Introduction to Health Care Finance and Accounting

Carlene Harrison is dean of the School of Allied Health at Hodges University, where she has overall responsibility for degree programs in health administration, health studies, medical assisting and health information technology. She has been a faculty member at Hodges since 1992. Prior to becoming a full-time educator in 2000, she worked for more than twenty years as a healthcare administrator. Employed primarily in the outpatient setting, she worked with for-profit, not-for-profit, and public health organizations. She has written five successful health care books. Dr. Harrison earned her doctorate from Argosy University, with dissertation research in the field of improving critical thinking in adult learners. William Harrison's 30-year career in finance includes service as finance director for a variety of municipalities throughout the country. Additionally, he spent time as an auditor for the state of Colorado where he was assigned to audit the finances of various healthcare agencies. Carol Taylor is the program director for the health care management program at Ultimate Medical Academy, where she has the responsibility of managing faculty, program objectives and overall student success. She has been at Ultimate Medical Academy for four years. She has been working in higher education since 1997 and has taught online courses related to communication, business and psychology for Kaplan University/ Purdue University Global for more than sixteen years. She has experience in health care consulting, hospital surgical units, dental organizations, mental health treatment facilities and teaching in a residential setting. She obtained a master’s in human resource management, a master’s in marriage and family therapy and a master’s in public health. She also holds an executive juris doctorate in health law.

• Preface.SECTION I: OVERVIEW OF THE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.1. The Environment of Healthcare Finance2. Paying for Health Care3.. The Rising Costs of Medical Service and Healthcare Reform.SECTION II: ACCOUNTING FOR HEALTHCARE FACILITIES.4. Basic Accounting Concepts.5. Accounting and the Financial Management Process6. The Balance Sheet.7. The Income Statement.SECTION III: HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.8. Budgets.9. Cash Management.10. Investing, Borrowing, and the Time Value of Money11. Revenue Cycle Management.12. Managing Financial Risk.13. Financial Management of Health Information TechnologyGlossary.