Ensuring Successful Implementation of a Strategic Plan at Yavapai Regional Medical Center
Client/Profile
Yavapai Regional Medical Center, a regionally recognized two-hospital system in northern Arizona.
Challenge/Situation
To help the Medical Center with initial implementation of its new 5-year strategic plan, and support development of its internal capabilities so the Medical Center could assume full responsibility for ongoing execution.
With Veralon’s assistance, the Medical Center had just completed a rigorous strategic planning process that led to the delineation of four broad goals:
- Physician collaboration
- Growth to meet evolving community needs
- Integration of care processes
- Demonstration of value
All constituencies were very invested in making the plan a reality, but the organization lacked the planning infrastructure, resources, and experience required to create a detailed implementation plan and track and report on progress.
The Medical Center requested Veralon’s continued assistance through the first year of implementation, with a focus on organizational development to build the internal capacity for sustaining the effort in year 2 and beyond. Leadership was well aware that Harvard Business School research had found that 70% to 90% of internal execution efforts fail. They wanted to be sure that their organization would execute successfully.
Process
We supported Medical Center administration in creating a detailed implementation plan, with tasks to be undertaken to accomplish each strategic goal. The plan included project lead(s), timeframe, estimated resource requirements, and expected impact.
Veralon also coordinated the critical but labor intensive process of developing measures of success – a set of 25 quantifiable metrics with 1 year and 5 year targets that would be tracked and reported on an ongoing basis.
We developed a process and templates for providing strategic plan progress reports to the board of directors on a regular basis, including accomplishments, challenges, and updates on strategic plan metrics and activities.
Veralon is also assisting in updating the strategic plan for year 2 to ensure that priorities and initiatives are adjusted as appropriate to account for the dynamic nature of the healthcare industry and the local market.
The final component of Veralon’s work with the Medical Center is to assist in creating an internal infrastructure (trained staff, data resources, etc.) for continued successful execution of the 5-year strategic plan. The internal infrastructure will also support other business planning initiatives.
The client’s view of the process: “There are no words to adequately thank you and your team for all the support and help you’ve provided throughout this journey! We couldn’t have gotten this far this quickly without your able help and guidance. The Veralon team has consistently demonstrated the best client service and support I have ever seen in my many decades in healthcare from any vendor/partner.”
Results
The client is tremendously pleased with progress to date, saying, “It’s amazing to see the energy, engagement and enthusiasm our plan has generated. For the first time ever, we have a real strategic plan and implementation process complete with metrics, tactics, baselines, benchmarks, and targets.”