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Case Study: Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation

Decent Essays

There is a recent trend among charitable clinics to move from a free service model to one that is fee-based. Organizations are motivated to make this kind of transition because of the extra revenue that fees bring in, beliefs about the ways that a person behaves when they pay for a treatment, and the social stigma associated with no-cost services. There are several factors that an organization like the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation (GLLF) should consider when contemplating transitioning away from a free clinic. This memo serves as a guideline for how the GLLF should analyze what this transition would change within the organization. An organization might choose to implement one of the following fee models (for any of these models, it is advisable for the organization to stipulate a policy for if and when a fee might be waived or reduced): • A sliding scale, based on household income. • Appointment or administrative fees, full or partial. • Charge fees for goods but not for services. For example, the GLLF would charge for a pair of eyeglasses or a hearing aid but not for the examinations. The most obvious benefit of instating fees is financial. Formerly free services and goods will generate revenue that will go towards continued funding. The other suggested benefits of re-branding are dependent on …show more content…

The GLLF must be aware of what it could be sacrificing by making this change. When goods or services are no longer free, it would be logical to see a decrease in the number of recipients, because at any given rate some individuals will be prevented from opting-in (unless a policy is established that waives fees for those individuals). An additional concern is that moving away from a free clinic will render the organization ineligible for state Sovereign Immunity protection against issues of liability. Therefore, the GLLF would need to secure its own protection against lawsuits with professional liability

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