HEALTH CARE FINANCE

BACHELORS DEGREE IN HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION

HCA 260

Breyer State University
Instructor: Dale Mueller, Ed.D, RN, NHA

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to Health Care Finance, a course that is designed as a basic introduction to financial principles and concepts as applied to health care financial management of both for-profit and not-for-profit entities within the context of the health care environment in the United States today.

The goal of this undergraduate course is to prepare health care administrators for the responsibilities involved in maintaining a well-managed health care organization. Basic vocabulary, processes, functions and reports are presented in this course, including financial statements as commonly seen in health care environments. Topics covered include types of budgets; considerations for cash flow, payables and receivables; and considerations in working with various types of revenue streams.

This course also introduces a discussion of financial management of challenges of particular interest to administrators such as identification of costs of care, and types of provider payment systems. This course is designed to prepare you for more advanced financial concepts to be covered in specialty health care settings, or in graduate level courses. In fulfillment of the assignments that will provide fundamentals of finance, this course is designed to incorporate your own experience and observations, as well as contemporary business information obtained through research.

TIME FRAME: This is a five-semester hour course. This course is allotted ten weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the ten-week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course, or the day that you notify me that your textbooks have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies.

It is up to you to comply with the time frames for assignments and completion of this course. Extensions are granted only for extenuating circumstances, and must be agreed upon by both you and I. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded five-semester hours of credit.

TEXTBOOKS: There is one required textbook for this course.

Book 1: Financial Management of Health Care Organizations: An Introduction to Fundamental Tools, Concepts, and Applications. By Zelman, E.; McCue, M; & Millikan. A. Blackwell Publishers; Malden, MA: 1998. ISBN # 1-55786-709-7.

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EXAMINATIONS: There are two examinations for this course, a mid-term exam and a final exam.

1). The mid-term exam covers three activities based on Chapters 1-6; discussion questions, quizzes from the Zelman text, and a brief research activity of contemporary financial information.

2). The final exam covers three activities based on Chapters 9-12; discussion questions, quizzes from the Zelman text, and a brief research activity of contemporary financial information

I must download your mid-term paper with all of the required information by the end of the fifth week in the course. Incomplete papers will be graded accordingly.

I must download your final paper with all of the required information by the end of the tenth week in the course. Incomplete papers will be graded accordingly.

Send your completed exam to me. I will return it to you with feedback, including your grade.

GRADING: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

The grading criteria for the written assignment is as follows:

CONTENT & LEVEL: Weight 60%.
1). Content is pertinent, and reflects points requested from the readings as well as observation from the field.
2). Comprehensiveness of discussion is adequate.
3). The discussion as requested addresses the assignment in scope and content.

ORGANIZATION: Weight 20%.
1). The discussions demonstrate logical flow from idea to idea, point to point.
2). The paper includes supporting ideas from the assigned readings as appropriate.
.
FORMAT/GRAMMAR: Weight 10%.
1). Spelling and sentence structure are without error.
2). Punctuation and word choice are without error.
3). Paper contains a title, subheadings and paragraphs as appropriate.

READABILITY/STYLE: Weight 10%.
1). The paper reflects a synthesis of ideas from the readings and from experience as requested.
2). The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment.
3). Style of the paper is appropriate academic level.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: There are two (2) written assignments for this course. Each assignment consists of discussion questions, research and brief quizzes as listed below. The first paper must be received by the end of the fifth week of the course. The second paper must be received by the end of the tenth week of the course.

MIDTERM PAPER - There are three parts to this mid-term.
1). Discussion questions.
2). Quizzes from the Zelman text Chapter 1-6.
3). A brief research activity.

This paper must be submitted by the fifth week of the course. Assignments for the mid-term paper are located in the assignment section of the classroom.

FINAL PAPER - This paper must be submitted by the tenth week of the course.
There are three parts to this final:
1). Discussion questions.
2). Quizzes from the Zelman text Chapters 9-12.
3). Abrief research activity.

Assignments for the final paper are located in the assignment section of the classroom.

COMMUNICATION: Communication for this course is done via e-mail, regular mail, chat room talks, or by telephone. I encourage you to communicate with me as you progress through your course. Regular communication is essential, since you are directing the pace of your study.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: Dale Mueller, EdD, RN, has held numerous leadership and management roles in large and small organizations throughout her career as an administrator and consultant. Roles include leadership for change in chaotic environments, and management of teams, work groups, task forces and organizations. She is a gubernatorial appointee in strategic planning and human resources in California, and is a former President of the Chamber of Commerce in her community.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Identify components of financial statements and pertinent financial ratios.
2). Describe the process used in accrual accounting, resulting impact on financial statements, and the administrative responsibilities concerning accurate.
3). Identify reflections of organizational financial health.
4). Identify administrative responsibilities in relation to the cycle of working capital, cash flow, and receivables and payables management.
5). Discuss how concepts of present and future value of money, annuities, and capital financing are applied to health care financial decisions.
6). Illustrate the relationships of price, fixed and variable cost, and quantity relative to break-even analysis in health care financial planning.
7). Interpret a basic operations budget for a selected department, facility, or program.
8). Discuss analysis of budget performance within a selected scenario, and identify how operations decisions are interrelated within administrative roles.
9). Identify the components and administrative implications of major types of payment systems for health care services in use in the United States today.

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