3 semester credits

To improve performance outcomes, healthcare organizations often rely on operations management to identify sources of inefficiency, inefficacy, and problems in coordination and delivery of care. In this course, students examine the factors that affect performance outcomes within healthcare organizations; methods to monitor, adjust, and improve performance; and techniques and tools of quantitative analysis of operations and decision support that assist in management of capacity issues, reengineering, staffing, scheduling, productivity, and supply chain. Other important concepts that students examine include understanding operational assessment; understanding patient care and related support-care processes through flowcharting of steps in the process; taking a systems perspective on the organization and delivery of services; identifying problems and improvement opportunities using analytical techniques; and monitoring performance data to identify trends and variation based on current operations and those resulting from changes and improvements.