MHA6080 WEEK 4 DISCUSSION AND PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

MHA6080 WEEK 4 LECTURE

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When Plans Come Together

It’s nice when a plan comes together. This is especially true for the business plan, which encompasses the financial plan, the marketing plan, the operations plan, and the human resources plan. Likewise, this is relevant to the strategic plan that focuses on the vision, mission, and critical success factors of the organization. Each individual plan addresses the unique contribution that it presents to the organization, yet, it must work with the other plans to fulfill the organizational mission. At no time could an independent plan sustain the viability of an organization; they must work synchronously with each other.

The business plan is the annual playbook of an organization that illustrates the “tactical execution of the overall organizational strategy” (Hillestad & Berkowitz, 2013, p. 38). The business plan includes the following elements:

· Marketing

· Operations

· Human Resources

· Finance

The marketing plan provides the concepts (pricing, advertising, distribution, and product development) useful for an organization to identify its competition and potential customers. The operations plan provides the necessary goals and objectives relevant to the organization. The human resources plan provides information on key players needed and the finance plan provides relevant information on securing the preservation and growth of organizational capital.

The strategic plan is the long-term vision of the organization. The strategic plan includes the following elements:

· Mission

· Vision

· Critical success factors

The mission states the purpose of the organization. The vision states the intended future placement of the organization. And finally, critical success factors are the necessary elements required of the organization that must be met if the vision is to succeed.

Each of the aforementioned elements works independently of each other to produce an important component; however, when brought together, they form the two critical strategies of the organization: the business plan and the strategic plan.

Integration of the Marketing Plan

Review each tab to know more about the integration of the marketing plan.

Understand the internal and external data.

Do your research first. It is important to understand the facts. In this step, you will assess the environment (internal and external) and your competition and conduct market research.

Understand the internal and external data.

Do your research first. It is important to understand the facts. In this step, you will assess the environment (internal and external) and your competition and conduct market research.

Set the mission, vision, and critical success factors.

Share your purpose. In this step, you establish the mission, vision, and critical success factors that clearly communicate the purpose of the organization.

Complete your strategy/action and set goals accordingly.

In this step, you identify the strategy options and establish clear marketing objectives.

Determine action tactics based on market research.

Plan your move! In this step, you devise the specific tactics needed to maximize success in a marketplace. A common tactic used in healthcare is promoting testimonials. Advertising is another tactic but is not very popular in health services.

Integrate with business plans and other entities.

Join forces. Integration refers to incorporating the philosophies and contextual foundation of a marketing plan into other areas of an organization. This may include integrating the plan with other departments, external groups, and internal plans (strategic, business, and marketing).

Monitor, control, and promote feedback into the strategy loop.

Change as needed. The deployment of a new initiative is never an end; it is merely a beginning to ensure that the strategy is operating effectively and as intended. Continuous monitoring and promoting feedback help ensure this success.

Additional Materials

From your course textbook, Health Care Market Strategy, read the following chapters:

· Step 5: Integration of the Marketing Plan with the Business Plan

· Step 6: The Approval and Monitoring Process

From the South University Online Library, read the following article:

· Successful Practices Use Marketing That Evolves with the Changing Healthcare Landscape 

Technology

Technology has changed the way in which healthcare is developed, provided, and documented. Technological advancements have reduced risk, increased quality, and expanded opportunities that were otherwise unattainable. Healthcare leaders have a great opportunity to use technology to focus on developing an ideal patient experience (Purcărea, 2016). The competitive landscape is shifting to include more patient autonomy with health and wellness decisions and access to health records. This additional patient empowerment is a promising concept in the field of healthcare marketing (Ben Ayed & El Aoud, 2017).

A new avenue presented to the healthcare leader is the use and application of social media. Research suggests that healthcare consumers are technologically more advanced and savvy than healthcare providers (Ben Ayed & El Aoud, 2017). As a result, consumers are desiring a unique patient experience that most healthcare providers do not currently provide (Koumpouros, Toulias, & Koumpouros, 2015). This presents a unique opportunity to the healthcare leader who has embraced the proponents of technology.

Likewise, advanced technology has presented unique, ethical challenges not previously seen in the field. For example, the development of electronic health records has created controversy regarding the ownership of medical, electronic documentation. Also, advancements in technology have increased cyberattacks that threaten patient privacy and confidentiality. As a result, scholars suggest that healthcare should include an additional element to its marketing mix that focuses on the fundamental standards in the field; principles should be included in the healthcare marketing mix (Gray, 2008). Including this additional element in the healthcare marketing mix would better represent the unique challenges and needs of the healthcare industry, including the opportunity to make informed decisions that do not jeopardize the integrity of the provider or privacy of the patient.

References:

· Ben Ayed, M. & El Aoud, N. (2017). The patient empowerment: A promising concept in healthcare marketing. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 10(1), 42–48. doi:10.1080/20479700.2016.1268326

· Brown, B. (2016). Successful practices use marketing that evolves with the changing healthcare landscape. Hearing Review, 23(7), 14–16.

· Koumpouros, Y., Toulias, T. L., & Koumpouros, N. (2015). The importance of patient engagement and the use of social media marketing in healthcare. Technology and Health Care, 23(4), 495–507. doi:10.3233/THC-150918

· Purcărea, T. V. (2016). Creating the ideal patient experience. Journal of Medicine and Life, 9(4), 380–385. doi:10.22336/jml.2016.0411

Opportunities and Threats of Technology

Review the tabs to know more about the opportunities and threats in healthcare that arose due to technology advancements.

· Opportunities

Technology is an avenue where original limitations are removed, possibilities are increased, and wonders are abound. Technology in healthcare has created opportunities that would otherwise be nonexistent or, at a minimum, difficult to implement. Some opportunities that the healthcare industry has faced due to technological advancements include:

· Telemedicine

· Telehealth

· Medical tourism

· Remote monitoring

· Electronic health records

· Elimination of redundancy in work processes

· Free marketing (i.e., social media)

These aforementioned examples of opportunities in the healthcare industry are cases of how healthcare access, quality, and cost may be addressed with technology.

· Threats

Technology in healthcare has also created threats. Some threats that the healthcare industry has faced due to technological advancements include:

· Cyber attacks

· Electronic billing issues

· Global competition

· Competitive recruitment

· Heightened image control (i.e., through social media)

Additional Materials

From your course textbook, Health Care Market Strategy, read the following chapters:

· Step 5: Integration of the Marketing Plan with the Business Plan

· Step 6: The Approval and Monitoring Process

From the South University Online Library, read the following articles:

· The Patient Empowerment: A Promising Concept in Healthcare Marketing 

· Successful Practices Use Marketing That Evolves with the Changing Healthcare Landscape 

· Healthcare Marketing Has Five 'P's 

· The Importance of Patient Engagement and the Use of Social Media Marketing in Healthcare 

· Creating the Ideal Patient Experience 

From the Internet, review the following:

· General Electric. (2018). 5 predictions: Why 2018 will be the future of healthcare. Retrieved from http://newsroom.gehealthcare.com/5-predictions-why-2018-will-be-the-future-of-healthcare/

Overcoming Common Challenges

As with many strategies, there are a variety of obstacles that may impact progress. It is important to take time to better understand that these challenges exist and have a contingency plan in the event they present themselves during the planning process.

Healthcare resources are limited. Despite many healthcare initiatives that promise increased accessibility and quality, it is important to remember that healthcare is a finite resource. There are limited resources to go around. One challenge that leaders face is balancing the mission with the margin in an attempt to better manage the supply, demand, and potential growth of the organization.

Another obstacle leaders face is the preemptive action of making false assumptions. This can occur in a variety of ways; however, the outcome of making an assumption will yield negative results. Leaders should limit their decision-making to evidence that supports real data and also not decide based on personal bias.

Leaders in healthcare oftentimes deploy more initiatives than the organization is able to support. This includes not having enough money to fund the initiative or not having enough resources (such as staffing) to fulfill the initiative. When this occurs, leaders are stretched thin and are unable to keep their commitments. This reflects poorly on the individual as well as the organization that is committed to provide services. Leaders should focus on the smaller strategies that are meaningful to the organization. It is better to have one, small, important initiative that is a success rather than multiple, unsuccessful initiatives that leave a bad impression on the organization.

Finally, successful leaders in the field are able to remain flexible and adapt to change. Although this may seem difficult at times, representing the voice of the market is the leader’s responsibility. This requires flexibility because as needs and customers change, the leader’s perception of the market must also change.

Healthcare Challenges

Review the tabs to go through a few scenarios where there have been healthcare challenges in the United States and what initiatives the government or organizations had taken to overcome the same.

· Scenario 1: Quality in Long-Term Care

Quality of care has been a topic of concern in healthcare, especially in the long-term care sector where the traditional concept of “nursing home” has commonly been abhorred. In an effort to transform this negative perception, providers began developing more resident-focused living communities called “homes” or “residential facilities” that attempted to eliminate the negative stigma of traditional nursing homes. The concept grew in popularity under the key concept of “culture change.” Today, more nursing homes have amended their operational plan to establish more resident-focused communities than ever before.

· Scenario 2: The Establishment of Government-Run Healthcare

During a time when men left to serve their country and women entered the workforce in their husband’s absence, the demand for healthcare services grew. Men returning from war were without insurance; indigent individuals had no money for healthcare services; single mothers were unable to provide for their children. In an effort to meet this growing concern, the United States developed Medicare and Medicaid services in 1965. Medicare was established to provide healthcare services to older individuals, and Medicaid was established to provide healthcare services to poor and indigent individuals.

Additional Materials

From your course textbook, Health Care Market Strategy, read the following chapter:

· Conclusion

From the South University Online Library, read the following articles:

· Health Care Strategy 

· Limiting Risk in Healthcare Marketing 

From the Internet, review the following:

· Modern Healthcare. (2016). Three leaders on the future of healthcare delivery. Retrieved from http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160709/40THANNIVERSARY/307099915

· Merrild, P. (2015). The biggest U.S. health care challenges are management challenges. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/02/the-biggest-u-s-health-care-challenges-are-management-challenges