Health Care Finance Advanced Certificate
Health Care Finance: Online
Advanced Certificate
This graduate-level certificate in health care financial management provides you with the skills needed to advance your career in the health care industry.
Overview for Health Care Finance Adv. Cert.
This program is no longer accepting new student applications.
Health care employers need financial professionals who are well-versed in the unique intricacies of the health care industry. The advanced certificate in health care finance is ideal if you have an interest or background in finance and you’d like to work in health care.
Health Care Financial Certificate: Offered Exclusively Online
Designed for working professionals, this four-courses graduate-level credential will familiarize you with how the U.S. health care system is financed and the impact of efforts to reform. You will gain financial management skills that can be leveraged in both for-profit and not-for-profit health care organizations. The advanced certificate in health care finance is an ideal way for health care professionals to deepen their understanding of health care financial management. The four-course, 12 credit hour curriculum supports student's understanding of how the US health care system is financed, the impact of efforts to reform the system, as well as the development of financial management skills within for-profit and not-for-profit health care organizations. To meet the needs of working professionals, the certificate is offered exclusively online.
A Foundation for the MS Health Systems Management
With your advanced certificate in health care finance, the master of science in health systems management is within your reach. In this masters’s degree you will build competencies in the five core areas key to success in health care management and leadership: (1) knowledge of health care systems in the U.S., (2) communications and interpersonal effectiveness, (3) critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving skills, (4) canagement and leadership skills, and (5) professionalism and ethics theory and practice. The four courses that comprise the advanced certificate in health care finance will count towards this master’s degree.
What is a Graduate Certificate?
A graduate certificate, also called an advanced certificate, is a selection of up to five graduate level courses in a particular area of study. It can serve as a stand-alone credential that provides expertise in a specific topic that enhances your professional knowledge base, or it can serve as the entry point to a master's degree. Some students complete an advanced certificate and apply those credit hours later toward a master's degree.
Curriculum for 2024-2025 for Health Care Finance Adv. Cert.
Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements
Health Care Finance, advanced certificate, typical course sequence
| Course | Sem. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| HLTH-710 | Health Care Economics and Policy This course provides an examination of the roles and responsibilities of policy makers on the health care system and the resulting economic impact of their policies. Students will compare and contrast the regulatory functions of varying levels of government, the political process and economic impacts as they relate to health care systems as well as examine control issues, economic functions and regulatory trends in the United States. In addition, an assessment will be made of national health systems and national health policies of other countries as they compare to the United States. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
3 |
| HLTH-730 | Health Care Financial Management I: Principles & Practice This course provides a basic understanding of health services financial management. We begin with elementary accounting concepts and then focus on financial statement preparation and analysis. Special topics areas include discounted cash flow, risk, capital investments evaluation, debt/equity financing, and financial decision making models such as break-even analysis, cash flow forecasting and the like. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| HLTH-731 | Health Care Financial Management II: Concepts/Applications This course builds on the foundational learning from Health Care Financial Management I: Principles & Practice. Course emphasis will be on for-profit entities within the health care sector. The course goes into greater depth on discounted cash flow analysis, risk, financial performance evaluation, capital investments, capital budgeting, debt, and equity financing. A key objective of this class is to develop the student’s ability to engage in long-term financial modeling. Students will complete a comprehensive financial forecast as their final graded assessment for this field of study. (Prerequisites: HLTH-730 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| HLTH-732 | Health Insurance and Reimbursement This course provides an in-depth review of the characteristics of successful health insurance plans with emphasis on cost containment and premium control techniques. Emphasis will be placed on learning various cost containment and quality improvement tools of an effective delivery system and how to apply those tolls to different delivery structures. The relationship between shared risk and behavior change is explored as well as basic concepts of health insurance underwriting and the essentials of a successful provider payer partnership. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 12 |
|
Certain countries and individuals are subject to comprehensive embargoes under US Export Controls, which prohibit virtually ALL exports, imports and other transactions without a license or other US Government authorization. Individuals applying for online study who are subject to these embargoes will be notified during the application process.
Note for online students
The frequency of required and elective course offerings in the online program will vary, semester by semester, and will not always match the information presented here. Online students are advised to seek guidance from the listed program contact when developing their individual program course schedule.