The director of surgery at a local hospital is interested in understanding his units costs. An assistant collected data for the past 36 months on unit cost (labor, supplies, and so on) along with the number of procedures performed in the unit. The assistant analyzed the data using a spreadsheet program, and the following output was generated: Equation Intercept $ 1,018,000 Coefficient on procedures $ 235 Statistical data Correlation coefficient 0.578 R2 0.328 The unit is planning to perform an average 16,000 procedures per month for the coming year.

Required: a. Use the regression output to write the surgical unit cost equation.

b. Based on the cost equation, compute the estimated costs for the surgical unit per month for the coming year.

c. The director of surgery has asked you for advice on whether he should rely on the estimate. Yes No