Online MHCM - Master's in Healthcare Management

AIU's online MHCM degree program is designed for busy professionals. In this online healthcare management degree program, you’ll have the opportunity to develop a comprehensive, holistic understanding of how the healthcare industry works. The intensive 45-credit online MHCM program covers global, historical, organizational and operational perspectives across multiple disciplines such as law, marketing, business, government, finance, accounting, ethics and technology. Our multi-disciplinary curriculum is specifically designed to help students prepare to pursue more responsibility in this complex and ever-changing industry.

This one-year healthcare management master’s program is designed to help students work to develop in-depth, industry-relevant business knowledge to prepare to pursue additional responsibility in their field. The online MHCM is a highly-focused degree program designed to provide students with a comprehensive core of the specialized knowledge and skills for healthcare management.

AIU's Online MHCM Degree Program Benefits

• Complete your healthcare management master’s program in as little as 12 months.
• Programmatically accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
• Access courses on your schedule from any web-enabled device with the AIU Mobile App.
• Work to build your skills through hands-on, experiential projects.
• No GRE/GMAT is required to enroll in our graduate degree programs.

The tuition and graduation calculator can estimate your graduation time and cost.¹

Our flexible online MHCM program lets you access your classwork wherever an internet connection is available. AIU's virtual resources are equipped with an online library and 24/7 tech support. AIU provides students with convenience, flexibility, and academic support to accommodate complex work and family schedules. We offer full and part-time program options and transfer-in credit for eligible college, work and military experience.² This could reduce the time it takes to earn a degree and save you money in the process.

The AIU MHCM online program can help you learn how to:

• Develop quality improvement strategies aimed at refining organizational performance.
• Ensure effective healthcare delivery and problem-solving with collaborative leadership strategies.
• Evaluate quality improvement data to influence processes and financial outcomes of healthcare decisions.
• Assess the opportunities and threats of innovative technology for evolving healthcare delivery systems.
• Apply ethics principles to evaluate potential ethical and legal dilemmas in healthcare.
• Manage healthcare practices through the effective communication of processes, policies and regulations.

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Total tuition for this degree program may vary depending on your educational needs, existing experience, and other factors.

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For a Masters in Healthcare Management Online Degree, your classes may include:

Healthcare Leadership and Management

This course focuses on understanding and applying organizational theory, design, and change, focusing on leadership and management principles, concepts, virtues, values, character, and practices related to the healthcare industry. In addition, the course explores the role of healthcare organizations as a communication system with internal and external departmental interactions creating effective organizational performance with an emphasis is on strategic planning, conflict resolution, operational budgeting, and diversity in the workplace, as well as the opportunity to study ethics, learn and practice ethical decision-making through dilemma resolution processes.

Healthcare Information Systems Management

This course examines emerging perspectives in healthcare information management systems (HMIS) and the concept of digital health data. It analyzes digital health software and patient-centric technologies, the process of HMIS planning and management, and the role of informatics in public health. It examines HMIS standards, policies, governance, legal, ethical issues, emerging health technologies and healthcare globalization through information technology.

Healthcare Administration

This course provides a systematic understanding of the U.S. health care delivery system. Towards this goal, it explores organizational principles, the constantly evolving health care environment, and emerging issues relevant to health care systems and their management. It includes an emphasis on best practices for performance and quality improvement and effective management of teams. The course provides an understanding of the interrelationships of networked organizations and professional groups, focusing on delivering value and exploring ethical and legal issues. It also examines the impact of technology on healthcare delivery and the influence of globalization.

Accounting for Managers

This course covers the primary functions of accounting which measure the activities of a company and communicate those measurements to help managers make good decisions. These decisions are related to how a company finances operations, manages operating costs, minimizes risks, utilizes resources, maintains a supply chain, and generates profits for owners.

Employment Law

This course analyzes various employment laws, the legal rights and responsibilities of employees and employers, laws concerning equal employment opportunity concerning discrimination and harassment because of sex, race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability. Furthermore, the course inspects free speech -- rights at work, work-related privacy, electronic communication, social media, and classified workers in the gig economy. The class will examine diversity and Affirmative Action, the legal and regulatory environment, wage and hour, leaves of absence, hiring, termination, labor/management relations, and collective bargaining.

Legal and Ethical Implications in Healthcare

This course introduces a comprehensive overview of federal, state, and local health care laws related to ethical issues, privacy, security and fraud, medical records and technology, confidentiality issues, and their effect on patient rights and care. It also examines different types of legislation, regulation, and accreditation. There is a review of the requirements of various government agencies, such as the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). There is also a consideration on how these government agencies handle fraud and abuse cases, risk management, business ethics, corporate compliance, and accreditation.

Healthcare Market Research and Analysis

This course analyzes various approaches to health care business development and marketing research. The course will examine how leaders foster a strategic mindset and use modern technology, new trends in data collection, and strategic best practices to develop and execute successful marketing strategies in the health care field. At the end of the course, you will have the tools to create step-by-step approaches in developing a health care business plan by bridging the gap between marketing theory and new modern tactics.

Healthcare Strategies

This course introduces students to understanding competitive strategy and the theories and models in strategic management. The course focuses on formulating strategies, evaluating strategies, developing strategies, and the implementation of strategies in health care organizations. At the completion of this course, students will understand how strategic management is used to help advance health care organizations by using strategic management theories, strategic analysis, and business decision making in a constantly changing health care setting.

Healthcare Financial Management and Decision Making

This course is designed to expose the student to financial management and decision making as applied to businesses, specifically the healthcare industry. The course covers sources of funding and other resources in healthcare, the benefits, risks, and cost associated with different financial sources and uses. The student investigates Medicare and other third-party payment systems, pricing, billing and coding processes, and the legal and regulatory implications as related to managerial decision making and regulatory compliance.

Strategic Management for Healthcare

This is a capstone course that provides a foundation for the development and implementation of a global business enterprise using integrated business strategies and policies. This capstone course is structured to cover the principles covered in the MHCM program. The student is required to use different methods and principles learned in the program as a foundation for their final project deliverable. The deliverable will include the planning, implementation, management, and evaluation of the corporate resources, products, and assets of a specific healthcare entity. Advanced research is an integral component of this course.

University Catalog

Course content subject to change.

What is a Master of Healthcare Management (MHCM) degree?

AIU’s Master of Healthcare Management degree (MHCM) is tailored to explore how the healthcare industry is managed across multiple disciplines, including government, law, marketing, business, accounting, ethics, and information systems. This program is designed to help students prepare to pursue more responsibility in this complex and ever-changing industry.

What will I study in this MHCM degree program?

In this Master’s in Healthcare Management (MHCM) program, students study program core courses, including but not limited to, Healthcare Leadership and Management, Legal and Ethical Implications in Healthcare, and Healthcare Financial Management and Decision Making. This healthcare management degree program is designed to teach learners how to evaluate quality improvement data to influence processes and financial outcomes of healthcare decisions, apply ethical principles to evaluate potential ethical and legal dilemmas in healthcare and manage practices through the effective communication of processes, policies, and regulations.

When and where can I begin my healthcare management master’s degree classes?

MHCM degree program is offered online or in person at AIU’s Houston and Atlanta campuses. It starts every 5 weeks. Completion of the AIU admissions process will depend on how quickly you complete the steps in the AIU application process. You may speak to an Admissions Advisor over the phone (1-855-377-1888) or request information online. Once you’ve completed the online request, you may hear from an advisor within 24 hours to discuss the next steps toward starting your degree program.

How many credits are required to graduate from the master’s degree program?

The Master of Healthcare Management (MHCM) degree requires a total of 45 credit hours. You may be eligible for transfer credit with provided official transcripts. AIU accepts up to 18 quarter hours of the qualifying credits you need toward your degree^*.

* Transfer credit is evaluated on an individual basis. Not all credits are eligible to transfer. See the University Catalog for transfer credit policies.

Why should I pursue a Master of Healthcare Management degree at AIU?

Deciding to pursue a Master of Healthcare Management degree program at AIU is a big step. AIU’s Healthcare Management degree is programmatically accredited1 and gives learners the opportunity to develop a comprehensive, holistic understanding of how the healthcare industry works. Full or part-time program options are available, and a GRE/GMAT isn’t required to enroll in our graduate degree programs. Candidates in our flexible online MHCM program have access to classwork, an online library, and 24/7 tech support wherever an internet connection is available, making this a great option for busy adult learners.

**The business programs at American InterContinental University are Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) accredited.