BUSI 428 Week 4 Case Study 4 Example

Reviewed by Laura Hargrove, MPH · Liberty University · Updated

This BUSI 428 Week 4 sample case study looks at price as an element of the marketing mix. A hospital's outpatient imaging center loses MRI volume to a freestanding competitor that advertises one cash price, while the hospital's own prices sit in a hard-to-use online file. A study of 106 Alabama hospitals found that all posted some pricing information but that a third required personal details before showing it, and a Health Affairs analysis found that fewer than half of hospital insurance contracts in five major markets in 2024 relied mainly on fixed prices, which makes comparison hard. The response recommends a clear, published self-pay price and a simple estimate tool, presented honestly with what the price includes. A proverb about integrity guiding the upright frames the pricing ethics. Liberty University BUSI 428 sets this pricing case midway through its healthcare administration course.

CourseBUSI 428 Strategic Management and Marketing in Healthcare (BUSI428)
Module/Week4
AssignmentCase Study 4
Paper typeCase study response
Lengthabout 438 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: at least 300 words in current APA format, supported by 1 scholarly source and 1 biblical integration
FormatAPA 7 student paper
Points70
SchoolLiberty University Online
ProgramBS in Healthcare Administration
Where it sitsModule/Week 4 in Liberty's published BUSI 428 course guide; current sections can differ
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 428 Week 4

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Price as Part of the Product: Should a Hospital Imaging Center Market Its Cash Prices?

 

[Student Name]

School of Business, Liberty University

BUSI 428: Strategic Management and Marketing in Healthcare

Case Study 4

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

 

The hospital, its imaging center and its prices are composites standing in for the case the course provides; the textbook, Scripture and the peer-reviewed sources cited are real.

Why this part earns its pointsThe case is framed as a marketing problem, which is the course's lens, rather than only a finance problem.
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Price as Part of the Product: Should a Hospital Imaging Center Market Its Cash Prices?

The Case

Our hospital's outpatient imaging center has lost about 15% of its MRI volume over two years. A freestanding imaging company nearby advertises a single cash price for a knee or lumbar MRI, while our prices appear only in a long machine-readable file and an estimate tool that asks for insurance details and a birth date. The case asks whether price should be part of our marketing and how we should present it. Some leaders worry that advertising a price would anger insurers or invite a price war; others argue that silence is already costing patients.

Why this part earns its pointsThe research shows the hospital's situation is common and explains why patients struggle to compare.
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Why Price Belongs in the Marketing Mix

Cellucci et al. (2014) treat price as one of the core elements of the marketing mix, alongside the service itself, its place and its promotion, and they note that for health care consumers price includes out-of-pocket cost as well as time and effort. As more patients carry high deductibles, imaging has become a service people shop for. A price that patients cannot find is effectively a price they cannot choose, and the competitor's single advertised figure answers the first question most shoppers ask.

Our situation reflects the field. Ogles et al. (2026) examined 106 Alabama hospitals and found that every one offered some price transparency feature, yet only about 55% provided an online cost calculator and about 34% required personal information before showing a price. Wehrly et al. (2026) add a deeper problem: in five large U.S. markets in 2024, fixed prices per procedure dominated only 48% of inpatient and 53% of outpatient insurer contracts, with the rest relying on per diem rates or percentages of charges. Even a willing hospital has trouble stating one clear price for insured patients.

Why this part earns its pointsThe recommendation separates the price the hospital can state clearly from the one it can only estimate.
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Recommendation

I recommend three changes. First, publish a clear self-pay price for the five most common outpatient scans, listing what the price includes, such as the radiologist's reading, and what it does not. Second, replace the estimate tool with one that asks only for the insurer and plan type and gives a range. Third, feature the self-pay prices in our advertising alongside our quality strengths, such as board-certified radiologists and same-week appointments. Proverbs says that the integrity of the upright guides them, while crookedness destroys the treacherous (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Proverbs 11:3). A price stated honestly, with nothing hidden, is good ethics and good marketing. Patients cannot choose a price they cannot find.

Measures

Success would appear as a recovery in MRI volume, more self-pay scans and fewer billing complaints about unexpected charges. Tracking how many visitors use the new estimate tool, and how many then schedule, would also show whether the price information is reaching the people it is meant to help.

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References

Cellucci, L. W., Wiggins, C., & Farnsworth, T. J. (2014). Healthcare marketing: A case study approach. Health Administration Press.

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Ogles, C., Cooper, C., Dyess, G., & Menger, R. P. (2026). Compliance and barriers in hospital price transparency: A cross-sectional evaluation of Alabama hospitals with emphasis on spinal surgery. Cureus, 18(2), e104406. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.104406

Wehrly, D. V., Pany, M. J., & Chernew, M. E. (2026). The opacity of price transparency. Health Affairs, 45(6), 614-621. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2025.01530

What the BUSI 428 Week 4 instructions ask

Case Study 4 is paired with Forum 4 in Module/Week 4 of BUSI 428, a week that also assigns chapters 7 and 8 of Cellucci, Wiggins and Farnsworth, a presentation and four websites. As with the other cases, the response runs 300 words or more in current APA style and draws on a scholarly source and a passage of Scripture. Since the cases ask for brief and concise answers, aim for a response that answers every question directly and uses the remaining words for analysis and a recommendation. Pricing is often the least discussed element of health care marketing, which makes a case on price an opportunity to show careful reasoning about value and fairness.

How this BUSI 428 Week 4 example is built

The sample restates the case of an imaging center losing patients to a competitor with a simple advertised price. It explains why price belongs in the marketing mix for health care, especially as more patients carry high deductibles and shop for services like imaging. Two studies describe how hospitals currently present prices and why contract structures make comparisons difficult. The response then recommends a published self-pay price for common scans, a short estimate tool for insured patients and honest notes on what each price includes. A proverb about integrity frames the ethical standard. The closing lists the numbers to watch for signs that patients are returning.

BUSI 428 Week 4 grading rubric: where the points go

Case Study 4 is usually graded on direct answers to each case question, accurate use of pricing and marketing mix concepts, a scholarly source that supports a specific point and a biblical integration that fits the subject. Responses earn more when they recognize the difference between charges, negotiated rates and cash prices and explain why that difference confuses patients. Faculty look for recommendations that are lawful, honest and practical for a hospital department. Clear APA formatting, a matching reference list and concise writing round out the expectations for this case. A response that respects the legal limits on what hospitals may say about prices, while still making them easier to find, shows the judgment the course is building.

BUSI 428 Week 4 help: mistakes that cost points

Before writing, list each case question and the course concept it tests. Use chapters 7 and 8 for the role of price, value and access in health care marketing. Find a peer-reviewed study on hospital price transparency, pricing or consumer shopping, and use one specific finding. Keep the distinction between list charges, insurer rates and self-pay prices clear throughout. Include a verse about honesty or fair dealing. Recommend something a department manager could put in place within a quarter, and name two measures that would show whether it worked. Keep the language plain enough that a patient could follow the recommendation, since clarity is part of the pricing problem itself.

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BUSI 428 Week 4 questions, answered

What is BUSI 428 Case Study 4?

Case Study 4 carries 70 points and pairs with Forum 4; students write a concise APA response of 300 or more words that cites research and integrates a biblical principle.

Where can I find a free BUSI 428 Week 4 sample paper?

A complete BUSI 428 Week 4 case response on whether a hospital imaging center should market its cash prices is available on this page, with APA citations.

Do hospitals have to post their prices?

Federal rules require hospitals to publish standard charges and offer consumer-friendly information for shoppable services, but studies find formats vary widely and many are hard for patients to use.

Why is it hard to compare hospital prices?

Many insurer contracts use per diem rates or a percentage of charges rather than fixed prices per service; one study found fixed-price methods dominated only about half of 2024 contracts.

What else is due in BUSI 428 Module/Week 4?

Forum 4 is due in the same module/week, along with chapters 7 and 8 of the Cellucci text, a presentation and four assigned websites.

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