The Business of Health Care Specialization

Advance your career in health care management. Develop business skills and understand the American health care system to improve cost and quality.

About This Specialization

This Specialization was designed to help you keep pace with the rapidly changing world of health and health care. Through partnership with Wharton and Penn Medicine, you’ll learn from experts in business acumen, health care management, and health care policy to develop the skills you’ll need to successfully navigate the quickly evolving landscape of this fast-growing field.* By the end of this specialization, you will have a strong foundational understanding of the American health care system, along with the basic financial and management skills to make better, well-informed decisions that improve the cost and quality of the health care you or your enterprise provides. *The employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 17% from 2014 to 2024, significantly faster than the average for all occupations. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor. “Occupational Outlook handbook 2016-17 Edition. Medical and Health Services Managers.”

Created by:

4 courses

Follow the suggested order or choose your own.

Projects

Designed to help you practice and apply the skills you learn.

Certificates

Highlight your new skills on your resume or LinkedIn.

Projects Overview

Learners will have the opportunity to see the application of key concepts covered in the Specialization to real-world health care challenges using case studies and financial statements from health care initiatives. By the end of the Specialization, learners will be able to apply management and financial skills to their own practice by maximizing cost and efficiency of insurance and healthcare operations.

Courses

Beginner Specialization.: No prior experience required.

COURSE 1
Financial Acumen for Non-Financial Managers
Current session: Aug 20
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this course, you’ll explore how financial statement data and non-financial metrics can be linked to financial performance. Professors Rick Lambert and Chris Ittner of the Wharton School have designed this course to help you gain a practical understa
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.
COURSE 2
The Economics of Health Care Delivery
Current session: Aug 20
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this course, you’ll learn about the key components of health care, and the economics behind their principles and pricing strategies. Professors Ezekiel Emanuel of Penn Medicine and Guy David of the Wharton School have designed this course to
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.
COURSE 3
Management Fundamentals
Current session: Aug 20
Commitment
2-3 hours per week
Subtitles
English
About the Course
People are the most valuable asset of any business, but they are also the most unpredictable, and the most difficult asset to manage. And although managing people well is critical to the health of any organization, most managers don't get the
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.
COURSE 4
Health Care Innovation
Current session: Aug 20
Subtitles
English
About the Course
In this course, you’ll learn the foundational economic theories behind health care innovation and how to optimize your own health care practice or organization. Designed to help you gain a practical understanding of the theoretical frameworks of be
You can choose to take this course only. Learn more.

Creators

The Perelman School of Medicine, the nation’s first medical school, and Wharton, the first collegiate business school, at the University of Pennsylvania, are both world renowned, top-ranked academic centers leading innovation and excellence in their fields.
The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.

Christian Terwiesch
Andrew M. Heller Professor at the Wharton School, Senior Fellow Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics Co-Director, Mack Institute of Innovation Management
Christopher D. Ittner
EY Professor of Accounting
Richard Lambert
Professor of Accounting
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD
Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor
Peter Cappelli
Professor of Management, Director, Center for Human Resources
Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine, Division of Health Policy / Professor of Health Care Management
David A. Asch, MD, MBA
Professor of Medicine and Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Amol S. Navathe, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Guy David, PhD
Gilbert and Shelley Harrison Associate Professor of Health Care Management
Roy Rosin, MBA
Chief Innovation Officer
Michael Useem
Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management