Behind every doctor’s visit, procedure and hospital stay is a complex system: health insurance.
It’s a system that determines how clinicians are reimbursed, benefits are structured, care is financed and patients access care. And yet, until recently, few academic programs focused not just on healthcare administration or actuarial science, but on the management and purpose of health insurance itself.
Jefferson set out to fill that gap.
In 2023, the Jefferson College of Health Professions partnered with Jefferson Health Plans (JHP), the enterprise’s health insurance arm, to develop a fully online BS in health insurance management. The program officially launched in fall 2024, and JHP employees are already taking advantage of the opportunity.
Building the Future of Health Insurance From the Inside Out
How Jefferson College of Health Professions and Jefferson Health Plans created a first-of-its-kind degree program for today’s workforce.
Callette Stephenson, a pre-certification coordinator at Jefferson Health Plans, enrolled in Thomas Jefferson University’s BS in health insurance management program to help propel her career. (Photos by ©Thomas Jefferson University Photography Services)
As far as we’re aware, there really aren’t other programs like this. It’s unique, distinctive and designed to help the industry be successful.
For Dean Dr. Michael Dryer, the idea began with a simple but significant question: Who is preparing the professionals who manage the interface between care delivery and payment?
Filling a Critical Gap
“Many programs teach healthcare management, financing of the healthcare system or actuarial science, but there really weren’t programs that focus on the management, purpose and function of an insurance company,” Dr. Dryer says.
He saw a clear need on both sides of what he calls the healthcare reimbursement divide.
On one side are providers delivering care and expecting payment. On the other are insurance professionals determining appropriate reimbursement, managing claims and navigating regulatory requirements. Both sides depend on each other; however, few educational pathways intentionally prepare professionals to understand both perspectives.
Callette Stephenson is using Jefferson’s tuition reimbursement program to earn her health insurance management degree.
“Financing of health care is critical,” Dr. Dryer says. “If you don’t have the dollars to support it, it’s hard to get the care delivered. The vast majority of those dollars come from a third-party payer, either private or government sponsored. Understanding how to manage that process appropriately is essential.”
Designed With the Industry, Not Just for It
Rather than designing the program in isolation, Jefferson built it alongside JHP experts who understand reimbursement, contracting and claims operations firsthand. “We started by asking employed individuals: What skills and knowledge do you need?” Dr. Dryer says. “We built that in from day one.”
As a claims recovery vendor specialist and team lead at Jefferson Health Plans, Kia Gary says pursuing further education will allow her to advance her career in management.
The result is a purpose-built curriculum that prepares entry- and mid-level professionals for supervisory and management roles and creates a shared vocabulary between payer and provider environments. The program also provides a model that could appeal to insurance employees and professionals working on the hospital revenue cycle side who interact daily with insurers.
“As far as we’re aware, there really aren’t other programs like this,” Dr. Dryer says. “It’s unique, distinctive and designed to help the industry be successful.”
Growing From Within
For employees like Callette Stephenson, a pre-certification coordinator at JHP, the opportunity felt personal.
“Jefferson created a degree program specifically for us, the employees,” she says. “It’s best to take advantage of the educational opportunity supported by Jefferson’s tuition reimbursement program.”
With management as her long-term goal, Stephenson saw education as a way to change her trajectory.
“The health insurance management program makes me feel like I add more value to the organization,” she says. “Gaining my credentials will help propel my career into management because it’s supported by years of experience as well.”
Kia Gary, a claims recovery vendor specialist and team lead at JHP, enrolled with a similar vision for advancement. “I chose to pursue further education to advance my career at Jefferson Health Plans in management,” she says.
The health insurance management program makes me feel like I add more value to the organization. Gaining my credentials will help propel my career into management because it’s supported by years of experience as well.
The impact has already shown up in her daily work. “I can now identify more billing codes and better understand the background of a claim—from the service being done, to the billing and then the insurance processing,” Gary says.
That deeper understanding doesn’t just support professional growth. It strengthens the system as a whole.
Preparing Leaders for a Changing Industry
Health insurance is constantly evolving with shifts in policy, advances in technology, regulatory updates and changing patient needs. Having both hands-on experience and formal education positions professionals to adapt and lead.
“The insurance world will continue to grow and change,” Gary says. “Working in the insurance industry while also having the educational background will be greatly beneficial to your career and personal knowledge.”
For Dr. Dryer, that’s exactly the point. “People who understand and manage the payment process are well situated for professional growth,” he says. “And they help the healthcare system be successful.”