The final project for this course is the creation of a written proposal.
Overview
While healthcare organizations differ greatly, managers in various departments in organizations must propose changes to processes, the purchase of new
equipment, the addition of employees, and many other changes to executives and boards to obtain approval. For this course, you will place yourself in the role of
a manager in an organization of your choice. You are tasked with creating a written proposal that will add value to an organization and will impact the budget.
This may come in the form of adding updated equipment, changing a process to become more streamlined, and so on. You will be submitting your proposal to
your instructor, who will be playing the roles of CEO and budgetary board, for consideration. This assessment will require you to defend your proposal in terms of
the value added and the financial impacts to the organization, as you would need to in the real world.
You will select your organization from the following site to ensure that sufficient financial information is available for consideration:
https://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers.htm. You can look for companies by selecting the ‘most recent filings’ link and then search for a healthcare or
biotech company. You must confirm with your instructor that the topic or area of interest of your proposal will allow you to sufficiently answer all of the questions
in the prompt below. You also have the option of selecting your place of employment, within healthcare, as approved by your instructor.
The project is divided into four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final
submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Three, Four, and Six. The final project will be submitted in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
Articulate key managerial accounting principles in healthcare using appropriate terminology
Determine financial impacts in healthcare by analyzing major forces affecting the delivery of health services
Utilize financial statements to inform short- and long-term strategic planning
Craft high-level proposals that address budgeting consideration by justifying spending for healthcare services
Prompt
Your proposal report should answer the following prompt: Considering the major forces in healthcare today, what improvements or changes would you propose
for your selected organization? How would your proposal add value to the organization, and what impact would your proposal have in terms of the financial and
budgetary considerations?
Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed, but the proposal that you are creating may require you to address these aspects in a different
order. Please organize your report in the manner that seems the most logical for your topic.
I. Introduction
A. What are the major forces affecting the delivery of healthcare today? Discuss these forces and their corresponding impacts on today’s healthcare
environment.
B. Impact of Forces: What healthcare service and delivery opportunities and challenges exist because of the forces discussed above? Define the
challenges and opportunities that exist for today’s healthcare leaders.
C. Opportunities: Based on your analysis of the major forces, impacts, and opportunities provided, consider the specific organization that you
selected. What opportunities exist for this organization, and how do these opportunities relate to the big-picture view of healthcare?
D. Proposal: What is your proposal for addressing identified issues or improvements within your organization? In other words, what changes are
you trying to incorporate in your selected organization?
II. Financial and Budgetary Considerations
A. Financial Statements: What financial statements will you utilize in making your proposal, and how will you use these statements?
B. Proposal Impact: What impact will your proposal have on the organization’s financial statements? Articulate the impact using appropriate
terminology.
C. Flexed Versus Fixed: How would your proposal be different if using a flexed budget versus a fixed budget? In other words, how would the use of
one type of budget versus the other impact your proposal, and how would your proposal impact the budget? (Evaluate the differences between
a fixed and a flexed budget.)
III. Proposal Justification
A. Ratio Selection: What ratios will you use to support your proposal and why? Select the ratio or ratios that would be the most appropriate.
B. Ratio Results: Calculate the selected ratios and articulate the results using accurate terminology. What do the results tell you about the viability
of your proposal?
C. Short- and Long-Term Impact: Based on your calculations and financial statement analysis, determine the short-term and long-term impact on
the organization and the organization’s financials. What is the short-term and long-term financial impact of your proposal for the organization?
How can you plan to strategically mitigate the impact on the financials of the company, or how will your proposal help inform strategic planning
in the short and long term?
IV. Closing Statement/ Conclusion
A. Added Value: What value will your proposal add to the organization? Justify the value or improvement your proposal will add for the
organization, in consideration of trends in healthcare.
B. Justification of Proposal: How appropriate is your proposal based on your financial analysis? Justify your proposal based on the financials and
budgetary considerations. If you feel that your proposal is not appropriate given your analysis, explain why, with support of your reasoning.
Milestone One: Draft Proposal: Major Forces
Milestones
In Module Two, you will submit a draft proposal for critical elements located in Section I, parts A and B (see above under Prompt), defining the major forces
affecting the delivery of healthcare. You will be required to describe the opportunities and challenges as they relate to healthcare leaders. Additionally, you
should include the types of leases that might be considered for financial operations. In your response, consider the opportunities and challenges for today’s
healthcare leaders. The format should be a minimum of 2 pages in length. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Healthcare Organization Selection
In Module Three, you will select a company within the healthcare industry that you will use later for your capital budget proposal research. You will submit the
healthcare organization selection to the instructor to ensure that you are able to attend to each aspect of the assessment. The format should be a 2- to 3-
paragraph journal assignment. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Milestone Three: Draft Proposal: Capital Budget Item Selection and Opportunities Available for Proposal
In Module Four, you will submit a draft proposal for Section I, parts C and D. Using the approved healthcare organization and the information gathered, identify
the capital budget item or items that will be used as the basis for the written capital budget proposal. You must include how the proposal recommendations
reflect the big-picture view of healthcare. Refer to the Note on Operational Budgeting in Health Care (located in your coursepack) for final project budget
guidance. The format should be a minimum of 1 page in length. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.
Milestone Four: Finance, Budget, and Justification
In Module Six, you will submit a draft proposal for Sections II and III. You will provide financial statement analyses, profitability ratios, and ratio analyses to
support the capital budget proposal formulated in Milestone Three. You will also use financial calculations to support proposal recommendations and to explain
the short- and long-term financial impact for the organization. The format should be a minimum of 2 pages in length. This milestone is graded with the
Milestone Four Rubric.
Final Product: Written Proposal
In Module Seven, you will submit a written proposal on your selected organization. You will provide an explanation of how the capital budget proposal supports
the operational and strategic goals of the organization. You will be required to explain the value of the capital proposal in consideration of current trends in
healthcare and to provide financial statement support and analysis. The written proposal should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical
elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. The final product will be graded using the Final
Product Rubric.
Deliverables
Milestone Deliverables Module Due Grading
One Draft Proposal: Major Forces Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric
Two Healthcare Organization Selection Three Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric
Three Draft Proposal: Capital Budget Item
Selection and Opportunities Available
for Proposal
Four Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric
Four Finance, Budget, and Justification Six Graded separately; Milestone Four Rubric
Final Product: Written Proposal Seven Graded separately; Final Product Rubric
Final Product Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your written proposal should be long enough to sufficiently cover all necessary material, including key budgetary information and any
external resources used in preparation; however, the number of pages is less important than the content and organization of the report. Your proposal should be
organized logically, as it will be used to convince your supervisor and budgetary board (your instructor) to approve your changes.
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Introduction: Major
Forces
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
discussion evidences keen
insight into the current
healthcare environment
Discussesthe impacts of major
forces in today’s healthcare
environment with emphasis on
the effect on healthcare
delivery
Discussesthe major forces in
today’s healthcare
environment, but not their
impacts, or without focus on
the effect on healthcare
delivery
Does not discussthe major
forces in today’s healthcare
environment
5
Impact of Forces Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight into the
greater environment of
healthcare and the recent
challenges and opportunities
Accurately definesthe
challenges and opportunities
faced by today’s healthcare
leaders based on the forces in
today’s healthcare environment
Defines challenges and
opportunitiesfaced by today’s
healthcare leaders, but with
gaps in detail or accuracy based
on the forces in today’s
healthcare environment
Does not define challenges and
opportunitiesfaced by today’s
healthcare leaders
8
Opportunities Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight into
incorporating the big-picture
views into organizational
settings
Translatesthe big-picture view
of healthcare to the selected
organization to identify areas of
opportunity
Identifies areas of opportunity
within the selected organization
but without the connective
detail to the big-picture view of
healthcare
Does not identify areas of
opportunity within the selected
organization
8
Proposal Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight into
needs and opportunities within
the healthcare organization
Conceptualizesreasonable
change(s) for proposal within
the organization based on the
identification of opportunities
Conceptualizes change(s) for
proposal within the
organization, but changes are
not reasonable or not based on
the identification of
opportunities
Does not conceptualize changes
for proposal within the
organization
8
Financial
Statements
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight into the
use of financialsfor proposal
creation
Identifiesthe correct financial
statements and information for
use in preparing the proposal
Identifiesincorrect financial
statements and information or
misses key financial elements
necessary for preparing the
proposal
Does not identify financial
statements and information for
preparing the proposal
8
Proposal Impact Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
articulation evidences keen
insight into the nuanced
impacts organizational changes
can have on financial
statements
Clearly articulates how the
proposal could impact the
financial statements of the
organization
Articulatesthe relationship
between the proposal and the
financialstatement, but does
not correctly describe the
potential impact of the
proposal on the statements of
the organization
Does not articulate the
relationship between the
proposal and financial
statements of the organization
10
Flexed vs. Fixed Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight into the
financial nuances of fixed and
flexed budgetsin healthcare
Accurately discussesthe
differences between flexed and
fixed budgetsin relation to the
proposal
Discussesthe differences
between flexed and fixed
budgets, but with gaps in
accuracy or not in relation to
the proposal
Does not discussthe difference
between flexed and fixed
budgets
8
Ratio Selection Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight into the
uses and benefits of financial
ratios for budget proposal
Selectsfinancial ratios
appropriate for support of the
proposal
Selectsfinancial ratios, but they
are not appropriate for
supporting the proposal
Does not select financial ratios 8
Ratio Results Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight into the
use of ratios and financial
terminology in healthcare
settings
Articulatesthe results of ratio
calculations accurately using
appropriate financial
terminology
Articulatesthe results of ratio
calculations, but with gaps in
accuracy or without use of
appropriate terminology
Does not articulate the results
of ratio calculations
8
Short- and LongTerm Impact
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight into
financial and organization
impact of proposalsin
healthcare
Determines accurately the
short- and long-term potential
impact of the proposal on the
organization and the
organization’sfinancials
Determinesshort- and longterm impacts of the proposal
on the organization and
financials, but with gaps in
accuracy, logic, or detail
Does not determine the shortand long-term impacts of the
proposal on the organization
and financials
8
Added Value Meets “Proficient” criteria and
shows keen insight into valuing
and justifying proposalsfor
organizational improvement
Justifiesthe value the proposal
will add to the organization
with support from trendsin the
healthcare environment
Describesthe value the
proposal will add, but does not
justify with support from trends
in the healthcare environment
Does not describe the value the
proposal will add to the
organization
8
Financial
Justification
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
evidences keen insight
regarding financial needs and
justification in healthcare
Justifies or denies the
appropriateness of the proposal
in terms of financial and
budgetary considerations
Explainsthe financial and
budgetary considerations, but
does not justify or deny the
appropriateness of the proposal
in terms of these considerations
Does not explain the financial
and budgetary considerations
8
Articulation of
Response
Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented in
a professional and easy-to-read
format
Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that negatively impact
readability and articulation of
main ideas
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas
5
Total 100%