Meridian Health Increases Budgeting Efficiency with Business Objects

Meridian, which has annual system revenues of $725 million and provides quality health services, facilities, and programs in 70 locations throughout New Jersey, is using Business Objects as the cornerstone of its annual budget development process. Meridian can now calculate net patient service revenue budgets, and fixed cost center budgets and margins with more accuracy and in less time. Additionally, Meridian ensures reports are reflective of the changing needs of the end user by automating processes and eliminating the need to develop reports that provide only marginal business value.

"Budgeting is the cornerstone of planning and controlling operations, but it can be a time-consuming and resource intensive process," said Steven Esposito, corporate budget manager at Meridian Health. "Without some degree of advanced preparation, the massive scope of the annual budget development process and the intricacies of tailoring these financial reports to specific audiences can be overwhelming. Our Business Objects deployment provides the foundation to develop an efficient, end-to-end budgeting process, helping us become better prepared to tackle this task each year."

"Budgeting is an indispensable function of any business. However, the extra time spent on this process due to a lack of early planning and comprehensive budgeting applications results in lost productivity and revenue for companies year after year," said Jay Spence, director of healthcare planning solutions at Business Objects. "Meridian Health is a perfect example of an organization that has leveraged Business Objects to streamline its budgeting and planning process, while maintaining the necessary level of accountability and control. Business Objects also allows Meridian Health to ensure its budget stays on track with the organization's long-term strategies and plans."