In the wake of health care reform, leaders in the industry need a new set of tools to navigate through a health care landscape that has changed forever. In response, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) have joined together to create a new and timely Master of Health Care Delivery Science (MHCDS) degree program. Applications are currently being accepted.

Aimed at working managers and professionals in health care organizations with high potential to become change agents in their field, the 18-month MHCDS program will combine a strategic mindset and a scientific approach to current and future health care delivery challenges.

“Reform of the existing health care system has been desperately needed,” said Dr. James N. Weinstein, Director of TDI and recently-named President of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic. “The challenge for those of us running systems today is to transform our institutions to succeed in this new world by focusing on how to provide high-value, high quality care, while lowering the costs of delivering that care.”

Launched by Dartmouth College President Dr. Jim Yong Kim, the interdisciplinary program will blend TDI’s pioneering research in health care pattern and practice, delivery innovation, and payment models, with the Tuck School’s expertise in strategy and how to effectively create and execute change.

“Bending the value curve in health care is essential for the health of this country’s people and the economy,” said Paul Danos, Dean of the Tuck School of Business. “This program combines the intellectual capital in innovation, leadership, and change management from two world-class faculties and focuses it on educating the leaders who will have to make this transformation work.”

The 50-participant inaugural program is designed to offer maximum flexibility to enrollees through a combination of residential, distance-learning through on-line collaborative coursework, and on-site projects where participants apply the learning they’ve gained through the program to initiatives at their own institutions. Continuous, team-based, experiential learning taught by faculty thought leaders at the Tuck School and The Dartmouth Institute is a critical component.

“Until now, management courses available to health care leaders looked at standard business practices across a range of industries,” said Bob Hansen, Senior Associate Dean at Tuck and Faculty Co-director of the MHCDS program. “The Master of Health Care Delivery Science program recognizes the complexity of the U.S. health care system and the unique challenges it presents for providers, payers, employers,and those who develop and implement health care policy.”

Ideal participants in the MHCDS program will be individuals or teams of health care executives and/or clinicians, as well as those from health-related fields: government, insurance, information technology, human resources, and consulting.

Graduates will leave with the knowledge and perspective to see the challenges and opportunities presented by the complex and evolving health care system, the tools to evaluate and choose the best solutions – both clinically and financially – and the skills to drive change. They will also continue to benefit throughout their careers from an active and committed alumni network.

Details and application information are available on the Master of Health Care Delivery Science website at http://mhcds.dartmouth.edu.

For more information about The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, please visit tdi.dartmouth.edu.