An expedited model for health care administration programs at the graduate level

In this paper, we report the development of a theoretical model for health care administration programs at the graduate level. Our model development was prompted by recently-expressed concerns that the training available to managers and executives in health care fields is encountering a number of problems: it is typically lengthy and expensive, and involves too many prerequisites. In terms of content, the training available may be too narrowly focused on performing functions, such as accounting, rather than managing the functions. We begin development by conducting a content analysis of several highly-regarded programs with commonly identified features. We next describe how those features can be incorporated into a fast-track, 33 hour program without prerequisites which is consistent with accreditation guidelines. Implications for executive education and research are discussed.