SWOT Analysis
Strengths (Internal/Execution)
•
Supporting an industry investment in IT technology to
increase the production of communication.
•
Includes support of improving patient safety, operational
efficiency, and current investments in IT infrastructure.
•
Greeter efficiencies of operations.
•
Can help integrate EMR’s from different departments.
•
Can collect the complete health histories of patients.
•
Reduce volume-based reimbursements that aren’t aligning
with patients’ conditions.
Weaknesses (Internal/Execution)
•
There is a lack of information with the system integration.
•
User resistance and uneducated to new technologies.
•
Training will be needed to ensure the efficiency of
communication channels and processes.
•
Slow adoption of IT and integration.
Opportunities (External/Environment)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Threats (External/Environment)
Increase usage of the internet.
Higher costs of IT integration.
Increased support for the utilization of IT in
healthcare.
Increase efficiencies regarding penalties of
payments made to the organization.
Increasing the understanding of the use of ICD-10
coding.
Developing understandings of OASIS
requirements.
.
•
The growing call for industry standards are being pressured
by threats of legal compliance.
•
There could be a loss of patient trust.
•
Higher costs of IT integration.
•
Hacking of the personal information of patients.
•
Increased claims for the anticipated payments submissions.
Strategic Plan
Over the last decade, the healthcare industry has experienced vast improvements concerning information technology. Health IT
has enabled for the healthcare industry to implement technology systems that suit their needs and processes to ensure patient safety,
trust, and outcome improvements. Applying technology improvements will allow Washington Regional Medical Center to enhance
their communication channels with other departments located in different areas while also allowing for more efficiency concerning
access to patient medical records. Technology enhancements for the organization will also include faster ways of signing orders
through an e-solution system and help the process of electronic billing to avoid facing penalties in payments. This strategic plan aims
to remain flexible and support both traditional and non-traditional methods the hospital experiences. This plan will increase the
availability and accessibility of all patient’s information while improving the protection of their well-being and health outcomes.
Improving health, the healthcare system, and reducing costs will become more efficient with the adoption of information technology
and including the Patient-Driven Groupings.
.
Hospital Washington Regional Medical Center
Strategy Map
Strategy maps are utilized by both social and public
organizations to clearly communicate what their strategic
plan is.
Importance of
Strategy Map
Strategy maps also highlight areas that are neglected or
that could be hindered by the mission success
Using a strategy map helps leaders explain how they expect to
achieve success
A good strategy map will entail the key landmarks such
as:
Financial constraints
Patient/consumer/stakeholders
expectations
Providing unparallel care for patients and increasing communications
among other locations to ensure efficient and proper documentation
and profiling for medical records is accurate.
Quality and
Professional
Medical
Care
Improving tools
and
communication
Attract Research Funding
Develop Leader’s
for Tomorrow
Recruit and Retain best nurses
and professions in the field
Invest in the Hospital’s
Infrastructure
Goal
This plan will increase the availability and accessibility of all patient’s
information while improving the protection of their well-being and health
outcomes.
References
Lawlor, J. E. (2010). The importance of strategic
planning. London: Observatory on Borderless Higher
education Long Range Planning, 21(1), 73-81.
Perera, F. D. P. R., & Peiro, M. (2012).
Strategic planning in healthcare
organizations. Revista Española de
Cardiología (English Edition), 65(8), 749-754.
STRATEGIC PLANNING: ACTION PLAN
1
Strategic Planning: Action Plan
Student Name
School: LDR-620
Date
STRATEGIC PLANNING: ACTION PLAN
2
Strategic Planning: Action Plan
Action plans are functional-level strategies designed to support the achievement of
identified strategic goals (Daft, 2014). To realize the Endoscopy department’s goal of decreasing
monthly supply expenses by 10% related to open, but unused supplies and supplies expiring on
the shelves, a comprehensive action plan has been developed to address the necessary steps
required to achieve the goal, needed level of involvement by various stakeholders, and the
affected primary business functions. A management-by-objectives (MBO) action planning
concept is used to organize the information. Additionally, managerial decision-making methods
and leadership strategies to engage and motivate individuals are discussed.
The Plan
A Management-by-objectives action plan was chosen due to its benefits in that these
plans have been shown to focus efforts of the team, improve team performance, increase
motivation of employees, and help align department goals to the goals of the organization. MBO
action plans consist of four steps that include: Setting goal, developing action plans, reviewing
progress, and appraising overall performance (Daft, 2014). For this action plan, the goal to
decrease supply expenses by 10% in the Endoscopy Department aligns with the organization’s
strategic goal to provide care in a cost-effective manner (Sharp Healthcare, 2018). Specific plan
details include action items that will be required to achieve the goal. The basic components of
the action plan, including the affected stakeholder and primary business functions are as follows
(Daft, 2014); (Piasecki, 2012):
STRATEGIC PLANNING: ACTION PLAN
Action Item
How to Achieve
Establish baselines using
existing available data
Work with Finance and Supply Chain
to obtain:
• Most recent physical inventory
results
• Monthly supply costs broken down
by sub-category (focus on
categories with highest expense)
• Payor mix trends
• Contribution margin trends
Share data related to:
• Shifts in payor mix
• Changes to reimbursement
• Year-over-year decline
contribution margins
Engage employees and
physicians to develop a
sense of urgency
surrounding the need for
change
3
Stakeholders
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Assess inventory and
compare to usage to
establish reasonable par
levels
Develop a consignment
program
Evaluate purchase
quantity options for high
waste and/or single use
items in large packaging
Implement pre-procedure
huddles to review plans
for case and anticipated
supplies
Review progress at
regular intervals
Encourage innovation and ideas from
those doing the work
• Obtain usage reports from Finance
• Obtain order reports from Supply
Chain Services and the vendor
• Work with vendor to establish
appropriate par levels of items that
tend to expire more frequently
Work with vendors to identify high
dollar items and items with variable
demand for possible consignment
opportunities so items do not expire and
are not charged until used
Suggested items include:
• Gauze pads
• Surgical lubricant
• Others TBD by staff input
Prior to each procedure, the team
reviews plan for case, including which
supplies to open and which to have
available in the room, but unopened
Create dashboard to track/trend:
• Monthly supply
expense/waste/expiration
reports
• Monthly inventory reports x6
months, then bi-annually
Communicate progress through:
• Posting dashboard in a visible
location
• Staff meetings/Huddles
• E-mail
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Business
Functions
Department
Leadership
Supply Chain
Services
Finance
•
Finance
Department
Leadership
Physicians
Materials
Specialist
Clinical Staff
•
•
Operations
Human
Resources
Department
Leadership
Finance
Supply Chain
Services
Materials
Specialist
Vendors
Department
Leadership
Materials
Specialist
Vendors
Department
Leadership
Materials
Specialist
Physicians
Clinical Staff
Vendors
Physicians
Clinical Staff
•
•
Finance
Operations
•
•
Finance
Operations
•
•
•
Finance
Operations
Human
Resources
•
•
Operations
Human
Resources
Department
Leadership
Physicians
Materials
Specialists
Clinical Staff
Finance
Supply Chain
Services
Board of
Directors
•
•
•
Finance
Operations
Human
Resources
STRATEGIC PLANNING: ACTION PLAN
4
Managerial Decision-Making
Throughout the action plan, decisions for each action item can be considered
programmed decisions because the situation has occurred often enough throughout the
organization, and strategies to address the situation can be adopted based on successes
experienced in other departments, such as the operating room (Daft, 2014). A classical decisionmaking model was used due to this model’s applicability to the situation in that there is not a
significant level of ambiguity to the problem being addressed, there are clear criteria for
evaluation, and there are not major obstacles to achieving consensus among stakeholders
anticipated (Daft, 2014). The personal decision-making approach/framework used throughout the
action plan can be considered analytical in nature as solutions to the problem are developed
based on as much data as can be compiled (Daft, 2014).
Affected Business Functions
Although it can be argued that all primary business functions can be affected to some
degree, the ones that are affected the most and require the greatest collaboration are the functions
of finance, operations, and human resources (Daft, 2014). Since the ultimate goal is to reduce
expenses related to wasted and expired supplies, financial implications are present throughout
nearly every action item in the plan with only a few exceptions. Operations are affected as those
required to carry out the plans, particularly department leadership, the department materials
specialist, physicians, and clinical staff, will face changes to how they do things in their daily
work. The human resources function is affected because the employees will require some
training, and also because there will be culture shift related to fiscal responsibility. The HR
function will be affected long-term because when hiring new employees, attention will need to
be given to each candidate’s “fit” to the new culture.
STRATEGIC PLANNING: ACTION PLAN
5
Leadership Strategies
Specific strategies for action plan implementation vary based upon a comprehensive
analysis of internal and external stakeholders, including a power/interest assessment to help
determine the level of involvement required for each stakeholder (Thompson, n.d.). For instance,
the Finance and Supply Chain Services departments’ involvement is limited to providing reports
and receiving communication related to progress as these groups are less interested in the clinical
details required to achieve the goal. Similarly, the community board of directors is only
interested in hearing about results and are not involved in the process. The vendors do require
some level of engagement, but those working in the department (materials specialist, physicians,
and staff) need to be highly engaged, and this is where department leadership should focus their
efforts.
To effectively engage physicians and staff and to facilitate collaborative efforts for
achieving desired goals, leadership should employ proven strategies to engage, shape values, and
motivate the team (Daft, 2014). To engage employees, leaders should be open and honest about
the current financial situation to create a sense of urgency. They should also be clear about what
each individual’s role is in the process and provide necessary education to help prevent
resistance (Daft, 2014). To help shape values, leaders should role model expectations and discuss
the topic regularly so that the staff can see that it is important, and be careful to not set too many
additional priorities that could overwhelm staff and dilute efforts. To assist with on-going team
motivation, leaders should communicate frequently in a variety of ways (written, visual, and
verbal), show appreciation, provide support, empower creativity of the team, and celebrate
successes (Kostyan, 2014).
Conclusion
STRATEGIC PLANNING: ACTION PLAN
6
Experts state that action plans should be complete, clear, and reflect current work
(Community Tool Box, 2018). Utilizing established action plan strategies, such as the MBO
plan, helps ensure plans are comprehensive and clear. Equally important to the action planning
process is the decision-making methods of the leaders, along with techniques they employ to
engage and motivate the individuals expected to carry out the plan. Successful realization of
goals is highly dependent upon many people working from the same playbook and striving for
the same outcome.
STRATEGIC PLANNING: ACTION PLAN
7
References
Community Tool Box. (2018). Developing an action plan. Retrieved from
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/develop-actionplans/main
Daft, R. (2014). Innovative Management for a Changing World. In Management (11th ed.).
Mason, Ohio: South-Western.
Kostanyan, A. (2014). 15 effective ways to motivate your team. Retrieved from
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/anush-kostanyan/15-effective-ways-tomoti_b_5854242.html
Piasecki, D. (2012). Consignment inventory: What is it and when does it make sense to use it?
Retrieved from http://www.inventoryops.com/ConsignmentInventory.htm
Sharp Healthcare. (2018). About Sharp: Our story: Our mission and vision. Retrieved from
https://www.sharp.com/about/our-story/mission-vision-values.cfm
Thompson, R. (n.d.) Stakeholder analysis. Retrieved from
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_07.htm
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