answered: **please don’t just agree to post but add more to their post

  

**please don’t just agree to post but add more to their post that can be discussed ***
Classmate 1:Jasmine: Dear Dr. D and fellow classmates,
Hope all are taking good care of yourselves as we near yet another finish line. I for one, am excited for a bit of a break from studies, as I will have at least 3 months of break before embarking on my APE/ILE. My office has been a buzz of activity this school year! It is apparent that I do know more than I did last year about this school environment, the students and staff know me better and trust me as well, so this equates to increased visits to my office, and leaves me spent at the end of any given day. Having some time off from school for a bit will give me time to refresh and be ready to finish strong. A student stopped in today just to let me know the time I allowed them to rest in my office last year helped and that they got the help they needed and are feeling whole (mentally) once again. These are the moments that remind me of the importance of what I am doing, even if I am not completely aware of the moment they are happening. I know obtaining my MPH will help increase awareness of the importance of what I do and guide me further towards knowing how best to respond to future situations, as well as prepare and create objectives to help better prepare my students for life.
For this discussion post, I have chosen to tackle the Break-Even Analysis scenario. I am not a big fan of budgets, but after completing the module and textbook readings, I see that 1) I am not the only one who is not enthralled by budget planning, and 2) it is a necessary skill that must be honed, remembering that it will not be perfect on the first, or even second or maybe even 4th or 5th times. The importance is to keep persevering. (Orton 2011) A budget is a guideline, and including all presumed variables helps the public health professional identify potential issues prior to a project’s launch. A budget becomes easier to produce with continued practice. A budget is a necessary part of a business plan that can be the essential piece needed to make a deal. Looking closely at the care provided to patients, making sure those interventions are well received bolstering the success of a clinic through verifiable positive patient outcomes. (Woolf, 2005)
One component of a budget is the break-even portion. This piece of the equation is necessary so that planners may see at what point a project will begin to sustain itself, when all direct and indirect costs are paid, not with in-kind money or donations, or factoring in saved wages of volunteers, but with actual costs tallied and payment generated to cover these from the monies generated by those who utilize the services of the program. If in-kind money, donations, or volunteer hours were factored in, a true representation of the feasibility would not be reflected, and if these sources of income dried up, the program would not be able to continue.
Decipher the number of teens to be served in the pregnancy clinic using the following breakeven analysis formula:
Q = FC ÷ (P – VC) = $300,000 ÷ ($ – 30) = $300,000 ÷ $200 = children
Where Q is the number of customers needed just to breakeven.
FC is the total fixed cost.
P is the assumed average amount collected per visit.
VC is the variable cost per visit.
Using this formula helps break down each of the variables, Quantities lower than Q indicate a loss, higher than Q, a profit. P equals the average revenue received per unit of measurement, in this case, a patient visit, the pregnancy clinic will receive. The point at which revenue is exactly equal to expenses calculated, no profit or loss is indicated, and this is what is considered the break-even point. (Chamberlain, 2022)
How many teen patients would need to receive services at the pregnancy clinic to reach the break-even point? At what point would this occur?
Break Even Calculation:
fixed cost – $300,000 – Includes start-up costs, securing facility, renovation, securing experienced talent in the form of advanced practice nurses, RNs, techs, clerks, equipment rental/purchase, supplies, etc.
variable cost – $200/patient/visit – use of ultrasound machines, lab supplies, other medical devices, brochures, and other useful items as needed.
There will be 3 levels of patient treatment, with % of patients expected, & charges listed
Simple – initial assessment/4 prenatal visits, estimated 15%, $400/visit
Moderate – continuous treatment/monthly visits, estimated 60%, $1,000/visit
Complex – high risk treatment, estimated 25%, $2,000/visit
Projected visits anticipated to be 4,800 patients/year
Contribution margin by patient type = variable cost subtracted from price per visit:
Price/visit
Variable Cost
Contributing Margin
Simple (15%)
$400
–
$200
=
$200
Moderate (60%)
$1000
–
$200
=
$800
Complex (35%)
$2000
–
$200
=
$1800
Days to break-even = (# of visits to break-even) ÷ (# of visits the agency serves per day)
Percentage of Visits
Contribution Margin
Weighted Average Contribution Margin
Simple
15%
x
$200
=
$30
Moderate
60%
x
$800
=
$480
Complex
35%
x
$1800
=
$630
Total Weighted Average Contribution Margin:
$1140
Q = $300,000 ÷ $1140 = 264 visits
# of visits served per day = (# of visit’s seen per year) ÷ (# of days per year) = 4800 ÷ 365 = 13.1 visits/day
Days to break-even = (# of visits to break-even) ÷ (# of visits the agency serves per day) = 264 ÷ 13.1 = 8.48
The teen pregnancy clinic will break-even on the 9th day of operation, so on day 10, the clinic will begin seeing profits. (Chamberlain, 2022) Thanks for reading!
Be Well,
Jasmine
References
Chamberlain University Online (2022). Retrieved October 9, 2022. MPH508 Leadership & Administration in Public Health Systems: Week 7, Topic 5. Downers Grove, IL: Online Publication. https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/109473/pages/module-7-topic-5-break-even-analysis?module_item_id=15847686Orton, S. N., Menkens, A. J., & Santos, P. (2011). Public health business planning: A practical guide. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Orton, S. N., Menkens, A. J., & Santos, P. (2011). Public health business planning: A practical guide. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Woolf, & Johnson, R. E. (2005). The break-even point: when medical advances are less important than improving the fidelity with which they are delivered. Annals of Family Medicine, 3(6), 545–552. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.406
*The following correction needs made here:
Decipher the number of teens to be served in the pregnancy clinic using the following breakeven analysis formula:
Q = FC ÷ (P – VC) = $300,000 ÷ ($ – 30) = $300,000 ÷ $200 = children
($ -30) should be ($ -200), as 200 is the variable cost for pregnancy clinic, $30
Children should be patients, or teens, not children
Classmate 2: Laban: Module 7 Discussion.
Hello Dr. D. and Classmates.
The Most Vital Step Public Health Business Plan.
Public health problems need proper strategies to identify, analyze and solve. A public health leader needs to develop appropriate strategies in all sorts of programs and activities, from the community to the national level. This includes mobilizing resources and assigning them appropriately to achieve optimal health benefits. Creativity, financial knowledge, and acumen analysis skills are crucial attributes that a public health leader must demonstrate during the strategic planning process. Strategic planning is one of the most critical responsibilities of public health leaders. Often, effective planning allows public health leaders to identify the public health needs, set goals and mobilize resources, such as human skills, to function more effectively. With a clear strategic plan, solving healthcare problems becomes a simple task. The planning process includes seven critical stages that a public health leader must follow to achieve effectual output. A proper strategic plan focuses on the energies and resources for achieving the set goals. Its steps include creating a project proposal, product definition, market analysis, rough financial plan, crafting a detailed operation plan, detailed financial plan, and writing an executive summary. While these seven steps are significant, project proposals remain essential in strategic planning.
A project proposal is the most important among the seven steps of strategic health planning in outlining the purpose and the scope of a project According to Baukus (2019), asserts that a poorly executed proposal can cause reputational damage, create proposed approaches that have gaping holes and even get your organization into terms that are detrimental to the business. A business leader must draw a well-thought proposal that sets the stage for other processes. Literally, a project proposal is an overview of what the plan intends to achieve, how it will be achieved, the expected outcome, and the resources required to accomplish the set plan (Orton, Menkes, & Santos, 2011). A project proposal is the most vital of the seven steps because it outlines a fundamental value proposition of the strategic plan. Also, it sells the value of the strategic plan to intend and external stakeholders. This enables all stakeholders to focus adequate efforts on achieving the plan. After understanding the essence of the plan outlined in the proposal, stakeholders get attracted to follow the next steps in the strategic planning cycle. In addition, a project proposal enables stakeholders to trust the whole planning process. People understand the items included in the project proposal and commit to the plan knowing it will fulfill their needs. Also, the project proposal explains the goals and activities of the entire process with ease. Hence, public health leaders require proposals to craft a plan ahead of other components of strategic planning.
Moreover, a project proposal outlines the credibility of the strategic plan. It communicates to the public health leader, organization, and other stakeholders that the plan can fulfill its expectations (Orton, Menkens, & Santos, 2011). It details how the plan will be executed and potential risks and challenges expected in the execution process. Also, the proposal is the most crucial of all steps because it outlines the budget and the timelines for completing the plan. Without a proper budget and timelines, resources will run into wastage, hindering public health leaders from achieving the set goals and objectives of the strategic plan.
Overall, a project proposal is an important stage in strategic planning. It increases the public health leader and stakeholders’ understanding of the strategic plan inputs, activities, and outcomes. It outlines the components and mobilizes resources for the completion of the plan. Furthermore, a project proposal directs plan executors on how they will reach the end products of the strategic plan. It answers the why, who, where, and when questions of a project proposal with absolute satisfaction. In this regard, my view is that project proposals are the first and perhaps the most important of the seven stages of strategic planning as per the aspects mentioned above.
References.
Baukus, A. J. (2019). Developing a Community-Based Research Project Proposal to Build Public Health Educator Capacity. A Graduate Student Perspective. SAGE Journals. Vol. 20(6), pp. 35-85.
http://doi.org/10.1177/152483991987274Links to an external site.
Orton, S. N., Menkens, A. J., & Santos, P. (2011). Public health business planning: A practical guide. Jones & Bartlett Learning.