1. Strategic Planning: First Steps
Nebraska Rural Health Association
September 17th
Strategic Planning: First Steps
Stephen Peters
Private Practice Associates, Omaha

2. Strategic Planning: The art and science of planning and directing the use of resources with long range planning and development to ensure success in achieving objectives.

3. Today We Will: Brief Introductions and objectives
Overview strategic planning
Understand the Plan Do Check Act Model
Strategic Planning Tools and Techniques
Create a template for a plan
Discussion

4. Introduction/Objectives
Introductions
Objectives for today:
Identify the value of strategic planning for the healthcare organization
Manage a strategic planning process within the healthcare organization
Determine appropriate tools for strategic planning
Build clinic and physician support and involvement in the process
Engage larger healthcare initiatives to be a part of the strategic plan

5. What is Strategic Planning
Process to uncover and establish priorities on what you will
accomplish
Uncover: What is important and strategic
Establish: To make known and work toward
Coordinates the organization together around a known plan to follow
Outlines as to how, where and what important resources will get allocated
WHA T IT IS NOT: it is not the daily operation of the healthcare organization.
Where we are
Where we want to be
How we will do it
How are we doing

6. Why should a healthcare organization develop/establish strategic planning?
Strategic planning shifts you to be active about the future
Having a plan can improve performance
Moves the healthcare organization past short-term thinking
Communicate to everyone what is most important
Establishes and defines a mission, vision & values
Establishes realistic goals, objectives & strategies
Ensures effective use of resources and can reduce reactionary changes
Provides base to measure progress
Develops consensus on future direction

7. Goals/Criteria
Comprehension: Can all readers of this plan understand it? Can it be explained easily?
Appropriateness: Does the process and plan align with the company and leadership?
Sustainability: Are the directions proposed of a quality that can move the healthcare organization into the future?
Feasibility: Are the implications of the strategic plan able to be achieved? Is implementation possible at what “cost” –time, effort, timing--etc. , Are supporting goals, objectives realistic and practical and comprehensive?
Accountability: Is the organization and individuals ready to be held responsible for enacting the plan?

8. Process: Understand Big Picture
PLAN: Establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in
accordance with the expected output (the target or goals).
DO: Implement the plan, execute the process, make actions occur.
ACT: Change any significant differences between actual and planned results.

9. Process: Plan to Plan- One
Clinic Readiness
Recognize need to plan;
Why do strategic planning?
Commitment to plan
Leadership
Staff commitment
Knowledge
Know the planning process
Bring in skill sets
Review other plans
Arrange resources
Time
Place
People

10. Process: Outline the process- Two
I. Environmental Scan
A. Organization and structure-describe
B. External Situations/Issues (Strengths/Weakness/Opportunities/Threats)
Local region with similar providers
Local region with different providers
Changes occurring in the care market
1. Patient situations
2. Reimbursement
3. Staffing
4. Organization and trends with _____________
5. Other
Internal Situations Issues?
Staffing
Physicians
Patients
Operational
Relationships with care providers/Other
Organizational Values, Vision and Mission
A. Baseline of who and what we represent
B. Components of our direction
C. Explicit detail to the value, vision and mission
Goals and Objectives and Strategies –the plan takes shape here
A. SMART Goals Specific Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic, Timeframe Extending Rewarding
B. Detail of on each goal/objective
C. Strategies to achieve

11. Process: Environmental Scan
External Assessment: Healthcare market issues: provider issues, referral, social trends, technology, regulatory environment, economic cycles, business cycle, governmental.
Internal Assessment: Organizational assets, resources, people, culture, systems, partnerships, suppliers, .provider issues. . .
See Worksheets

12. Process: Environmental Scan Strengths and Weakness
Strength’s – Those things that providers, the clinic staff and others do and that you do well.
Can be tangible: Loyal patients, only game in town, ,
Can be intangible: Good leadership, high skilled workforce,
Strengths can be considered “Core Competencies”
Weaknesses – Those things that prevent you from doing what you really need to do
Weaknesses are most often internal and are under your control
Weaknesses include: Bad leadership, unskilled workforce, insufficient resources, patient issues, billing/payor issues, quality, outdated technologies, lack of planning, not adapting to change.
See Worksheet

13. Process: Environmental Scan Opportunities and Threats
Detail within reason and supporting data, areas for growth and
higher performance: What care areas should we be in? What are others doing?
What is the care marketplace needing, employers, unhappy
patients with competitor’s, with care overall in the area?
Internal opportunities for providers and staff?
What technological opportunities?
What regional?
What collective or integrative opportunities?
See Worksheet

14. Process: Environmental Scan Opportunities and Threats
Detail within reason and supporting data, areas where threats have affected or are affecting performance?
Challenges confronting the healthcare organization that are external
(Can be wide ranging, system changes, rural issue threats, shifts in
patient behavior, new regulations, compliance, provider relationships
Assign probabilities to threats and document if threat is occurring
Better position you are for dealing with the
“sudden ripples” of change
See Worksheet

15. Process: Values, Vision and Mission
Values- healthcare organizations should be guided by a set of values and beliefs
Values are often rooted in ethical themes, such as
honesty, trust, integrity, respect, fairness and should be applicable across organization. Look for consensus within the clinic
Vision- how does the? What do we want to be described as? Describe why clinic/healthcare organization wants to be perceived going forward this is important.
Mission- this is the reason our healthcare organization exists. Statement should be clear and unambiguous. Expresses the core values of the organization
Should be brief and to the point
Easy to understand
Describes and differentiators that will stand out
See Worksheet

16. Process: Goals, Strategies, Objectives
Developing the Plan
This is the spot where you put it together. Write it first, then edit the planning process.
Goals
Identify long-term outcomes to provide focus for the planning process
Strategies
Outline how you will achieve your goals
Objectives
Identify specific, measurable results produced while implementing strategies
See Worksheet

17. Process: Goals Follow SMARTER to plan your goals
Specific: We will . . .
Measurable: Goals were met because we had an increase in . . .
Acceptable: Did we really meet the goal, are they the goals we want to meet?
Realistic: These are or are not achievable. Just because someone says it is a goal, does not mean it is if it is not realistic.
Timeframe: Can we do this and when? Are we given enough of a timeframe based on the complexity of the goal.
Extending: Does the goal extend our healthcare organization?
Rewarding: Patients and the practice.
See Worksheet

18. Process: Samples

19. Process: Discussion

20. Thanks.