White Papers
Engaging Physicians in Brand Activation
by Mike Eaton, vice president
In today’s health care marketplace, brands have become a proxy for quality, service and value. In light of this development, many health systems have invested in building their brand. Few, however, have succeeded in creating a durable brand image among consumers that stimulates demand and evokes loyalty. Most have simply created an identity and logo that by itself does little to stimulate growth.
While external forces drive the imperative to build a strong brand, the reality remains that it cannot be done effectively without the active buy-in of integrated and aligned physicians. Health systems without a strong brand will struggle to be relevant in this new competitive dynamic - no matter how good their service, quality and satisfaction scores.
Patient Throughput
by Kathy Hardesty, vice president
In hospitals today, one of the most hotly debated initiatives is the concept of “patient throughput.” While the idea of enhancing efficiency in care delivery is not new, the perceived need for reducing length of stay and increasing capacity to create additional revenue has gained fresh traction in the face of health care reform.
Performance Transformation: Next Generation of Performance Improvement
by Saad Allawi, president, Performance Transformation
Since the mid 1980s, hospitals have come under increasing pressure to reduce costs and improve performance. And as the demands for quality and cost efficiency have increased, the approaches to achieve these goals have morphed as well. For those who are unfamiliar with the journey that health care organizations have taken to achieve ongoing performance improvement, here is a brief primer on the evolution of this important approach and what will come next.
The Evolving Role of the Chief Strategy Officer
a special report
The Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) has emerged in recent years to ensure that corporate strategy is properly crafted and implemented. The CSO must function with agility, moving effectively between the C suite and business units as well as maintaining focus on both short and long-term strategic goals. We set out to examine the CSO role emerging within healthcare. We interviewed strategy leaders from health systems around the country and summarized our findings in this report.
Physician Clinical Council: A New Model for Operationalizing Physician Engagement
by Denny DeNarvaez , president/CEO of St. John's Mercy Health Care
with Stuart Baker, MD, president and chief operating officer
Most physicians are looking for alternative revenue streams to augment the income they receive for care provided directly to patients. That reality, coupled with the migration of many inpatient services to the outpatient setting, has compelled doctors to consider investment in enterprises such as surgery centers, imaging facilities, dialysis and infusion centers, and other health-related businesses. That effectively puts them in direct competition with the hospitals to which they admit.
Historically, financial and regulatory stressors have taken a huge toll on how physicians and hospital interface on issues related to the delivery of patient care and the practice of medicine. Learn how a new organizational structure, the Physician Clinical Council (PCC), provides a framework to build trust and engage physicians in ways that are improving patient care and organizational performance.
A Case for eBusiness:Community Health Network
by Anne Theis, senior consultant
As part of The Innovator’s Studio, Community Health Network in Indianapolis, IN, exposed chief marketing officer participants to some of the most advanced eBusiness strategies and structures that exist in healthcare today. Dan Rench, who leads that initiative at Community Health Network, spent a day with participants sharing how the division has developed and evolved; and is impacting competitive positioning, brand and growth for the Indianapolis-based health system.
Replacing the “Service Line” with the "Segment Line"
by Mike Eaton, vice president
Service line strategies, physician integration efforts, and millions of dollars in capital investments have failed to produce market-changing increases in volume. At best, your organization has kept pace. What you need is significant and sustained top-line revenue growth. But how to get it?
Physician Integration, Alignment and Deployment
by Mike Eaton, vice president
If your hospital is executing a strategy to employ primary care physicians and specialists, it is important that you understand that employment by itself does not create a differentiated advantage in the market. Sustained competitive advantage is, instead, a function of how employed physicians are deployed in the market. A wellt hought out deployment strategy both stimulates and satisfies market demand. It organizes scarce resources to grow the brand and build the ambulatory and inpatient lines of business for the hospital or health system.
Emerging Market Opportunity:Aging Population Drives Increased Demand for Musculoskeletal Services
Today, more than one third (37%) of the U.S. population is 45 years of age or
older. In a little more than 10 years, that percentage is projected to increase from
37% to 42%, and account for more than 118 million people. By 2017, the
leading edge of the baby boom will be entering their early 70’s. This “never
grow old, chase the dream” generation, which has reinvented every industry it
has interacted with for more than thirty years, will seek healthcare services that
promote good health and longevity, as well as support an active lifestyle. Chief
among their needs will be musculoskeletal and orthopedic services.
Strategy - The Art of Creating and Sustaining Competitive Advantage
The development and implementation of strategy is the principal means to create and sustain competitive advantage over the long term. It requires continuous leadership attention and engagement in ever-higher levels of strategic thinking, discussion and decision-making. Strategy cannot be delegated; it is the core duty of boards and executives to define the future and to lead the company, its people, its customers and even its competitors, in that direction. Successful organizations approach strategy as the compilation of processes to define the boundaries of the business, redefine the basis of competition through innovation, and create an organization capable of success in ever-changing and unpredictable markets.
