Building on the work you completed in Weeks Two and Four, you will complete a feasibility study based on a pre-approved health care project of your choice. Using the feasibility study outlined in the Daniels and Dickson (1990) article as a model, and including a minimum of six other scholarly sources, create a 12- to 15-page feasibility study that includes the following headings and supporting information:

QUESTION

Building on the work you completed in Weeks Two and Four, you will complete a feasibility study based on a pre-approved health care project of your choice. Using the feasibility study outlined in the Daniels and Dickson (1990) article as a model, and including a minimum of six other scholarly sources, create a 12- to 15-page feasibility study that includes the following headings and supporting information:

Evaluating Feasibility
The concept of a feasibility study is central to viability, the “worth to the effort” ratio, and return on investment (ROI). What needs to be taken into consideration to create a feasibility study (e.g., human resources, community needs, and technological advances, federal and state regulatory issues)? Within this section, you will research and design an economical health care service that is responsive to a given market. This research stems from understanding your target population and present need in health services. Furthermore, as you have seen from the Daniels and Dickson (1990) article, you must appraise your human resources, capital investment, and how your effort will yield a return on investment from a facilities perspective as well as the tangible greater good of providing healthcare to a community.

Strategic Effect
Analyze the role of public policy with regard to your project. What policies and processes should be in place to create an effective program? How will you measure the effectiveness of your program and your provision of health care services? Develop a microeconomic model that is responsive to the specific health care service demands of your target population. For example, the current trend of the medical home model, which allows for the coordination of care, allows for better communication among service providers as well as convenience for patients. Is the population a market priority? How does your program serve a need for your target population?

Market Analysis
Within this section you will identify the population demographics, who your competitors are, and whether or not a real need for the services you are proposing exists in the community. As you examine the demographic and population needs using Census data and other reliable sources, you must also consider what competitors, if any, exist in the present climate. This requires an evaluation of the present socioeconomic and cultural trends influencing how people make decisions in health care. In addition, in this analysis you will need to compare and contrast economic challenges and incentives among health care’s organization models. This comparison requires an understanding of past challenges and incentives that other organizations have implemented.

Financial Analysis
This section includes the revenue, expenses, and net income. Compare and contrast economic challenges and incentives by finding and describing multiple sources of public and private funding (e.g., grants, donations, awards, special projects) for this project. Include a reference list for your funding sources that is formatted in APA as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Next, identify the funding constraints for each source. Include limitations of monies awarded, timing issues, fitting the needs of the funding sources, difficulties of connecting with private funders, etc. Finally, specify the internal ramifications of moving forward using SWOT analysis. What are the fixed and variable costs associated with your project? What are the annual maintenance and operation costs? Elaborate on how you arrived at your sensitivity analysis conclusions.

Operations Performance
This section examines the incremental effect of how your proposed service will impact all aspects of health services. This portion of the study explores how the statistical data you have researched affects the proposed service in terms of efficiency and value. This can be difficult to measure initially. However, through incremental and ongoing evaluation of operations, you can begin to see what constitutes the best performance in this instance and how it serves the target population. In this section, you will further illustrate the incentives and challenges faced by a health organization and communicate the relevance of economics within the U.S. health care system as it pertains to your proposed services.

Inpatient
If your proposed study has an inpatient component, this section will analyze on volume of patients, types of payers, and how utilization rates impact your proposed study. In addition, you will further explain how your new inpatient service will add value for patients and improve the financial viability of the institution. This section will require you to use both qualitative and quantitative data to justify the plan. Hospitals operate in terms of how many beds are occupied relative to how many are empty. Most CEOs want to see that a unit is running at near full capacity and that volume is increasing year to year. Analyze how your proposal will meet these demands by explaining the data you have collected and predicting potential financial outcomes. Finally, evaluate and explain how value-based care will impact your ability to maintain margins within this newly proposed service.

Outpatient
If your proposed study has an outpatient component, examine how admissions, revenue, and workflow of staff will improve the efficiency of your proposed service. Analyze how your outpatient service will add value for patients and improve the financial viability of the institution. Justify your plan with appropriate data. As stated in the inpatient section, the content here applies much the same way. However, the caveat for outpatient services lies in the ambulatory setting. This aspect should be most interesting under conditions created by the Affordable Care Act. The new paradigm shift will be toward more preventative, primary, and outpatient care settings to reduce the numbers of patients being admitted to hospitals. Please explain how your proposal takes these conditions into consideration. In this section, you will further compare and contrast economic challenges and incentives among health care’s organization models in an outpatient setting. You will also further augment your design in an economic framework that is responsive to your market.

Outlook
This section examines future implications of your proposed services and how they will impact the future health outcomes of the community and financial health of the services being provided. Analyze economic theories that are germane to the provision of your proposed health services. What adjustments might you need to make in terms of what the “unintended consequences” may be? For example, Baylor Hospital in Houston proposed and spent 250 million to create a brand new hospital that currently stands empty because it was built during the U.S. economic downturn, the loan was no longer able to finance the construction, and the initial examination of its necessity did not play out as expected. Provide conclusions and implications of how your feasibility study fits within the larger context of the system of services currently being provided. How do they work with one another within the larger health care system?

Finally, evaluate how your study will respond to market and design models that impact the community based on current regulatory and market needs.

Writing the Final Paper

The Final Paper:

Must be 12 to 15 double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
Must include the listed headings with the content required under each.
Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
Must use at least six scholarly sources that were published within the last five years, including a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources from the Ashford University Library.
Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Cente

ANSWER

Feasibility Study for a Community Health Clinic

Introduction

This feasibility study aims to evaluate the viability and potential return on investment (ROI) of establishing a community health clinic. The study takes into consideration various factors, including human resources, community needs, technological advances, and federal and state regulatory issues. The goal is to design an economical health care service that addresses the specific needs of the target population while ensuring the provision of quality healthcare to the community.

Evaluating Feasibility

To determine the feasibility of the community health clinic, several aspects need to be considered. First, the availability of human resources, including healthcare professionals and support staff, must be assessed. This involves evaluating the current healthcare workforce in the area and identifying any potential shortages or skill gaps that may impact the clinic’s operations.

Next, community needs play a crucial role in determining the feasibility of the project. Through thorough research, it is important to identify the healthcare requirements and preferences of the target population. This could involve conducting surveys, analyzing public health data, and engaging with community stakeholders to understand their specific needs.

Technological advances also need to be taken into account, as they can significantly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of the clinic (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017). Assessing the availability and affordability of healthcare technologies, such as electronic health records systems and telemedicine capabilities, is essential for providing high-quality care and enhancing operational efficiency.

Additionally, federal and state regulatory issues must be addressed to ensure compliance and mitigate potential legal and financial risks. Understanding the regulatory landscape, licensing requirements, reimbursement mechanisms, and healthcare policies is crucial for the successful establishment and operation of the clinic.

Strategic Effect

Public policies and processes play a vital role in creating an effective healthcare program. It is necessary to identify and analyze relevant policies related to the target population and services provided by the clinic. This includes policies related to healthcare access, affordability, quality improvement, and patient safety.

To measure the effectiveness of the program and healthcare services provided, appropriate metrics and indicators need to be identified. These may include patient satisfaction surveys, healthcare outcomes data, cost-effectiveness analysis, and the utilization of healthcare services. By tracking and analyzing these measures, the clinic can continuously assess its performance and make necessary improvements.

Furthermore, a microeconomic model should be developed to align the specific healthcare service demands of the target population. For instance, integrating the medical home model, which emphasizes care coordination and patient convenience, can enhance the overall value of the services provided. By understanding the market priorities and serving the identified needs of the target population, the clinic can position itself strategically and ensure its sustainability.

Market Analysis

An in-depth analysis of the population demographics is essential to identify the target market for the community health clinic. This involves examining factors such as age, income levels, cultural diversity, and healthcare utilization patterns. Additionally, competitor analysis is crucial to determine the presence of other healthcare providers offering similar services in the community.

Socioeconomic and cultural trends play a significant role in influencing healthcare decision-making (Monaghesh & Hajizadeh, 2020). Analyzing these trends will help identify economic challenges and incentives faced by healthcare organizations. By understanding past challenges and incentives implemented by other organizations, the clinic can learn from their experiences and formulate effective strategies.

Financial Analysis

The financial analysis section focuses on revenue, expenses, net income, and funding sources. It is important to identify and describe multiple sources of public and private funding, such as grants, donations, awards, and special projects. Each funding source should be evaluated for its limitations, including monetary constraints, timing issues, and compatibility with the clinic’s needs.

Conducting a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis will help identify internal ramifications associated with the project. This analysis should consider both fixed and variable costs, as well as annual maintenance and operation costs. A sensitivity analysis should be conducted to assess the potential financial implications under different scenarios and determine the project’s financial feasibility.

Operations Performance

This section examines how the proposed service will impact all aspects of health services. By evaluating statistical data, the efficiency and value of the proposed service can be measured. Incentives and challenges faced by healthcare organizations in terms of economics within the U.S. healthcare system should be discussed.

Inpatient

For projects with an inpatient component, the analysis should focus on patient volume, types of payers, and the impact of utilization rates on the proposed study. The value added for patients and financial viability of the institution should be explained using qualitative and quantitative data. The proposal should address how the new inpatient service will meet demands, increase volume, and maintain margins considering the shift towards value-based care.

Outpatient

For projects with an outpatient component, the analysis should examine how admissions, revenue, and staff workflow will improve the efficiency of the proposed service. The focus should be on adding value for patients and improving the financial viability of the institution. Consideration should be given to the Affordable Care Act and the shift towards preventative, primary, and outpatient care settings. Economic challenges and incentives among different healthcare organization models in the outpatient setting should be compared and contrasted.

Outlook

This section explores the future implications of the proposed services on the community’s health outcomes and the financial health of the provided services (Haleem et al., 2021). Economic theories relevant to the provision of the proposed health services should be analyzed, considering potential unintended consequences. Conclusions and implications should be drawn to demonstrate how the feasibility study fits within the larger context of the current system of services being provided.

Conclusion

In conclusion, conducting a comprehensive feasibility study is crucial for assessing the viability and potential ROI of establishing a community health clinic. By evaluating factors such as human resources, community needs, technological advances, and regulatory issues, the study ensures the design of an economical healthcare service that meets the target population’s needs. Furthermore, the study analyzes the role of public policy, market analysis, financial aspects, operations performance, and the outlook of the proposed services. This comprehensive assessment provides valuable insights for decision-makers and stakeholders, supporting informed choices in healthcare service provision.

References

Alotaibi, Y. K., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi Medical Journal, 38(12), 1173–1180. https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2017.12.20631 

Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2021). Telemedicine for healthcare: Capabilities, features, barriers, and applications. Sensors International, 2, 100117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sintl.2021.100117 

Monaghesh, E., & Hajizadeh, A. (2020). The role of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak: a systematic review based on current evidence. BMC Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09301-4