This updated edition defines the productive period of time typical health care capital assets have before they become obsolete. The introduction includes an overview of the importance of the capital planning process and helpful tips on managing capital projects once they are under way. This edition contains information on hundreds of items and includes new capital assets that reflect recent technological developments. It provides asset life span estimates in reference tables for the major equipment and capital asset investments found in hospitals and physician group practices. This book can save any health care organization immeasurable time and reduce the risk of reimbursement questions arising from the assigned life of a capital asset.

This publication explains how you can recover the cost of business or income-producing property through deductions for depreciation (for example, the special depreciation allowance and deductions under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS)). It also explains how you can elect to take a section 179 deduction, instead of depreciation deductions, for certain property and the additional rules for listed property.