...Reporting Practices and Ethics Paper HCS/405 March 7, 2016 Reporting Practices and Ethics Paper Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) represent the general rules, standards, and practices that are used in accounting. GAAP are required for businesses when reporting financial records. When preparing financial statements, a company’s accountant is mandated to use these principles before they issue these statements to investors and other entities outside of the business. The objective for these standards are to assist in ensuring that ethical accounting practices occur wherein investors and creditors have the confidence that companies are truthfully reporting their financial solvency. In summary, the GAAP are responsible for ensuring that companies ethically record measurements at regular business intervals, prepare and summarize economic information in accordance to ethical standards, accurately measure economic activity, and truthfully disclose information about economic activity. Corporate compliance, ethics, or fraud and abuse Medical fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry is a rampant occurrence that significantly impacts not only healthcare in America but also the entire economy. Fraud and abuse within the healthcare industry can account for approximately 15 percent of annual expenditures. This represents up to $170 billion annually being lost because of fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry. Although the federal government has consistently...
Words: 737 - Pages: 3
...financial accounting. Level of Learning: Easy 28. The primary focus for financial accounting information is to provide information useful for: A. Option A B. Option B C. Option C D. Option D AACSB: Reflective thinking Bloom's: Knowledge Learning Objective: 01-01 Describe the function and primary focus of financial accounting. Level of Learning: Easy 29. Which of the following is not true about net operating cash flow? A. It is the difference between cash receipts and cash disbursements from providing goods and services. B. It is a measure used in accrual accounting and is recognized as the best predictor of future operating cash flows. C. Over short periods of time, it may not be indicative of long-run cash-generating ability. D. It is easy to understand and all information required to measure it is factual. AACSB: Reflective thinking Bloom's: Knowledge Learning Objective: 01-01 Describe the function and primary focus of financial accounting. Level of Learning: Medium 30. Which of the following groups is not among financial intermediaries? A. Mutual fund managers B. Financial analysts C. CPAs D. Credit rating organizations AACSB: Reflective thinking Bloom's: Knowledge Learning Objective: 01-01 Describe the function and primary focus of financial accounting. Level of Learning: Medium 31. Which of the following was the first private sector entity that set accounting standards in the United States? A. Accounting Principles...
Words: 2702 - Pages: 11
...(IFRS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are rules and guidelines established to attempt to standardize accounting and recording practices across the United States and Internationally. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is a set of international accounting standards stating how particular types of transactions and other events should be reported in financial statements. IFRS uses fair-value accounting of assets and liabilities. GAAP also known as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles which is a common set of accounting principles, standards and procedures that companies use to compile their financial statements. Generally an accepted accounting practice is a combination of authoritative standards and the commonly accepted ways of recording and reporting accounting information. Some differences between IFRS and GAAP is that IFRS is considered more of a principle based accounting standard used in more than 110 countries where as GAAP is considered more rule based and is used generally within the United States. By being more principle based, IFRS represents and captures the economics of a transaction better than U.S. GAAP. Under GAAP, the research is more focused on the literature whereas under IFRS, the review of the facts pattern is more through. Investopedia states another difference between GAAP and IFRS is that under IFRS, LIFO cannot be used, but GAAP; companies have the choice between LIFO and FIFO. The convergence of accounting standards...
Words: 889 - Pages: 4
...Reporting Practices and Ethics Tiffany L. Richardson HCS 405 July 18, 2011 Todd Brown Reporting Practices and Ethics Financial Management is a fundamental part to successful healthcare financial planning. Financial decisions are a necessary part of the day to day operations of any type or sized health care facility. These decisions are made in accordance with the facilities fiscal objectives and accounting practices. It is important that the individuals making these decisions follow proper reporting and ethical practices since these decisions affect the future of the entire facility. In order to make finical decisions it is important to understand generally accepted accounting principles, corporate compliance, ethics, fraud and abuse. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Generally accepted accounting principles are guidelines, objectives and conventions that have been set up over time to dictate how financial statements are prepared and presented (FASAB, 2010). The GAAP includes standards, conventions and the rules in which the facilities accounting department following when summarizing reports and preparing financial statements (Baker & Baker, 2011). Third parties that use these financial reports must then rely on the information to be free from all prejudice and discrepancy without debate. If the information is false then the GAAP standards were not followed and the facility is not in compliance and therefore behaving unethically (All Business, 2011). Facilities...
Words: 1022 - Pages: 5
...Reporting Practices and Ethics Krystal Jackson Septemnber 10, 2012 HCS/405 Diana Schilling Large companies need the attention of investors, creditors, and banks to continue to be profitable. The information that these entities receive is product of the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that are practiced by companies to create and release their annual finances. The financial statements allow the outside entities to judge the economic health of the company and from this decide if investments and larger lines of credit are wise. In the United States the Security and Exchange Commission enforce the GAAP although it is not actual law. The GAAP can be broken down into three sections which are assumptions, principles, and constraints. There are four assumptions declare that’s the business is a "separate entity" from its expenses and personal expenses are kept separate. The assumptions also discuss the form of currently that will be used in financial reporting as well as time periods that will be recorded in said statements. There are basic principles that are cost, revenues, principle, and disclosure and these principles require that the business reports what money is spent when something is acquired, and when it is earned and documented. The statements must be matched to the reported revenue and all information to make decisions on the company's finances must be disclosed. Lastly there are four constraints: objectivity, materiality...
Words: 896 - Pages: 4
...Reporting Practices and Ethics Paper Teresa Lucas HCS/405 04-13-2015 Elizabeth Caissie The key to understanding finance is learning the four elements of financial management and their relationship to one another. It is important that all financial records are up to date because this helps keep track of how an organization, so they know if they have a profit or a loss. There are four elements of financial management are planning, controlling, organizing and decision making. The first one is planning it allows an organization to set goals and guidelines to ensure success and accomplishments in set goals. The second element of financial management is controlling. Controlling allows an organization to ensure that all rules and regulations within the organization are being followed. The third element of financial management is organizing. Organization is important because it guarantees that the organization is working at its best and it is organized while directing the medical office to work and fix problems that may come. The last element of financial management is decision making. All decision relies on information, and evaluation. Decision making works along with the planning, controlling and organizing...
Words: 815 - Pages: 4
...Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and Healthcare University of Phoenix Online December 23, 2013 Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and Healthcare Accounting measures allow the public, those granting credit and investors, the opportunity to review a business’s financial performance through the review of financial statements. The financial market is grounded on the truthfulness of financial statements that allow investors to estimate the value of securities. The usage of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) is part of an organized and regulated method for financially educated professionals to create financial statements. GAAP outlines in detail the components necessary for large and small businesses to disclose their financial performance as accurate as possible to avoid bias (Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board, 2013). GAAP addresses the wide range of accounting practices down to the small and specialized business. Accounting Principles “Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are rules established by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB)” (Finkler, Kovner, & Jones, 2007, p.104). The development of accounting principles became emergently necessary because of the trend of major financial disasters. The stock market crash and demise of Enron were a result of faulty and deceptive accounting practices which failed to disclose the true state of the organizations. Events like these precipitated the need for GAAP...
Words: 1062 - Pages: 5
... Foundational Accounting Principles and Terminology Shane R. Wagner TUI University Module 1 Case Study 29 August 2010 Abstract This paper will discuss the common fundamental accounting principles and analyze the financial statements of three major businesses. A basic understanding of the General Accepted Accounting Principles and the standards established within these practices, allow for investors to obtain an accurate snapshot of the financial health of a business. The different methods of documenting both current and future transactions, can have an impact on the information portrayed by the financial statements of an organization. In addition, the basic format of the financial statements can disclose additional considerations of the business, as will be discussed in the analysis of three major businesses within this paper. Information for the analysis portion was retrieved from the financial statements included in the assignment. Keywords: Accrual Basis Accounting; Cost Basis Accounting; Current Assets and Liabilities; Double Entry Accounting; Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB); General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP); Historic Cost; Non-current Items; Security Exchange Commission (SEC); Financial Statements: Foundational Accounting Principles and Terminology Introduction The basic of understanding of an organizations financial statement requires one to be familiar with fundamental accounting principles. The financial...
Words: 1771 - Pages: 8
...Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in Healthcare Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or GAAP was developed from different accounting entities, one of which was the Financial Accounting Standards Board or FASB. GAAP is a group of standards for accounting with common industry language developed over many years and used by businesses to organize financial information. The main purpose for GAAP is to make a standard way for anyone to pick up a financial statement and be able to compare financials using the same set of rules. GAAP is an accounting method used in health care facilities. These are specific policies that are used when the health care institution must make important financial decisions. To understand financial statements, the importance and relevance of GAAP must be understood. These standards guide accountants in the measuring and reporting of financial events of healthcare entities such as hospitals, clinics, not-for-profit groups, and other healthcare related businesses. The information used in these financial statements must be relevant, reliable, and comparable. Some of the concepts or principles used in the preparation of financial statements by way of GAAP are discussed below. Accrual Principle The accrual principle simply means that accounting transactions should be recorded in the period that they occur rather than when the cash flows related to them occur. In the healthcare field, all revenue earned for in-house patients should be recorded...
Words: 989 - Pages: 4
... Health Care Financial Accounting HCS405 Ethics Paper Financial Management is an important part of today's health care finance plans. Several financial decisions are done on a daily basis for all accounting records and even the business transactions that occur. Some of these decisions are made according with the organiation's fiscal objectives (even if some are done following generally accepted accounting principles). The question I really like to ask then is "How good are the health care organizations' financial management and do they have accurate financial report records"? GAAP Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) usually are regarded as the set of guidelines for financial accounting and the jurisdiction of every accounting standards. Following these accounting guidelines the GAAP includes several things like conventions, standards and the different rules the organization's accountant must follow during a copy summarization of all the transactions and in doing the work in general like preparing all the financial statements. The third parties involved with these reports must rely on the stated information to be exempted from all inconsistency or bias without any debate. These could also ensure that all GAAP standards are being followed. All business currently states that, "the generally accepted accounting principles serves as guidelines precisely, a group of objectives and verified...
Words: 1006 - Pages: 5
...regulations of GAAP set forth by FASB. Implementing internal control, understanding the GAAP principles and recent standards that affect Google can be a tough job. They tackle it head on though. Google Introduction/Background Information In 1997 Google started out as a search engine called backrub that operated on Stanford’s servers. Back rub didn’t have enough bandwidth to hold all of the information. Larry and Sergey renamed it Google, a play on the word “googol” a mathematical term for the number one followed by 100 zeroes. (,) They use this to show just how much information they want to organize on the web, an infinite amount. In 1998, they found a co-founder and sets up shop in the co-founders garage, by December 1998 they are recognized by “PC Magazine” as the search engine of choice in the Top 100 web sites for 1998. In 1999 with eight employees, a new company dog, two new offices, first press release and a new chef, Google is fully in business. In 2000, Google released google.com in fifteen different languages, win their first awards, partner with Yahoo!, launch Google Ad words and Google toolbars, and announce the first billion-URL index making them the worlds largest search engine. Over a decade later Google still proudly holds the title of the largest search engine. Google offers many tools a few are a browser, blogger, social network, email, maps, most widely known is Android. GAAP and description of accounting principles Generally...
Words: 1065 - Pages: 5
...Sources of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles A set of standards developed and universally practiced are called Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Generally accepted means that an authoritative accounting rule-making body, has accepted as appropriate due to their universal application. Otherwise each company would have created their own standards. There are some organizations that are very important in the development of GAAP, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) and the Government Accounting Standard Board (GASB). The SEC helps to develop and standardize financial Information for the stockholders under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1933 and 1934. The AICPA contributes with committees and boards. FASB establishes and improves standards of financials accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public. GASB, was created due to the financials prepare by the state and local government were not compare to reports prepared by private organization. Generally Accepted Accounting Principle has authoritative support. The hierarchy that define the meaning of GAAP included FASB standards and interpretation and staff positions, Accounting Principle Board Opinions (APB), which determines appropriate accounting practices and the AICPA accounting Research Bulletin. These standards identify the sources of the accounting principle...
Words: 675 - Pages: 3
...Reporting Practices and Ethics Paper Holly Polk HCS/405 Sandra DiPietro April 9,2012 Reporting Practices and Ethics Financial management helps health care organization's to assist in balancing the inflows and outflows that are part of the business. There are about four recognized elements of financial management which are planning, controlling, organizing and directing, and decision making. Planning help the financial manager identify the steps that must be taken to complete objectives for their organization. Controlling helps the financial manager make sure that each area of their organization is following the plans that have been set before them. Organizing helps financial manager to decide how best to use resources and also how to effectively carry out plans that have been established. Lastly decision making helps financial manager to make choices among available option's (Baker, Baker,2011). Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or ( GAAP) is a set of procedures, standards, and principles that a organization can all agree on in order to report their financial data. The GAAP has several components but we will only name the most important like debt, inventory cost, long-term and short- term investment, taxation, profits, stockholder's equity, revenues and sales, and goodwill and other intangibles. The GAAP is a very great way for organization to report the data and it is also the most consistent way to display data. The GAAP make it easier for companies to...
Words: 757 - Pages: 4
...Reporting Practices and Ethics Monika Kaloyanova HCS/405 August 31st 2015 Professor Joe Gazdik Introduction There are a lot of important parts in health care organizations but what sticks out the most is financial management. Financial management needs to be taken seriously and everything has to be done accurately because there are consequences if errors occur and the organization cannot function properly. It also helps to see the profit and loss that the organization is having and to see what changes need to be done to fix anything. Four elements in financial management In financial management, there are four elements that are vital to any company and those are planning, organizing and directing, leading, and decision making “…by regularly following the four-step control process, managers can make their department more effective and productive”. Lombardi, D. J., Schermerhorn, J.R., & Kramer, B. (2007.) Planning is important because the manager identifies the steps so that the organizations plans/objectives can be accomplished. Controlling is an important element as well because it makes sure that the plans are followed. The financial manager makes sure that the units/areas of the organization are following the plans that were built. There is a way you can do that and that is to compare reports from earlier times. Organizing and directing helps in financial management because the manager uses the organization to make sure that the plans have been established. The...
Words: 859 - Pages: 4
...common terms used in accounting, to include Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), double entry accounting, historical cost, accrual basis vs. cash basis accounting and current assets and liabilities vs. non-current items. I will also describe the general organization of the following three companies; Apple, Inc., Swatch Group, and Nikon. In doing so, I will attempt to determine and demonstrate what is more useful – net income or cash from operating activities. Part I The field of accounting can be understood as the art of analyzing and interpreting data. Every organization uses a form of accounting in its day-to-day operations. While some may use it knowingly or unknowingly, nonetheless, accounting is an indispensable method in understanding any business/endeavor in today's global marketplace. It is the means of providing the financial information of any given organization. It summarizes all the company’s transactions and provides a clear image of the business. Accounting keeps the record of all financial reports which is very important for all the managers and stakeholders, such as shareholders, creditors or owners. Among the terms that are necessary to be familiar with and understand are the following: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) – Accountants use Generally Accepted Accounting Principles to govern them in recording and reporting financial information. GAAP consists of a wide array of rules established by accounting professionals, along...
Words: 1405 - Pages: 6
