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College Catalog 2012-2013


Health Services Management


The Health Services Management program teaches students the foundational knowledge and skills needed to become health care managers for advancement in health care disciplines. It prepares students to transfer to a baccalaureate degree program in Health Services Management/Administration where upon graduation they can hold the position of medical office manager, health care administrator, practice administrator, regional operations director, manager of operations, associate administrator for strategic planning and director of patient access.

Understanding the social, political, economic, and financial issues affecting health care will provide students with the knowledge to transfer to a baccalaureate program and become effective health care managers. The components of finance, technology, health care policy and economics that comprise the U.S. health care system and how each element interrelates with one another are emphasized in this curriculum.

Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this program graduates will be able to:

  • Demonstrate effective communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills while serving the needs of the profession.
  • Identify current issues and trends affecting the U.S. health care delivery system and strategies to address them.
  • Analyze federal, state and local health care policies and critique their effectiveness in serving the needs of the intended stakeholders.
  • Critically analyze a broad spectrum of cultural, economic, ethical, moral, physiological, and social factors to be able to make sound, independent decisions regarding health care practice and management.
  • Maintain professional competence by utilizing opportunities for continuing education and career advancement.
  • Utilize their knowledge and skills to successfully transfer to a baccalaureate degree program in health services administration.

Program Entry Requirements:
This program is open to all students. Students identified as needing developmental course work must satisfactorily complete the appropriate English and mathematics courses as part of their degree program.

Program of Study and Graduation Requirements:
To qualify for the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree in Health Services Management, a student must complete 62 credit hours as prescribed, attain a grade point average of 2.0 and receive a grade of “C” or better in each core course and in each required prerequisite course.

HEALTH SERVICES MANAGEMENT COURSE SEQUENCE
Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
FIRST SEMESTER

AH 116 - Interpersonal and Professional Skills in the Health Care Setting   3 Am/Global Diversity

AH 103 – Medical Terminology   3  

ENGL 101 – English Composition I 3 ENGL 101

BIOL 106 – General Biology I   4 Natural Science

CIS 103 – Applied Computer Technology 3 Tech Comp

SECOND SEMESTER

AH 112 - Medical Administrative Procedures   3  

AH 120 - Reimbursement Methodologies in Health Care   3  

PSYC 101 – Introduction to Psychology   3  

ENGL 102 – The Research Paper ENGL 101 3  

MATH 118 - Intermediate Algebra or higher   3 Mathematics

THIRD SEMESTER

AH 204 - Medical Law and Ethics ENGL 101 3  

ACCT 101 – Financial Accounting 4  

AH 220 - Information Management Systems in Health Care CIS 103, AH 112 3  

Social Science Elective   3 Social Science

Humanities Elective   3 Humanities

FOURTH SEMESTER

AH 260 - Supervisory Management in Health Care AH 204 3  

AH 222 - Health Care Policy and Administration AH 120, AH 204 3  

Math 150 - Introductory Data Analysis or ECON 112 - Statistics 1 3/4

AH 224 - Current Issues and Trends in Health Care AH 120, AH 204 3  

Humanities Elective   3  

MINIMUM CREDITS NEEDED TO GRADUATE: 62


General Education Requirements
All General Education requirements are met through required courses (as indicated above) except for the Writing Intensive requirement and Interpretive Studies requirement. Therefore, in order to graduate, students in this program must choose one course that is designated Writing Intensive and one course that is designated Interpretive Studies. The same course may be used to fulfill both requirements. View the courses that fulfill all degree requirements and receive a more detailed explanation of the College’s general education requirements to help in your selection.

For More Information Contact:
The Division of Math, Science and Health Careers, Room W2-7, 1700 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, Telephone (215) 751-8430; or the College Information Center (215) 751 8010.