Healthcare Quality & Safety

College

Population Health

Degree Earned

Master of Science

Program Type

Online

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Program Contact

Name: Mary Reich Cooper, MD, JD
Position: Program Director
Contact Number(s):

Program Contact

Name: Celeste Chamberlain, PhD, MS, BSN, CPHQ
Position: Assistant Program Director
Contact Number(s):

Program Contact

Name: Ellen L. Guarnieri, RN, MHSA, CPHQ, FACHE
Position: Assistant Program Director
Contact Number(s):

Curriculum

Courses

(* refers to footnotes)

Advanced Practice Certificates (APCs)

APC in Healthcare Quality & Safety
  • HQS 500: Introduction to Healthcare Quality & Safety
  • HQS 509: Applied Principles of Healthcare Quality
  • HQS 515: Applied Principles of Patient Safety
APC in Healthcare Quality & Safety Education
  • HQS 509: Applied Principles of Healthcare Quality
  • HQS 515: Applied Principles of Patient Safety
  • HQS 516: Teaching Quality & Safety
APC in Health Systems Science
  • HPL 500: U.S. Healthcare Organization & Delivery
  • HQS 500: Introduction to Healthcare Quality & Safety
  • Elective (Program Director approval needed)
APC in Health Systems Science Education
  • HQS 500: Introduction to Healthcare Quality & Safety
  • Elective (Program Director approval needed)
  • HQS 517: Teaching Health Systems Science

Graduate Certificate (Science Track)

 
  • HPL 500: U.S. Healthcare Organization & Delivery
  • HQS 500: Introduction to Healthcare Quality & Safety (*1)
  • HQS 509: Applied Principles of Healthcare Quality
  • HQS 515: Applied Principles of Patient Safety
  • Elective (Program Director approval needed)

Graduate Certificate (International Track)

 
  • HPL 550: Comparative Health Systems
  • HQS 502: Introduction to International Healthcare Quality & Safety (*3)
  • HQS 509: Applied Principles of Healthcare Quality
  • HQS 515: Applied Principles of Patient Safety
  • Elective (Program Director approval needed)

Master's Degree (Science Track)

  • HPL 500: U.S. Healthcare Organization & Delivery 
  • HQS 500: Introduction to Healthcare Quality & Safety (*1)
  • HQS 509: Applied Principles of Healthcare Quality
  • HQS 515: Applied Principles of Patient Safety
  • OPX 520: Change Management
  • HPL 520: Fundamentals of Practice-Based Statistics
  • HQS 512 Business Case for Quality
  • HQS 505: Advanced Tools & Methods for HQS
  • HQS 507: Advanced Applications of HQS in Clinical Settings
  • Elective (Program Director approval needed) (*2)
  • HQS 650: Capstone Seminar and Project *

Master's Degree (Management Track)

  • HPL 500: U.S. Healthcare Organization & Delivery (*4)
  • HQS 500: Introduction to Healthcare Quality & Safety
  • HQS 509: Applied Principles of Healthcare Quality
  • HQS 515: Applied Principles of Patient Safety
  • OPX 520: Change Management
  • HPL 520: Fundamentals of Practice-Based Statistics
  • HQS 512 Business Case for Quality
  • HQS 505: Advanced Tools & Methods for HQS
  • HQS 507: Advanced Applications of HQS in Clinical Settings
  • Elective (Program Director approval needed) (*4)
  • HQS 650: Capstone Seminar and Project *

Master's Degree (International Track)

  • HPL 550: Comparative Health Systems
  • HQS 502: Introduction to International Healthcare Quality & Safety (*3)
  • HQS 509: Applied Principles of Healthcare Quality
  • HQS 515: Applied Principles of Patient Safety
  • OPX 520: Change Management
  • HPL 520: Fundamentals of Practice-Based Statistics
  • HQS 512 Business Case for Quality
  • HQS 505: Advanced Tools & Methods for HQS
  • HQS 507: Advanced Applications of HQS in Clinical Settings
  • Elective (Program Director approval needed)
  • HQS 650: Capstone Seminar and Project *

Footnotes

  1. Waived for members of the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) who hold the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) credential.
  2. Waived for members of the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) who have completed qualifying courses in the SHM Leadership Academy (Master's only).
  3. Waived for ISQua Fellows (after completion of modules).
  4. Waived for members of the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) who have completed the master's pre-requisites, or graduates of an accredited MBA/MHA program.

    There is a maximum number of credits that can be waived or substituted. See Student Handbook for more details.

*All Masters' tracks culminate in a Capstone Project which incorporates knowledge and skills gained through the Masters Program education. The Capstone should advance knowledge which can be applied to the student’s discipline and/or organization. 

For course descriptions, please view the Jefferson College of Population Health Course Descriptions page.

Program Outcomes

The HQS program prepares graduates to lead the transition of healthcare delivery towards high-value care by preparing them to:

Graduate Certificate
  • Apply management and leadership skills to develop policies related to measurement and improvement of HQS
  • Integrate change management theory into project management program design to improve healthcare quality and patient safety
  • Distinguish the various factors that influence risk in health care and discuss the legal principles and regulatory mechanisms that relate to it
  • Apply the foundational concepts of quality and safety measurement, improvement and analysis within the framework of collaborative team dynamics and change management
Master’s Degree (above plus)
  • Produce evidence to support healthcare policy development and change
  • Integrate quality, safety, and transformation/change management tools to promote patient safety
  • Design and implement performance improvement strategies at a system level
  • Assimilate interprofessional collaboration into an organizational strategic plan for compliance with internal and external influences on quality and safety
  • Evaluate effectiveness of various performance improvement interventions and outcomes
  • Develop systematic approaches to drive broad-impacting improvements in clinical outcomes across the healthcare continuum