Track #1: Quality, Patient Safety, and Risk Management
What You Will Learn
This track will expose students to the challenges presented by the Institute of Medicine's report, "First Do No Harm" and its follow up report, “Crossing the Quality Chasm.” It will also focus on the dilemma that health care practitioners face as they seek to consistently deliver care that is safe, of the highest quality, efficient and effective in an environment which is plagued by lack of standardization, teamwork and fallible systems. Students will learn about the external mandates which help to define how care is to be delivered (TJC, CMS, etc.), the external forces that may challenge providers (primarily the legal environment) and the systems problems that are inherent in complex and often fragmented delivery systems.
Why This Is Important
Patient safety and quality of care issues continue to make headlines on an almost daily basis. Public trust in our health care systems continues to erode and regulators and payers are now setting expectations for safe and effective care which is error free as a prerequisite to reimbursement. But the challenges are formidable. Despite increasing focus on health care quality and safety, we have made little progress and the challenges continue to mount. With an aging workforce and more people expected to need health care over the next decade, there is a sense that these problems must be addressed and solved.
Career Opportunities
This track provides excellent preparation for individuals seeking a career in risk management, performance improvement, patient safety, or quality. In addition it would be valuable for any health care practitioner or anyone working as a health care administrator.
Required Courses (see program structure for sequence)
- Introduction to Legal Study and Legal Writing
- Introduction to Legal Research
- Introduction to Health Law and Policy
- Health Care Business and Finance
- Health Care Regulation and Policy
- Health Law Thesis Project
Elective Courses (must take 4)
- Case Problems in Compliance
- Health Care Risk Management
- Health Care Compliance
- Liability and Dispute Resolution in Health Care
- Managing Risk in eHealth
- Medical Informatics
- Health Care Contracts
- Introduction to Elder Law
- Law and Bioethics
Course requirements and electives are subject to change.
Structure of Program
Year 1
Term 1
Introduction to Legal Study and Legal Writing [4 credits]
Term 2
Introduction to Legal Research [1 credit]
Introduction to Health Law and Policy [3 credits]
Term 3
Health Care Business and Finance [2 credits]
Health Regulation and Policy [2 credits]
Post Term 3
Education Immersion Weekend [in Chicago]
Year 2
Term 4
Elective #1 [2 credits]
Elective #2 [2 credits]
Term 5
Elective #3 [2 credits]
Elective #4 [2 credits]
Term 6
Thesis Project [4 credits]
Post Term 6
Thesis Immersion Weekend [in Chicago]
