PROBLEM 2–21 Variable and Fixed Costs; Subtleties of Direct and Indirect Costs [LO5, LO6]

The Central Area Well-Baby Clinic provides a variety of health services to newborn babies and their parents. The clinic is organized into a number of departments, one of which is the Immunization Centre. A number of costs of the clinic and the Immunization Centre are listed  below.

Example: The cost of polio immunization tablets.

a.       The salary of the head nurse in the Immunization Centre.

b.       Costs of incidental supplies consumed in the Immunization Centre, such as paper towels.

c.       The cost of lighting and heating the Immunization Centre.

d.      The cost of disposable syringes used in the Immunization Centre.

e.       The salary of the Central Area Well-Baby Clinic’s information systems manager.

f.        The costs of mailing letters soliciting donations to the Central Area Well-Baby Clinic.

g.      The wages of nurses who work in the Immunization Centre.

h.      The cost of medical malpractice insurance for the Central Area Well-Baby Clinic.

i.        Depreciation on the fixtures and equipment in the Immunization Centre.

Required:

For each cost listed above, indicate whether it is a direct or indirect cost of the Immunization Centre, whether it is a direct or indirect cost of immunizing particular patients, and whether it is variable or fixed with respect to the number of immunizations administered. Use the form shown below for your answer:

 

  Direct or Indirect Cost of the Immunization Centre	Â	    Direct or Indirect Cost of Particular Patients	Â	Variable or Fixed with Respect to the Number of Immunizations Administered
Item Description      Direct          Indirect	Â	Direct          Indirect	Â	Variable       Fixed
Example: The cost of polio immunization tablets                    X	Â	    X	Â	    X