Health Care Budget

One of the major functions of a nurse manager is managing a budget and allocating resources necessary to manage the unit or facility effectively. “Major steps in the budgeting process include gathering information and planning, developing unit budgets, developing cash budgets, negotiating and revising, and using feedback to control budget results and improve future plans”(Yoder-Wise, 2012, p. 244). The nurse manager must be able to accommodate variances and acclimate the budget in both the projections and up-to-date expenditures. Proficiency in managing a unit level budget is essential for both a favorable variance and optimal patient outcomes. Budgeting entails reviewing revenues and expenses, staffing costs, supplies, and capital equipment costs (Contino, 2001). This case study examines personnel, overtime (OT), supplies, travel, equipment, and staff education and the manner in which management can address these factors.

The budget process is a powerful planning tool for government to make important resource decisions. According the Carney and Schoenfeld‘s article on How to read a Budget, an operating budget is a reflection of government’s financial plans. When a budget is

Each aspect plays a role, as financial management as a whole impacts the health care organization in a significant way. An example (that ties to evidence) of a primary component is the model analysis of the insurance system that affects the health budgeting spending on a statewide level. Further elaborating, the insurance system affects the input and output of the external categorization of the practical approach for a health care organization to utilize their primary care towards patients. Thus, as a result the aspects shift according to model process. Additionally, one’s perspective plays an important role in influencing decision-making in regards to financial management for healthcare. This is because the individual plays a primary role in the performance and internal indicators of the direction of the organizational mission; thus their output affects the organization’s advancement.

This research paper is a brief discussion of budget management analysis. Budgeting is the key to financial management, and is the key to translates an organization goals or plan into money. Budgeting is a rough estimate of how much a company will need to get their work done, and provides the basis for evaluating performance, a source of motivation, coordinating business activities, a tool for management communication and instructions to employees. Without a budget an organization would be like a driver, driving blinded without instructions or any sense of direction, that’s how important a budget is to every organization and individual likewise (Clark, 2005).

In a two paged letter dated January 20th, 2014 from Debra B. Whitman, Chair of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) addressed to President Barack Obama the coalition expressed their concerns on the then forthcoming Fiscal Year 2016 budget request with a specified interest in those line items on Medicare. “We urge you to abstain from including proposals in the FY2016 budget, namely those included in the past budgets; that would shift additional health care costs to people with Medicare.” (Whitman, Debra. Letter. 20 January 2014)

Managers who are managing health care organizations must be attentive to the accounting practices and must obey and practice the financial management procedures to be able to solve any issues if any should arise. With the continuation of the high costs of health care managers as well as consumers must know how to budget carefully. According to All Business. (2010), the cost of providing health care services, patients way of payment for these services and the environment in which those patients reside and receive those services are important elements that affect the care this is or may not be

Not only is liability an issue, but also the mere cost of medical insurance doctors have to pay. Fewer doctors will provide obstetric care on the basis that they cannot afford the cost of insurance. This directly impacts women who need the care of these physicians. Despite having an average salary between $200,000 and $250,000 per year, OB-GYNs have the highest malpractice premiums at about $34,000. Medical students are already in a position of having to play “catch up.” Years of student debt from graduate and medical school take years to pay off, and higher medical premiums doctors face make it near impossible. Moreover, the cost of education is rising and students are acquiring greater amounts debt. According to an Association of American

Health care is a huge added player in the hat rides the Current national expenditure levels in the United States has more than tripled in the past decade, while the amount of Americans that can afford private health insurance has dropped and the number of people relying on Medicaid and Medicare has increased with the aging baby boomer generation. Medicaid and Medicare being two of the governments most used medical insurances, the spending in health care has grown faster than the economy can bear. The Medicare physician reimbursement system provides a kind of “public good” for other insurance programs; that is, it offers a

Health spending in Canada rose from $74 billion dollars per year in 1995 to about $222 bil- lion in 2015. Several factors drive health care spending. These include population growth, aging population, the increase in prices of health care related goods and services on top of economy-wide inflation. Increased demand for health care because of higher per capita income (income effect) and the greater rate of health care utilization due to deteriorating health and better access (supply) also affect health care expenditure. The introduction of new technologies in health care system (usually more efficient and technologically advanced method of treatment) increase cost. Finally, change in productivity in health care sector which can potentially

Change in any organization depends not only with its internal environment, but is also influenced by the external environment as well. One of the common road blocks that organizations has to cross through is the budget constraints. The following case study focuses on the similar issue that the Basic Health (BH) had to face in order to continue its program in providing health coverage to low-income families. BH is overseen by Health Care Authority (HCA), which is a Washington state agency that oversees seven health care programs.

A company's budget serves as a guideline in planning and committing costs in order to meet tactical and strategic goals. Tactical goals such as providing budgetary costs for daily operations, and strategic objectives that include R&D, production, marketing, and distribution are all part of the budgeting process. Serving as a guideline rather than being set in stone, the budget is a snapshot of manager's "best thinking at the time it is prepared." (Marshall, 2003, p.496) The budget is a method in which to reign-in discretionary spending, and will likely show variances between what costs have been anticipated and what costs are actually incurred.

Though they are not entirely comprehensive tools, a great deal can be learned about a hospital or other healthcare organization for-profit or not-for-profit from an examination of their annual financial documents (Finkler & Ward, 2006). The balance sheet and statement of revenue and expense can both yield valuable clues even in the absence of other evidence about changes that might be occurring in the organization, a definition of the type and degree of certain problems that it might be facing, and potential opportunities for improvement in performance that might exist (Finkler & Ward, 2006). Comparing two or more years' worth of financial information yields even more valuable insights, tracking movement in the hospital or other organization's ability to finance its activities and thus continue providing services at the same level, quantity, and scope as current operation.

Budget formulation and use are tools that guide many decision making strategies in business. The measures that are least effective could create an avalanche of catastrophic events that can negatively impact the decision making strategies. It is in the best interest of the pertinent parties to draft an operating budget based on a collective set of information relating to organizational vision and mission. Ineffective measures can be catastrophic based on the foundation for measures used in creating the budget. Among the many issues organizations face that relates to creating an effective operating budget results from poor

Budget is time-consuming, especially if it involves a poorly managed company. The budget only pays attention to the quantitative aspect of business while neglecting the qualitative aspects. It does not consider the quality of services or goods and therefore inconsiderate of customers’ satisfaction. Another disadvantage of a budget is that it is inaccurate. A firm rarely “makes budget.” The hope is that the business activity will be close to the budget, but it could be off considerably and lead to bad hiring, spending and production decisions. This is because budget preparation is based on assumptions and thereby changes in the business environment could lead to unachievable

Budget and budgetary control practices though very essential to meeting organizational goals, are mostly hastily and improperly prepared. This eventually leads to unfulfilled budget and budgetary control practices.