Assignment 11: Final Course Project

1

Curtis Hill

Assignment 07.2: Interview Plan and Question Development

HA4200D - Healthcare Financial Management

Leslie King

August 22, 2021

Interview Plan and Question Development

The interview with the healthcare organization’s financial manager will be set for a period which they have enough time to participate in the discussion. The proposed questions are estimated to last approximately 4 hours which additional time included in the preparation for issues or questions that require detailed responses. The questions are targeted at understanding the initiatives or objectives set to improve financial operation within the facility. Regardless, the interview is targeted for a weekend on the interviewee’s preferences allowing for limited distractions from work-related duties. Additionally, with the dynamics of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the interview will be conducted via video calling. It is both convenient and support the international and national initiatives to limit the spread of the virus.

Interview Questions

Each interview question will be categorized per their topic; additionally, the question will also determine the scope of factors to be addressed.

Assets and Liabilities

1. Among the numerous technological assets acquired or in use by the facility, can their value be quantified? Moreover, what is their service life before they need to be replaced?

2. Are the replaced equipment regarded as assets or liabilities? If the equipment is viewed as assets, what are they used for after their replacement and liabilities, what is the facility’s action towards the destruction or sale of the equipment?

3. With the current pandemic is the lack of adequate infrastructure viewed as a fiscal or operational liability. If it is a budgetary liability, please explain.

Revenue and Expenses

1. In the fiscal year of 2018, can the facility’s overall revenue generated be disclosed? If possible, what was the value?

2. How did the previously identified gross revenue generated affect profitability?

3. How does the financial team limit the facility’s expenses to meet the demands of investors? Does the facility compromise on quality or quantity?

Staffing

1. Under numerous statistical and scientific studies, there is evidence that the shortage of medical practitioners is responsible for the rapidly increasing cost of healthcare? If yes, please explain the association of staffing and the cost of healthcare for patients.

2. How many employees does the facility have, and how are shift hours divided among the current employees?

3. Do medical, administrative, and support staff have the exact shift expectations, or are they dissimilar depending on duties?

Reporting Tools and Performance Measure

1. What reporting tools are exploited by the facility to measure or account for employee and patient incidents?

2. Are employee performance data used to determine overall remuneration bonuses?

Budget Trends and Forecasting

1. What trends does the finance department seek to determine the expected fiscal expenditure for future financial periods?

2. Are forecasting tools employed in assessing budget trends? If yes, please explain its application.

3. How effective are the forecasting tools in relation to budget trends?

Operating Budget management and planning

1. What is the facility’s annual operating budget? Additionally, how is it divided among the various departments?

2. The budget management and planning process entails the inclusion of which stakeholders?

Capital Equipment

1. Does the facility have any high-end equipment?

2. What are the costs, life span, and serviceability of the previously mentioned equipment?

References

Baker, J., Baker, R., & Dworkin, N. (2018). Health care finance (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Leech, B. (2002). Asking Questions: Techniques for Semistructured Interviews. Political Science & Politics, 35(04), 665-668. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049096502001129