Course Catalog

Healthcare Management Professional Certificate

Learning Outcomes Student Profiles Program Schedule Instructor Bio Success Stories Register Now
Program Overview
Delivering greater value in today’s rapidly changing healthcare ecosystem, including delivery model reform, new reimbursement methods, shifting public policy, and limited resources, is a challenge for healthcare professionals. Offered together with and supported by the Woodbury School of Business (WSB) and the College of Health & Public Service (CHPS) at UVU, this program empowers participants to drive success in their organizations by providing leadership that fosters innovation, strategic planning, and critical thinking through diverse, multi-functional teams to improve coordinated, comprehensive patient care and economic outcomes. They will discover best practices in clinical resource utilization, value measurement, and data-driven decision making, as well as determine their roles in leading and communicating organization strategic vision and transformation initiatives. Offered in partnership with the Woodbury School of Business and College of Health & Public Service and at Utah Valley University as well as Intermountain HealthCare and Revere Health, the Healthcare Management Professional Certificate Program helps inform participants of the breadth of the field of healthcare management, thereby preparing them for successful careers in the field of healthcare management, including leadership strategies, understanding policy and ethics in healthcare, communication and negotiation skills for healthcare leaders, informatics and data-driven decision-making, managing human capital, engineering efficient and effective healthcare delivery systems, and working within community-based partnerships.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, you as the participant will understand current, real-world issues impacting healthcare from a variety of viewpoints. You will learn management and leadership skills within the context of healthcare, including how to lead teams through times of change, negotiate conflict, and working with community partners. Local industry leaders will be sharing their knowledge and experiences in navigating policy impacting healthcare, designing efficient delivery systems, using data to make decisions, and intrapreneurship within the healthcare setting. You will set yourself apart and demonstrate your expertise, credibility, and confidence in leading positive change in your organization as you earn the Healthcare Management Professional Certificate.
Student Profiles
The program is designed for entry-level healthcare industry workers through mid-to-senior clinical and non-clinical leaders, which could include physicians, nurses, business managers, and administrative executives, as well as leaders of external partners (pharmaceutical, insurance, medical device, medical supply, government, etc.). The intended audience are those who are working towards, or currently, need to collaborate across business units and functions to promote innovation, deliver more value, measure costs more accurately, and navigate evolving practices, methods and regulation. Students in this program can apply for prior learning credit towards Health Care Administration and Community Health Education (AS & BS) degrees.
Program Schedule
UVU Executive Education and the Woodbury School of Business have a long-established reputation for the successful delivery of high-quality leadership, management, professional, and entrepreneurial education programs and resources. Modules in the program focus on powerful, strategic healthcare management (HCM) topics, principles, best practices, and tools. While some prior knowledge is helpful, there are no prerequisites, and no prior experience is required.
Session 1 :: Leading into Healthcare: Intro to Healthcare and Leadership Strategies
This module focuses on introducing participants to the state of contemporary American healthcare systems, public health initiatives, challenges, stakeholders, legislation, and opportunities. The leadership strategies portion will focus directly on management and leadership in healthcare and will serve as an introduction to finance, systems, human capital, collaboration, quality care, and strategic planning for leaders.
Session 2 :: Understanding Policy, Ethics, & Law in Healthcare
This module serves as an overview of relevant policy, ethics, and law in healthcare for participants with a focus on understanding the integration of law and policy with the needs of public health and the demands of ethical healthcare. This module will discuss Tort, credentialing, patient consent, PHI, malpractice, ethics, HR, and Elder Law.
Session 3 :: Communicating & Presenting as a Leader
This module explores leadership and communication styles. Public speaking, engaged listening, and presentation styles will be discussed and developed by participants with a focus on setting goals and how to present clearly and succinctly in a professional setting.
Session 4 :: Negotiating through Change & Conflict Resolution
This module will focus on changes in the healthcare setting, current events and projected future healthcare industry needs, and the leadership skills to navigate changing foci and situations within the industry and company. Negotiation techniques and styles will also be discussed in terms of conflict resolution both up and down the chain of command.
Session 5 :: Leading High-Performance Teams
This module will focus on managing human capital, discussing strategic business plans and implementing them, winning employee buy-in, as well as measuring performance against KPIs and scorecards. It will also discuss Human Resources and professional development in a healthcare setting.
Session 6 :: Engaging with Informatics: Finance, Reporting, & Decision-Making for Healthcare Professionals
This module will explore finance, accounting, reporting, and how the financial side of running a healthcare4 center informs data analysis and business decisions, in conjunction with an organizational strategic plan, in order to make decisions for the organization.
Session 7 :: Understanding Process & Quality Management Fundamentals
This module will focus on identifying processes and quality improvement measures, including lean (efficient) systems that are beneficial in healthcare, and how to make shifts to existing processes to allow for leaner, more efficient processes.
Session 8 :: Designing Efficient & Effective Healthcare Delivery Systems & Population Health
This module will focus on understanding healthcare delivery systems, including the aspects of patient safety, risk management, and population health reimbursement models and working with federal and private insurers.
Session 9 :: Understanding Healthcare Innovation & Intrapreneurship
This module focuses on innovative and entrepreneurial thinking (intrapreneurship) within a healthcare organization, and how management can be drivers for efficient and useful change within an organization. It will also discuss how this minset can lead to on-point marketing of positional and organizational needs and messaging.
Session 10 :: Working with Community-Based Partnerships
This module will focus on public health and the federal and local stakeholders and how to leverage those partnerships to help organizations; strategic plans and meet the needs of public health.
Instructor Bio
Ruthann Cunningham MS, DHSc Ruthann Cunningham is an Assistant Professor of Healthcare Administration in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University. Prior to being a full-time professor, Ruthann was a Population Health Network Engagement Leader for Intermountain Healthcare. She consulted with leaders and administrators throughout Utah on population health strategy, value-based care, data, analytics, and community leadership to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. In addition, she collaborated on the initial startup of a not-for-profit generic pharmaceutical company, now known as Civica RX. Ruthann earned her Doctorate in Health Science (DHSc) in Leadership and Organizational Behavior from A.T. Still University. She has a MS degree in Exercise Science with an emphasis in Biomechanics and a BS degree in Fitness and Wellness Management from Brigham Young University.
Mark Hyde PhD, PA-C Dr. Mark Hyde has worked in healthcare for more than 20 years. He started as an EMT in a corrections facility. He then worked as a firefighter, orthopedic MA, and pediatric trauma technician before attending PA school in Arizona. After PA school, he worked in an urgent care and community clinic. 15 years of his career was spent as a PA at the Huntsman Cancer Institute with the Department of Dermatology. he served as the lead derm APC for 2 years and, after receiving his PhD in public health, as the director of advanced practice for 3 years. As an assistant professor at UVU, he helped create the PA program and served on the IRB. He has served as a volunteer/leader for the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants and the Utah Association of Physician Assistants for more than 10 years. He has published multiple articles on skin cancer and healthcare workforce issues and served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Dermatology for Physician Assistant. He is currently working as a medical science liaison for DermTech (La Jolla, CA) a biotech/genomics company.
Don Capener MBA Ph.D Appointed Associate Provost at UVU in 2021, Professor Capener is first and foremost an entrepreneur. He came to the Woodbury School of Business as graduate director and associate dean in May 2019. Prior, he was a prominent leader in the Florida business community from 2011-2019 and dean of the business school at Jacksonville University (JU). Capener started the doctoral program at JU which has grown into one of the top DBA programs globally according to CEO Magazine. His research interests center around entrepreneurial ecosystems and international economics. Early in his career, Capener started Above the Rim Apparel with his brother Robert while running their advertising agency in San Diego starting. Both companies grew into profitable ventures and were sold in 1994. During that early part of his career, Dean Capener taught advertising and marketing at San Diego State Univ. (SDSU) in California. As CMO of a successful marketing technology firm, Netcentives, Capener was instrumental in taking them public via NASDAQ in 1999. His academic journey started at Brigham Young University-Provo where he earned a bachelor’s degree, then on to the Thunderbird School of Global Management for an MBA. Dr. Capener’s Ph.D. in International Business was conferred by the International School of Management in Paris, France.
Jason Buckway RN BSN MBA Jason graduated from Weber State University nursing program in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Weber State University in 2008. Jason received a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification from the University of Utah in 2017, completed the Institute of Health Care Delivery Improvement training at Intermountain Health Care and 30 years of progressive advancements in leadership positions within the Intermountain Health Care System. In 2007 Jason was recognized by Spectrum Magazine as the Nurse Manager of the year following nominations from his staff. Jason is the Founder and President of “Healing Against All Odds” a 501c3 Charity that facilitates health care for underprivileged people. He has several publications including being a contributing editor for several versions of nursing drug handbook. Jason Buckway currently works at Intermountain Health Care as the Executive Operations Director for Cardiovascular Medicine through the Specialty Based Care Division of Intermountain.
Christopher Egbert MBA Christopher Egbert is a Healthcare Informatics Analyst at Revere Health. He has 10+ years of graduated experience in accounting and finance where he has succeeded in problem identification, new process design, effective system implementation and subsequent review. Additionally, he has 7+ years’ experience in data analytics and reporting. Professionally, he has worked for Revere Health, Extra Space Storage, and Ballet West. Christopher earned his MBA degree from Utah State University and has received BA degrees in both Accounting and Finance from the University of Utah.
Kyle Merrill MS Kyle Merrill MS serves as Professional in Residence in the Department of Technology Management in the College of Technology and Engineering at Utah Valley University, where he has been a Faculty Excellence Lecturer Award and an Office of Teaching and Learning Best Delivery of an Online Course Award recipient. Kyle is a dynamic leader and teacher in engineering, product, and process development. He has extensive international experience managing large cross- functional, globally integrated research, development and engineering teams and programs, and has developed multiple patents. He previously served 23 years at HP Inc. in roles that included R&D Section Manager, Engineering Project Manager, Senior Engineer, Process Control Lead / Statistician and Business Development Manager. He also previously served as Statistician at SEMATECH and as Quality Assurance Engineer and Lab Technician at Smith MegaDiamond. Kyle earned his MS and BS degrees in Statistics from Brigham Young University.
Jay Verdoorn MBA Jay Verdoorn is a 20+ year technology veteran, currently managing The Innovation Center at Revere Health, Utah's largest physician-owned multi-specialty healthcare provider. During his career in healthcare and news media, he directed internet, software development and data management operations in California, New England and Utah. Jay has consistently served in leadership roles driving organizational innovation in adopting new technologies and steering companies into the digital age. He has a passion for technology and life-long learning and a dedication to helping healthcare organizations modernize and adapt to the rapidly changing requirements and demands. Jay earned his MBA in IT at Western Governors University and BA in Public Relations at Brigham Young University.
Heather Thiesset PhD, MPH Dr. Heather Thiesset received her undergraduate and master’s degree from Brigham Young University in Public Health and her PhD in Public Health from the University of Utah. She spent twelve years within the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah conducting health services research and clinical trials as the Associate Director of Research and Science. She also specialized in healthcare administration leading the Division of Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery for seven years. Dr. Thiesset’s research focus is in pain management and the opioid epidemic as well as in healthcare access. She has published numerous scientific articles related to physician prescribing practices and the effects of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Dr. Heather Thiesset is an Assistant Professor of Healthcare Administration within the Department of Public Health at Utah Valley University.

Success Stories
"Excellent content. Helpful for everyone! This was a really great class.” “I enjoyed that as a participant, I could get what I wanted out of it. The networking opportunities were there, the content was great, I appreciated that the zoom meetings were recorded so I could catch up if I had to miss a day, or I could go back and re-listen when something stood out to me. I appreciated that there was no grading, but I was able to put in the effort for what I wanted from the course.”

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