Capstone Study Outline: From Health Problem Definition to Final Proposal

Lessons in this plan

1. 1 Map the capstone sequence and required financial components Identify the capstone workflow from defining the community health program through cost, reimbursement, breakeven, and proposal support elements using the project calculations guide as the structural anchor. 20 min Video Explanation
2. 2 Build the staffing and salary foundation for the proposed program Calculate total physician, nurse, and support staff salaries for the proposed program and organize staffing assumptions needed for later program design and organizational planning. 35 min
3. 3 Compute fringe benefits and overhead for full operating cost estimates Apply the required 25% fringe benefit rate and 40% overhead rate to convert base salaries into total salary expense and total clinic salary-plus-overhead costs. 30 min
4. 4 Determine reimbursement per visit using RVU and GPCI data Use the CMS physician fee lookup process to find Work RVU, Practice Expense RVU, Malpractice RVU, and geographic practice cost index values, then calculate reimbursement per visit with the CMS conversion factor. 50 min
5. 5 Adjust reimbursement for variable patient-treatment costs Calculate net reimbursement per visit by applying the required 10% variable-cost adjustment to total reimbursement for each patient encounter. 20 min
6. 6 Perform breakeven analysis and translate results into visit volume targets Compute the number of patient visits needed to break even and convert annual visit requirements into practical daily utilization targets for the proposed program. 30 min
7. 7 Integrate calculations into program design and organizational structure decisions Use staffing, cost, reimbursement, and volume results to justify program design choices and align the proposed organizational structure with operational and financial feasibility. 40 min
8. 8 Assemble the final capstone proposal package Sequence the completed health problem rationale, program model, financial calculations, organizational structure, and feasibility findings into a coherent final proposal. 25 min