Introduction to Healthcare (Coursera)

Offered by Stanford University,
Introduction to Healthcare (Coursera)

Solving the problems and challenges within the U.S. healthcare system requires a deep understanding of how the system works. Successful solutions and strategies must take into account the realities of the current system. This course explores the fundamentals of the U.S. healthcare system. It will introduce the principal institutions and participants in healthcare systems, explain what they do, and discuss the interactions between them. The course will cover physician practices, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, and insurance and financing arrangements.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

We will also discuss the challenges of healthcare cost management, quality of care, and access to care. While the course focuses on the U.S. healthcare system, we will also refer to healthcare systems in other developed countries.
Course 1 of 5 in the AI in Healthcare Specialization.
What You Will Learn

  • The major challenges of the U.S.healthcare system
  • Issues you may encounter in efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the healthcare system
  • Who the key stakeholders are in the U.S. healthcare system

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Overview of Health Care Systems and Key Challenges They Face
WEEK 2: Physicians, Physician Practices, and Physician Payment
WEEK 3: Hospitals, Other Provider Organizations, and Related Payment Systems
WEEK 4: Intermediaries, Health Insurance Plans, and Health Care Financing
WEEK 5: Health Care Products and Prescription Drugs, and Quality Measurement and Improvement
WEEK 6: Ethics in Healthcare System
WEEK 7: Course Summary and Final Assessment

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Psicología de la salud (Coursera) Coursera
Tecnológico de Monterrey

Psicología de la salud (Coursera)

En este curso aprenderás los fundamentos conceptuales de la Psicología de la Salud. Comenzaremos con los antecedentes históricos acerca del estudio de los componentes subjetivos y de comportamiento en el proceso salud-enfermedad y de la atención de la salud. Además, se conocerán los factores psicosociales relacionados en la calidad de vida y la promoción de la salud, la prevención de las enfermedades, la atención de los enfermos y personas con secuelas.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Stories of Infection (Coursera) Coursera
Stanford University

Stories of Infection (Coursera)

This course introduces learners to a variety of infectious diseases using a patient-centered, story-based approach. Through illustrated, short videos, learners will follow the course of each patient’s illness, from initial presentation to resolution. Integrating the relevant microbiology, pathophysiology and immunology, this course aims to engage and entice the learner towards future studies in microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
International Travel Preparation, Safety, & Wellness (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

International Travel Preparation, Safety, & Wellness (Coursera)

Whether you've traveled before or not, living and working overseas can be challenging. Learn how best to prepare and make the most of your time internationally. This course will prepare you to work and live overseas. It explores the epidemiology of common morbidity and mortality among travelers and examines key prevention, safety, and travel medicine principles and services to contextualize risks and maintain wellness.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
eHealth: More than just an electronic record (Coursera) Coursera
The University of Sydney

eHealth: More than just an electronic record (Coursera)

The MOOC, "eHealth: More than just an electronic record!", is multidisciplinary in nature, and aims to equip the global audience of health clinicians, students, managers, administrators, and researchers to reflect on the overall impact of eHealth on the integration of care. It explores the breadth of technology application, current and emerging trends, and showcases both local and international eHealth practice and research.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Disease Screening in Public Health (Coursera) Coursera
University of Geneva

Disease Screening in Public Health (Coursera)

Current and future public health is characterized by the increase of chronic and degenerative diseases, corresponding to the worldwide ageing of the population. The increasing prevalence of these conditions together with the long incubation period of the chronic diseases and the restless technological innovations, offer new opportunities to develop strategies for early diagnosis.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Preventing Chronic Pain: A Human Systems Approach (Coursera) Coursera
University of Minnesota

Preventing Chronic Pain: A Human Systems Approach (Coursera)

Chronic pain is at epidemic levels and has become the highest-cost condition in health care. This course uses both creative and experiential learning to better understand chronic pain conditions and how they can be prevented through self-management in our cognitive, behavioral, physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental realms.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Anticorrupción: Introducción a conceptos y perspectiva práctica (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Anticorrupción: Introducción a conceptos y perspectiva práctica (Coursera)

La corrupción es uno de los principales problemas en México. Los eventos de corrupción afectan de manera directa la calidad de vida de las personas, su desarrollo, el crecimiento económico y social del país, así como la confianza en el gobierno. El objetivo del curso es presentar los conceptos centrales del fenómeno social denominado corrupción, analizar su relación con la ética e integridad en el servicio público, así como con los derechos humanos.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
A Public Health Approach to Hearing Loss and Aging (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

A Public Health Approach to Hearing Loss and Aging (Coursera)

At the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, we are dedicated to training up the next generation of clinicians and researchers to study the impact that hearing loss in older adults has on public health and to develop and implement public health strategies and solutions for hearing loss. The Center is proud to present this course which introduces a public health approach to aging and hearing population-based research, reviews the state of public health policy and ongoing interventions, and discusses the current epidemiologic research linking hearing loss to cognitive and healthcare outcomes in older adults, including dementia.

Aug 17th 2026
1 Week
Operational Research for Humanitarians (Coursera) Coursera
University of Geneva

Operational Research for Humanitarians (Coursera)

Evidence is central to good decision-making both in the humanitarian sector and beyond. Every day, a vast amount of evidence is generated that is relevant to humanitarian actors, much of it through research by academics and practitioners. This evidence can be incredibly valuable. It can help us better understand a situation and make humanitarian action more effective and accountable. The difficulty comes with understanding what evidence is relevant to our circumstances, where to find it, and how to assess its quality.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Strategies for Senior Housing Communities during COVID-19 (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Strategies for Senior Housing Communities during COVID-19 (Coursera)

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, poses a high risk for senior housing communities and the people who live and work there. The COVID-19 response has largely focused on nursing homes, leaving independent living communities serving older adults in the United States with fragmented guidance on how to respond to COVID-19 challenges. This course provides comprehensive instruction and resources for property owners and managers, senior housing staff, service coordinators and providers, community housing leaders, and other senior housing stakeholders to build upon their emergency preparedness and response strategies related to COVID-19. The course lectures, interviews, and assignments are largely geared toward federally-subsidized, multifamily senior housing providers, but the material is relevant for all senior housing providers. **Free enrollment available until December 31, 2021. Valid for one enrollment per person.**

Aug 17th 2026
1 Week