HSA-5175 Health Care Finance: Assignment 4

Case Study: Chapters 9 to 12.

Objective: The students will complete a Case study assignments that give the opportunity to synthesize and apply the thoughts learned in this and previous coursework to examine a real-world scenario. This scenario will illustrate through example the practical importance and implications of various roles and functions of a Health Care Administrator. The investigative trainings will advance students’ understanding and ability to contemplate critically about the public relations process, and their problem-solving skills. As a result of this assignment, students will be better able to comprehend, scrutinize and assess respectable superiority and performance by all institutional employees.

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES (10%):

Students will critically measure the readings from Chapters 9 to 12 in your textbook. This assignment is planned to help you examination, evaluation, and apply the readings and strategies to your Health Care organization, and finance. You need to read the chapters assigned for week 4 and develop a 3-4 page paper reproducing your understanding and capability to apply the readings to your Health Care organization and finance. Each paper must be typewritten with 12-point font and double-spaced with standard margins. Follow APA style 7th edition format when referring to the selected articles and include a reference page.

EACH PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Introduction (25%) Provide a brief synopsis of the meaning (not a description) of each Chapter and articles you read, in your own words that will apply to the case study presented.

2. Your Critique (50%):

Case Study

To say hospital and health system operating margins are different today than they were a decade ago may be an understatement. Medicare reimbursement reductions, cuts to state Medicaid programs and rising tides of uncompensated care have created an atmosphere where some hospitals, particularly smaller, community hospitals, are simply happy with a break-even balance sheet.

The environment is unlikely to change in the short term. The super committee was unable to reach a bipartisan agreement to cut $1.2 trillion over 10 years, and it will cause sequestration cuts of 2 percent to Medicare starting in 2019.

While 2020 may appear to be a grim time for hospitals to keep their finances positive, there are several things hospitals can do to go beyond just maintaining solvency. Hospitals and health systems essentially have two options: They can either cut costs or create new revenue streams. Here, several healthcare leaders share their thoughts on how this can be done and offer one recurring theme: Hospital and healthcare leadership needs to evaluate a multitude of planes rather than relying only on across-the-board savings cuts.

1. Focus on the continuum of care. One of the biggest changes occurring in healthcare is the full-scale shift away from fee-for-service and volume-based measures toward accountable care organizations and quality-based measures. Ann Pumpian, CFO of Sharp Healthcare in San Diego, says hospitals will need to look at the entire continuum of care, regardless if they join an ACO, if they plan to stay profitable in 2019 and beyond. She says the continuum of care hospitals need to focus on includes the initial admission, how services are provided within that admission to create the most efficient process for a quick yet appropriate discharge, a discharge to the appropriate post-acute setting and follow-ups with that discharge.