Healthcare Course Electives
The Healthcare Industry in the 21st Century
This course provides an overview of the health care industry, the major players involved in the payment, production and delivery of health care and the key challenges and opportunities facing health care executives, investors and policymakers. Topics include strategies for addressing costs, quality and access and the perspectives of consumers/patients, payers, providers/caregivers and producers/suppliers. Emphasis is placed on challenges and opportunities afforded by new legislation, information technology and new methods of health care delivery and payment. Though the focus is primarily on the U.S., comparison with health care systems in other countries is also discussed.
Strategy and Competition in Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology
This course examines the strategic, technological, competitive, organizational and political challenges impacting the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. Critical issues examined include: the strategies and process of discovering, developing and getting new drugs approved; the impact of government oversight and regulation; patent strategies and challenges; the design of prescription drug plans and role of PBMs; competition between branded, generic and OTC products; industry profitability and growth prospects; joint ventures and mergers & acquisitions; key legislative and health policy initiatives; and unique challenges of managing biotechnology companies.
Economics of Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals
This course provides a framework for understanding the economic factors underlying the health care system and the interaction of its agents (consumers, payers, providers, suppliers). The course focuses primarily on the structure and economics of health insurance and the demand for health care, pricing of drugs and hospital services, economics of biomedical research, cost-benefit analyses employed by payers and consumers of health care products and services, mechanisms used for paying physicians and its impact on the provision of care and the role of information in the selection and provision of medical goods and services.
Healthcare Investment and Dealmaking
This course analyzes the unique characteristics and strategies of the health care sector from the perspective of venture capital firms investing in early-stage health care enterprises, private equity firms seeking to build value-creating health care platforms, and entrepreneurs seeking capital from these and other sources. The course addresses how to source attractive investment opportunities in a health care system which is costly, fragmented and inefficient; how investors and entrepreneurs can assess, value and manage the inherent risks in investing in a highly regulated and politically-charged environment; dealmaking strategies (partnering, licensing and M&A), and the options and means available for harvest of health care enterprises.
Healthcare Marketing
This course covers marketing strategies for health care players, with an emphasis on pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology firms. It has two objectives: present methods and models used in the life sciences sector, and demonstrate how they are successfully used in current business situations. Key learnings include how to segment consumer and medical markets, brand a new product/service and develop a pricing approach and online/offline communication strategy.
