| Course | HCS 498 Strategic Decision Making for Health Care Managers (HCS/498) |
|---|---|
| Week | 5 |
| Paper type | Board presentation with speaker notes |
| Length | about 1,003 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Health Administration |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCS 498 Week 5
Widen the Doors, Keep the Outcomes: A Twelve-Slide Strategic Plan Presentation Asking a Rehabilitation Hospital's Board to Approve Four Goals and $630,000
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
HCS/498: Strategic Decision Making for Health Care Managers
Week 5 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The rehabilitation hospital, its board and its figures are composites written for a model paper; national data and reports come from the sources listed.
Slide 1: The Decision We Are Asking For
Approve four strategic goals for 2026 to 2030.
Approve $630,000 in first-year investment.
Foundation pledge: $250,000.
Speaker notes
Good evening. I will ask for one decision tonight: approval of the strategic plan's four goals and a first-year investment of $630,000, of which the foundation has already pledged $250,000. Everything that follows explains why these goals, why now and what the money buys. The plan was built over four months by a committee of clinicians, managers and two board members, using our own data and the latest federal reports. I will take about ten minutes and leave the rest of our time for questions.
Slide 2: Our Problem, Stated Once
Our patients go home more often than most.
But fewer patients reach our doors.
Referrals from our largest partner fell 21% in a year.
Speaker notes
After risk adjustment, 69.5% of our patients are discharged to the community; the national midpoint in the latest Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (2025) chapter was 67.2%. That is the outcome our mission promises. The problem is access. Referrals from our largest partner hospital fell by a fifth last year, and most of the patients we lost were Medicare Advantage members whose stays were denied or delayed, or who went to competitors that responded faster.
Slide 3: Evidence: Plan Denials
Medicare Advantage: 24% of admissions, up from 18%.
14% of these referrals denied last year.
Federal decision deadlines begin in 2026.
Speaker notes
The Office of Inspector General (2022) found that about one in eight prior authorization denials it reviewed met Medicare coverage rules, with rehabilitation stays among the examples. Our own denial rate is 14%. New federal rules require plans to follow traditional Medicare coverage criteria and, from 2026, to decide standard requests within seven days and urgent ones within 72 hours. Our slow, fax-based requests are the part we control.
Slide 4: Evidence: Competitors and Staff
A for-profit hospital with 50 beds opened nearby in 2024.
A second competitor is forming a hospital joint venture.
14% of therapist positions are vacant.
Speaker notes
Competitors with acute care partners receive referrals automatically. We have long relationships but no formal partnership. Our therapist vacancies are filled with contract staff at about 1.6 times the cost, and competitors are recruiting from the same small pool with sign-on bonuses.
Slide 5: The Test for Every Choice
Mission, in short: get adults home after serious illness or injury, able to live their lives.
Vision: the region's first choice, with more patients home than any comparable hospital.
Speaker notes
Every goal on the following slides was checked against this mission. We set aside a long-term ventilator unit, which would fill beds but rarely sends patients home. The four goals widen access to the care we already do well.
Slide 6: Goal One: Faster Access
Referral to authorization request: 26 hours to 4.
Plan denials: 14% to 8% by mid-2027.
Appeal every denial that meets coverage criteria.
Speaker notes
We will move requests to plans' electronic portals and staff admissions until 9 p.m. Four hours is what we already achieve for traditional Medicare patients. Cost: $140,000 a year for two coordinators and software. Owner: vice president of patient access.
Slide 7: Goal Two: Home Transition Service
Therapist home visit before and after discharge.
60% of stroke and brain injury patients enrolled by 2027.
Community discharge from 69.5% to 72% by 2028.
Speaker notes
This service turns our best outcome into something partners and plans value, because it reduces readmissions and total cost. Cost: $310,000 in the first year for three therapists and a vehicle. Owner: chief clinical officer.
Slide 8: Goals Three and Four
Formal partnership with an acute hospital by September 2027.
Therapist vacancies from 14% to 6% by 2027.
A residency graduating four therapists a year.
Speaker notes
The unaffiliated acute hospital has asked about a partnership, and the home transition service gives us something to offer. The residency, with two universities, costs $180,000 and builds a pipeline we control. Contract spending should fall by half by 2028.
Slide 9: The Money
First-year cost: $630,000.
Foundation: $250,000. Operations: $380,000.
Total margin target: 2.1% to 4.0% by 2029.
Speaker notes
Fewer denials and more partner admissions account for most of the projected margin improvement, with lower contract costs adding the rest. We expect the investment to pay for itself by year two, and the finance committee reviewed these projections last week.
Slide 10: What Could Go Wrong
Plans may miss the new deadlines at first.
The partner may choose a for-profit joint venture.
Recruitment may lag if bonuses rise.
Speaker notes
We will log every late plan decision and report patterns to regulators. We are keeping a second acute hospital informed. The residency reduces our dependence on the open market. Any objective off track for two quarters will come back to you with a recovery plan.
Slide 11: How You Will Know
Monthly: authorization time, denials, enrollment.
Quarterly to the board: full scorecard.
Balanced across patients, processes, people and finances.
Speaker notes
You will receive a one-page scorecard each quarter showing all eleven objectives against their targets, grouped so that financial results are always reported beside patient outcomes and staffing, the balance the scorecard approach was designed to keep (Kaplan & Norton, 1996).
Slide 12: The Motion and the First 90 Days
Motion: approve the four goals and $630,000.
Days 1 to 30: hire coordinators, open portal accounts.
Days 31 to 90: design home visits, meet partner hospital.
Speaker notes
The motion before you is to approve the strategic plan's four goals and the first-year investment. If approved tonight, admissions changes begin next month, and the home transition design and partnership conversations start within 90 days. We are not asking you to change what this hospital is; we are asking you to open more doors to it. Thank you. I welcome your questions.
References
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1996). Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system. Harvard Business Review, 74(1), 75-85.
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. (2025). Inpatient rehabilitation facility services. In Report to the Congress: Medicare payment policy (pp. 247-263). https://www.medpac.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mar25_Ch8_MedPAC_Report_To_Congress_SEC.pdf
Office of Inspector General. (2022). Some Medicare Advantage organization denials of prior authorization requests raise concerns about beneficiary access to medically necessary care (OEI-09-18-00260). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-09-18-00260.pdf
What the HCS 498 Week 5 instructions ask
The final week of HCS 498 commonly asks students to create a presentation of about 10 to 12 slides, not counting title and reference slides, for the governing board of the organization in their scenario, summarizing the strategic decision built over the previous four weeks. Speaker notes are usually required. The presentation should cover the mission and vision, key findings from the environmental scan and SWOT analysis, the goals and objectives and the recommended decision with its rationale. Strong presentations lead with the decision the board is asked to make, keep slides brief and put detail in the notes, use a few numbers that matter, address cost and risk and end with a clear request and next steps.
How this HCS 498 Week 5 example is built
The deck starts with the request: approve four strategic goals and a first-year investment. The second slide states the problem in one sentence, a hospital with above-average outcomes losing patients before they arrive. Three slides give the evidence: plan denials, competitor joint ventures and therapist vacancies. One slide restates the mission as the test for every choice. Four slides present the goals with their key objectives. A money slide shows costs and funding, a risk slide names what could go wrong and the last slide asks for the vote and shows the first 90 days. Speaker notes of about 100 words carry the reasoning and sources for each slide.
HCS 498 Week 5 grading rubric: where the points go
The board presentation is usually graded on content, organization and delivery materials. Instructors look for an accurate summary of the strategic plan built across the course, a clear recommended decision supported by the analysis and attention to cost, risk and implementation. Slides should be concise and readable, with detail in speaker notes that explain each slide as it would be presented. Alignment with the mission and vision and consistency with earlier sections earn credit. Sources should be cited on slides or in a reference slide in APA format. Visual clarity, grammar and staying within the slide count complete the grade. Decks that read like the paper pasted onto slides, or that never state what the board should decide, usually lose points.
HCS 498 Week 5 help: mistakes to avoid
The most frequent problem in HCS 498 Week 5 is a presentation that retells the whole course in order. Boards want the decision first, then the reasons. Put the request on the second slide at the latest. Keep each slide to a headline and three short lines, and move explanations into the speaker notes. Use only the numbers that drive the decision. Include cost and funding, because a board cannot approve a plan without them. Name the main risks and how they will be managed. Make sure the goals match what you wrote in Week 4. Cite sources in APA on a reference slide. Finally, end with a specific motion the board can vote on and what happens in the first months.
Related HCS 498 sample papers
Other HCS 498 week samples
- HCS 498 Week 1: Mission and Vision Statements
- HCS 498 Week 2: Environmental Scan of Current Events
- HCS 498 Week 3: SWOT Analysis
- HCS 498 Week 4: Strategic Goals and Objectives
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HCS 498 Week 5 questions, answered
What does HCS/498 Week 5 usually ask for?
Many sections ask for a 10- to 12-slide presentation with speaker notes for the governing board, summarizing the strategic plan and the recommended strategic decision developed over the course.
Where can I find a free HCS 498 Week 5 sample paper?
This page shows the entire 12-slide rehabilitation hospital board deck with its speaker notes, free, plus side comments on slide order. Ask for yours and the first deck is written at no cost.
How long should speaker notes be for a board presentation?
Long enough to explain each slide as you would say it, often 75 to 150 words per slide, including the evidence and sources behind the points on the slide.
What should a strategic plan presentation to a board include?
The decision requested, the problem and evidence, the mission link, the goals and key objectives, costs and funding, risks and how they will be managed and next steps after approval.
How many words should be on each slide?
As few as possible; a headline and three short lines are usually enough, with details moved to speaker notes or handouts.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
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