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Home | Academics Overview | Health Services and Policy

Health Services and Policy

Overview

Impact Comes Through Policy Policy-making is one of the cornerstones of public health. By understanding the decisions, plans and actions that shape policy, you can work to improve access and delivery of health care services in your community — and beyond.

Health Services and Policy Track Courses

PM 547 Public Health Policy and Politics, 4 units

Examination of major policy issues in the U.S. health care delivery system to understand policy options in reforming health care and reducing health care disparities. Prerequisite: PM 508.

PPD 501ab Economics for Policy, Planning and Development, 4 units

Students are introduced to Economic Thinking (ET). Developers survive and prosper by making a very large number of good forecasts and acting on them, accepting the risk that accompanies any action. Developers live in a sea of information and do best if they process the incoming data better than others. ET helps on three levels: we better understand:
1) economic trends;
2) the evolving policy environment; and
3) local conditions (location, location, location). This course will also equip students to benefit from other RED courses such as market analysis, approvals, finance and law

PM 504 Quality in Health Care, 4 units

The course will examine quality assessment at different levels of the health care system, including health plans, physicians, hospital and integrated system performance. The course will examine the influence of the micro perspectives such as the workforce, organizational structure and payment incentives on health care quality. Macro perspective includes strategic planning, alliance, competition, marketing and technology at the health care systems level. The students will also evaluate how quality of health care relates to health outcomes and population health

PPD 560 Methods for Policy Analysis, 4 units

Methods used in the analysis of policy methods, including cost benefit analysis, decision and risk analysis, and applied social science methods

PM 536 Program Evaluation and Research, 4 units

Overview of concepts, tools, data collection, analysis methods and designs used to evaluate health promotion programs. Examples from substance abuse prevention, family planning and reproductive health programs

Track Total: 20

Health Services and Policy Careers

When it comes to the world of Health Services and Policy, there is a great deal of career flexibility. This is in part due to the number of interdisciplinary organizations that collaborate to make laws and regulations, as well as the type of skill required to successfully write them.

Job titles in Health Services and Policy can include:

  • Health Policy Analyst
  • Legislative Associate
  • Manager, Government and Regulatory Affairs
  • Manager, Health Policy & Research
  • Patient Resource Specialist
  • Policy and Advocacy Associate
  • Research Analyst
  • Research Associate

Agencies and organizations that employ health policy experts include:

  • State or local public health departments
  • County or city governing bodies
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Hospitals or physician groups
  • Advocacy organizations (i.e. American Cancer Society)
  • Governing bodies
  • Government agencies (i.e. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)