The Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University is seeking state approval to launch a Master of Healthcare Analytics and Operations program this fall. The proposed 30-hour program targets working health care professionals and would be delivered in a primarily online format, with a small required in-person component, according to the college’s proposal to the Iowa Board of Regents. “The need for better understanding of healthcare operations and how to draw inferences from the massive amounts of data generated from healthcare devices, procedures and policies was strong, even before the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the request. “Health care analysts, executives, insurance companies, providers and policy makers are even more interested in creating more efficient and effective health care delivery systems in light of increased pressures on these systems.” The college’s most closely related program, the Master of Business Analytics, is a general business program and does not sufficiently address health care systems’ needs, Ivy officials said. The ISU program would have some overlap with Drake University’s Master of Science in Health Informatics and Analytics program that began last fall, but would require additional courses in operations and supply chain management. The regents will consider the request during its next board meeting on July 28.