CRES 831 Health Policy and Systems Thinking

The formation of successful health policy and reform requires stakeholders to understand the structure of both the public and private sectors of the healthcare system, the delivery of health care services in the US, health law and the effects that governmental healthcare reform can have on the cost, quality, and access to healthcare services. This course will also cover the implications of moral hazard to the economics of healthcare and will outline the profound impact health policy can have on quality of life for the US population. Disparities in the delivery of and outcomes from various healthcare sectors will also be covered.

Credits

3

Student Learning Outcomes

1. 1. Know the historical context of health policy, including specific examples of past health policy successes and past and current health policy challenges.
2. 2. Understand the relationship between health policy and healthcare outcomes across various US populations.
3. 3. Know the theoretical frameworks for both inductive and deductive health policy formation.
4. 4. Summarize how healthcare cost, quality, and access interact within the US healthcare system and the impact these three variables can have on the patient experience.
5. 5. Identify structure of the various public and private payers within the US healthcare system and understand their influence on health policy.
6. 6. Define how domestic and international healthcare systems and policies differ and what we can learn from the experiences and health of our international partners.
7. 7. Summarize the social determinants of health and their role in the development of health disparities.
8. 8. Apply the role of health economics, moral hazard, and opportunity costs on the development of health policy.