Program Description
Healthcare Quality and Safety (HQS) is the study and prevention of adverse events, suboptimal care, ineffective treatments, inefficient processes and unnecessary clinical variation in health systems.
Master’s Degree
The Master of Science (MS) builds upon the foundation concepts presented in the Graduate Certificate and focuses on the advanced application of HQS concepts necessary for the analysis, management, and improvement of HQS and the systems that deliver healthcare services. This option contains 10 online courses and a capstone project, which is specifically designed to enhance the student’s career trajectory. This option can be completed in two years.
Learning Goals/Outcomes
The HQS program prepares graduates to lead the transition of healthcare delivery towards high-value care by preparing them to:
Graduate Certificate
- Apply management and leadership skills to develop policies related to measurement and improvement of HQS
- Integrate change management theory into project management program design to improve healthcare quality and patient safety
- Distinguish the various factors that influence risk in health care and discuss the legal principles and regulatory mechanisms that relate to it
- Apply the foundational concepts of quality and safety measurement, improvement and analysis within the framework of collaborative team dynamics and change management
Master’s Degree (Above Plus)
- Produce evidence to support healthcare policy development and change
- Integrate quality, safety, and transformation/change management tools to promote patient safety
- Design and implement performance improvement strategies at a system level
- Assimilate interprofessional collaboration into an organizational strategic plan for compliance with internal and external influences on quality and safety
- Evaluate effectiveness of various performance improvement interventions and outcomes
- Develop systematic approaches to drive broad-impacting improvements in clinical outcomes across the healthcare continuum
Curriculum: 2 years1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Master of Science | ||
| OPX 530 | Appl Lead Strat for Eff Change | 3 |
| HQS 500 | Intro Healthcare Qual & Safety | 3 |
| HQS 504 | High Reliability | 3 |
| HQS 509 | Appl Princ of Healthcare Qulty | 3 |
| HQS 515 | Appl Princ of Patient Safety | 3 |
| OPX 520 | Change Management | 3 |
| HQS 512 | Business Case for Quality | 3 |
| HQS 505 | Adv Tools & Methods for HQS | 3 |
| HQS 507 | Adv Appl of HQS in Clin Set | 3 |
| Elective (PD Approval) | 3 | |
| HQS 650 | Capstone | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Elective Options | ||
| HQS 508 | Quality in Post-Acute Care Set | 3 |
| HQS 516 | Teaching Quality & Safety | 3 |
| OPX 532 | Project Management Essentials | 3 |
| OPX 540 | Baldrige | 3 |
| OPX 550 | Fundamentals of 6 Sigma DMAIC | 3 |