The Penn State MHA program provides college credit for completion of some components of the Year Round Leadership Academy (YRA). The Penn State/PAMED collaboration creates a pathway from the YRA to a Penn State Certificate in Health Administration Leadership to
a complete Master of Health Administration. Graduates of the YRA who complete required program requirements will earn 6 credits toward the 15 credit certificate.
Students choose five courses to complete the certificate.
1. HPA 520: Introduction to Health Services Organizations and Delivery: Introduction to the organization and utilization of health services as well as an introduction to health policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation in the
United States. The course will provide a brief overview of the historical development of various components of health care services in the United States. Additionally, the course will explore the determinants of individual and population health, introduce
topics of management, operations assessment, quality, ethics, health disparities and financial analysis.
2. HPA 447 Advanced Financial Management Principles in Health Service Organizations I:
Managerial Accounting and Finance foundations for decision making including capital investment, sources of financing, revenue cycle management,
cost behavior, profit analysis, reimbursement under third-part payer environments, cost allocation and required government program reporting.
NOTE: CREDIT FOR THIS COURSE TOWARD THE CERTIFICATE WILL BE AWARDED FOR THOSE WHO SUCCESSFULLLY COMPLETE THE PAMED YRA FINANCE COURSE AND ALL OTHER LEADERSHIP ACADEMY REQUIREMENTS.
3. HPA 835 Advanced Financial Management in Health Institutions:
Case based analysis of the financial environment of health institutions, financial aspects of management decision making with an emphasis on revenue sources, budgeting
and cost control.
4. HPA 805 Change Leadership in Health Services Organizations:
This course focuses on strategic and operational approaches to leading and managing change in health service organizations. Students will examine strategic communication
techniques that encompass an organizations’ business goals, the motivations of their leaders, and the framework in which business decisions are made in order to leverage them for the most effective method to provide innovative and effective
planning, implementation, and evaluation of change.
NOTE: CREDIT FOR THIS COURSE TOWARD THE CERTIFICATE WILL BE AWARDED FOR THOSE WHO SUCCESSFULLLY COMPLETE THE PAMED YRA CHANGE LEADERSHIP COURSE AND ALL OTHER LEADERSHIP ACADEMY REQUIREMENTS.
5. HPA 890 Project Management in Health Services Organizations:
The project management framework of this course will allow students to enhance previously attained competencies and acquire advanced skills while addressing ever-evolving
project management challenges specific to the health care services organizations. The assignments will focus on enterprise-wide thinking while engaging in cross-functional relationships as they work to meet project goals.
6. HPA 854 Population Health and Quality Management in Health Services Organizations:
This course is designed to provide students with the requisite knowledge and skills for leading quality improvement and population health management
efforts in health services organizations. The various perspectives on the challenges of providing safe and reliable health services are covered. Population health will focus on the identification and stratification of populations at risk; evidence-based
care, care coordination, patient and community engagement and data analytics and reporting of outcomes. Operational approaches to quality improvement adapted from within health care and other industries are examined and applied.