In: Accounting
Steven is the cost accountant at the Lansing Health Center. He
has been asked by the CFO to analyze the center's overhead costs to
determine whether nursing hours or the number of patient days would
be the best cost driver to use for predicting the center's
overhead. He has the following information for the last six months
of the most recent year:
Month | Center Overhead Costs | Nursing Hours | Number of Patient Days |
July | $476,000 | 24,000 | 3,720 |
August | $512,000 | 26,000 | 4,320 |
September | $424,000 | 20,000 | 4,220 |
October | $448,000 | 22,500 | 3,470 |
November | $555,000 | 30,000 | 5,690 |
December | $431,000 | 22,000 | 3,210 |
Answer the following questions about the Lansing Health Center. Each question is worth 1 point.
1. Are center overhead costs fixed, variable, or mixed? Use the
data in the table in arriving at your conclusion.
Variable Fixed Mixed Center Overhead Costs
2. Using the high-low method and nursing hours as a driver of overhead, what is the variable cost per unit?
3. Estimate total center overhead costs if the Lansing Health Center incurs 23,604 of nursing hours in January of the next year using the information from the high-low method gathered in Question #2.
4. Estimate total center overhead costs if the Lansing Health Center uses patient days as a driver and the high-low method and assuming the center incurs 3,900 of patient days in January of the next year.