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Timberline Health, an integrated delivery system serving residents in five counties in eastern Washington, is
considering new opportunities to increase community awareness of the organization’s outpatient health
services. As the new business development manager of hearing health services, Jack Andrews is responsible
for evaluating the feasibility of marketing activities for the hearing service line and must allocate resources to
promotional activities that forecast positive return on investment. One option under consideration is to sponsor
the health and wellness pavilion at the Spokane County Fair. Research from comparable markets has shown
that wellness fairs are not only effective at educating communities about potential risk factors for health
problems, including hearing loss but also increasing consumer awareness of new or existing health services
provided by local health organizations. These activities are essential to Timberline Health’s mission within the
community.
Since little is known about the hearing status of residents in the market area, Jack enlists the services of his
organization’s epidemiologist, Dr. Ruth Litchfield, to help him evaluate the potential return on investment for
this marketing campaign. Dr. Litchfield incorporates several factors into her analysis. She reviews public health
data on hearing loss, occupational and age distribution data for local residents, as well as a query of Timberline
Health’s patient databases. Based on this research, she estimates the prevalence of hearing loss in the fivecounty service area at 18 percent, slightly higher than the national average (NIH, 2010). Jack receives
information from the fair’s sales and marketing department to help in his calculations. Specifically, sponsorship
consists of an investment of $50,000 for the design and production of promotional materials and rental of
pavilion space for the duration of the twelve day fair. Data from the previous three years shows on average
250,000 people attend the fair, of which 1% visit the wellness pavilion and participate in health screening
services.
If Timberline Health is to offer mobile hearing screening, the organization must invest in new portable audiology
equipment. Jack receives a quotation from his supplier and estimates the total investment in new audiometers
and audiometric booths at $16,000. Timberline Health will use existing diagnostic equipment to test people who
have failed the initial screening (i.e. test positive for hearing loss), so it is unnecessary to invest in additional
equipment for the hearing centers. Vendor specifications for the screening and diagnostic equipment are
indicated in Table 1.
Furthermore, Jack calculates that he must provide coverage for three 6-hour shifts per day and each shift must
have three audiologists to meet the demand for screening tests. He anticipates hiring nine people to provide
coverage for the duration of the fair. The hourly rate for audiologists is
$37.50.
People who fail the initial screening at the fair are referred to an audiologist for a diagnostic test. Jack assumes
in his calculations that all people who are referred for diagnostic testing follow up with an audiologist in one of
Timberline Health’s hearing centers. Initial screening tests at the fair are free; however, Timberline Health
charges $57.00 for a diagnostic hearing test, which costs the organization $24.00. Using past sales data and
industry metrics, Jack forecasts that of the total number of people diagnosed with hearing loss at hearing
centers only 20% will purchase hearing aids (NIH, 2010). He reviews sales and margin data from the prior year
to identify the product mix for his calculations as indicated in Table 2.
Write a Briefing report (no more than 3 pages) meeting the needs of Dr. Litchfield’s request:
Dr. Litchfield requests your assistance in conducting a needs assessment for hearing services in the fivecounty service area. Consider the following in your assessment:
- Population demographics play a determining role in the types of health services needed by communities.
What demographic data may be important in determining the need for hearing services? (the National Institute
on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders is a good resource) - Timberline Health has a robust electronic health record with strong data analytic capabilities. How might this
data be analyzed to evaluate the need for hearing services in the community? - Timberline Health provides a wide array of health services to patients in the community.
3/27/2021 Order 340397654
https://admin.writerbay.com/orders_available?subcom=detailed&id=340397654 3/4
Design a screening questionnaire (as an attachment to the report) for use in primary care clinics to help identify
community need for hearing services (no more than 5-10 questions using Six Steps Creating Effective
Questionnaire). - What other factors may influence the need for hearing services in the community?
Sample Solution
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