The impact of the Affordable Care Act on clinical practice patterns has influenced the utilization of and need for most physician specialties. Completing a medical staff development plan will help a health system or hospital right size its medical staff in light of these impacts, and ultimately help determine community need for physicians. Yet too […]
Social media’s most valuable role in strategic planning is in communication of strategic planning initiatives and priorities rather than for research during the planning process. It can be particularly useful for reaching employees and creating momentum for moving forward. Your organization can share information about mission, vision, goals, values and ongoing initiatives from your own […]
There are countless challenges that health systems may face in developing a strategic plan. Below are some of the more common reasons we have found for reluctance to plan. We have also included some thoughts on overcoming understandable hesitation. Reason 1: “We’re too busy keeping the organization operating.” Those in the C-Suite or on the […]
To achieve the best work product from strategic planning sessions, it is imperative for leaders to foster group collaboration and seek input from multiple stakeholders with different backgrounds and skill sets. Even when a diverse group of participants are selected, it can be difficult to obtain input from all participants if one or a few […]
A parade of headlines announcing record-breaking settlements (chart below) has left healthcare executives, lawyers, consultants, and even physicians wondering if they could be exposed to regulatory or legal action as a result of any of their employment or other physician-hospital alignment arrangements. The government’s incredible return on investment on enforcement actions, as well as a […]
The challenges faced by the healthcare industry require healthcare organizations to reduce costs. Yet many organizations are determined to grow, and doing both simultaneously may seem counterintuitive. Yet the two imperatives are not necessarily at odds. Growth is typically seen as the product of investment. And reducing costs can itself require the investment of organizational […]
When rural healthcare organizations ask us to review physician compensation from a fair market value (FMV) perspective, management often makes the case that they need to pay more to attract physicians. They cite a smattering of studies[1] showing that rural physicians have higher average compensation than their urban counterparts, with one January 2005 study showing […]
DGA Partners and Health Strategies & Solutions, healthcare management consulting firms, have merged to form a single consultancy, to be known as Veralon Partners. “This is a merger between equals with many complementary services,” says Daniel M. Grauman, who is Managing Director and CEO of the new firm. “It will allow us to better serve […]
The blog this week is from John Harris, DGA Partners. As health providers adapt to health reform and an increasingly competitive marketplace, strategic responses are starting to come into focus. Some say there will be one successful model, but we are seeing diverse strategies, and the threat of disruption from niche players. Health […]