Effectiveness of Strategic Planning upon Health Care - Research Proposal Example

Effectiveness of Strategic Planning upon Health Care [Name of the Student] [Name of the University] Effectiveness of Strategic Planning upon Health Care Introduction The formulation of a systematic and organized process that enables an organization to progress from its present situation to a desired future position is termed strategic planning. As such, it constitutes the group of decision making criteria and the decisions made and implemented by an organization to steer its activities and structure. Moreover, strategic planning is a logical process that endeavors to make the future proximate. In addition, it facilitates the study and simulation of the future. Furthermore, strategic planning discloses concealed threats or opportunities, thereby facilitating an early response[Per12].The advantage with strategic planning is that it provides an explicit and unambiguous framework for arriving at the routine decisions. Furthermore, it enables the identification of fragmentary and unaligned choices or personal value judgments, which serve to simplify the process of managerial decision making. Strategic planning promotes the participation and commitment of the entire health organization in realizing the planned for results. In this manner, it emerges as a critical feature of institutional cohesion. Strictly speaking, an organization that boasts of outstanding strategic planning, which it applies diligently, projects a trustworthy and sincere corporate image and reputation[Per12]. The majority of the health care organizations have adopted the strategic perspective that had been formulated by the business sector. Moreover, these organizations have developed strategic management processes that are exclusive to their sector. It has been acknowledged by the prominent entities of health care that strategic thinking, planning, and managing strategic momentum are indispensable for dealing with the intricacies of the health care industry. Thus, strategic management has achieved the status of a cardinal expression of effective leadership in health care organizations[Swa121]. Methodology This research work will be based on secondary sources. As such, this research work utilizes qualitative research methods; and qualitative methods are best suited for sociological research. In this regard, various journals from authentic libraries will be consulted, and academic books and authoritative websites will be utilized for retrieving reliable information. With respect to theories and data, secondary research proves to be of great help to a researcher, as it is less expensive and available in abundance. Aims and Objectives of this Research The main aim of this research is to analyze the effects of strategic planning on the efficiency, quality and overall satisfaction levels of medical professionals and patients in the health care system of the United States. For achieving this aim, other objectives have to be examined as detailed hereunder. Objectives. Whether strategic planning has positive outcomes for medical professionals. Whether strategic planning will have positive effects on quality of care and patient satisfaction. Research Question. Whether Strategic management in health care provides satisfaction to patients and medical professionals. Literature Review Strategic Planning in Health Care. Strategic planning demands identification of latent impediments, opportunities for success, and inherent threats that could culminate in failure. As such, strategic planning should underlie any process for addressing prospective anticipatable insufficiencies. Sustainment planning should concentrate upon the identified, anticipated conditions, with a special focus upon the requirements of facilities for providing incessant care. From this perspective, an inpatient facility will have requirements that differ from those of an outpatient clinic. Consequently, there will be variation in material needs; and logisticians will be required to adopt a flexible approach, and they will have to remain in readiness to respond to customer demands. A regular and in-depth analysis of material demands has to be undertaken at various levels in multiple organizations, and demand for and availability of resources has to be determined with the help of logistics professionals[Van121]. Moreover, it is necessary for health care and social care professionals to work in a coordinated manner, in order to provide effective care to patients. The former include, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and social workers. All the same the fact remains that professionals, on occasion, do not function optimally when working together. In order to address this unwelcome situation, several education and training programs have been formulated. The aim of these programs is to improve the coordinated working of professionals in the areas of social care and health care. This has given rise to the term inter-professional education, which is an educational, training, teaching or learning session, wherein more than two health care and social care professionals learn in an interactive manner[Ree08]. As such, strategic planning constitutes a group of organizational procedures that facilitate the identification of the future desired by the organization. It includes the development of decision making guidelines, and provides a scheme for realizing organizational objectives. The advantage derived from developing an organizational strategy is that the health care organizations obtain a long term strategy, which is of vital significance in the contemporary situation that is plagued with economic uncertainty. During the initial meeting of the executive team, it would be of great benefit if the leader projects a holistic view of the future and a vision for the organization and the necessity for its transformation. It is in fact the sense of urgency felt by the team that induces it to act. In addition, it generates the support of the entire organization towards the evolutionary or radical changes that are necessary[Var10]. After this meeting, the executive usually conducts brainstorming sessions that generate a vision statement for the organization. The development of tactics entails the review of internal and external data, in order to permit an examination of the weaknesses and capabilities in the existing processes and structure of the organization. The aim of this examination is to promote the achievement of the vision[Var10]. Furthermore, there is a substantial amount of empirical evidence that highlights the significance of human resources (HR) systems that incorporate team designs. Some research scholars had discerned that employee training, job enrichment, employee participation in selection, recruitment and decision making are crucial for generating a high-performance work culture in health care organizations[Pla13]. Competitive Advantage In addition, organizations that employed effective HR selection, training and deployment strategies obtained and continued with competitive advantage. This transpired due to these organizations learning and improving themselves faster than their competitors. Moreover, some researchers discovered that extensive and systematic performance appraisal, all-round training of hospital employees, and a high proportion of staff working in teams reduced patient mortality to a substantial extent. It had been observed in a UK hospital that teamwork among the hospital staff had enhanced patient care and reduced patient mortality. Similarly, a study conducted in 92 hospitals in the US, discerned that organizational strategies that promoted group orientation were highly effective[Pla13]. As such, a team approach proves to be highly beneficial in organizing communication, people management, rewards and training systems. Effect on Health Professionals The advantage inherent in strategic planning is that it provides health care and public health professionals with the opportunity to arrive at an unambiguous conclusion regarding the objective that they endeavor to realize. This management process is best suited to the unstable environment, in which such organizations have to adapt and develop. As such, management in the health fields provides similar challenges to other areas, such as mission accomplishment, design of goals and objectives, resource allocation, and evaluation of performance[Kin15]. By the same token, successful strategic planning interventions in the business sector provide several invaluable procedures for health care. In addition, effectiveness can be enhanced by nursing administrators by adopting strategic planning. The latter has the capacity to promote professional nursing practice and the long-term goals of the organization. Comprehensive and clear plans are developed in the following areas, and are aimed at incorporating performance norms that will pose a challenge, whilst providing inspiration[Rou06]. These areas are; budgetary goals, client satisfaction, innovation, organizational culture, productivity, quality, and staff development. Nevertheless, a health care consumer seeks several features, including quality, customer service and reasonable cost. However, many patients prefer to obtain the best care, which is also the least expensive. This tends to be a rarity in the contemporary health care environment. Thus, patients have to forego one of these qualities and arrive at the best possible compromise that suits their resources. As a consequence, the mission, goals and financial support available with institutions, permit them to lure the best medical doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, and to have in place the latest technology and equipment, which in turn, attracts the patients. It is essential to have a model that correlates competition to the strategic mission and goals of the organization, and finally to patient satisfaction. Such model has to define role competition in a manner that reflects customer expectations in the areas of requirements and demands. Moreover, this model should include these factors into health care design, communication, pricing and delivery of health services[Riv08]. The benefit to be derived from strategic planning can be maximized by adopting it in a manner that proves to be more relevant to the present health organizations [Zuc141]. A worthwhile plan should possess the flexibility to alter itself in order to address unexpected events or to take advantage of opportunities. However, such change should not be at the cost of the mission or its vision. As such, plans have to be time bound and should be subjected to periodic review. Such plans should determine the aims of the organization, scrutinize its strengths and weaknesses, specify the deadlines for accomplishing organizational goals and incorporate realistic objectives[Sch081]. Optimal plans are distinguished by being viable, succinct and in synchronization with the constituents. Due to the emergence of health consultants, strategists and a plethora of planning academics, procedures have acquired greater intricacy and order. As a consequence, the ensuing plans and documents have become far more extensive and tend to be accompanied by pro-formas and business plans[Sch081]. The novel leaders have a legitimate need to craft the institutional vision. In addition, they possess the means to realize this vision. Therefore, such leaders have to implement a process that combines their new teams with the existing constituents and creates an organic and integrated plan of action. Moreover, environmental changes and market repositioning demand adjustment. This holds good even when the driving principles remain unaltered[Sch081]. As such, every academic medical center and health care organization declares its mission to be the provision of excellent health care that utilizes the latest technology, a compassionate atmosphere, excellent education and commitment towards the community. Furthermore, medical centers and physician practices, without exception, endeavor to achieve market share. The means to realize these goals undergo change frequently, due to the evolution of the health care environment, and mergers and acquisitions. In addition, a common platform of action that can be adopted by the majority demands a global and inclusive process[Sch081]. In the 1980s, health care organizations adopted strategic management, and this was in response to an environment that had been undergoing transformation and had become less liberal. Strategic management had originally been developed with regard to business organizations. It is based upon the primary notion that organizations can make choices, in order to enhance their capability to flourish in their environment. This paradigm is based upon the premise that the future can be controlled, and that organizations should profit from this by anticipating, acting logically, and planning. As such, several studies have demonstrated that health care organizations that adopt strategic planning display better performance[Lem03]. Effect on Patient Choices However, the contemporary health care competition environment is distinguished by fierce competition. Thus, around 5,000 acute care hospitals in the Unites States vie with each other for their share of the amount spent upon health care. The total amount spent in this regard, is around $2.4 trillion. The overall market is $720 billion, and ancillary competition is on the increase from various areas, including alternative medicine, medical tourism and independent physician practices[Hoa10]. Consequently, the growth in the number of patients has been regarded as the fundamental process for preserving growth. The presence of several choices for patients compels the hospitals to improve their marketing efforts. In addition, these hospitals have to continue with these endeavors by fulfilling the expectations of customers, introducing new technologies and programs, and constructing facilities [Hoa10]. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the customary market competition has not been able to improve cost and quality in health care. This has promoted several efforts to transform the industry for the better. Moreover, the impending legislation and increasing pressure on cost structures have forced health care administrators to scrutinize the advantageous and disadvantageous outcomes of completion in their sector[Hoa10]. From the strategic point of view, cost reductions and better outcomes can be achieved if the health care facilities progress towards specialization. This move has led to an accelerated learning curve, on account of the resulting economies of scale for the entity involved. Such learning produces better results, and this has been demonstrated by the reduction in mortality rates. Such results are rendered optimal via continuous improvement of the processes involved. [Hoa10]. As such, health care providers have resorted to analyzing their facilities, in order to assess the exact contribution of strategic planning towards improving the economic aspect of their industry. Conclusion Thus, health care leaders employ strategic planning as a continuous and strategic process of management at present. This is in contrast to the erstwhile practice of utilizing strategic planning as a periodic exercise. The current way of employing strategic planning is dynamic and enhances the capacity of an organization to deal with the unexpected, emerging developments and threats, and change In the past, health care improvement had focused upon the avoidance and reduction of costs, via increased rationing and bargaining power. The contemporary environment is such that the objective for improvement is to provide choice by means of endorsed health plan options. This necessitates a reduction in errors. Furthermore, the increased emphasis upon improved provider and hospital practices, via innovative processes and redesign, has compelled health care to realize that it is better to carry out its tasks in a correct manner the very first time. This will ensure better outcomes, in addition to reducing costs. As such, strategic planning in health care will have positive outcomes with regard to patients, as well as medical professionals. In this competitive era, health care organizations can improve their quality, and cater to the needs of patients by adopting the novel and innovative procedures of strategic management. This research work seeks to establish that strategic planning will result in positive outcomes with respect to the satisfaction levels of medical professionals and patients. 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