Overview Assignment Due Date Format Grading Percent Finance, Risk, and Cost Day 3 (1st post) Discussion 6 Overinsured, Underinsured, and Uninsured Day 3 (1st post) Discussion 3 Feasibility Study Topic and Area of Interest Day 7 Assignment 8 Learning Outcomes This week students will: 1. Discuss common approaches to managing risk. 2. Create an investment scenario for a potential health services project. 3. Discuss the relationship between cost and quality. 4. Examine major trends in health insurance.   Introduction Understanding and managing costs and risks are core administrative tasks. Regardless of the mission of the health organization, leaders must consider cost control a priority. In addition, they must be able to make decisions even when important information is incomplete or missing. When leaders do not have all the necessary data, they must appraise the risk to determine if it is worth taking and what the best strategy for dealing with it might be. In light of this, insurance is all about managing risk. It is important for leaders to understand how it is structured in both private and public settings. This week we will be determining the risk and assessing the cost of a proposed venture. You will have the opportunity to take on the role of the presenter as well as that of the reviewer, which will allow you to experience two professional perspectives on the same problem. You will also be delving into the implications of accessibility and distribution through the lens of health insurance. Required Resources Required Text 1. Lee, R. H. (2009). Economics for health care managers (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Care Administration Press.  a. Chapter 3: An Overview of the Healthcare Financing System b. Chapter 4: Describing, Evaluating, and Managing Risk c. Chapter 5: Understanding Costs   Articles 1. Daniels, E. B., & Dickson, T.C. (1990). Assessing the feasibility, Performance of geriatric clinics. Healthcare Financial Management, 44(2), 30-34. Retrieved from the ProQuest database · This article will be used in conjunction with your feasibility study assignments. 2. Democratic Policy & Communications Center. (n.d.) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PDF]. · This online report is the U.S. Senate’s version of pertinent facts related to the Affordable Care Act. 3. Leff, B., Burton, L., Mader, S., Naughton, B., Burl, J., Greenough, WB., …Burton, J. R. (2005). Hospital at home: Feasibility and outcomes of a program to provide hospital-level care at home for acutely ill older patients.  Annals of Internal Medicine, 143(11), 798-808. Retrieved from ProQuest database.  · This provides an example of a feasibility study. Recommended Resources Articles 1. The Access Project. (2001). A community leader’s guide to hospital finance: Evaluating how a hospital gets and spends its money. Retrieved from http://www.accessproject.org/downloads/Hospital_Finance.pdf · This article provides a community or systems perspectiv.

1. Overview
Assignment
Due Date
Format
Grading Percent
Finance, Risk, and Cost
Day 3
(1st post)
Discussion
6
Overinsured, Underinsured, and Uninsured
Day 3
(1st post)
Discussion
3
Feasibility Study Topic and Area of Interest
Day 7
Assignment
8
Learning Outcomes
This week students will:
1. Discuss common approaches to managing risk.
2. Create an investment scenario for a potential health services
project.
3. Discuss the relationship between cost and quality.
4. Examine major trends in health insurance.

2. Introduction
Understanding and managing costs and risks are core
administrative tasks. Regardless of the mission of the health
organization, leaders must consider cost control a priority. In
addition, they must be able to make decisions even when
important information is incomplete or missing. When leaders
do not have all the necessary data, they must appraise the risk to
determine if it is worth taking and what the best strategy for
dealing with it might be. In light of this, insurance is all about
managing risk. It is important for leaders to understand how it
is structured in both private and public settings.
This week we will be determining the risk and assessing the
cost of a proposed venture. You will have the opportunity to
take on the role of the presenter as well as that of the reviewer,
which will allow you to experience two professional
perspectives on the same problem. You will also be delving into
the implications of accessibility and distribution through the
lens of health insurance.
Required Resources
Required Text
1. Lee, R. H. (2009). Economics for health care managers (2nd
ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Care Administration Press.
a. Chapter 3: An Overview of the Healthcare Financing System
b. Chapter 4: Describing, Evaluating, and Managing Risk
c. Chapter 5: Understanding Costs

3. Articles
1. Daniels, E. B., & Dickson, T.C. (1990). Assessing the
feasibility, Performance of geriatric clinics. Healthcare
Financial Management, 44(2), 30-34. Retrieved from the
ProQuest database
· This article will be used in conjunction with your feasibility
study assignments.
2. Democratic Policy & Communications Center. (n.d.) The
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PDF].
· This online report is the U.S. Senate’s version of pertinent
facts related to the Affordable Care Act.
3. Leff, B., Burton, L., Mader, S., Naughton, B., Burl, J.,
Greenough, WB., …Burton, J. R. (2005). Hospital at home:
Feasibility and outcomes of a program to provide hospital-level
care at home for acutely ill older patients. Annals of Internal
Medicine, 143(11), 798-808. Retrieved from ProQuest
database.
· This provides an example of a feasibility study.
Recommended Resources
Articles
1. The Access Project. (2001). A community leader’s guide to
hospital finance: Evaluating how a hospital gets and spends its
money. Retrieved
from http://www.accessproject.org/downloads/Hospital_Finance
.pdf
· This article provides a community or systems perspective on

4. how hospitals receive payment and spend money for services to
maintain operability of an organization.
2. Custer, W. S. (2013). Consumer choice in health
insurance. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 67(4), 25-
27. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.
· Custer (2013) states that “Tthe health insurance market is
likely to become more complex with full implementation of the
Affordable Care Act. There is a good deal of research that
suggests that consumers' choices may not be rational when the
number of alternatives is large, the alternatives are complex,
and information is limited or costly. Overcoming the limitations
in consumer decision making requires reducing complexity,
increasing information, and providing computational resources.”
3. Dhingra, S. S., Zack, M. M., Strine, T. W., Druss, B. G., &
Simoes, E. (2013). Change in health insurance coverage in
Massachusetts and other New England states by perceived
health status: Potential impact of health reform.American
Journal of Public Health, 103(6), e107-e114. doi:10.2105/
AJPH.2012.300997
The full-text version of this article can be accessed throguh the
EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library.
· This article examines the impact of health reform in
Massachusetts and its public health component (enacted in
2006) on change in health insurance coverage by perceived
health.
4. Fottler, M. D., & Lanning, J. A. (1986). A comprehensive
incentive approach to employee health care cost
containment. California Management Review, 29(1), 75-94.
Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.
· The article discusses the use of a comprehensive incentive

5. approach to employee health care cost containment. A
comprehensive approach would involve system controls to
shrink the system as well as incentives for both providers and
health care consumers to reduce utilization, be more price
conscious, and provide services more quickly.
5. Mango, P. D., & Riefberg, V. E. (2009). Three imperatives
for improving US health care. Mckinsey Quarterly, (2), 40-44.
Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.
· The article discusses actions that the author feels should be
taken to address the high cost of health care within the United
States. Specific problems that the authors feel the U.S.
government should address are discussed, such as the cost
associated with treating diseases related to people's lifestyles
and wastes within the health care system
6. Rohr, R. (2012). Cost control: The new frontier of medical
management. Physician Executive, 38(4), 82-83. Retrieved from
the EBSCOhost database.
· The article offers the author's insights regarding the medical
care cost control in the United States. The author states that the
Affordable Care Act has instructed a reduction in spending from
the current levels. He says that the value-based purchasing will
lessen total payments from the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services in the United States.
Websites
1. Hospital Corporation of America (http://hcahealthcare.com)
· This is the main website for a major hospital system covering
the United States.
2. Tenet Health

6. System (http://www.tenethealth.com/pages/home.aspx)
· This is a competitor hospital health care system similar in size
and scale to Hospital Corporation of America.
3. United States Department of Health & Human
Services (http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/)
· This website offers information on the Affordable Care Act
from the perspective of the U.S Department of Health and
Human Services, which oversees it.
4. United States Department of
Labor (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/)
· The U.S Department of Labor provides an annual review of
occupational health statistics as they relate to market forces.
5. Vaikom Hospital &
Healthcare (http://vaikomhealthcare.com/project-cost-estimates)
· This website offers a sample of the basic tenants that go into a
cost estimate and the breakdown of the variables.
Discussions
To participate in the following discussions, go to this
week's Discussion link in the left navigation.
1. Finance, Risk, and Cost
Prior to engaging in this discussion, read Chapters 3 and 4 from
the text review any relevant Instructor Guidance. It is
suggested that you review the recommended resources to glean
any helpful information. You are an associate director in a 300-

7. bed hospital located in an urban area. For the purposes of your
presentation, the location will be the closest city to your current
residence (this may be your city of residence). A sum of money
is available for investment in the facility. You have been tasked
by the hospital CEO to present a possible investment scenario in
which you renovate your existing facility, expand the current
facility, or clinically integrate your electronic health records
(EHRs). There is only enough money to fund one of the
potential projects. Your primary sources of data and information
may or may not be reliable. Please see the “Finance, Risk, and
Cost” document for the data needed to create your presentation.
In this discussion, you will be create a five-minute presentation
using PowerPoint and Screenr wherein you propose one of the
potential projects and defend its viability as the best option at
the present time. Your PowerPoint presentation slides must
include the following information:
· A basic design of the projected service/project (i.e., the option
you are promoting)
· An analysis of the role of public policy in terms of your
provision of health care services and provide justification of
your choice
· An explanation of the relevance of the current financial data in
terms of the projected outcome of the project
· A compare and contrast discussion of the economic challenges
and incentives related to your project
Once you have created your PowerPoint presentation, use
Screenr to create a screencast of your presentation with
voiceover. Include a title for your presentation in the
description box when you publish your screencast. Refer to the
Screenr.com Quick-Start Guide for assistance. The hospital

8. CEO has limited your presentation time to three to five minutes,
so you will need to incorporate as many characteristics of an
effective speaker as you can within this timeframe. These
characteristics may include but are not limited to storytelling,
facts only, pace, and volume. Since there is no video of the
presenter (just the presentation itself), you will not have the
benefit of body language, so be sure to create a convincing
screencast. Do not read your slides; rather, elaborate on your
bullet points and/or financial maps within the slides.
Copy and paste the URL to your screencast into your discussion
board response section and attach your PowerPoint (.ppt) file to
the post prior to submitting it. Your presentation must utilize at
least two scholarly sources, in addition to your textbook, that
are cited in APA format as outlined in the Ashford Writing
Center. All sources used within the presentation must be cited
properly on the slides and included on required reference slide,
which will be the last slide of the PowerPoint presentation. Due
to the time limit of your presentation, you are not required to
speak or read through the reference slide. However, you must
include your reference list within the discussion post along with
the URL for your screencast and submit your PowerPoint
presentation by attaching the PowerPoint (.ppt) file to your
initial discussion post.
Guided Response: Read several of your classmates’ posts and
provide a substantive written response to at least two of your
peers. Taking on the role of the hospital CEO, review the
presentations provided by at least two of your peers. Evaluate
the social issues that influenced the choice of project. Does the
initiative match the mission and vision of the facility? Does the
presentation effectively defend the project in terms of financial
impact on the facility? Will the project meet regulatory needs?
Is the cost of the project worth the financial risk? Why, or why
not? In addition to responding to at least two other students’
posts, it is recommended that you reply to at least one person

9. who responded to your original presentation by either
respectfully defending your conclusions or by listing how you
might consider other alternatives.
2. Overinsured, Underinsured, and Uninsured
Prior to engaging in this discussion, be sure to read Chapters 4
and 5 from the textbook and review the information included in
the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” detailed
summary, the information provided on the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services website, and any relevant Instructor
Guidance.
Presently, the United States is a fragmented system that offers a
misdistribution of “haves” and “have nots” which impact the
cost of delivering health care. The United States is currently a
nation of overinsured, underinsured, and uninsured people. In
light of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), how do
you see these issues being corrected so that a majority of the
population has access to quality health care? In an initial post
of 250-300 words, communicate the relevant aspects of the ACA
that will impact these issues. Analyze and describe how the role
of public policy will affect changes in this distribution.
Evaluate and explain some of the social-cultural issues that
might present potential problems as this plays out across the
country. What implications associated with the ACA might lead
to a paradigm shift in the ways in which we view access to
health care?
Guided Response: Read several of your classmates’ posts and
provide a substantive written response to at least two of your
peers. Did your classmates identify the same or different
potential problems than you included in your post? How might
you reconsider your original position based on the problems
presented by your peers? What specific aspects of the paradigm
shift did your classmates present that made you reflect

10. differently on the potential outcomes of the ACA? Explain your
reasoning.
Assignment
To complete the following assignment, go to this
week's Assignment link in the left navigation.
Feasibility Study Topic and Area of Interest
A detailed feasibility study is an essential element in the
process of diligently assessing any new health services business
venture. According to data released by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, the health care industry is currently one of the fastest
growing fields in the United States, and it is projected that the
field will grow by 22 percent by 2018. This is compared to an
11 percent average growth rate for all other industries (United
States Department of Labor, 2012). Whether you are
considering new medical service lines, an expansion of your
current operation, or any other type of health care business
venture, a feasibility study is an essential planning tool for any
future health care leader.
In this assignment, you will be taking the first step toward the
completion of your final assignment by settling on the topic for
your feasibility study. Please read the Leff, et al (2005) article,
“Hospital at Home: Feasibility and Outcomes of a Program to
Provide Hospital-Level Care at Home for Acutely Ill Older
Patients.” Reflect on the procedures and content found in the
article to aid you in choosing and shaping a topic for your
feasibility study. The topic you select should be of interest and
meaningful to you and your career, and it must be related to
health care delivery.

11. Create a document that includes the following:
· Title: Proposed title for the feasibility study
· Topic: Topic of the feasibility study
· Description: A brief description (250-500 words) of how the
proposal will impact the quality, availability, accessibility, and
affordability of care
· List of Resources: A list of five scholarly sources that you
plan to use as you complete your feasibility study
Writing the Feasibility Study Topic and Area of Interest
The Paper:
· Must be one to two double-spaced pages in length, excluding
the title and reference pages, and formatted according to APA
style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
· Must include a title page with the following:
· Title of paper
· Student’s name
· Course name and number
· Instructor’s name
· Date submitted
· Must address the topic with critical thought.
· Must include the listed headings with the content required
under each.

12. · Must use at least five scholarly sources that were published
within the last five years, including a minimum of three peer-
reviewed sources from the Ashford University Library.
· Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the
Ashford Writing Center.
· Must include a separate reference page that is formatted
according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing
Center.