Insegnamento a.a. 2024-2025

The course provides an international overview of management and policy issues related to healthcare systems in Europe and other continents. Its contents are organized in two main parts. 

Part A: Healthcare systems and policy 

• Demographic dynamics, population health and its determinants

• Science and medicine: the rise and limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine  

• Blocks of healthcare systems: governance, funding, technologies (including AritificiaI Intelligence) and human resources    

• In-depth analysis of prototypes of healthcare systems   

Part B: Management issues in healthcare 

• Inter-organizational networks within healthcare systems 

• Healthcare organizations as professional bureaucracies: structures, functions and professional dynamics 

• The challenge of implement AI applications

• Organizational models and issues of coordination of care 

• Organizational culture and the link with performance 

• Change and innovation processes within healthcare organizations 

Identify the main global health trends 

Illustrate a model to intepret healthcare systems

Describe and explain the main features and criticalities of specific healthcare systems

Illustrate the main distinctive features of healthcare management.

Define the main managerial decisions taken in healthcare oranizations

Explain some Artificial Intelligence applications in medicine and the challenge of their implementation

Analyze and discuss the main characteristics of health systems

Apply the main tool and strategies specifically used in healthcare management

Simulate decision making through a hospital game

Argue positions in debates on policy and management of controversial issues

Judge the benefits and the potential harm of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

Design and prepare a group presentation

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification

The course will use a mix of interactive class discussions and group work. Class discussions will be based on case studies, journal club sessions (aimed at the discussion of scholarly studies) and structured debates (aimed at the discussion of controversial issues in healthcare). In particular, structured debates will be organized around controversial issues in healthcare (a policy and a managerial issue, respectively based on the two parts of the course).The group work will result in in-class presentations and discussions. Guest speakers will complement face-to-face lectures with direct experience from the field.  

Besides the final written exam, assessment will be based on the group work presentation, the performance in the debates and the Business Game. 

The grade is articulated as follows: 

a) 60% final written exam: 6 multiple choice questions and 2 open-ended questions; 

b) 30% group assignment: presentation of the analysis of a relevant issue in healthcare and of priorities for potential improvement. This task will allow to assess not only the analytical capacities of students but also their ability to apply knowledge to a specific issue and envisage feasible solutions. The assessment will be based on the following two criteria: 

• Quality of the analysis and of the suggested improvements 

• Quality and clarity of the presentation 

c) 10% quality of the arguments employed in the debates 

An extra point for the team who wins the hospital game

60% final exam

40% a paper whose topic must be agreed with one of the two instructors in advance. The paper is expected to have a scientific format (e.g., an introduction, a central part with the contribution of the research -not necessarily with quantitative data-, a discussion where policy/management implications are addressed and personal considerations can be reported-, references). The paper has not to be longer than 4,000 words including reference but excluding the abstract and figure/tables (if any). We will pay particular attention to plagiarism.

Unfortunately, there is not an up-dated and adequate book for this course. We will use books' chapters and articles (on average about one per session). The list of readings will be available in the syllabus. They will be downloadable from Blackboard or through links in the syllabus.