Responding to the Changing Healthcare Environment

Overview
In responding to challenges facing the healthcare industry, Mid-West Medical Center adopted a formal strategic planning process. A multidisciplinary committee was established that included managers, physicians, and community leaders. As the Vice President for Strategic Management at Mid-West Medical Center, you were chosen as Chair of this committee. The President of Mid-West outlined the expectations of the committee to include:
Reaffirm or modify the mission statement.
Identify strategic issues.
Reach a consensus on long-term vision.
Develop long-term goals in response to strategic issues.
Establish key strategic objectives.
Provide a basis for management to develop key business strategies.
Over the next several months the committee assessed the healthcare environment both regionally and nationally, and concluded the traditional stand-alone acute care hospital is not going to be competitive in the future. The committee believed the hospital needs to transform or become part of a healthcare system.
It is one thing for a manager to recommend changes and/or improvements and it is another thing to outline a course of action to achieve those recommendations. One of the responsibilities of a good manager is to recommend a course of action needed to implement recommended changes and improvements. Therefore, as the Vice President for Strategic Management and the Chair of the committee, you recognized that in addition to recommending what direction the hospital should go in the future, you also needed to recommend approached to address key strategic issues.
What are the key strategic issues and approaches the hospital needs to address? What initiatives do you need to point out to the president to consider when transforming the hospital from a stand-alone medical center into a sophisticated healthcare system providing the community with the services its needs?
Action Items
Read the case carefully.
Write a 3-4 page paper responding to the following two questions:
What are the key strategic issues and approaches the hospital needs to address?
What initiatives do you need to point out to the president to consider when transforming the hospital from a stand-alone medical center into a sophisticated healthcare system providing the community with the services its needs?
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