Certificate in Risk Management and Patient Safety

Point of Contact
Farrokh Alemi
Coordinator
Phone: 703-993-4226
Email: Farrokh Alemi

This graduate certificate prepares individuals with advanced skills in health related risk assessment, management and safety improvement in health care organizations and to gain  in-depth knowledge to function effectively as Healthcare Risk Managers. 

Admission Requirements

For admission, students need to have a Bachelors of Science from an accredited University or its equivalent, grade point average of 3.0 or better, two letters of reference, and a completed application form.  No GRE, GMAT or other tests are necessary; foreign students need to provide a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Program of Study

Students in this certificate must take 15 credits of courses in three areas: Health Care and the Law, Analysis of Risk and Electives.

• Health Care and Law (6 credits)
  • HHS 750 (3:3:0)
    Legal Issues Relevant to Health Care Administration
    Provides students with a general understanding of the United States legal system and sources of law, with a particular emphasis on laws that govern or are applicable to the health care industry and general administration. Students examine the changing health care models and delivery systems and the laws affecting such systems. 
  • HAP 690 (1-3:0:)
    Independent Study in Health Science
    Prerequisite: admission to graduate program, and permission of associate dean for academic programs. In-depth self-direct study of a specified area(s) of health science theory, research, or practice and their medico-legal or ‘risk exposure’ implications May be repeated for maximum 3 credits.  The independent study must focus on legal issues.

    Students may also meet this requirement by taking courses in Economics and the  Law or from the Administration of Justice Program within the Department of Public and International Affairs (as approved by the advisor). 

  Analysis of Risk Courses (6 credits)
• • HAP 730 (3:3:0)
    Health Care Decision Analysis
    Students integrate scientific evidence, patients' preferences, and experts' opinions to analyze managerial decisions and identify optimal alternatives. Included are applications to analysis of practice patterns, benchmarking, probabilistic risk assessment, cost analysis, conflict analysis and measurement of severity of illness. Decision analytical tools such as Multi-Attribute Value Models, Bayesian Probability Networks, and Decision Trees are covered.
  • HAP 735 (3:3:0)
    Risk Analysis in Health and Bioscience
    Students learn to assess risk at the time of increased threats and drive the information security program of healthcare organization. The course includes qualitative and quantitative risk analysis models, risk analysis life cycle as well as methods of evaluating the validity and reliability of existing indices. Students learn about existing tools for assessment of risk as well as procedures for construction of new risk indices.
    Note: With the Advisor’s approval, students may also meet this requirement by taking courses in Epidemiology and Biostatistics program in the College of Health and Human Services. 
• Elective Course (3 credit)
  • HAP 547 (3:3:0)
    Regulatory Requirements for Health Care Systems
    This course is designed to help health care professionals understand the linkage between the infrastructures of the organization and the regulatory/accreditation processes for health care organizations. An overview covers the major accrediting agencies, their roles, the accreditation principles, and the survey process. Applications will focus on hospitals, with reference to ambulatory care, managed care organizations, rehabilitation centers, laboratories, home health and long-term care facilities. Emphasis will be placed on the requirements of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) and the regulations mandated by the Health Care Finance Administration (HCFA).

    Note: with the approval of the advisor, students may take an alternate elective.

• Total = 15 Credits

Explanation of Credit Hours
Course titles are followed by numbers in parentheses (0:0:0), separated by colons. The numbers have the following significance:

• First Number: credits for the course
• Second Number: hours of lecture or seminar per week for the course
• Third Number: hours of laboratory for the course

For independent study, readings, topics, or similar courses, individual instructors set hours.