The format for the course is different from most of the other Coursera courses. Most of the Coursera courses present course content through video lectures. This course presents course content through [INFO] readings (text). Links to optional [FUN] material, including videos, external to the course are included in the text.

The primary reason this format was chosen is because it allows each learner to better establish an individual learning pathway; it allows each learner to better customize what is learned and how learning occurs. Each learner can easily see the content topics for a lesson/module and easily reorder how they are read or merely skim those of little interest.

However, for those who wish a more in-depth knowledge of a topic, the embedded links take that learner to websites external to the course with additional information. The use of embedded links makes full use of the fact that the course is delivered online – and that there is a world of interesting, useful, and in-depth information external to the course.

Readings/text [INFO] content is presented as a series of questions and answers - the Socratic Method. The philosophy behind the use of this method is that this is a better - and much more interesting - way for a learner to master content.

There are videos in the course. These are professionally produced videos (e.g., from the Smithsonian, National Archives) which are included in the course to provide interesting supplemental - optional [FUN] - content. No video-presented content is needed to complete the work for the certificate. As with the [FUN] links to external material, the use of these optional [FUN] videos allows learners to create their own learning pathway and customize their learning experience.

Yes, for certificate learners. For certificate learners, a PDF of the course content is available. This PDF can be read (text-to-speech) using the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Read-Out-Loud feature. Instructions for use of the Read-Out-Loud feature and the provided PDF are provided within the course.

The instructor believes that almost everyone loves trivia questions and road/field trips. So included in the course are [FUN] trivia questions regarding interesting, fun facts and [FUN] "virtual field trips" to the often hidden places of interest on the web. If you are not a fan of either trivia questions or virtual road/field trips, skip these sections of the course.

The goal of the course is to enable you to think critically about all aspects of healthcare administration in disciplined, critical, and productive ways. Upon successful completion of the course, those who interact in healthcare organizations as patients/consumers will have a better understanding of the issues involved in the effective administration of healthcare organizations and operations. Those working in the healthcare industry, upon completion of the course, will be better able to contribute to the effective administration of the healthcare organization’s operations.

Specifically, upon successful completion of the course, the following objectives will be achieved.You will be able to:

1. Define quality and quality improvement in healthcare organizations

2. Define quality and quality improvement measures in healthcare organizations

3. Define data collection and analysis methodologies for quality and quality improvement measures in healthcare organization

4. Synthesize course content to create a quality improvement program in a healthcare organization

5. Generate an effective quality improvement spreadsheet suitable for discussion, presentation and printing

6. Judge the quality (content and format) of the spreadsheet

Upon completion of this course, you might want to take another course in the Healthcare Organization Operations specialization. The four courses are:

Healthcare Organizations and the Health System

Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

Business Process Management in Healthcare Organizations

Quality Improvement in Healthcare Organizations

Each course is a stand-alone course; the courses do not build on each other - they complement each other. No one course in the specialization is a prerequisite for another course. If you choose to enroll in all four courses to receive the specialization certificate, the courses can be completed in any order.

However, the course may inspire you to set a different learning pathway for yourself. You may wish to study one of the topics addressed in the course is more depth. The embedded links may lead you to a source of that in-depth knowledge. Also check the Coursera catalogue to see other Coursera courses.

This course is intended for anyone interested in the world of healthcare organization in the United States. A range of healthcare organizations are discussed (e.g., medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and public health). The course is particularly useful to anyone working in the healthcare industry who either has: 1) a developing interest in the issues important to the administration of healthcare organization operations; or 2) some expertise, but wishes an overview or refresher of these issues. However, those who do not work in the healthcare industry, but who interact with healthcare organizations of any type as patients/consumers will also find the course informative.

Upon completion of the course, those who interact with healthcare organizations as patients/consumers will have a better understanding of the issues involved in the effective administration of healthcare organizations and operations. Those working in the healthcare industry, upon completion of the specialization, will be better able to contribute to the effective administration of the healthcare organization’s operations.

No background knowledge is necessary to successfully complete the course. All that is necessary to begin and successfully complete each course in the specialization is an interest in the content and a motivation to complete the course. However, those working in the healthcare industry may find the content more interesting and relevant.

The photo is a composite of photos downloaded from Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/) by Natanael Melchor, Umari Bethan, and Adhy Savala.

No, neither Rutgers University academic credit nor continuing education units (CEUs) are earned upon the successful completion of the course.

No, this is not a course on healthcare insurance. This is course from the perspective of the healthcare organization on organizational administration and operations. This is not a course on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which is often called Obamacare. The instructor for this course has taught courses from the patient/customer perspective on methods for paying for health care. This is not that course, however, this course is a good prerequisite for an ACA course. The patient/customer perspective on payment methods is a difficult and involved topic. If you are interested in that topic, please check the Coursera catalog or contact the instructor.

The course assessments are in American English. The project submission must be in American English. All links to external resources are to resources presented in American English. The course focuses on healthcare organizations in the United States. However, some people may find it useful to read some or all course content in a language other than American English.

Translation of required course material from written American English to another language is possible using the provided PDF of the course and Google Translate.An Adobe PDF file of the course content is available to certificate learners.This PDF can be used to produce a written version of the course in many different languages using Google Translate.Instructions are provided within the course.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.