FSU College of Law’s online Health Law and Policy Graduate Certificate program equips students with essential legal knowledge and skills tailored for current and aspiring health care leaders, administrators, providers, and professionals in this highly regulated industry. The curriculum emphasizes health law statutes and regulations, compliance strategies, and risk management best practices. Students will also explore key topics such as health care governance, policy development, and the legal challenges facing health organizations and professionals. Through the program, students will gain critical health care legal competencies, including interpreting statutes and case law, identifying and mitigating legal risks, designing and auditing compliance programs, and effectively communicating with legal counsel, regulators, and organizational leadership.
The certificate curriculum has been designed for health care professionals working in compliance, risk management, HR, health information management, health care insurance, vendor management, and technology risk management. This includes doctors, nurses, physician assistants, health care administrators, C-suite executives, and others working at the intersection of health care and law.
This fully online, asynchronous certificate program allows working professionals to take advantage of flexible learning while engaging in a dynamic academic environment.
Admission Requirements
To be eligible for admission to a graduate certificate program, an applicant must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution with a minimum of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student. Students currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at Florida State University must have a 3.0 GPA in their graduate coursework.
Students are not enrolled in a certificate program by virtue of being enrolled in related courses. Students must apply to and be admitted to the certificate program in order to be considered enrolled.
Degree-Seeking Students
Current FSU graduate students must apply for the certificate program via the Health Law and Policy Certificate Application Form prior to completing the second course that is part of the certificate program. Please note the application will require students to upload the following materials:
- Current Resume
- Statement of Professional Career Goals
Non-Degree-Seeking Students
Students who are not already enrolled as graduate degree-seeking at FSU, but wish to complete the certificate, must apply and be admitted as a graduate non-degree seeking student first. Applicants must submit and complete a Post-baccalaureate Non-Degree Seeking Application by the established deadlines (Spring: December 1; Summer: May 1; Fall: August 1) and pay the non-refundable application.
Non-degree seeking students must also apply directly to the certificate program, via the Health Law and Policy Certificate Application Form before the completion of their second course in the program. Please note the application will require students to upload the following materials:
- Current Resume
- Statement of Professional Career Goals
Important Deadlines
Admission to the Certificate Program: Students must apply and be admitted to the certificate program prior to completion of the second course required for the certificate. The Health Law and Policy Certificate Application Form must be submitted no later than two weeks prior to the end of the semester in which the second certificate course is completed.
Completion of the Certificate Program: When students complete the program, they must apply for the certificate using the Health Law and Policy Certificate Completion Form. The Certificate Completion Form must be submitted within two weeks of grades being posted for the semester the student wishes to earn the certificate.
Certificate Program Requirements
To earn the certificate, students must:
- Apply and be approved to pursue the certificate program prior to completion of the 2nd course required for a certificate.
- Complete 12 credit hours from the approved list of courses for the certificate, including the required course on Legislation and Regulation.
- Although a C- grade or better earns course credit, a minimum 3.0 overall GPA is required for all graduate certificates to be awarded.
- Complete all certificate coursework within 7 years of enrolling in the program.
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After all certificate coursework is completed, but no later than 2 weeks after grades post, submit the Health Law and Policy Certificate Completion Form. Completion forms approved by the program coordinator will then be forwarded to the Registrar's Office for processing and posting to the student's official transcript.
Important Note: Admission and completion of this graduate-level certificate program does not guarantee admission to a master’s or specialist degree program. Students may, however, apply for up to 12 semester hours of credit earned toward the Juris Master Degree program if admitted to the J.M. program.
Required Course
- LAW 5522 Legislation and Regulation (3 credits)
Elective Courses
- LAW6728 Patient Safety and Quality (3 credits)
- LAW6592 Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- LAW6852 Health Care Fraud and Abuse (3 credits)
- LAW6729 Medicare, Medicaid, and Managed Care (3 credits)
- LAW6725 Medical Malpractice Law (3 credits)
- LAW6863 Public Health Law (3 credits)
- LAW6548 Employment Law and HR Compliance (3 credits)
- LAW6516 Health Care Disability Law: Mental, Physical, and Age-Related (3 credits)
- LAW6721 Health Care Payer-Provider Relationships (3 credits)
- LAW6594 E-Health and Telemedicine (3 credits)
- LAW6877 Drug Regulation and Compliance (3 credits)
Required Course
LAW5522 Legislation and Regulation (3 credits)
Obligations imposed by the government on businesses are numerous, substantial, and increasing. These obligations emanate mainly from statutes enacted by legislatures and regulations promulgated by administrative agencies. This course explores how statutes and regulations come into existence, when they may be invalid, how courts interpret them, and what steps businesses take in responding to statutory and regulatory initiatives. Business and law have become so intertwined and inseparable that statutes and regulations are not just for lawyers anymore. To perform their responsibilities competently, effectively, and ethically, numerous non-lawyers – including middle-level and top-level executives – must acquire the knowledge and skills needed to navigate regulatory-intensive environments. This course is the foundation for acquiring these competencies.
Elective Courses
LAW6728 Patient Safety and Quality (3 credits)
An introduction to the regulatory compliance and risk management issues affecting patient safety and quality improvement. Specific topics will include laws and regulations governing: the documentation of patient safety and quality, including incident reporting and charting of medical care; principles of zero harm and high reliability; culture of safety and process improvement; reporting and publicizing results and unintended consequences; HIPAA and other patient privacy issues; technology and human error, wearable technology, AI, and cybersecurity; safety of the health care team; and communication among healthcare providers on risk management, patient safety, and quality improvement.
LAW6592 Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity (3 credits)
A study of privacy and cybersecurity issues, including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); and security of health care information under state and federal law, including HIPAA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and breach notification requirements. The course will also introduce issues related to emerging uses of technology, including telemedicine.
LAW6852 Health Care Fraud and Abuse (3 credits)
A study of federal and state laws regulating fraud and abuse within health care, including the Anti-Kickback Statute, the False Claims Act, the Stark I and Stark II (physician self-referral).
LAW6729 Medicare, Medicaid, and Managed Care (3 credits)
An introduction to the legal issues associated with public and private health insurance and benefits plans. Students will learn about federal and state financing programs, including Medicare and Medicaid/SCHIP, employer provided insurance, and federal and state regulation of private health insurance markets and managed care, including population care management, provider payment, quality and accountability, and cost- containment.
LAW6725 Medical Malpractice Law (3 credits)
This course examines the broad array of legal and policy-related issues arising out of litigation seeking redress for harms in the context of the provision of medical services. The course also covers liability insurance for individuals and healthcare entities.
LAW6863 Public Health Law (3 credits)
This course will offer an overview of basic concepts and principles in public health law, examined in the context of issues such as government planning for natural and manmade disasters, mandatory immunization programs, mandatory medical screening of particular population groups, mandatory disease reporting laws, infectious disease control methods like quarantine, public health research, and regulation and litigation concerning tobacco, alcohol, firearms, and drugs with abuse potential. The focus will be on identification and analysis of the duties, powers, and limits of government in its pursuit of protecting and promoting the public’s health.
LAW6548 Employment Law and HR Compliance (3 credits)
This course will provide you with a basic overview of employment law as it relates to day-to-day employment practices. You will be guided through the entire employer-employee relationship— from the initial decision to fill a position to the ultimate decision to terminate the employment relationship. Topics include the laws and regulations covering the employment relationship, employee recruitment, background checks, employment tests, wage and hour standards, benefits, performance appraisals, privacy, training and development, termination and post termination issues.
LAW6516 Health Care Disability Law: Mental, Physical, and Age-Related (3 credits)
Laws dealing with the provision, financing, and regulation of health care in the U.S. are based largely on a model presuming the involvement of autonomous health care consumers. In reality, however, many health care consumers today have mildly to severely compromised autonomy because of mental, physical, and/or age-related deficits or disabilities. These compromised individuals are often particularly vulnerable in terms of their healthcare needs and may require special legal attention and protections within the healthcare system. This course will address vulnerable patient populations with mental, physical, and/or age-related disabilities, focusing especially on responses of the legal system to the relationship of those patients to the health care and broader service systems.
LAW6721 Health Care Payer-Provider Relationships (3 credits)
A study of the legal and contractual issues arising in health care payer-provider relationships, in the context of private payers. Topics covered include: key terms in payer contracts; collaboration; conflicts; arbitration; and privacy. Special focus will be given to best practices for compliance and contractual and legal risk management.
LAW6594 E-Health and Telemedicine (3 credits)
A study of legal issues affecting e-health and telemedicine. Topics covered include electronic health records, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) and other privacy issues; live video and store-and-forward techniques; remote patient monitoring, mobile health, and healthcare robots; reimbursement issues under public and private insurance schemes; licensure, credentialing, and privileging; and fraud and abuse.
LAW6877 Drug Regulation and Compliance (3 credits)
This course provides an analysis of major legal issues in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The course explores the FDA’s regulation of these industries, including the FDA approval process, advertising and promotional regulations, and enforcement by the FDA and other regulatory entities. Other topics include product liability and FDA preemption, research, patient care, and privacy, pricing and market access.
Tuition and Fees
Information about FSU College of Law tuition and fees can be found here.
Contact
Laura Sellati
Assistant Dean for Juris Master Programs
lsellati@law.fsu.edu