2013 BUSINESS-Hospitals Are a Business (H.S.)

Summary

To describe hospital functions and characteristics. To explain hospital organization and management

Materials

Why are Medical Bills So High Video
Hospitals Are a Business student Handout

Intended Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate business management related to a healthcare environment.

Instructional Procedures

Preview video to make sure technology is working.
Step 1: Show the video "Why your hospital bill is so high". While watching the video, have students write down costs associated with hospitals that perhaps patients don't think about.

Step 2: Discuss the costs that students wrote down from the movie. Explain that a hospital is also a business, which requires money to come in to pay for overhead expenses, salaries, equipment, etc. Hospitals are also set up similar to other businesses, with careers available that are not commonly considered "health care careers".

Step 3: Hospital management is set-up in different areas, including (but not limited to):

• Finance
• Human Resources
• Marketing and public relations
• Purchasing Manager (purchasing of equipment and supplies)
• Facilities Management
• Records Office & Billing
• Administration

As a class you are going to organize a new hospital -- first thing to be done is to come up with a name for your hospital. After coming up with a name, divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 and give each group one of the corresponding handouts for the different areas. Tell your class that they are running the hospital, and their group is in charge of the area given to them. Have them read the handout and do the provided assignment.

Step 4: Have the groups take turns telling about the department they were assigned, what that department does, and the ideas they came up with to help make your hospital successful.

Step 5: Remind the students that hospitals are a business and that it takes other non-health care related jobs to make a hospital run smoothly.