Briefcase Studies

In the HCAD's on-campus graduate program, first-year students occasionally take part in what are called "Briefcase Studies" as part of their Health Services Organization & Policy course.

In these brief case studies (hence, "Briefcase Studies"), students are provided with a scenario in which they are broken into groups and play roles according to that scenario as they work in a short time frame to identify a policy solution or strategy.  For example, in one Briefcase Study, teams represented major hospital-based providers in the fictional market of Trinity Falls, and they were given the task of determining outpatient service location strategies based upon the characteristics of the local market and the characteristics of the organization they were assigned to.  Most recently, students participated in a Briefcase Study in which they were divided into three groups: Federal policymakers, state policymakers, and local policymakers.  Within these three groups, individual students were assigned specific roles that aligned them with a particular interest or ideology, and their task was to develop policies that would address needs surrounding long-term care and associated challenges with long-term care financing.  It was fascinating to watch how challenges developed due to conflicting interests both within groups as well as across federal, state, and local levels.

We have enjoyed watching students tackle these Briefcase Studies, as they address each challenge with enthusiasm, creativity, and a healthy dose of humor.  The students have also done a terrific job of identifying the key issues that make the individual Briefcase Studies challenging, including the conflicting interests within our health care delivery system as well as the intense pressures and tensions felt by health care organizations to address the needs and concerns of a diverse array of stakeholders. And, if you have an idea for a Briefcase Study, let us know!