Advanced Course in Health and Medical Care Management, 5 credits

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in public health science, healthcare or other relevant social sciences subject area. And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.
And at least the grade G (pass) on the course Health and Medical Care Management, 10 credits.

Medically guided healthcare management (medical management) is enacted by founding decisions on actions, resources, work and organisation on medical knowledge, i.e. knowledge on how health gains can be best achieved. Central to the approach is to apply evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and organise their implementation as to ensure that right actions are taken by staff with the right competence at the right moment in a safe patient process where non-value adding waits and waste are eliminated.

This advanced course in medical management focuses on theories and methods to describe the provision of healthcare services as a value-adding process. Central techniques are value stream mapping, statistical process control theory to characterise variation as well as systematical process improvement and outcome assessment of process changes, activity based costing of patient processes, and modelling and simulation as tools to plan and evaluate process improvement. These methods are applied medical statistics.

The objectives of the course are to develop participants competencies in the medically guided organisation and management of healthcare, with a special focus on clinical operations management, as well as process and systems improvement. Participants will develop both their theoretical understanding and technical method skills as well as acquire basic research skills relevant to the subject.

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding, skills and abilities of
process design

• Define the concept of value creation in healthcare;
• Explain how to design processes to efficiently and effectively meet patient needs.

Process planning

• Explain how different strategies can be applied to produce value;

Process improvement

• Describe why leadership and management principles are integral to process improvement;
• Describe how quantitative and qualitative tools can be used to monitor and improve performance of healthcare processes;
• Identify different sources of process variation;
• Apply contextually suitable methods to monitor and manage process variation.

Judgement and approach

• Advocate the necessity of organising care based on value creation for the benefit of patients and citizens;
• Internalize the professional and ethical imperatives for  continuous improvement.

Value-based health care and its implications.

Operations management applied to health care.

Clinical process design, planning, and improvement.

Statistical process control theory and methods

Modelling and simulation of patient processes

Activity based costing

Methods to improve patient safety

A combination of student activating lectures, seminars, case methodology, e-learning, group-work and individual assignments will be used. Major parts of the course will be allocated to a group assignment, in which management knowledge and skills are applied in an improvement project. Students will write diaries with reflections and comments on specific topics brought up during the course.

• Written and oral assignments.
• Individual contribution during compulsory course activities.

Requirements for the grade Pass with distinction (VG) are VG on the final assignments and on at least one of the other assignments, and pass (G) on remaining assignments.

Compulsary participation
Participation in seminars, group work and certain lectures is compulsory. The course director assesses if and, in that case, how absence can be compensated. Before the student has participated in all compulsory parts or compensated absence in accordance with the course director's instructions, the student's results for the course/respective part will not be registered in LADOK.

Limitation of number of occasions to write the exam
The student has the right to write the exam six times. If the student has not passed the exam after four participations he/she is encouraged to visit the study advisor.

The number of times that the student has participated in one and the same examination is regarded as an examination session. Submission of a blank examination is regarded as an examination. An examination for which the student registered but not participated in will not be counted as an examination.

Examination will be provided during a time of two years after a possible cancellation of the course. Examination can take place according to an earlier literature list during a time of one year after the date when a major renewal of the literature list has been made.

The course will be evaluated in accordance with the guidelines established by the Board of Higher Education.

The course language is English.