Healthcare Reform Perspectives: Accountable Care Concepts for Managers

The Healthcare Reform Perspectives: Accountable Care Concepts for Managers course introduces students to the accountable Healthcare concepts defined in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of March 2010. Over the coming years, implementation of the Affordable Care Act will present a unique and lengthy set of challenges for healthcare practices across the country. An essential part of this transition aimed at cost reduction will include the implementation of Health Information Technology (HIT) to make data available between providers, insurance carriers and patients, implicating the need for coordinating patient information, maintaining health information security and keeping abreast of on-going and often complex information presented on a regular basis. Other key trends will focus on Electronic Health Records, coordinator of care, accurate documentation and the avoidance of fraud and abuse particularly across Medicare and Medicaid. Moreover, the shift in focus toward prevention and wellness will change the way physicians practice and require significant reporting efforts to comply with the Physician Quality Reporting System. In order to transition practices effectively to ensure both compliance and overall viability in both the near and long term, this course will help practice managers to apply their existing administrative knowledge, understanding of the Healthcare system and general project management skills in the most effective way.

To address these challenges, the Healthcare Reform Perspectives course will offer students the opportunity to learn about the numerous challenges presented by this Healthcare reform legislation and gain an understanding of the law’s implications for Healthcare managers.

The Healthcare Reform Perspectives: Accountable Care Concepts for Managers course will address the following primary course objectives:

• Summarize the need/context for reform of the American Healthcare system
• Convey the four legislative policy principles which frame the law
• Describe the major programs/initiatives/changes in the American Healthcare system and their associated implementation time frames
• Explain a minimum of three implications for a manager following each lesson
• Determine appropriate resources for ongoing updates and information regarding Healthcare legislation