2

docx

School

Southern New Hampshire University *

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Course

104

Subject

Finance

Date

Nov 24, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

1

Uploaded by LieutenantNarwhalPerson860

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After completing this week's readings, including The Growing Importance of Cost Accounting for Hospitals, describe the ways in which healthcare financial managers use financial resources and cost classifications to allocate indirect costs to direct costs when determining patient charges. Also, explain how utilization rates are related to volumes and revenue generation. Support your answer with scholarly resources. Cost accounting systems like product and project cost systems are used by healthcare finance managers to assign direct and indirect cost classification methods in determining charges on patients. One way is an hourly rate allocation. The finance manager makes use of the time of treatment to determine the resource consumed. The cost per minute for treatment is determined by dividing the annual indirect patient care costs by the total time the physician spends on hospital activities. Another way is the allocation of inpatient days. Even though it may not be true; the system assumes that all patients have utilized an equal amount of indirect costs. The reality is patients do not use the same indirect costs because they do not suffer from the same illness. So to calculate the unit cost per day per patient, the accountant calculates indirect costs by dividing the number of days available per patient per day. Yet another way is the allocation of marginal markup. The cost accountant applies a markup percentage to direct costs, presuming uniform distribution of smaller indirect costs across all patients within the hospital system. Utilization rates are related to both volume and generated revenues. When the utilization rate is high then the profit margin for that healthcare organization will also be high; even if the boost is small revenues and profits will increase. Therefore, if the volume is increased, then there is an increase in revenue which is a clear reflection of a higher utilization rate.
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