| Foundations of HIT |
| Week 14, Chapter 19 & 20 |
| Lab Activity |
| Learning Objectives: |
| · Plan a budget utilizing accounting methodology · Calculate and report staffing levels and productivity standards |
| Directions: |
| Read each question carefully and enter your answers within this document. Submit your completed assignment in Brightspace by the due date below. If you submit after the due date, the late assignment policy applies. Reach out to your instructor if you have questions. |
PART 1: Operating Budget
At St. Maggie Medical Center all medical reports and other correspondence are transcribed in the Health Information Management’s transcription unit. During the past two months, you have studied the costs and examined each cost item listed below. After talking with the transcription staff, you gained the impression that the costs and output during November and December were typical of other months of the year.
| Operating Budget for the Transcription Unit For Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||||
| Cost Item | Medical Processing | Other Processing | Filing/Scanning | Mailing |
| Salaries and Benefits | $91,600 | $66,920 | $8,140 | $5,900 |
| Supplies | $3,220 | $1,120 | $460 | |
| Postage | $10,250 | |||
| Operating Costs (Rent, Utilities, etc.) | $3,740 | $4,360 | $3,960 | $3,300 |
| TOTALS | $95,340 | $74,500 | $13,220 | $19,910 |
You have learned from administration that there will be an estimated 13% increase in volume
over this year. Based on this projected volume, you anticipate that:
- Salaries and benefits will increase 8%, on average, next year.
- One additional part-time transcriptionist (other processing) will be hired July 1 at a cost of $19,000 for the six-month period. No additional personnel are planned.
- The cost of office supplies has skyrocketed toward the end of the present year. You project that supplies for the next year will cost, on the average, 9% more than this year.
- Recently you read that next year the USPS plans to increase the cost of first-class postage by 5 cents for the first ounce. First-class postage is currently 50 cents for the first ounce.
- The annual operating expenses allocated to your center are to be increased 6%.
DIRECTIONS: Using the form below, prepare the operating budget for the transcription unit for the next year. Round all estimated amounts to zero as above.
- For Medical Processing, verify if the budget is correct. Correct if needed. (5 points)
- For Other Processing, Complete the budget (5 points)
- For Filing/Scanning, Complete the budget (5 points)
4 Mailing – verify if the budget is correct. Correct if needed. (5 points)
| Operating Budget for the Transcription Unit For Year Ending December 31, 2023 | ||||
| Cost Item | Medical Processing | Other Processing | Filing/Scanning | Mailing |
| Salaries and Benefits | $99,844 | $6,372 | ||
| Supplies | $501 | |||
| Postage | $9,922 | |||
| Operating Costs (Rent, Utilities, etc.) | $3,740 | $3,300 | ||
| TOTALS | $103,584 | $20,095 |
- You are considering purchase of one peripheral equipment. The purchase price of the new equipment is $12,000. The facility uses the straight-line method of calculating depreciation, and the equipment has a useful life of 5 years. What is the depreciation amount that should be budgeted each year?
Enter your answer here.
PART 2: Operating Budget
Complete the following work measurement and productivity problems:
- Based on a productivity log, a coder completed 22 charts during a 7.5-hour workday. How many charts did he code per hour? Round to the nearest whole number. (1 points)
Enter your answer here.
- Based on work measurement studies on your coders, you find that 20% of their time is spend querying physicians about missing or unclear documentation. If your coders work 7.5 hours per day, how many minutes do they spend per day querying documentation? (1 points)
Enter your answer here.
- There are 600 discharges on average per week. Each of these charts needs to be coded by HIM. The HIM department has set a standard for coders to complete a minimum of 20 charts per day. How many full time equivalent employees are needed to code these charts? (1 points)
Enter your answer here.
- You are a coding supervisor. You reviewed the productivity logs of four recently-hired coders after one month (coders work 5 days per week). You compiled a report, shown below. Complete analysis of the report. Which employee will require additional training or assistance in order to meet the coding standard? (2 points)