups with faculty guidance and are typically required to submit a final paper or project as determined by the supervising professor.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

HCAM 495 -  Health Care Workshop  

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format and on a timely basis.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 498 -  Selected Topics  

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Prerequisite: HCAM 230D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

HCAM 499 -  Health Care Theory and Research Capstone Seminar  

This course examines health care theories that focus on the key concepts of individual and population health, access to health care, cost of health care, quality of health care, and health care organization structures and processes. Students will research areas of interest based on these theoretical concepts.

Prerequisites: HCAM 230D and HCAM 360D and HCAM 400*D and (HCAM 405 (may be taken concurrently)D or HCAM 305*D) (may be taken concurrently).
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2, Junior 1, Junior 2, Sophomore 1 or Sophomore 2 may not enroll.