Financing Healthcare

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Review the following lecture:

Financing Healthcare(Financing Healthcare

The role of epidemiology in the healthcare finance field is to produce information so that vital financial decisions can be made. Epidemiology data helps financial managers forecast costs based on prevalent health conditions and specific services that are utilized. Data from research helps finance managers determine what causes revenue to increase or decrease, what payers will pay for services, and what programs or processes are cost-effective when compared to outcomes. Finance managers must determine what services help promote a healthy population and promote efficient care for consumers and the organization. Efficient care means that funds are used wisely and consumers’ costs are reasonable.

Finance managers may use cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) to analyze programs for effectiveness as well as CEAs to assist them in determining the effectiveness of health programs in place. They must keep in mind that not all programs will show immediate results, whether positive or negative. Also, opportunity cost, lost productivity cost, and discount rates for services are the major factors that must be analyzed continually. There are fixed and variable costs to consider as well as the costs of inflation. Sometimes, finance managers and leaders hope that successful health programs in place will at least break even and a breakeven analysis is conducted.

For many, it is hard to feel comfortable when monetary or statistical values are placed on human lives. When health outcomes are viewed as economics terms (human capital), some find it disturbing, naturally. Sometimes, well-intended, well-liked programs must be deleted or replaced if they lose money for the organization.

Knowing the facts is imperative to quality, efficient care and leaders must know when to consult epidemiologists and/or statisticians if data provided is too difficult to analyze. Finance managers must conduct several different types of analyses while keeping the following stakeholders in mind: the individuals, the organization, the payers, and the society as a whole.

Cost-benefit Analysis

Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) can be a helpful process when leaders are trying to determine if a specific service or project makes financial sense. As the name of the tool suggests, the question for leaders prior to implementing a service or project is whether or not potential benefits (pluses) outweigh the costs (minuses). Without some type of pre-implementation analysis, leaders can inadvertently implement a service that could fail financially and negatively impact the entire organization. Below is a brief explanation of steps to take to conduct a CBA.)

Before beginning work on this assignment, please review the expanded grading rubric for specific instructions relating to content and formatting.

A Cost-Effective Analyses (CEA) is an example of one of the established processes used by finance managers in healthcare. By using a set of tools related to different types of program costs, managers can evaluate and/or compare programs so that informed choices can be made. CEAs assist managers in determining which program will provide quality outcomes when compared to the costs the organization would incur. Although this sounds like a simple process, there are many variables to consider.

Step 1: Research and discuss the following terms in a 1- to 2-page document:

Opportunity cost
Initial costs
Continuing costs
Induced costs
Averted costs
Fixed costs
Variable costs

Step 2: Using one of the studies listed below, research the topics and then formulate two processes to achieve positive outcomes. Then, compare the costs of the two processes by conducting a CEA. You may have to create control and outcome numbers, as well as estimate the costs of each component of the CEA. Use of a comparison table is encouraged. See an example below:

How to do a basic cost-effectiveness analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tools4dev.org/resources/how-to-do-a-basic-cost-effectiveness-analysis/

Increase the number of children receiving an annual flu vaccine in a pediatric clinic.
Decrease the number of “no-show” patients with appointments in a physician’s office practice.
Decrease resident falls in a 100-bed nursing home.
Decrease medication errors in a 500-bed acute care hospital.
Decrease wait time in a hospital emergency department (ED).

Step 3: Finally, from research, how can the program’s quality outcomes be measured? No calculations are necessary.