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College of Health and Human Services

Graduate Health Systems Management Degree
Concentration in Health Information Systems Management

Point of Contact
Dr. Khalid Moidu
Phone: 703-993-9734
Email: kmoidu@gmu.edu

39 credit hours comprise the Health Systems Management with a concentration in Health Information Systems Management Degree. 24 credits form the common core of the degree and another 15 form the major.

Concentration builds on and integrates content from the courses in the degree core, to prepare students for mid level consultant or management positions in the health industry related to the development and management of health information systems. This includes the development and management of products, service and systems related to Telehealth and electronic commerce in health related services and information and data management in health care enterprises. Concentration courses are taken from Graduate Health Science and the school of Information Systems and Engineering.

Note: If students have not had recent, relevant experience in the US Health System/Industry, an additional 3 credit course is required: HAP 678: The US Health System, thus bringing the number of credits required to 42.

Also Available - Certificate in Health Information Systems

Employment Prospects

Program of Study

  • Required Core Courses (24-27)
    • HAP 678* (3:3:0)
      Introduction to US Health Systems*
      Course is required, as a prerequisite to all other certificate courses, for students who do not have familiarity with all aspects (financing, providers, care systems) of the U.S. health care system and recent working experience. Explores the structure, function, and financing of the health care delivery systems in the U.S. Designed to familiarize students with the development of the various sub-systems of care and the ways in which public, private, and social forces influence the politics of healthcare, shape the system, and impact public health. Includes analysis of systems infrastructure and the socio-political context of the U.S. health care system. Course Website.
      *If students have not had recent, relevant experience in the US Health System/Industry, an additional 3 credit course is required: HAP 678: Introduction to the US Health System (thus bringing the number of credits required to 42).
    • HAP 586 (3:3:0)
      Operations/Quality Management of Health Services
      Examines the operations and quality management functions of a health care/service organization from a strategic viewpoint. Explores the contributions of operations research and quality management to improve delivery and production of health services and business processes from the perspective of the health care manager. Explores contemporary performance measures (quality and productivity) useful for improving process performance and selected decision support system methods from operations management. Course website.
    • HAP 621 (3)
      Management of Health Service Organizations
      An introductory course in the application of organizational and management theory, relating to the management of health service organizations. Emphasis is placed on leadership and trends in organizational structure that affect performance effectiveness, quality and inter-organizational relations, and the values and principles of health management as a profession.
    • HAP 501 (3:3:0)
      Introduction to Biostatistics
      Applies selected biostatistics techniques to public health and health system management issues. Includes univariate, bivariate statistics and regression analysis.
    • 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 512 (3:3:0)
      Health Services Research
      Prerequisite: HAP 501. Students learn the role of health services research in policy and in evidence-based management and clinical practice. Students learn to formulate a problem, to conduct online searches of published literature to describe the state of knowledge in the field, to conceptualize the research project, to conduct analysis of secondary data, to design an experiment, and to conduct evaluation research. Students learn to organize presentation of research and methods of feedback. Courses include analysis of secondary data.
    • HAP 715 (3:3:0)
      Health Economics
      Emphasizes health care managers an understanding of economic efficiency in the U.S. health system. Microeconomic methods are used to examine markets and resources in health care. Health care is examined as a commodity, and the demand for health and medical care services, provider behavior, and the function and behavior of insurance markets is explored. Selected topics include: government role, financing arrangements, insurance reform, rationing, price regulation, and provider competition.
    • HAP 740 (3:3:0)
      Management of Health Information Systems
      Introduces health and medical information systems with emphasis on systems analysis and design to support managerial and clinical communications and decision making. Explores trends and innovations in information technology and systems, focusing on the managerial oversight of health and medical information systems. Explores contemporary management strategies for information systems personnel. Course Website.
    • HAP 790 (3:2:6)
      Practicum
      The Practicum consists of 20 hours and is taken in the last semester of study as a Capstone Course. Practicum Website.
      All coursework in the major must be completed. Arrangements must be made with the instructor a semester in advance. Permission of instructor required.
  • Health Information Systems Management Concentration (15)
    • HAP 720
      Health Data Integration
      (3:3:0) Students learn to manipulate large databases, create link table queries, write SQL application programs, understand sources of data conflicts, and identify methods of integrating ODBC databases with legacy data. Covers data warehousing, methods of analyzing large databases, including Bayesian belief networks and machine learning in health care context. Features semesterlong data integration group project.
    • HAP 601
      Electronic Commerce and Online Marketing Health Services
      (3:3:0) Explores development of online health services; organization of online businesses; online marketing, financial, and clinical transactions; and venture capital and the IPO process. Explores creating and maintaining web pages and databases. Reviews literature on effect of computer services on patient care and health care organizations. Also reviews examples of successful and bankrupt technology firms in health care. Student groups draft business plan and develop early version of service proposal.
    • HAP 709
      Health Care Databases
      (3:3:0) Introduces design and use of health and medical databases, providing hands-on experience. Explores uses of medical record systems. Includes review and analysis of databases and database management systems. Examines application of databases to clinical and managerial transaction.
    • HAP 745
      Health Care Security Policy
    • Approved elective
  • Total = 39-42 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.