Tbilisi, Georgia / Scranton, Pennsylvania

2007-2009


Focus: Health management education: insurance, managed care, hospital administration, health care administration

• The Partners


• Partnership Objectives


• Key Events


• Achievements


• Participating Partnerships

The Partners

US Partner: The University of Scranton, Scranton, Pennsylvania (UoS)

Georgian Partners: Caucasus University (CU) and the University of Georgia (UG)

  AIHA is assisting the Government of Georgia's (GoG) national health care reform efforts by further strengthening Health Care Management Education (HME) capacity in the country.  The HME project utilizes a partnership methodology to strengthen the capacity of leading existing MBA programs in Georgia by linking them with a counterpart university, the University of Scranton, in the United States. The partners are targeting the development of an international quality health services specialization/concentration, building on the existing Master of Business Administration curricula. The US partner is assisting the selected academic institutions in Georgia by developing: 1) faculty, curriculum and materials for graduate master's programs in health administration; 2) short certificate courses and modules for practicing health care managers and administrators, and 3) case-based teaching models and practical internships to ensure maximum adaptation of training for practical experience. These targets will be achieved through technical assistance, faculty exchanges, extensive training, and promotion of international learning standards. In addition to developing and managing the partnership, AIHA project staff is working closely with the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Assistance (MOLHSA) and the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MES) as well as with private sector interests, governmental and regulatory bodies and USAID and other international donors to assure utilization, appropriate institutionalization and sustainability of the educational programs.   

Key Events

• In September, 2007 AIHA launched the new Healthcare Management Education Project sponsored by USAID, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Tbilisi-based educational institutions – Caucasus University and the University of Georgia -- with the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. Over 40 national policymakers and representatives of donor organizations, insurance companies, and investment groups attended the ceremony. Speakers included the Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Health and Social Affairs, the Deputy Minister of the MOLHSA, the USAID/Caucasus Mission Director, and AIHA’s Executive Director. The Rectors and key representatives of the partner institutions spoke about the important role of the partnership in developing a health management education program based on international standards.
• In order to respond to the demand for well trained professionals in the Georgian health care system and improve the healthcare administration sector, the local pharmaceutical company ‘PSP’ and the University of Georgia entered into a public-private partnership and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 29, 2007.  The purpose of the memorandum is to work together to cooperatively prepare a cadre of well trained professionals in health administration. The MOU signing ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of the MOLHSA, government officials, the General Director of ‘’PSP Hospital’’ Ltd., the Head of the Supervisory Board at  the University of Georgia, and representatives of USAID, AIHA and other international organizations and partners.
• As a result of the project, a partnership memorandum (PM) was signed between the University of Georgia (UoG) and Aversi, a private Georgian hospital network and large pharmaceutical company.  This partnership will allow the company’s health managers to pursue MBA degrees in Hospital Administration and Health Insurance Management developed with the support of the project.  In turn, the university will be provided with computer equipment, infrastructure rehabilitation, as well as internships and job placements for students.  USAID’s and AIHA's role in developing this partnership received special acknowledgement by the university’s board of trustees. Georgian print and television media outlets reported extensively on the event, including coverage on a weekly TV health show.

Achievements

  

• On December 15-21, 2007, the Caucasus School of Business (CSB) hosted the first module on Healthcare Organizational Leadership of a new health administration concentration offered for a select group of MBA students at CU and UG. Twenty students were selected from the partner universities to participate in the first intake of the program. The opening session of the first course was attended by the Deputy Minister of the MOLHSA, deans and senior faculty from both Georgian Universities, chief faculty from the University of Scranton, as well as USAID and AIHA staff.
•  To date, the following courses have been taught: in January, 2008 UG hosted the second module on the Principals of Managed Care which was taught by an Assistant Professor from the University of Central Florida and an affiliated faculty member from the Department of Health Administration and Human Resources of the University of Scranton. The University of Georgia hosted the third module on Quality Assurance and Improvement in February taught by Slovakian faculty from Slovak Medical University.  The Slovakian faculty are partners who participated in the Slovakian health management education programs developed through the support of AIHA/USAID in Slovakia and now have their own highly successful MHA programs.
•  In March, 2008 two concurrent modules were provided in two groups by concentrations at CU. The module on Management of HealthCare Services and Systems was taught by Slovakian faculty for the Hospital Administration Specialization students and the module on Health Economics and Insurance was taught by a professor from the University of Scranton for the Health Insurance Management group.
• In February, the Georgian partner Universities started to provide courses in Hospital Administration and Health Insurance Management for selected MBA students for the second intake. CU hosted the second module which focused on the Principles of Managed Care on March 22-April 4, 2008 and the module on Quality Assurance and Improvement was conducted April 12-24. Both modules were delivered by selected Georgian faculty from both partner universities who attended the course and received additional training and instruction from the US and Slovakian faculty during the first intake of the program.                    
• A central element of the HME partnership is the assessment of current curricula, adaptation and development of curricula and related materials. Detailed course syllabi were developed by the US and Slovakian faculty members and submitted to the Georgian partners each time prior to teaching a new module. US/Slovak and Georgian faculty discussed the syllabi and collaboratively selected textbooks for each course. Supplemental reading materials were also provided with the course syllabi. Teaching materials and lesson plans were carefully designed in the syllabi and agreed to with the Georgian faculty. During the courses, case studies were developed and adapted to the context of the Georgian health care system.

Participating Institutions

• Contact Information for Health Care Management Education in Georgia

   

  NIS/CEE Partner
  
  US Partner

  Partnership Coordinator

  Dr. Daniel West
  Scranton University

  McGurrin Hall

  HA/HR Room 417

  Scranton, PA 18510

   

  Georgian Partners

   

  Koka Topuria

  Otar Vasadze

  University of Georgia

  77 Kostava street, 0175 Tbilisi, Georgia

  e-mail: UG@UG.edu.ge

  Website:www. UG.edu.ge

   

  David Iremadze

  Caucasus University

  Caucasus School of Business

  77 Kostava street, 0175 Tbilisi, Georgia

  e-mail: info@cu.edu.ge

  Website:www.cu.edu.ge

Updated on April 24, 2008