MOOC: The Economics of Health Care Delivery

Course Description

In this course, you’ll learn about the key components of health care and the economic principles behind them. Professors Guy David, PhD of the Wharton School and Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD of the Perelman School of Medicine, have designed this course to introduce you to the complex structure of health care delivery and insurance in the United States, including the basic economic principles that guide hospitals, clinicians, and insurers. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to explain health economics concepts, summarize the history of the American health care system, and identify the dynamics within which clinicians, patients, payors, and systems operate. And you will come away with an understanding of key challenges in health care delivery. Part of the 4-course Business of Health Care Specialization from Penn Medicine and the Wharton School.

Course Topics and Learning Objectives

History and Structure of the American Health Care System

Discuss the history of health care providers and health reform.
Explain the history and purpose of health insurance, its inherent challenges, and solutions.
Describe the iron triangle of health care and the tensions underlying health care policy.

Health Insurance

Identify the structure and components of health insurance.
Define the problems of moral hazard and asymmetric information.
Describe the impact of cost-sharing arrangements such as deductibles and copays.

Physicians, Hospitals and Provider Payments

Describe physician agency and its potential to cause behavior change.
Explain how doctors and hospitals are paid.
Explain cost shifting and its potential impact on private payers.

Health Care Delivery

Explain the economics of moving health care outside hospital settings.
Explain the dynamics and challenges of health care system integration.
Identify methods of government intervention in health care, including antitrust legislation.

Brief introduction to insurance from Guy David, PhD.

What Will You Learn and Do?

Through videos and quizzes, learners in this course will learn how to identify different types of health care providers and understand the dynamics between the providers and patients, to employ best practices and maximize profit for their health care organization.

Create career impact with the University of Pennsylvania on Coursera.

World-class training to build critical skills developed by the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School.

Individual learners may enroll in the course or the 4-course Business of Health Care Specialization on the Coursera platform.