Healthcare business leaders in a rural clinic setting can enhance profitability by implementing strategies to ensure timely payments. The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine strategies applied by healthcare leaders in rural clinics to improve profitability. The population included 10 rural clinic managers and billing staff from 5 rural clinics in the southwestern region of the United States. The conceptual framework for this study was Wernerfelt's resource-based value theory. Implementing Yin's multiple-step data analysis process, data from semistructured interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to identify strategies used by rural clinic managers and billing staff to enhance profitability. Four primary themes emerged regarding revenue cycle management that could increase profitability, including developing effective communication between medical providers and billing staff, implementing payment plan strategies, ensuring accuracy of billing claims, and consistently reviewing open receivable accounts. The implications of this study for positive social change include insights for clinic managers in the development of strategies to increase cash from accounts receivables, which may contribute to the financial stability of the clinic and improve the provision of healthcare for citizens of the southwestern region of the United States.

Thesis (M.A. (Nursing Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Quality health care includes availability, accessibility, affordability, acceptability, competence of health care providers, reducing waiting time, ensuring privacy and confidentiality, ensuring safety and security, and reducing mortality and morbidity. Despite many initiatives made by the National Department of Health through the Minister of Health, provision of quality health care services remains a serious challenge in South Africa, especially in the public rural clinics. Communities from rural areas face many challenges at the public healthcare clinics such as poor infrastructure, attitudes from staff, old equipment, insufficient medicines, dirty healthcare sectors, and longer waiting times, which has led to provision of poor health care services. Methodology A quantitative research approach was used to conduct this study. The study was conducted in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province. Three municipalities; namely Blouberg, Lepelle-Nkumpi and Aganang, were selected from the five municipalities located in the Capricorn District because they are predominantly rural. A simple random sampling applying fish bowl method was used to select the public clinics in each municipality. A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct the study. Only professional nurses were selected to participate in this study. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire, over a period of three months. A total of 155 professional nurses were selected because they met the selection criteria. The response rate was 100% because all the 155 questionnaires distributed were completed. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences program version 22.0 with the assistance of the University of Limpopo statistician. Results The findings of the study indicated that only 3 (2%) of the clinics operated for 24 hours, 72 (46%) operated for 8 hours and 80 (52%) operated for 12 hours. The majority of the professional nurses 123 (83%) said that the clinics are overwhelmed by large numbers of patients, whereas 26 (17%) of the professional nurses said that the clinics are not overwhelmed by large numbers of patients. Very few 29 (19%) professional nurses were satisfied with the salary they were paid, whereas the majority 124 (80%) were not satisfied with salary they were paid, and only 2 (1%) were unsure. Recommendations Recommendations were made to improve the quality of healthcare services in the public rural clinics: The Department of Health should review the salaries they pay professional nurses in rural clinics, particularly the Occupational Specific Dispensation, and they should be given a higher salary. Furthermore, the government should increase the salaries of nurses working in the public rural clinics to at least 10% higher than those in urban clinics within the next 5 years to attract more nurses to the public rural clinics. The Limpopo Provincial Department of Health should liaise with the treasury department to provide realistic budget to accommodate the population. Conclusion The findings of this study revealed the factors related to the provision of quality health care services at the selected public clinics in the rural areas of the Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. The study was limited to public clinics in the rural areas; therefore, the findings of this study cannot be generalised to the clinics that did not participate in the study. Keywords: Quality, healthcare services, public rural clinics.

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the professional nurse's perception of working in remote rural clinics in Limpopo Province. The research design was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual. The research population was the professional nurses working in remote rural clinics in Limpopo Province. Purposive sampling was used and data collected by means of tape-recorded in-depth semi-structured individual interviews. The study revealed that the professional nurses perceived working in the remote rural clinics both positively and negatively and had concerns. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the professional nurse's perception of working in remote rural clinics in Limpopo Province. The research design was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual. The research population was the professional nurses working in remote rural clinics in Limpopo Province. Purposive sampling was used and data collected by means of tape-recorded in-depth semi-structured individual interviews. The study revealed that the professional nurses perceived working in the remote rural clinics both positively and negatively and had concerns. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Thesis (MMed) -- Stellenbosch University, 2010. / Bibliography / Objectives: To describe the establishment of a colposcopy service in a district hospital in a rural sub-district and to assess its impact on the uptake of colposcopy. Design: A retrospective double group cohort study using a laboratory database of cervical cytology results, clinical records and colposcopy clinic registers. Setting: The Overstrand sub-district in the Western Cape: 80 000 people served by 7 clinics and a district hospital in Hermanus, 120 km from its referral hospitals in Cape Town and Worcester. A colposcopy service was established at Hermanus Hospital in 2008. Subjects: All women in the Overstrand sub-district who required colposcopy on the basis of cervical smears done in 2007 and 2009. Outcome measures: The number of women booked for colposcopy at distant referral hospitals in 2007 and at the district hospital is 2009, the proportion of those women who attended colposcopy, the time from cervical smear to colposcopy, comparison between the two years. Results: The uptake of colposcopy booked for distant referral hospitals was 67% in 2007. The uptake improved by 18% to 79% for the local district hospital colposcopy service in 2009 (p=0.06). When analysed excluding patients from an area with no transport to the district hospital, the improvement was more marked at 22% (p=0.02). The delay from cervical smear to colposcopy improved significantly from 170 to 141 days (p=0.02). Conclusion: The establishment of a colposcopy service in a rural sub-district increased the uptake of colposcopy and decreased the delay from cervical smear to colposcopy. This district hospital colposcopy service removed 202 booked patients in one year from the colposcopy load of its referral hospitals.