HSCM 556 Healthcare Management Information Systems

The course is focused on sourcing and procurement of pharmaceuticals, with the aim of introducing students to how to maximize cost benefits considerations in the sourcing and procurement process. The course objectives include assisting technical advisors, program managers, warehouse managers, procurement officers, and service providers in estimating total commodity needs and costs to support successful implementation of national health program strategies and goals. Additionally, the course aims to provide students with an understanding and practice with the strategies, approaches, and methods for realizing a competitive advantage through the firm's sourcing processes and relationships with suppliers. The course content covers the growth in the strategic role of purchasing and supply chain management, sourcing decision making, global sourcing, outsourcing, strategic supplier evaluation and selection, supplier management and development, and cost and price analysis. The course also includes a reading list of four textbooks on purchasing and supply chain management. The mode of delivery for the course includes lectures, small group practices, discussions, demonstrations, audio visual presentations, and student presentations. The grading for the course is based on hand-ins, including one individual assignment, one group assignment, participation in group discussions, a mid-semester examination, and an end of term examination. The academic/scientific writing requirement for the course emphasizes the importance of exhibiting utmost academic and scientific writing skills in presentations and assignments. The term paper, which is optional, gives students the opportunity to explore one of the topics covered in the course in greater detail. The assignment schedule for the course includes four units, each with three assignments. The assignments include a summary of learnings in relation to a case organization, a group comparison of activity for similarities of application of the concepts studied, and news article reviews and report writing. The deadlines for the assignments are specified, and failure to deliver assignments on the specified date will attract penalties in the form of a reduced grade. The course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of healthcare management information systems, with a focus on sourcing and procurement of pharmaceuticals. The course objectives, content, and delivery mode are all designed to achieve this goal, and the grading and assignment schedule provide a clear framework for students to work towards achieving the course objectives.