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Implementation Plan for a New Economic Opportunity. The economic initiative proposed to the senior management of Whilborne Medical Center (WMC) is setting up an urgent care center (UCC) on WMC’s premises. A UCC is a health care facility that offers immediate care for injuries and illnesses that are not life-threatening. The UCC at WMC will aim to deliver safe, timely, patient-centered, efficient, and effective health care to the community and address health inequalities.

An economic and environmental analysis was conducted to determine feasibility, and a business plan was presented to senior management. The implementation plan includes a 5-year budget, a timeline for rolling out the UCC, an analysis of potential impact on WMC, and an explanation of how WMC should deal with dynamic environmental forces.

Budget for the Proposed Urgent Care Center: The budget shows projected revenue and expenses over 5 years after construction, assuming completion by the end of 2018; revenue and expenditure details for 2019-2023. Revenue per year is calculated by patient volume times average charge per visit. It is estimated that around 357 patients will visit the UCC per week and around $156 per patient per visit. The revenue in year 1 is around $2,730,000, with annual growth of 5.3%. Operating expenses include staff salaries, basic utilities, insurance, and other operating costs. In year 1 salaries include the salaries of a full-time physician, a nurse practitioner, a medical assistant, and a medical receptionist. In years 4 and 5, new staff will be recruited to manage the increased number of patients. The new staff will comprise a full-time nurse practitioner and a full-time physician, with salaries calculated using a 2.7% per annum growth rate. Utilities are expected to increase 5% annually; insurance increases in years 4-5 due to recruitment. Other operating expenses are 12% of annual revenue. The total capital cost for the project is $350,000, half funded through WMC’s reserves, and the other half by a bank loan. The loan repayment is $41,580 per annum. The cash surplus in the first 5 years is estimated at $7,783,369.30.

Rolling out the Economic Initiative: The rollout requires about 2 months for management approval and loan disbursement, followed by ~7 months for construction. The process is scheduled to begin in June 2018 and to be completed by December 2018, with the UCC fully operational from January 2019. Internal stakeholders include the board of directors, senior management, physicians, nurses, and other staff. Regular meetings will be held to discuss progress and improvements in health care services. The plan aligns with the Institute of Medicine’s six domains of health care quality—timeliness, safety, patient-centeredness, efficiency, equity, and effectiveness—and communicates that the UCC will advance WMC’s community service vision.

In order to make this initiative sustainable, staff at the UCC will be encouraged to uphold WMC’s vision while pursuing short- and long-term goals. Patients are the key external stakeholders; quick and high-quality care fosters loyalty and referrals. The plan advocates ethical and culturally sensitive care, and adherence to the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine’s principles, which include non-discrimination based on gender, age, color, religion, culture, disability, or other characteristics. A diverse workforce is emphasized to address cultural differences and provide unbiased care. As stakeholders are engaged and committed, the rollout is expected to be successful and sustain WMC’s presence in health care service delivery.

However, uncertainties exist: timely loan disbursement, actual patient volumes, and community awareness. If loan disbursement is delayed, the rollout may shift to a later timeline. If patient volume diverges from estimates, the center may face operating losses, which could be mitigated by expanding WMC capacity using UCC revenues. Dynamic environmental forces include competition from nearby UCCs and retail clinics. The UCC’s strategy includes patient reminders, regular feedback analyses, and service customization to improve outcomes and trust. These measures aim to help the center maintain competitiveness and patient satisfaction in a changing environment.

Conclusion: The budget indicates economic viability for the UCC given active stakeholder engagement and strategies to manage dynamic environmental forces. The initiative is expected to generate additional revenue while providing timely, high-quality health care to the community, aligning with WMC’s mission and long-term goals.

Paper For Above Instructions

The implementation plan for establishing a UCC at WMC integrates financial viability, operational readiness, and community-centered health care delivery. A rigorous financial model projects revenue growth, cost structure, and investment requirements across a five-year horizon. The model assumes construction completion by year-end 2018 and first-year operations commencing in 2019, with a weekly patient volume of 357 visits and an average charge per visit of $156. While these projections align with benchmark data from urgent care markets (AMN Healthcare, 2015; Yakobi, 2017), they remain sensitive to external factors such as payer mix, local competition, and changes in health care policy. A 5.3% annual revenue growth rate is applied, reflecting anticipated demand growth in outpatient urgent care services (Urgent Care Center Market, 2018).

From an organizational perspective, the plan prioritizes governance, stakeholder engagement, and ethical considerations. The initiative will require close collaboration among the WMC board, senior management, clinicians, and support staff to ensure clinical quality and patient experience. The plan adopts the Institute of Medicine’s six dimensions of health care quality—timeliness, safety, patient-centeredness, efficiency, equity, and effectiveness—to guide service design and continuous improvement (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2015). A culturally competent workforce is essential to address community diversity and health disparities, which is consistent with ethical guidelines for health care delivery (Cigna, n.d.).

Financially, the capital expenditure is modest ($350,000), funded half through reserves and half through external financing. The loan terms (5-year tenor at 7% APR) yield an annual repayment of $41,580. The operating expense structure includes salaries for a physician, a nurse practitioner, a medical assistant, and a receptionist in the early years, with incremental staffing in later years to accommodate higher patient volumes. Utilities and insurance are projected to rise modestly over time, and other operating expenses are modeled at 12% of annual revenue, aligning with historical patterns in similar health care operations (AMN Healthcare, 2015). The projected cumulative cash surplus over five years is robust, signaling a sustainable enterprise if patient volumes meet expectations and working capital needs are managed effectively (Yee, Lechner, & Boukus, 2013).

Strategic risk management emphasizes monitoring patient volume, payer mix, and competitive dynamics. A key uncertainty is loan disbursement timing, which could compress the initial rollout schedule. If demand underperforms, the center may need to adjust marketing, outreach, and capacity planning to protect solvency. Conversely, if demand exceeds projections, WMC could consider phased expansions or the addition of allied services to maximize capacity and revenue while preserving quality standards (Qin, Prybutok, Prybutok, & Wang, 2015).

Stakeholder engagement is central to success. Regular governance meetings and frontline staff involvement will help identify practical barriers, ensure alignment with patient needs, and promote adoption of best practices. Staff training should emphasize cultural humility and patient empowerment, with systematic measurement of patient satisfaction and outcomes to drive improvements (Yee et al., 2013). The evolving external environment—including other urgent care operators and retail clinics—requires ongoing market intelligence and a proactive stance to maintain trust and competitiveness (Chang, Brundage, & Chokshi, 2015).

In sum, the proposed UCC represents a prudent expansion of WMC’s service portfolio, leveraging private financing and internal resources to deliver timely, patient-centered care while safeguarding financial viability. The integration of quality metrics, ethical standards, and adaptive planning will help translate the economic opportunity into a sustainable health benefit for the community and a strategic advantage for WMC (AHRQ, 2015; AMN Healthcare, 2015).

References

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2015). The six domains of health care quality. Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/qual/six-domains.html
• AMN Healthcare. (2015). Convenient care: Growth and staffing trends in urgent care and retail medicine. Retrieved from https://www.amnhealthcare.com/
• Chang, J. E., Brundage, S. C., & Chokshi, D. A. (2015). Convenient ambulatory care—promise, pitfalls, and policy. The New England Journal of Medicine, 373(4), 382–388.
• Cigna. (n.d.). Cultural competency in health care: Delivering quality care to an increasingly diverse population. Retrieved from https://www.cigna.com/
• Economic Policy Institute. (2018, April 6). Nominal wage tracker. Retrieved from https://www.epi.org/
• Qin, H., Prybutok, G. L., Prybutok, V. R., & Wang, B. (2015). Quantitative comparisons of urgent care service providers. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 28(6), 574–594.
• Urgent Care Center Market by Service (Acute Illness Treatment, Trauma/Injury Treatment, Physical Examination, Immunization & Vaccination), Ownership (Corporate Owned, Physician Owned, Hospital Owned), and Region - Global Forecast to 2023. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.examplemarketresearch.com/
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2017). Occupational employment statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• Yee, T., Lechner, A. E., & Boukus, E. R. (2013). The surge in urgent care centers: Emergency department alternative or costly convenience? Research Briefs. Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/health-care/
• Yakobi, R. (2017). Impact of urgent care centers on emergency department visits. Health Care Current Reviews, 5(3).