In: Accounting
Kabwe Medical Center Limited is a small health care
provider owned by an Insurance Company. It employs five salaried
physicians 5(doctors), five nurses, three support staff, and three
clerical workers. The clerical workers perform activities such as
reception, correspondence, cash receipts, billing, and appointment
scheduling. Most patients pay for services rendered by cash or
cheque on the day of their visit. Sometimes, however, the physician
approves credit and files a memo with one of the clerks to set up
the receivable using data the physician generates.The front office
clerks receive cash and cheques directly from patients and give
each patient a pre-numbered receipt. The clerks take turns opening
the mail. All cheques are stamped “for deposit only “by one of the
clerks. Each day, just before lunch, one of the clerks prepares a
list of all cash and cheques to be deposited in Kabwe Medical
Center’s bank account. The office is closed from 13:00until 14:00
hrs for lunch. The office manager takes the daily deposit to the
bank during the lunch hours. Updates to patient’s accounts are done
during the same period.The clerks are responsible for preparing and
mailing monthly statements to patients with unpaid balances.
Write-offs of uncollectible accounts are done only after the
physician whoperformed the respective services approves it indicate
to the office manager verbally. The credit memo is issued to effect
the write- off.The manager is responsible for issuance of write-off
memos, scheduling of appointments for the doctors, bank deposits,
reconciling of bank statements, and general correspondence
duties.An externally hired local accountant comes at the end of the
month to posts summaries prepared by the clerks to the general
ledger, prepares income statements, and files the appropriate
payroll forms and tax returns.
Required:
a. Identify at least three control weaknesses at Kabwe Medical
Center. Describe the potential
threat and exposure associated with each weakness, and recommend
how to best correct
them.
b. Draw a data flow diagram or a work flow chart to depict Kabwe
Medical Center’s existing
revenue cycle.
c. Draw a data flow diagram revised to incorporate your solutions
to requirement “a” above