Project Proposal

A proposal is often used to communicate and present information to stakeholders within an organization. In many cases the primary purpose of the proposal is to convince stakeholders that the project is worthy and beneficial to the organization and serves as a tool to gain approval.

Stakeholders must understand what the project can do and why it is feasible, in order to accomplish the set goals and contribute to strategic initiatives. An effective proposal, if effectively communicated, can convince stakeholder buy-in and aid as a driver for change. It may also involve negotiation tactics and strategies.

Park Health System is experiencing a shortage of coders. Over the past five years, there has been a 40% vacancy rate for coders throughout the main hospital and satellite clinics within the healthcare system. The backlog and vacant positions have created an issue related to unbilled revenue, overworked coders and extended work hours and schedules. It is estimated that there is an annual loss of $10 million. It has also been communicated that many of the qualified coders that were offered a position, declined because they are interested in working from home. To address the problem, the health information management department is proposing that there be an implementation of a home-based coding system. This concept is feasible because the system utilizes an electronic health record and all patient information is available electronically. You have been assigned as the project manager. You are responsible for developing a project proposal to recommend a vendor/system to resolve the issues for Park Health System. The proposal is the document used to present the project to organizational leaders, executive management and other stakeholders.

Organizational challenges:

• Outsourcing costs are currently estimated at $50,000 per year. Reduce outsources costs by 50%
• Have no open coding positions – a vacancy rate of 0%
• Increase coding productivity by 30%
• Reduce annual loss by 50%
  • Currently losing $10 million per year
• Improve timeliness and turn-around time
  • Code inpatient records within four days of discharge and outpatient records within five days of the visit
• Overall timeline for project is 18 months

Assignment Instructions

For this assignment, you will examine the case information, create a professional proposal, and present your proposal.

1. Examine the case information.
2. Based on the case details, create a proposal to include the following. Your proposal should be professionally presented, well-written, and in an organized format.

Title page – The title page is the first page of your proposal. The title page should include the overall topic/title of the project, in addition to the name of the project manager, executive sponsor, and date.

Table of Contents – The table of contents simply outline the contents of the proposal. The outline includes the titles for each section and subsections, in addition to the page numbers.

Cover letter –The cover letter introduces the project and summarizes the contents of the proposal. The cover letter addresses what the project is about, the overall purpose, and general perspective of the project need.

Statement of Need – The statement of need addresses why the project is being proposed. This part of the proposal provides rationale. For example, reasons for the need, specific problems or issues that resulted in the project proposal; such the need to improve the quality of healthcare, need for increasing financial stability, competitive data or research, etc. The Statement of need may be included as part of the cover letter, or as a separate component of the proposal.

Vendor Negotiation –You will compare and recommend a vendor/system to resolve issues for Park Health System. You are also expected to take part in negotiating on behalf of your recommendation and with the vendor.

• As the project manager, describe your role in the negotiations.
• Explain factors that influence negotiations.
• Examine and compare different negotiation strategies and techniques.                                                                     
  • Choose at least two that you plan to use in the Park Health System vendor negotiations.
• Justify your reasoning.

Appendices – Appendices are added material that provides detailed information, as references or as an extension to a summarized component in the proposal. For example, a statement of contribution may be included from each team member; similar to a statement of work or support for the project. Another example is a cost analysis. There may be a summary of the costs in the proposal, but the detailed cost analysis is included as an appendix. Other data sheets, detailed charts and table, should be included as appendices. Also note that the appendices should be noted in the table of contents.

1. Create a 10-slide presentation to present your proposal.

Presenting the proposal can be just as critical as the content of the proposal itself. A proposal should be professionally formatted, free of typos and errors, well-written, and well-organized. The project manager should be knowledgeable and well-informed of the information in the proposal. When presenting to executive managers and stakeholders, the goal is to create a clear idea of what is being recommended and what the beneficial factors are. As previously noted, the project manager should be an effective communicator, with the ability to exchange information.