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Methodist Health System Employees

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Healthcare Operations Management, MS

Online

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Earn a healthcare management degree online that will provide you with skills and knowledge necessary to take on highly valued positions in a variety of healthcare settings.

This isn't your every day online Healthcare Management Degree.

Be in charge of change. As the healthcare industry undergoes a dramatic evolution, so will the jobs of those who oversee healthcare operations and management. Managers are being asked to improve and guide the productivity and efficiency of operations in their organizations. With an online Master of Science in Healthcare Operations Management from NMC, you'll be ready to deftly handle the challenges.

Create your own success. The online Healthcare Operations Management masters degree at NMC is unlike other healthcare administration degrees. This program not only gives you a foundation for management and leadership, it also provides an application-based curriculum so you'll be able to skillfully manage the integration of people, processes and systems in any healthcare environment.

Healthcare Operations Management Program Info

  • Taught by industry leaders
  • Features a unique delivery method - all courses will be taught in 1-credit, 4-week modules
  • Students have the flexibility to choose how many courses to take at a time and how quickly to complete his or her degree
  • Completion of the masters degree requires a total of 32 credit hours
  • Graduate certificate option available

Healthcare Management Salary and Job Outlook

Healthcare administration salary ranges will vary by experience, education, level of responsibilities, location and many other variables.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates the U. S. median salary in May 2010 for Medical and Health Service Managers was $84,270 per year, with a faster than average projected job growth until 2020 of 22 percent.

Admissions

Application Deadline: Rolling
 Program Start Date: March 2013

Prospective students in this online healthcare management degree may apply anytime and are accepted from deadlines throughout the year. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and students will be notified of their admission by letter or phone.

Program Admissions Criteria

Applicants are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

  • Bachelor degree (or higher) from an accredited university or college - does not have to be in healthcare
  • Bachelor degree GPA of 2.5 or above
  • Students can transfer in up to nine (9) graduate credit hours of coursework from other schools
  • Potential academic credit for prior learning

Program Application Process

To be considered for admission the following items must be submitted to the Admissions Office:

For More Information Contact:

Laurel Zentner Laurel Zentner
Recruitment & Admissions Coordinator
(402) 354-7170
laurel.zentner@methodistcollege.edu

Tuition & Fees

Attending Nebraska Methodist College represents a major investment in your future. For most students, attending college takes planning and sacrifice. NMC recognizes this and is committed to helping you find every avenue to finance your education. 

Tuition per credit hour: $681

 

For employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, contact Laurel Zentner for tuition details. 

Financial Assistance

There are several options to help you address the costs of this online healthcare management degree:

  • Pay the program costs yourself.
  • Use available employee education benefit resources with your company.
  • Use student loans.  The college can work with you to administer this process.  A requirement is for you to submit a FAFSA application.  More details on our Financial Aid page. It is best to start this process early.
  • If you are an employee of Nebraska Methodist Health System, contact Laurel Zentner for more information about your financial assistance options. 

Courses will focus on a specific topic and are broken into nine different program areas.  By limiting to 1-credit, the course will require work but will not be incredibly time intensive over a four-week period.  A student must take a certain number of courses within each program theme to complete the degree.

See the upcoming schedule of courses >

Below are a listing of the available courses. More courses will be added as they become available.

Leadership and Management (3 required)

HOM 501

Change Management

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Identify strategies to better understand and overcome resistance to change; Making a persuasive business case for change based on best practices; Developing skills for effective collaboration to garner support and buy-in at all levels.


  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 502

Individual and Team Creativity

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The rules, stages, approaches for individual idea generation, and processes for achieving group creativity and consensus.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 503

Managing Team and Group Dynamics

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Tools for learning, comprehending, and recognizing the diverse strengths and abilities of individuals on a team and on approaches for managing an effective team. 

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 504

Organizational Learning through Mentoring/Mentorship

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Skills to inspire others by modeling the positive organizational states of confidence, optimism, and resiliency.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 505

Leadership Development: Defining and Assessing your Leadership Style

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Models, theories and tools for self-assessment; continuous learning and self-improvement.

  • Credits: 1.0

Strategic Orientation (1 required)

HOM 510

Strategic Planning

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Defining an organization's strategy or direction and making decisions on allocating resources to pursue it.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 511

Project Selection

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Selecting a good project involves determining project objectives, defining quantifiable goals, describing its value, exploring its return on investment in terms of cost and impact, and anticipating the risks.  

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 512

Project Leadership

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How to simultaneously managing the four basic elements of a project: resources (people, equipment, material), time (task durations, dependencies, critical path), money (costs, contingencies, profit, return), and scope (project size, goals, requirements).  

  • Credits: 1.0

Human Resource Management (1 required)

HOM 520

Talent Identification and Hiring

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Characteristics of high performing employees; Talent identification strategies; Writing an effective ad for employment, and Legal issues and regulations in hiring.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 521

Employee Development and Performance Review

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Expecting the best from employees through focused development efforts and effective performance reviews.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 522

Succession Planning

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Identifying and developing internal people with the potential to fill key business leadership positions in an organization.

  • Credits: 1.0

Financial Management (2 required)

HOM 530

Healthcare Economics

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Fundamental healthcare economics, budgeting, cost avoidance versus cost reduction, variance analysis.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 531

Billing and Coding

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Changes to ICD billing coding and transition from ICD 9 to ICD 10.  Introduction to claims processes and procedures for private and Medicaid/ Medicare.

  • Credits: 1.0

Systems Thinking and Risk Intelligence (3 required)

HOM 540

Root Cause Analysis

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Using root cause analysis as a tool for learning the causes of an issue or problem in a system. 

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 541

Six Sigma for Healthcare

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Improve the quality of systems by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in healthcare processes.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 542

Lean Strategies and Tools

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Role of lean concepts and tools for eliminating waste and developing a continuous improvement mentality for a healthcare system.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 543

Risk Mitigation

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Identifying and managing risks.  A focus will be on reducing day-to-day risks through human factors/ergonomic techniques and organization risks.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 544

Benchmarking and the Balanced Scorecard

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Comparing processes and performance metrics to industry bests or best practices. Using the balanced scorecard to manage execution of strategy by monitoring four interconnected perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Processes and Learning & Growth.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 545

Crisis Management Planning

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How to prepare a healthcare organization for a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public.  An exploration of types of crises, crises leadership, best practices for contingency planning, and the role of training and simulation for preparation.

  • Credits: 1.0

Healthcare Analytics (2 required)

HOM 550

Turning Data Into Information

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How to have a critical eye in assessing data presentations.  How to interpret data, know what statistical significance means, and understand the types of biases that can impact a study and presentation. 

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 551

Data Collection Strategies

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Tools and approaches for collecting patient and staff feedback.  Emphasis will be on survey question design and strategies, controlling biases, and instructional review board processes.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 552

Spreadsheet Simulation

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Using Monte Carlo simulation approaches for incorporating uncertainly and randomness in a spreadsheet model.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 553

Capacity and Staff Planning

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Developing accurate estimates for how many patients, staff, and resources are needed for a healthcare facility.

  • Credits: 1.0

Healthcare Operations (3 required)

HOM 560

Healthcare Industry Issues and Trends

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Historical perspectives of healthcare delivery in the US,  influences (drug companies),  government, providers, patient's rights; ethical issues including conflict of/ competing interests, allocation of scarce resources.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 561

Healthcare Regulatory Issues

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Overview of issues (Medicare, Medicaid, OSHA, JAHCO, nuclear, etc.)and policies (Affordable Care Act) impacting healthcare and private insurance, Privacy


  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 562

Resource Utilization

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Exploration of how best to utilize healthcare equipment and facilities.  Topics will include utilization, capacity, reusable medical equipment, preventive maintenance, replacement planning.


  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 563

Vendor Management

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Issues involved in working with external vendors.  What type of equipment to purchase - balancing cost, reliability, capabilities, and maintenance requirements. Legal issues such as request for proposal, contract development and obligations.


  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 564

Clinical quality

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Tracking and measuring patient satisfaction and outcomes (length of stay, infection rates)


  • Credits: 1.0

Effective Communication (2 required)

HOM 570

Professional Writing

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Effective communication strategies using memos, e-mails, letters, and reports.  An emphasis is on best practices for defining a clear and tailored professional message.


  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 571

Communication Strategies

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Development of communications nuances.  Topics include: negotiation skills, effective listening strategies, how to read a situation and identifying a core message, interpreting body language.

  • Credits: 1.0

Health Informatics (1 required)

HOM 580

Medical Informatics: Privacy and Security of Health Information

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Balancing the need for access to information for business and patient care needs with the need to protect the security and confidentiality of that same information.

  • Credits: 1.0

HOM 581

Healthcare Information Systems

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Exploration of the software and hardware issues involved in people and healthcare organizations use to collect, filter, process, create, and distribute data.

  • Credits: 1.0

Capstone (1 required)

HOM 581

Capstone Course

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Execution of an applied project integrating concepts of healthcare operations management.

  • Credits: 1.0

How is this degree different a Healthcare Administration degree (HCA)?

A healthcare administration degree is generally very generic and provides basic business knowledge for individuals in healthcare.  The Healthcare Operations Management degree focuses on developing, planning and managing healthcare systems and operations, with a strong emphasis on applied knowledge rather than theoretical.  Our goal is to make you a more effective healthcare manager.

What is unique about this program?

Our program is tailored to the working professional with a framework and course design that provides flexibility to balance professional and personal commitments with your academic goals.

Course are offered in 1-credit, 4-week long sessions. There will be eleven 4-week modules per year.

Students have the flexibility to take up to three courses during any 4-week sessions, or sit out a session when you get too busy at work or home - the choice is yours. 

Courses are taught by industry leaders who engage students in applying industry standards and learning cutting-edge techniques.

Why have 1-credit courses?

The program is designed for busy healthcare professionals.  Courses focus on a specific topic versus a range of topics. By limiting each course to 1-credit, the course will require work but will not be overly time intensive over a four-week period. This is important for a working professional.

How would I apply this to my work?

The following are examples of how you would be able to apply coursework:

  • Determining the schedule for a suite of operating rooms to minimize turnover time.
  • Developing worker schedules that ensure coverage and account for employee preferences.
  • Making inferences from large amounts of data.
  • Making a decision on what type of equipment to purchase - balancing cost, reliability, capabilities, and maintenance requirements.
  • Tracking incident rates for medical errors to measure if something systematic is happening in an area or in a facility.
  • Determining the approach for replenishing supplies to balance limited storage space with patient and facility needs.
  • Creating schedules for preventive maintenance to reduce downtime for equipment.
  • Developing approaches for developing and nurturing teams.
  • Creating a long-range strategic plan for an area of your facility.
  • Selecting a project that has the best return on investment when having to choose among multiple options.
  • Develop a mentorship and succession plan for your organization.

How does this program relate to the Healthcare Analytics Certificate Program (HACP)?

The Healthcare Analytics Certificate Program is a non-credit degree program developed as a professional development opportunity for employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.  The Master of Science in Healthcare Operations Management (HCOM) is a for-credit program with the focus on career development and advancement, and open to anyone who meets the criteria for admission.  For individuals who have passed courses in the HACP program, program degree requirements will be reduced.

What should I expect within a typical course?

Courses will be very applied and focused and are developed for the working professional. Courses will be structured around threaded Pillars of Learning:

  • Content: reading (book chapters, industry articles, research articles),  presentation (voice over PowerPoints, video, YouTube, podcasts)
  • Faculty-Student Interaction: discussion forum (group or individual posts), webinar, conference call.  For interactive components (webinar, conference call), they will be recorded if a student cannot participate during the live event.
  • Writing: memos, letters, literature review/reference paper, other assignments
  • Application: case studies, applied projects assignments in the courses will develop your resourcefulness, creativity, benchmarking, and reflective practices.

What if I don't want to get a master's of science degree?

You can take select courses that interest you or you can pursue a graduate-level certificate in Healthcare Operations Management by completing 10 courses.

As a non-degree seeking student, you can take select courses that interest you. You would apply to our school as a post-bachelor degree student. Per the College policy for non-degree seeking students, you can take up to 9 credits. Limited financial aid options exist for non-degree seeking students.

As a certificate student, you can take ten courses and receive a graduate certificate in Healthcare Operations Management. For this option, you will have to apply to be admitted to our graduate program. Limited financial aid options exist for certificate students.

Contact Online Admissions for more details.

What is the schedule of courses?

Courses will be offered in each of our traditional academic terms (Fall, Spring, and Summer). Within each academic term, there will be numerous modules.  View the listing of courses for 2013.