Course Overview

BUS-402: The Evolving Healthcare Community (3 Credits)
Program(s): CMR

COURSE CONSULTANTS

THIRD EDITION:

Thomas P. Reinders, PharmD
Associate Dean of Students
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia

Kevin A. Schulman, MD, MBA
Director, Center for Clinical
and Genetic Economics
Duke University
School of Medicine
Durham, North Carolina

FOURTH EDITION:

Kevin A. Schulman, MD, MBA
Director, Center for Clinical
and Genetic Economics
Duke University
School of Medicine
Durham, North Carolina

James Howell, MD, MPH
Chair, Department of Rural Medicine
Professor of Public Health
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Graduate Supplement
BUS-5402
To earn graduate-level credit, this supplement and course BUS-402 must be successfully completed.

Click here for more information about graduate-level credit.

Who Should Take This Course:
Sales representatives, managers, and others who interact with a wide variety of healthcare professionals, including physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, and are interested in learning how the U.S. healthcare community has changed during the last century and how it continues to evolve in the era of managed care.

Career Applications/Benefits:
The U.S. healthcare community has been profoundly affected by the changes brought by the cost-containment revolution and the influence of managed care. Traditional relationships among independent physicians, employer-funded insurance plans, and the Medicare/Medicaid safety net have given way to managed care organizations and integrated delivery systems, where there is greater emphasis on evidence-based medicine and cost-effective care. Pharmaceutical companies continue to develop and market products and services that meet the changing needs of today’s healthcare community. By orienting individuals to the pressures and constraints of today’s healthcare environment, this course will help healthcare representatives to work more effectively within their local communities. The information provided in this course will help representatives to become familiar with other members of the healthcare community, including their educational backgrounds, their daily responsibilities, and practice environment. By learning who is paying for healthcare and where the healthcare dollar is being allocated, representatives will have a better understanding of the prescribing pressures faced by physicians and how to present their products and services to best meet the unique needs of each provider.

Course Description:
This course describes health insurance plans, managed care organizations, and healthcare financing, including how healthcare services are funded by the government, employers, and individual consumers. It also describes the professions represented in healthcare, with particular emphasis on physicians. The course discusses how healthcare delivery systems are organizing themselves to provide a continuum of care. Finally, it highlights current trends within the pharmaceutical industry, including company mergers and collaborations, value-added programs, and national account management teams.

Related Courses:
• The 21st Century Physician
• Contemporary Pharmacoeconomics
• The Managed Healthcare Market
• The Pharmaceutical Industry

Chapter Content:

Chapter 1: Overview of the U.S. Healthcare System
	Health Insurance Plans and Healthcare Financing Employers and Individual Consumers Current Trends
Chapter 2: The Roles of Healthcare Providers
	Physicians Physician Assistants Nurses Pharmacists Other Members of the Healthcare Team
Chapter 3: The Healthcare Continuum
	Patient-Focused Care Changing Roles of Hospitals Alternate Healthcare Settings
Chapter 4: The Pharmaceutical Industry and the Healthcare Community
	Strategies to Meet the Customers' Needs The Role of the Healthcare Representative

Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to describe the U.S. healthcare system and how healthcare services are funded, including commercial insurers, managed care organizations, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the government, employers, and employees; discuss the changing role of healthcare providers, including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and other members of the healthcare team; describe the changing roles of hospitals and the increased use of alternate care settings; discuss current trends within the pharmaceutical industry, including mergers and alliances with PBMs; describe industry strategies used to approach managed care organizations and government programs; and examine the role of the healthcare representative as consultant, educator, and team player.