Course 2024-2025 a.y.

20495 - HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT AND POLICY

Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English

Go to class group/s: 31

CLMG (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - M (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - IM (6 credits - I sem. - OP | 12 credits SECS-P/07) - MM (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - AFC (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - CLELI (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - ACME (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - DES-ESS (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - EMIT (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - GIO (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - DSBA (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - PPA (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - FIN (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - AI (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/07)

Course Director:
GIOVANNI FATTORE

Classes: 31 (I sem.)

Instructors:
Class 31: GIOVANNI FATTORE

Suggested background knowledge

PREREQUISITES

No prior knowledge in healthcare is required for this course.

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

Health is a fundamental human right and a crucial factor for social well-being and economic prosperity. Consequently, health is a global concern necessitating coordinated efforts across various levels of governance, including the WHO, WTO, EU, as well as national and local governments. The substantial involvement of both public institutions at national and supranational levels finds justification in economic theory; market failures in the health sector arise from public goods such (biodiversity, pollution, medical research and health promotion), externalities like infectious diseases and insurance markets, and information asymmetries such as those within the patient-doctor relationship. In the realm of healthcare, market forces must be regulated through significant reforms and targeted policy interventions to address these challenges. However, despite facing similar obstacles, countries exhibit diverse healthcare systems with variations in coverage, governance, financing, ownership and payment structures for providers, human resources, and strategies to drive innovation. Furthermore, the healthcare sector holds immense promise for the application of Artificial Intelligence, offering opportunities for groundbreaking advancements. Managing within the healthcare industry presents unique complexities due to the professional bureaucracies prevalent in healthcare organizations. Managers encounter distinctive challenges, including motivating employees, navigating inter-organizat

CONTENT SUMMARY

The course provides an international overview of management and policy issues related to healthcare systems in Europe and other continents. Its contents are organized in two main parts.

Part A: Healthcare systems and policy

Demographic dynamics, population health and its determinants
Science and medicine: the rise and limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine
Blocks of healthcare systems: governance, funding, technologies (including AritificiaI Intelligence) and human resources
In-depth analysis of prototypes of healthcare systems

Part B: Management issues in healthcare

Inter-organizational networks within healthcare systems
Healthcare organizations as professional bureaucracies: structures, functions and professional dynamics
The challenge of implement AI applications

Organizational models and issues of coordination of care
Organizational culture and the link with performance
Change and innovation processes within healthcare organizations

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

Identify the main global health trends

Illustrate a model to intepret healthcare systems

Describe and explain the main features and criticalities of specific healthcare systems

Illustrate the main distinctive features of healthcare management.

Define the main managerial decisions taken in healthcare oranizations

Explain some Artificial Intelligence applications in medicine and the challenge of their implementation

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

Analyze and discuss the main characteristics of health systems

Apply the main tool and strategies specifically used in healthcare management

Simulate decision making through a hospital game

Argue positions in debates on policy and management of controversial issues

Judge the benefits and the potential harm of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

Design and prepare a group presentation

Teaching methods

Lectures
Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
Collaborative Works / Assignments
Interaction/Gamification

DETAILS

The course will use a mix of interactive class discussions and group work. Class discussions will be based on case studies, journal club sessions (aimed at the discussion of scholarly studies) and structured debates (aimed at the discussion of controversial issues in healthcare). In particular, structured debates will be organized around controversial issues in healthcare (a policy and a managerial issue, respectively based on the two parts of the course).The group work will result in in-class presentations and discussions. Guest speakers will complement face-to-face lectures with direct experience from the field.

Assessment methods

	Continuous assessment	General exam
Written individual exam (traditional/online)		x
Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)	x
Business Game	x

ATTENDING STUDENTS

Besides the final written exam, assessment will be based on the group work presentation, the performance in the debates and the Business Game.

The grade is articulated as follows:

a) 60% final written exam: 6 multiple choice questions and 2 open-ended questions;

b) 30% group assignment: presentation of the analysis of a relevant issue in healthcare and of priorities for potential improvement. This task will allow to assess not only the analytical capacities of students but also their ability to apply knowledge to a specific issue and envisage feasible solutions. The assessment will be based on the following two criteria:

Quality of the analysis and of the suggested improvements
Quality and clarity of the presentation

c) 10% quality of the arguments employed in the debates

An extra point for the team who wins the hospital game

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

60% final exam

40% a paper whose topic must be agreed with one of the two instructors in advance. The paper is expected to have a scientific format (e.g., an introduction, a central part with the contribution of the research -not necessarily with quantitative data-, a discussion where policy/management implications are addressed and personal considerations can be reported-, references). The paper has not to be longer than 4,000 words including reference but excluding the abstract and figure/tables (if any). We will pay particular attention to plagiarism.

Teaching materials

ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Unfortunately, there is not an up-dated and adequate book for this course. We will use books' chapters and articles (on average about one per session). The list of readings will be available in the syllabus. They will be downloadable from Blackboard or through links in the syllabus.

Last change 26/05/2024 22:45