Financial Performance in Non-Profit Healthcare
Please review:
Professor Office. (n.d.). Excel: Horizontal analysis and vertical analysis. Retrieved from http://professoroffice.com/VerticalHorizontalRatioAnalysis.aspx
Use the consolidated balance sheets downloaded from Ascension Health to perform a vertical analysis of the company and a horizontal analysis of the company in an Excel document.
Discuss your findings by answering the following:
Is Ascension Health growing? How do you know?
What line items reflected the largest-percentage increases and/or decreases?
What is the financial impact these changes have on the company’s financial viability currently and in the future?
To support your work, use your course and textbook readings and also use the South University Online Library. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The Benefits of Benchmarking in Healthcare Organizations
Benchmarking is an invaluable tool for healthcare managers in assessing and improving the quality of various aspects within their organizations. By comparing their performance to that of others, healthcare managers can identify areas for improvement and learn from organizations that have achieved high levels of performance. Here, we will discuss three departments in a healthcare organization where benchmarking can be particularly beneficial as a measurement tool.
1. Patient Satisfaction Department
Benchmarking patient satisfaction is crucial for healthcare organizations to ensure they are meeting the needs and expectations of their patients. By comparing their patient satisfaction scores with those of similar organizations, healthcare managers can identify areas where improvement is needed. For example, benchmarking can reveal if a healthcare organization’s waiting times are longer or if their communication with patients is less effective compared to industry standards. Utilizing benchmarking in the patient satisfaction department allows healthcare managers to understand how other organizations achieve high levels of patient satisfaction and implement best practices in their own organization.
2. Clinical Outcomes Department
Benchmarking clinical outcomes is essential for healthcare organizations to assess the quality and effectiveness of their medical interventions and treatments. By comparing their clinical outcomes with those of peer organizations, healthcare managers can identify areas where they may be falling short or excelling. For instance, benchmarking can reveal if a healthcare organization has higher rates of post-operative complications or lower rates of readmissions compared to similar institutions. This information can help healthcare managers analyze how other organizations achieve better outcomes and implement strategies to improve their own clinical performance.
3. Supply Chain Management Department
Benchmarking in the supply chain management department can help healthcare organizations optimize their logistics processes, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. By comparing their supply chain performance with that of other organizations, healthcare managers can identify areas where there may be inefficiencies or opportunities for improvement. For example, benchmarking can reveal if a healthcare organization has longer lead times for medical supplies or higher inventory costs compared to industry benchmarks. This information allows healthcare managers to analyze how other organizations achieve better supply chain performance and implement strategies such as process improvements or vendor negotiations to enhance their own supply chain operations.
Conclusion
Utilizing benchmarking as a measurement tool in various departments of a healthcare organization can yield significant benefits. By benchmarking patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and supply chain management, healthcare managers can identify areas for improvement, learn from high-performing organizations, and implement strategies to enhance the quality and efficiency of their operations. Benchmarking enables healthcare managers to make data-driven decisions and continuously strive for excellence in providing quality care to patients while optimizing resource utilization.
