Department of Health Care Programs

Department of Health Care Programs Mission Statement

In concert with and in support of the missions of Iona College and The American College of Healthcare Executives, the Department of Health Care Programs commits itself to continuous improvement in serving the needs of its constituencies especially through education within the rich heritage of intellectual inquiry, the values of social justice, peace, and service. The department is committed to promoting an atmosphere where understanding and acceptance of cultural and racial diversity are insured. The department continuously monitors the health system and the college environment to adjust its mission in response to changes.

The Department of Health Care Programs commits itself to its:

Students in its undergraduate and graduate divisions by providing an academically rigorous education grounded in theory and ethical applications that reflect industry and corporate needs in the context of a global economy and that fosters lifelong learning, leadership and service;

Faculty through the creation of a collegial and intellectually stimulating environment that rewards teaching excellence, promotes individuals’ research interests, and encourages meaningful involvement in the life of Iona College;

Community through the creation and delivery of professional continuing education programs to the health care sector, by being a resource to area health care industry professionals, through student internships in local organizations, and as well as participating in professional organizations through membership and Board activities.

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Department of Health Care Programs
Undergraduate Program Mission Statement and Goals

The Health Care Administration program at Iona College educates a diverse community of adult learner students for health administration careers and for programs of advanced graduate study in preparation for leadership positions in the healthcare industry. Consistent with its commitment to excellence in teaching, and a curriculum that is contemporary, innovative and relevant to the needs of adult learners, the Program’s Mission is to improve the delivery of health services and ultimately the health status of the populations served by health care administration graduates as professional health services managers.

Graduates of the Iona College Health Care Administration Department will be sought after because they:

• Are committed to health administration values and ethics, particularly to the principles of social and economic justice, and to serving all people regardless of age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, religion, sex and sexual orientation;
• Are educated within a philosophy dedicated to academic excellence in the tradition of the Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education, which promotes intellectual inquiry and the values of justice, peace and service.

Based on the Program Mission Statement and the needs of the adult learner students in the BPS in Health Administration degree program, the following goals and objectives for the HCA major were developed and are listed below.

Goals and Objectives of the HCA Major
The adult learner undergraduates of the Health Care Administration (HCA) major will be trained to assume entry- to middle-level management careers in health service organizations by:

Goal 1: Developing an understanding of behavioral, biomedical and social factors that impact individual and population health in the U.S.;

a) Demonstrates an in-depth understanding of retrospective and prospective payment structures and their relationship to the provision of health and medical services in the U.S.

b) Demonstrates an ability to locate information on the health care needs of U.S. population in general, as well as in reference to specific populations.

c) Demonstrates an ability to evaluate a health care organization’s ability to provide health and medical care services to a specific population in terms of access and availability of services

d) Demonstrates knowledge of cultural diversity and other socio-economic factors impacting the consumption of health care services in the US.

Goal 2: Developing an understanding of general business management concepts and principles as well as the distinct organizational characteristics that impact the delivery of health services in the U.S.;

a) Demonstrates an ability to synthesize theoretical perspectives on managing complex, formal organizations (i.e., hospitals, health maintenance organizations, nursing homes, etc.)

b) Using assigned case studies and spreadsheet analysis using Microsoft Excel, demonstrates an ability to apply basic problem solving skills along with health care financial management knowledge to develop recommendations related to the financial issue(s) confronted by a health care organization.

c) Demonstrates an understanding of the health information systems, types of medical records (electronic and hybrid formats) and health information classification procedures used by US health care organizations

d) Demonstrates an ability to apply knowledge of health care planning and marketing principles to propose a business plan for a new health services organization or health services product line.

Goal 3: Acquiring knowledge of the moral, ethical, legal and socio-economic factors that impact health service organizations in meeting the demands for health care in the U.S.

a) Using assigned case studies, demonstrates an ability to define and assess the quality of a health service organization in relation to its quality assurance and quality improvement activities.

b) Demonstrates an ability to analyze existing legal and regulatory structures at the state and federal level to identify their potential for assuring that health services organizations are responsible to the populations they serve.

c) Demonstrates an ability to recognize moral and ethical factors impacting the consumer’s decisions

Goal 4: Providing practical experiences and life experience portfolio opportunities that will enable the student to either apply theoretical principles and knowledge gained, or identify and describe the knowledge, skills and abilities obtained through their health care work experiences, in order to demonstrate skills for future employment.

a) Demonstrates an ability to organize and collaborate within a team and formulate a plan for effectively dealing with specific health care management problem.

b) Demonstrates an ability to organize information for the purpose of analyzing, writing and presenting a case study analysis and associated recommendations for changing organizational behavior.

c) Demonstrates an ability to complete a 120 hour internship in a health service organization or a life experience portfolio summarizing the knowledge, skills and abilities obtained from a minimum of 5 years’ full-time employment in the health care field.

d) Demonstrates critical leadership and organizational skills in written and verbal form by assuming major responsibility for a program or project during the capstone seminar, including a professional presentation using Microsoft Powerpoint.