Health Care Finance Advanced Certificate

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Online Admissions Contact

Karen Palmer, Graduate and Online Recruitment Coordinator
585-475-5656,

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A graduate credential driven by real-time employer demand

These jobs will grow 9% by 2030, outpacing overall labor market growth. Health care employers need finance professionals with an understanding of the health care industry to solve their more pressing financial problems.

The health care finance job market

80k+

Average Annual Salary

9%

Employment Growth

22%

Related Occupations

97%

RIT Graduate Outcomes Rate

Program Highlights

Health care employers need financial professionals who are well-versed in the unique intricacies of the health care industry. The advanced certificate in health care finance is ideal for you if you have an interest or background in finance and you’d like to work in health care.  

Designed for working professionals, this four-course graduate-level credential will familiarize you with how the US health care system is financed and the impact of efforts to reform. You will gain financial management skills which can be leveraged in both for-profit and not-for-profit health care organizations.

Curriculum

HLTH-710
Health Care Economics and Policy
Credits 3
This course provides an examination of the roles and responsibilities of policy makers on the health care system and the resulting economic impact of their policies. Students will compare and contrast the regulatory functions of varying levels of government, the political process and economic impacts as they relate to health care systems as well as examine control issues, economic functions and regulatory trends in the United States. In addition, an assessment will be made of national health systems and national health policies of other countries as they compare to the United States.
HLTH-730
Health Care Financial Management I: Principles & Practice
Credits 3
This course provides a basic understanding of health services financial management. We begin with elementary accounting concepts and then focus on financial statement preparation and analysis. Special topics areas include discounted cash flow, risk, capital investments evaluation, debt/equity financing, and financial decision making models such as break-even analysis, cash flow forecasting and the like.
HLTH-731
Health Care Financial Management II: Concepts/Applications
Credits 3
This course builds on the foundational learning from Health Care Financial Management I: Principles & Practice. Course emphasis will be on for-profit entities within the health care sector. The course goes into greater depth on discounted cash flow analysis, risk, financial performance evaluation, capital investments, capital budgeting, debt, and equity financing. A key objective of this class is to develop the student’s ability to engage in long-term financial modeling. Students will complete a comprehensive financial forecast as their final graded assessment for this field of study.
HLTH-732
Health Insurance and Reimbursement
Credits 3
This course provides an in-depth review of the characteristics of successful health insurance plans with emphasis on cost containment and premium control techniques. Emphasis will be placed on learning various cost containment and quality improvement tools of an effective delivery system and how to apply those tolls to different delivery structures. The relationship between shared risk and behavior change is explored as well as basic concepts of health insurance underwriting and the essentials of a successful provider payer partnership.

A foundation for the MS Health Systems Management

With your advanced certificate in health care finance, the master of science in health systems management is within your reach. The 12 credits/four courses will count toward your master’s degree.

Admission Requirements

  • Hold a baccalaureate degree (or equivalent) from an accredited university or college. 
  • Submit official transcripts (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work.
  • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent).
  • Submit two letters of recommendation from individuals who have the opportunity to observe the applicant’s work output.
  • International applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores from the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE.

Cost

The online advanced certificate in health care finance requires 12 credits and costs $1,191 per credit hour (Academic Year 2020 – 2021). This tuition reflects the RIT Online discount of 43% off traditional campus-based graduate program costs.

Keep in mind that there are many options available that may help you lower your costs including: 

  • Military tuition benefits
  • Support from employers 
  • Private scholarships 
  • Financing 
  • Payment plans

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