One of the most important elements in American society is its health care system, now comprising about 15% of the gross national product. A vast and complex enterprise, it provides vital services to the society, ranging from primary care (physicians' office and clinics), secondary care (community hospitals) and tertiary care (teaching hospitals and advanced care health systems). This sector of society also includes long-term care, skilled nursing facilities, hospice services, and public health systems. Cities and towns take part in health services, offering health education and disease prevention programs, as well as community health services.

All of these health facilities require skilled people to provide direct care services and to coordinate and manage services. Health facilities, whatever their scope, are build on information systems, financial systems, marketing, and personnel procedures. Moreover, health facilities are in an intricate legal and financial environment consisting of cost controls, patient care standards, New technologies create unprecedented moral and ethical challenges such as end-of-life issues and assisted conception.

To work effectively in this field requires a person to have familiarity with several scholarly disciplines, including ethics, law, sociology, economics, finance, information systems, and management. Health Policy Studies (HPS) is a program that reconceptualizes traditional disciplinary study to focus on a topic-oriented interdisciplinary program with an applied orientation.