Academic Writing Business Case

Business Case: Purpose:Pathology is now a big business and medical scientists need to be more broader in focus apart from their clinical speciality areas’. This exercise is to teach you life skills on how to go about writing a business case that you could apply in your personal situation and in the context of a pathology environment. Structure of a Business case: Executive summary: Should include statements about what this business case is covering and the current state of pathology testing ie: keeping up with emerging demands as an example. -What were the key findings of your business case? -What was the financial viability of the business case? -When would the proposal be profitable and break-even point? -Should it be implemented in the context of your proposal? -What are the key recommendations? Background: -Pathology services play a key role in the diagnosis and management of diseases. -The key business drivers are economic. -Profitability relies on high throughput (automation) and minimal labour. -Looking for opportunities to broaden the pathology service in the context of the patient population. -You need to think about your hospital organisation: What is your patient population that requires pathology testing? -What tests is your service going to offer and why? e.g : Molecular genetic tests need to be justified based upon patient population, demand, disease entities. e.g : ICU lab Biochemistry testing: What patient populations are in ICU? What type of Biochemistry tests would be required for these patients? This would then assist you determining type of analyser/s to be selected, range of tests and volume of tests to be analysed. You would also think about staffing. SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. 1 Situational and Problem Statement: -What is the current pathology service status? -Are there any problems that can be addressed in the business case? e.g: Turnaround time for ICU samples if you need to wait for results from central laboratory, e.g.: molecular genetic testing: If the samples are sent to an outside external laboratory-delay in testing and retrieval of results etc. -Opportunities for development and growth. Project Description: -Outline the scope of the project: What tests would be offered in the context of which diseases? -Consider implementation phase: What major components would you need to consider: Staffing, purchasing and installation of equipment, documentation and training, testing and validation, IT and LIS, accreditation of service. Solution Description: -Turnaround time effects -Control of quality -Frequency of testing -Staff development-Building of expertise and reputation -May produce substantial cost savings. Cost Benefit Analysis: Income versus expenditure over time (5 years).