Fall 2012

NURS 5356-02 Financial and Economic Evidence in Healthcare

This course is Web Enhanced with WebCT icon
Please be sure to check the Current Computer Requirements

Welcome to the course.

Required Course Packet will be available after August 30, 2012 and will be
located at the course Blackboard web site. Please familiarize yourself with this before the first day of class. The syllabus you are reading is the abbreviated syllabus. Read also the detailed syllabus posted in Bb for details about the course and the evaluation criteria for deliverables.

Reading Assignment for 1st day of class:
Finkler and McHugh, Chapter 1 of required text.
Davis & Robinson (2010) Healthcare Providers under pressure: Making the most of challenging times. (posted on Bb)

Section 01 (Drs. Reineck and Escandon):
NOTE: The first session for Section 01 is ONLINE, Wednesday, Sept 5, 2012. Students should log into Bb for more information.  Read Chapter 1, Finkler & McHugh. 

The first ON CAMPUS session for Section 01 is Wednesday, Sept 12, 2012, 2-5 p.m. Class will meet in room 1.120, School of Nursing.

Section 02 (Dr. Clutter):
The first session for Section 02 is Tuesday, Sept 4, 2012, 1-4 p.m. Class will meet in room 1.120, School of Nursing.  Read Chapter 1, Finkler & McHugh

FACULTY CONTACT INFORMATION

SECTION I FACULTY:

Carol Reineck, PhD, FAAN, CENP, NEA-BC, COI
Chair & Professor, School of Nursing
Department of Health Restoration & Care Systems Management
E-mail: reineck@uthscsa.edu
Office Phone: 210-567-5883
Office Room: NS 2.656.1
Office Hours: By appointment

Socorro Escandon, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Department of Family & Community Health Systems
E-mail: socorros@uthscsa.edu
Office Phone: 210-567-0839
Office Room: NS 2.360
Office Hourse: By appointment


SECTION II FACULTY:

Paula Clutter, PhD, RN, CNL
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Department of Health Restoration & Care Systems Management
E-mail: Clutter@uthscsa.edu
Office Phone: (210) 567-5799
Office Room: NS 2.628
Office Hours: By Appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course builds capability related to practice in a dynamic and complex healthcare financial environment. The course covers principles of healthcare economics; third party reimbursement; costing; budgets and budgeting; variance; economic evaluation methods; and writing a business plan to successfully defend or market a healthcare program.

CREDIT AND TIME ALLOCATION

Credit Hour Allocation: 3 Semester Credit Hours
Clock Hour Allocation: 3 Clock Hours Class (45 hours class)

PREREQUISITES

Graduate standing

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  1. Apply principles of healthcare economics.
  2. Compare perspectives of key participants in the healthcare financial environment.
  3. Evaluate attributes of healthcare payment systems.
  4. Discuss billing, coding, and other requirements for third party reimbursement.
  5. Apply methods of economic evaluation and costing for decision-making.
  6. Prepare and monitor budgets.
  7. Develop and defend a scenario-based business plan to market a healthcare program.

CLINICAL OBJECTIVES

N/A

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION / GRADES

Grade Percentages:
10% - One Financial Point Paper (FPP)
30% - Classroom and Online Participation
40% - Business Plan Proposal (8-10 Pages)
20% - Business Plan Presentation
100% - 100 Total Points

Grading Scale:
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = Below 60%

SCHEDULE: The course schedule is posted on Blackboard. Refer to Blackboard for details on topics, readings, and assignments.

On Campus Dates: Section 01 Wednesday
Note: The Sept 5 session for Section 01 will be ONLINE.
Sept 12, 2012 On Campus 2-5p
Oct 3 & 17 On Campus 2-5p
Nov 7 & 28 On Campus 2-5p
Dec 5 On Campus 2-5p

On Campus Dates: Section 02 Tuesday:
Sept 4, 2012 On Campus 1-4p
Oct 2, 2012 On Campus 1-4p
Nov 6 and 27, 2012 On Campus 1-4p
Dec 4, 2012 On Campus 1-4p

Online Dates: All weeks of the semester

Readings and online activities will be assigned for each class session, whether in the classroom or on line. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 3-4 hours a week on their own to complete assignments and prepare for class. References are given along with other resources and students are responsible for adding to these resources through study and literature review on their own, such as current periodicals (e.g. local and national newspapers, and internet resources) to be aware of constantly evolving healthcare policy changes and their impact on fiscal resources.

TEACHING-LEARNING STRATEGIES: This course is web-enhanced. There will be no more than 5 class sessions on campus; the remainder will be conducted on line. The predominant online didactic instruction includes self learning, student preparation and participation, online discussion and course email, assignment drop boxes, self assessments, etc.

Assignments: There are several manageable assignments which will enhance your understanding of fiscal management and also assist you with completing your main project, a written business plan.

Business plan paper: The business plan paper covers a proposal for a complete plan for a healthcare financial topic of the student's choice. The business plan topic will be reviewed and approved by the faculty instructor. Refer to the paper guidelines and grading criteria provided in the course packet. The paper may be completed independently or in dyads.

Presentation: Students will present their business plan paper in a 10-minute oral presentation on campus at the end of the course. Refer to the grading guidelines in the course packet. Presentations will be the last two on campus sessions.  

Computer literacy (Basic spreadsheet development, E-mail, sending and receiving of files) is assumed. It is a student's responsibility to learn the basics of the Excel spreadsheet program. The course is web-enhanced, so a Blackboard orientation is provided online.

Classroom participation: The expectation is that work experiences and current readings be used as a basis for classroom discussion for the topic under discussion. Class attendance and Blackboard participation are part of the classroom participation grade. Review the "Grading Online Participation" criteria posted on the Blackboard Course Content section.

CLASSROOM ATTENDANCE

Attendance in class is an expectation of each student.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

  1. If written assignments are made in a course they are required.
  2. Students are expected to submit written work on the scheduled date and time.
  3. The student must notify the course coordinator prior to the scheduled due date and time if they are unable to submit the written work as scheduled. Failure to make this notification in advance will result in a "zero" for that written work.
  4. If the excuse is accepted as reasonable and necessary, arrangements will be made for an alternative due date and time.
  5. Each student is responsible for making sure that he or she has completed the written work prior to submission.
  6. Late work will be accepted with consequences as outlined per course syllabi.

APA GUIDELINES

Effective Fall 2010, the APA Publication Manual 6th edition is required for use in all nursing school programs.

SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY

Students are expected to be above reproach in all scholastic activities. Students who engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and dismissal from the university. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." Regents Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22.

ADA ACCOMMODATIONS

Any student seeking ADA Accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act should contact the Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Services within the first week of the semester so that appropriate accommodations may be arranged. A Request for Accommodations (Form 100) must be completed. These forms are available in the Office for Students Room: NS 1.106. 

REQUIRED TEXT / REFERENCE

Finkler, S. A. and McHugh, M. (2008). Budgeting Concepts for Nurse Managers. (4th ed.) Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders ISBN 978-1-4160-3341-7

Additional Required Resources: (will be posted on Bb)
Davis, S. & Robinson, P. (2010).  Health Care Providers under pressure: making the most of challenging times.  Journal of Healthcare Finance, 37(2), 49-55.

Douglas, K. (2010). Taking Action to Close the Nursing-Finance Gap: Learning from Success.  Nursing Economic$, 28(4), 270-272.

Guest, J.F., Greener, M., Vowden, K., Vowden, P. (2011).  Clinical and Economic Evidence supporting a transplant barrier film dressing in incontinence-associated dermatitis and peri-wound skin protection.  Journal of Wound Care, 20(2), 76-84.

Hanson, C. & Bennett, S. (2009). Business Planning and Reimbursement Mechanisms. Chapter 19 in Harmric, A., Spross, J. , and Hanson, C. (2009) Advanced Practice Nursing: An Integrative Approach. 4th Ed. Saunders Elsevier.

Sanford, K. (Sept 2010).  Nurse Staffing: Finding the right number and mix.  Healthcare Financial Management, 38-39.

Sanford, K. (Nov 2010). Reducing variance in nursing practice. Healthcare Financial Management, 40-45.

Sanford, K. (March 2011).  The case for nursing leadership development. Healthcare Financial Management, 100-106.

*Stone, P., Curran, C., and Bakken, S. (2002). Economic Evidence for evidence-based practice. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 34(3), 277-282. (Note: this is a classic article).

RECOMMENDED (OPTIONAL) TEXT / REFERENCE

Friend, G. & Zehle, S. (2009). Guide to Business Planning, 2nd Ed. New York: Bloomberg Press. ISBN 978-1-57660-328-4.

Hunt, P. & Laughon, D. (2011). The Nurse Leader's Guide to Business Skills: Strategies for Optimizing Financial Performance. Danvers, MA: HC Pro. ISBN 978-1-60146-869-7.

Penner, S. (2004). Introduction to Healthcare Economics and Financial Management. Philadelphia: Lippincott. ISBN 0-7817-4019-3

Additional Recommended Resources:

Waxman, K.T. (2005). Creating a Culture of Financially Savvy Nurse Leaders. Nurse Leader, 3(1), 31-35. 



CONTENT OUTLINE

  1. Principles of healthcare economics including markets, demand, supply, market failure and how health care markets are imperfect.
  2. Key participants in the healthcare financial environment: Consumers, providers, payers, regulators, suppliers.
  3. Tools for expressing economic evidence and decision-making including cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, break-even, activity-based costing, cost minimization and cost consequence analysis.
  4. Budget
    1. Components
      1. Fixed, variable, incremental and total costs
    2. Types
      1. Statistical, master, operational, capital, and program
    3. Process
      1. Planning, data gathering, estimating costs, timelines, cycles, approvals, and interprofessional communication and prioritization
    4. Monitoring (defending variance based on quantity, quality, severity of illness, or price)
    5. Spreadsheet basics (computer lab session)
  5. Healthcare payment systems including third party reimbursement from government (Medicare, Medicaid, government charity), private insurance, and fee for service.
  6. Patient care, informatics, and business requirements for third party reimbursement.
  7. Meaning and importance of business planning.
  8. Components of a business plan: executive summary; business description and vision; definition of the market; description of products and services; organization and management; marketing strategy; financial management; and appendices.
  9. Contemporary trends in payment systems.
  10. Meaningful use, accountable care organizations, and value-based purchasing.
  11. Healthcare (Medicare/Medicaid) fraud and financial ethics.

CALENDAR - 1st Day Only

Please check the schedule for recent updates on Class Dates & Room.

Please check the schedule for recent updates on Class Dates & Room Assignments.

Section 01 (Drs. Reineck and Escandon):
NOTE: The first session for Section 01 is ONLINE, Wednesday, Sept 5, 2012. Students should log into Bb for more information.  Read Chapter 1, Finkler & McHugh. 

The first ON CAMPUS session for Section 01 is Wednesday, Sept 12, 2012, 2-5 p.m. Class will meet in room 1.120, School of Nursing.

Section 02 (Dr. Clutter):
The first session for Section 02 is Tuesday, Sept 4, 2012, 1-4 p.m. Class will meet in room 1.120, School of Nursing.  Read Chapter 1, Finkler & McHugh.  

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