TL;DR
Compare channel economics using a declared encounter cohort, actual collections observed through a stated cutoff, finance-approved variable service costs and complete campaign costs. Keep incomplete collections and uncertain source links visible. The worksheet describes financial contribution under chosen definitions; it does not establish causal ROI or forecast future encounters.
Define the business unit before comparing channels
A cheap registration is not necessarily a cheap completed encounter. A channel serving employer accounts cannot be compared directly with a consumer campaign using employee visit totals as though they were acquired accounts. Name the buying objective and the qualifying unit before looking at unit costs.
For a consumer encounter comparison, choose the verified service and location, entry-period rule, qualifying encounter state, relationship scope and source-link method. If the question concerns people newly entering the practice, restrict the cohort accordingly. If it concerns supported return utilization, label that objective separately.
Ask finance and operations to agree on the included service categories. Marketing should not select clinical or billing classifications to make a channel look profitable. Where categories cannot appropriately be linked, keep their financial series separate.
Complete the contribution worksheet with actual inputs
The worksheet is an original bookkeeping tool. Blank fields require actual records or quoted costs; they are not suggested amounts.
| Field | Input to supply | Definition or limitation to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Cohort | ___ | Service, location, channel connection, entry period and qualifying encounter state |
| Collection cutoff | ___ | Date through which receipts, refunds and adjustments are observed |
| C | ___ | Actual collected amount for the declared cohort, net of observed refunds and applicable cash adjustments under finance's stated rule |
| V | ___ | Finance-approved variable costs of delivering those included encounters |
| M | ___ | Included campaign costs: media, agency work, creative, tools and approved internal labor allocation |
| U | ___ | Unresolved source, encounter or financial linkage and excluded records |
| Later review | ___ | When incomplete receipts or adjustments will be reconciled |
Define descriptive encounter contribution as C − V. Define contribution after included campaign costs as C − V − M. These are accounting identities under the stated definitions. They do not establish that C would have disappeared without marketing, and they do not include every cost of running the clinic.
Have finance keep the included cost categories nonoverlapping. If receiving-team labor is assigned to V, do not also deduct that same labor in M. Apply the same allocation rule across the compared channels and record any excluded cost.
If you need a ratio, define contribution after included campaign costs divided by M. Use it only when M is known and positive. Label it with the actual cost and cohort scope. Avoid calling it causal return on investment unless the additional attribution claim is supported.
Keep charges, receipts and timing distinct
An encounter charge, a claim submitted, an expected allowance and money collected describe different financial states. Ask finance which basis answers this decision. If the report uses actual receipts, do not quietly substitute expected revenue when collections remain incomplete.
Keep a reconciliation note: encounter cohort ___; receipts observed ___; unresolved or unpaid balances ___; refunds and adjustments ___; cutoff ___; next update ___. Preserve incomplete cohorts rather than classifying them as final losses or filling their balances with a forecast.
The historical JUCM ROI discussion distinguishes financial contribution from revenue alone and includes marketing costs and service costs in its analysis. JUCM's contribution discussion. This worksheet uses no historical cost assumptions or claimed margins from that article. Finance must supply the definitions and actual inputs for your clinic.
Compare like cohorts before moving money
Review service mix and collection maturity alongside each channel. A recently observed cohort with unresolved receipts is not directly comparable to an older cohort whose collections have matured. A service-specific campaign and a general walk-in campaign may require separate rows because the acquired activity differs.
Record changed hours, service interruptions and receiving coverage as context. A campaign operating while its service was unsupported is answering a different question from a campaign with stable access. Do not interpret the gap as a channel effect without investigating those conditions.
The scope-budget guide helps establish what the provider's actual quote includes. Add clinic labor and separately purchased implementation where your finance rule requires them. Keep shared costs allocated under a declared method instead of assigning them opportunistically to the least favored channel.
Turn the worksheet into a bounded purchase decision
If a channel's linked cohort has acceptable descriptive contribution under the clinic's real decision rule, ask whether the remaining evidence supports continuation. The decision still needs usable service capacity, a credible source connection and an understood contract scope. Financial arithmetic alone cannot establish those conditions.
If source evidence is weak, improve that connection within the approved reporting process. If collection maturity is the problem, retain a later reconciliation. If staff handling consumes more resources than the proposal assumed, price the actual work rather than comparing media invoices alone.
GetPatients has a commercial interest in healthcare visibility services. Require any provider to show the financial definitions behind its value claim. The measurement guide explains why upstream activity should not become financial outcomes without evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Can we use billed revenue because collections take time?
Use the basis finance approves and label it accurately. A billed-revenue analysis answers a different question from a cash-collection analysis. Do not mix them within the comparison.
Is contribution after campaign costs the clinic's net profit?
It includes only the defined amounts. Broader overhead, financing and other costs may sit outside it. Have finance specify the measure before using it for a purchasing decision.
What if campaign cost or the matched cohort is unavailable?
Report the measure as unavailable. Resolve the missing definition or record rather than inserting a hypothetical input.