Strategic Planning Electives

This course gives you access to 13 pre-recorded webcasts on a variety of topic (listed below) specific to health care planners, which were originally part of our sold out Strategic Planning Certificate Series. We have made them available in an "on demand" format over a month-long timeframe. Watch these on your own time, or share among your team.

All electives are approximately 50-60 minutes in length. You are able to watch as many of the elective webcasts as you would like, but must watch a minimum of four webcasts from the list below and complete a short quiz associated with the webcast in order to receive credit. You must pass all four quizzes with at least a 80% passing score.

Strategic Planning Tools and Methods for Addressing Uncertain Times
Planning Assumptions: The Basis of Sound Strategy
Effective Presentation of Analytics
Qualitative Input Module
Financial Modeling Basics
Developing an Internal and External Assessment
Drafting a Vision and Mission: Putting Pen to Paper – or Keyboard
Strategic Planning Frameworks & Tools
Competitor Intelligence
Effectively Using Demand Forecasting
Geo-coding & Mapping: Planning Methods for Patients and Populations in the New Era of Health Reform
Thinking Like a Futurist
Aligning Strategic Planning with Organizational Quality Priorities

Strategic Planning Tools and Methods for Addressing Uncertain Times
Presenter: Scott Regan, Founder & Chief Execution Officer, Xpirity

Healthcare professionals face unprecedented challenges arising from healthcare reform, governmental mandates, patient safety and quality, physician-hospital relations, technology, population health management, Accountable Care Organizations, and more. These challenges interact in complex ways, introducing an array of uncertainties that impact strategic decision-making. While uncertainty is not new to healthcare, many of the traditional tools and methods used to confidently predict the direction, rate, and nature of change have been largely under-utilized by healthcare executives.

Scenario planning, environmental scanning, and decision analysis have been successfully deployed to assist executives with strategically guiding organizations through uncertain times. They are particularly applicable in situations of high uncertainty and complexity and provide a conscious approach to risk management through the identification of strategies that factor in uncertainty in future conditions. Applying scenario planning, environmental scanning, and decision analysis to healthcare strategic planning can provide insights into future trajectories that may unfold and prepare executives to respond appropriately in the near and long term.

Scenario planning is a tool specifically designed to deal with major, uncertain shifts in an organization’s environment. With its roots in military strategy, scenario planning is not about trying to predict the future, but, rather, describe what is possible. Environmental scanning focuses on monitoring an organization’s internal and external environments for detecting early signs of opportunities and threats that may influence its current and future plans. Finally, decision analysis is a management technique in which statistical tools are applied to mathematical models to discover the most advantageous alternative under the circumstances.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the core elements of scenario planning, environmental scanning, and decision analysis
Identify situations for which scenario planning, environmental scanning, and decision analysis could be valuable tools
Understand the range of options for implementing scenario planning, environmental scanning, and decision analysis and identify approaches that fit their needs

Planning Assumptions: The Basis of Sound Strategy
Presenter: Steve Paulus, FACHE, Southeast Michigan Regional Vice President, Strategy and System Development, Trinity Health

Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks leaders face is developing the right organizational strategy, particularly in a dynamic environment. Given the uncertainty of the environment all strategic plans are based on a series of internal and external assumptions about what will happen in that future environment. Since the future rarely unfolds as predicted, it important that the assumptions grounding a strategic plan be explicitly stated, appropriately vetted, and monitored periodically so the strategic plan can be revised to reflect changing conditions. More often than not this aspect of strategic planning does not occur or unfolds at a superficial level.

One of the best practices in effective strategic planning has always been documenting the assumptions that form the basis of a plan. This session will focus on identifying on the importance of planning assumptions, defining the role they play in strategic planning, and providing approaches and techniques for creating and utilizing them in strategic planning.

Learning Objectives:

Understand planning assumptions and the role they play in the development of a strategic plan
Learn to effectively create strategic planning assumptions
Share learnings and experiences

Effective Presentation of Analytics
Presenter: Tracey L. Camp, Senior Consultant, Krentz Consulting, LLC

Many organizations are good at collecting data. Hours are spent analyzing it, and then generating endless tables or charts. However, to make the data useful, it needs to be turned into the “right” information to guide decision making. Of course, the right information always starts with asking the right questions and doing the right analytics. But, in a world of sound bites and short attention spans, effective communication of complex data relies on good design to make the analysis stick. You know bad design when you see it — but what makes for good design? This session will explore the good, the bad, and the ugly in the effective presentation of data as information.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the principles behind graphical excellence.
Understand when and how various presentation types (graphs, tables, maps) should be used to communicate information.
Identify tips for telling a story through data and provide a few examples of how to package the results of analyses to draw strategically relevant conclusions.

Qualitative Input Module
Presenter: Dawn Wolff, MPA, Senior Director, Strategy and Initiative Development, Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinics

The Qualitative Input module will focus on the importance and the techniques of obtaining qualitative input to conduct an effective strategic planning process. Participants will learn what collection methods should be utilized for specific planning projects, and the most effective and efficient ways to implement those methods to deliver value to the planning process.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the importance of obtaining qualitative input as part of an effective strategic planning process
Be familiar with the different methods of collecting qualitative input
Gain some insight into some real world examples of how different approaches are used to gain qualitative input during a strategic planning process

Financial Modeling Basics
Presenters: Surabhi Swaroop, Manager, The Camden Group & Adam Medlin, Senior Manager, The Camden Group

In today's environment with the movement from fee-for-service ("FFS") to fee-for-value ("FFV"), providers are challenged to maintain profit margins, while faced with lower hospital utilization. This webinar identifies key drivers that help an organization quantify what it means to move from FFS to FFV and maintain its profit margins. Three key drivers are discussed: market population, hospital market share and premium dollars. All else equal, faced with lower utilization, at least 1 of three things must occur in order for an organization to maintain its profit margin: The market population must increase, the organization’s market share must increase, or the organization must access more of the premium for its current population base We will walk through a blinded case study to illustrate how financial modeling helps identify the sensitivity of these factors and the related impact to the organization’s profitability. Focused discussion on these three factors reveals pertinent risks and prompts the organization to create risk mitigation plans through prioritized strategies with measurable goals so as to increase the probability of a successful transition.

Learning Objectives:

To demonstrate how financial modeling identifies three key drivers involved in moving from FFS to FFV
To illustrate how financial modeling using these key drivers leads to business plan development and goal setting
To demonstrate how discussion around key drivers identifies risk and facilitates the development of risk mitigation plans to aid in execution

Developing an Internal and External Assessment
Presenter: Anita Iyenger, Strategic Planning and Business Development Consultant, Legacy Health

A robust internal and external assessment is a foundational requirement for strategic planning. An assessment is critical for identifying and describing key strategic issues for an organization. An internal assessment provides insight into historic and current organizational performance and profitability. An external assessment describes the drivers and competition in the existing market as well as explores potential markets. The external assessment also builds a shared understanding of strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth.

There is a plethora of health care data available but there are many nuances for drawing valid conclusions from data. Combining qualitative and quantitative data to tell an effective story is an art form that can be easily learned with practice.

Learning Objectives:

Gain an understanding of analyses typically performed as part of an internal and external assessment, along with data sources and challenges
Learn to avoid common assessment pitfalls
Gain insight into converting data to understandable information

Drafting a Vision and Mission: Putting Pen to Paper – or Keyboard
Presenter: Aleen Bayard, Faculty, Northwestern University, School of Professional Studies & Consultant, MarketZing

Too often, leadership expends its effort solely on developing organizational strategy, with less regard to how the implementation of the strategy supports or possibly detracts from the vision and mission. However, even the best strategic planning without a clear vision and compelling mission and vision to provide organizational context is like building a house with solid bricks, but no mortar. There is nothing sustainable to hold the structure in place. In this session, we will discuss the essential components needed to create - or refresh - your organization's mission and vision. Essentially connecting the dots from the strategic work to getting into the implementation phase.

Learning Objectives:

Make sure your organization’s vision and mission align with the business strategy
Identify the stakeholders involved in drafting the platform based on their:
- Role
- Authority
- Expertise
- Level of engagement
Discuss common obstacles and landmines
- Endless wordsmithing
- Avoiding buzzwords
- Etc.

Strategic Planning Frameworks & Tools
Presenter: Marian C. Jennings, President, M. Jennings Consulting

Just like an expert carpenter building a house, a good strategist selects and effectively utilizes the right tools for the job at hand. In this session, we will explore together proven tools and approaches that increase the likelihood that the strategic plan will become a living document, used to guide effective strategy implementation.

Specifically, we will examine a variety of tools with practical tips and techniques for using each. Included in our toolset will be:

Strategy frameworks that help leaders with diverse perspectives conceptualize a future very different from today’s – and then help them move toward this future.
Tips and effective, structured exercises to help build consensus without resorting to “least common denominator” solutions in articulating a clear desired future state, conducting a gap analysis, and identifying realistic strategies to close the gap;
Approaches to and examples of conducting a useful portfolio assessment to set priorities for growth and capital investment across the continuum of services;
Approaches to creating a balanced scorecard and then dovetailing this scorecard with management dashboards across the organization.

We will provide guidance on when and with whom each tool is most successful, tips in developing and executing the tool to avoid common pitfalls, and illustrative real-life examples.

Learning Objectives:

To review frameworks that have helped organizational leaders conceptualize a future very different from today – and the implications for strategic imperatives.
To identify strategy tools to assist in identifying preferred future direction and how to close the strategic “gap;” setting priorities; and enhancing organizational alignment down to the front lines for effective implementation.
To ensure that strategists understand and are able to incorporate the four elements required for successful change into their planning approaches

Competitor Intelligence
Presenter: Todd Price, Director of Business Development, Yellow DUX

Understanding not only your business strengths, but also where your competitor lies is a key component to what makes businesses successful. Having solid market and competitor intelligence will assist businesses in deciding what service lines to strengthen and new market arena to enter. Entering into this realm requires proper planning and an understanding of what is out there and where your competition is planning to move into.

Learning Objectives:

What defines competitor intelligence and how is it best conducted?
What are the organizational setups and structures needed to conduct a successful competitor intelligence campaign?
What does your organization need to successfully launch or strengthen an competitor intelligence campaign.

Effectively Using Demand Forecasting
Presenter: Jennifer O’Connor, FACHE, Vice President, Sg2

Projecting volumes is a core part of preparing enterprise, service line and capital plans and budgets. Over the last decade the industry has evolved its methodologies and tools, offering more accurate and robust demand forecasts.

Presenters will answer the following common questions related to demand forecasting:

Why the current health care landscape requires a more robust demand forecast that the original population only models
Which additional impact factors are critical to accurate demand forecasting
How demand forecasting projections vary across settings and service lines
Examples of common uses for demand forecast projections in strategic planning
Tips for helping key stakeholders understand and buy into forecast projections and resulting recommendations

Geo-coding & Mapping: Planning Methods for Patients and Populations in the New Era of Health Reform
Presenters: Don Bellfeuille, Healthcare Strategist, Director, nbbj & Andrea Rufe, Healthcare Planner, nbbj

This elective will introduce you to the basics of population health planning from the perspective of mapping, analyzing, and visualizing geographic health data from the individual to the aggregate level. It will discuss the types of analyses that can be performed for facility location selection, optimal sizing and programming of healthcare facilities, understanding where particular patients live and what determinants of health affect them, and the utility of population health planning techniques for community needs assessments. It will review the basics of geo-coding, geographic units, sources of data, and issues related to using Protected Health Information.

A case study will be presented demonstrating much of the utility of geographic population health planning. This elective is not intended to make the student an expert in geo-coding or mapping. It should equip the health planner to understand and utilize basic available mapping tools as means to further not only their population health strategies but general planning and business development activities as well.

Thinking Like a Futurist
Presenter: Preston Gee, VP Strategic Marketing, CHRISTUS Health

The world of healthcare is dramatically changing. After decades of staid and stable, the fundamentals are being upended and few leaders and executives understand – or appreciate -- the magnitude of impending change.

In this webcast, you will learn:

What does a futurist bring to the table – value prop?
Why is the role of futurist so important in the health care field at this point – why now?
Now more than ever – case study in consumerism and the implications of a market-facing, retail oriented landscape.
The futurist as change agent, market advocate and patient educator.
What resources are at your disposal?
Be bold, be courageous and be undaunted.
Strategic questions to pose for the organization.
The incomparable value a futurist brings.

Aligning Strategic Planning with Organizational Quality Priorities
Presenter: Adam Higman, DHA, FACHE,Partner, Strategic Consulting

Strategic planners rarely have a strong relationships with their counterparts in quality. This presentation explores methods to better understand quality and how it’s connected with strategic planning and ultimately how to strengthen that relationship. You’ll learn to define quality for your organization, how to think about data from a quality perspective and understand why that’s important to strategic planning professionals, and even see it all through the lens of a case study.

Strategic Planning Electives

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