A Hospital Is Evaluating Whether to Outsource or Perform In-House

question 12

Multiple Choice

A hospital is evaluating whether to outsource or perform in-house a large set of blood and urine laboratory tests. The fixed cost of the laboratory located in the hospital is $800,000, and the weighted average variable cost per test if performed in-house is $28.75. A third-party lab located one city block from the hospital will perform the same tests and distribute the results electronically to the hospital at a price of $32.00. If the annual volume last year was 250,000 tests, the hospital should:

• A) outsource these lab tests to this third-party lab.
• B) offshore these lab tests to this third-party lab.
• C) perform these lab tests in-house at the hospital.
• D) reduce fixed costs $200,000 and then outsource.

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Definitions:

Payback Period

The duration required for an investment to recover its initial outlay, calculated by dividing the initial investment by the annual cash inflows.

Time Value of Money

The concept that money available now is worth more than the same amount in the future due to its earning capacity.

Discounted Payback Method

A capital budgeting approach that calculates the time required to recoup the cost of an investment, considering the time value of money.

Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

The interest rate that results in a net present value of zero for all cash flows associated with a specific project.