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
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
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Demographic dynamics, population health and its determinants
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Science and medicine: the rise and limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine
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Blocks of healthcare systems: governance, funding, technologies (including AritificiaI Intelligence) and human resources
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In-depth analysis of prototypes of healthcare systems
Part B: Management issues in healthcare
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Inter-organizational networks within healthcare systems
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Healthcare organizations as professional bureaucracies: structures, functions and professional dynamics
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The challenge of implement AI applications
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Organizational models and issues of coordination of care
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Organizational culture and the link with performance
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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
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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:
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Quality of the analysis and of the suggested improvements
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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