References

Campobasso, F., & Kucharz, J. (2012). Developing healthcare facilities for a changing

environment. Healthcare financial management: Journal of the healthcare financial

management association, 66(5), 102-106.

Five Year Strategic Plan | Atlantic General Hospital. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.atlanticgeneral.org/Main/FiveYearStrategicPlan.aspx

Zuckerman, A. M. (2006). Advancing the state of the art in healthcare strategic

planning. Frontiers of health services management, 23(2), 3-15.

Milestones, Benchmarks,and Management

          According to AGH, two decades ago the facility started out with three primary care providers. Now, their facility has branched off in different communities and has more than 190 providers. Since 1990 at the start of the AGH establishment, there has been different presidential views and different healthcare reform strategies. Through it all, AGH continued to adapt and grow while providing the best possible care in their region.

          As new requirements are placed into effect from the ACA, the demand for health organizations to expand their services are becoming more prominent (Campobasso & Kucharz, 2012, p.102). AGH responded by strategically planning the expansion of ancillary services with a completion year of 2015. Management must support the timeline of establishing their new health system as early as 2015 by providing sound judgment calls, ensuring financial decisions are thoroughly discussed, and by adapting to any obstacles that may prolong their strategic planning.

The Future

          According to Zuckerman (2006), studies revealed that the state of strategic planning in healthcare indicates that executives believes those practices are effective and will provide direction for their organization. This may possibly reflect the attitude of executives in AGH because their strategic planning came in the middle of a national healthcare reform. In AGH’s future, their community will grow approximately 3% in the next two years with 70% of the population listed as obese (alanticgeneral.org, n.d.). Therefore, AGH plans to strategically focus on ways to implement an effective care delivery system by including the latest technology advancements to assist patients in improving their lifestyles.

          Along with technological advances, AGH will experiment with Medicare reimbursement systems in order to force healthcare providers to rethink delivery structures such as management of chronic illnesses (alanticgeneral.org, n.d.). With the new implementation, AGH has to stay ahead of the curve by planning a financial roadmap to accommodate for their new health system. Moreover, payment reforms included in the ACA should assist AGH with forward progress and future visions.

The Vision

          By showing their capability through strategic planning, AGH visualizes being the leader in caring for patients and advancing health services in their community. If this hospital successfully meets their mission statement, then AGH’s vision will become a reality. In order to meet both mission and vision statements, AGH places PATIENTS at the Center of their core values. According to AGH, PATIENTS stands for:

P- Patient safety

A- Accountability

T- Trust, respect & Kindness

I- Integrity, honesty, & dignity

E- Education- continued learning & improvement

N- Needs of our community- Participation & community commitment

T- Teamwork, partnership & communication

S- Service & personalized attention

The Mission

          According to AGH, their mission is to create a well-developed healthcare system that will provide patients with quality care, personalized services, and educate individuals in order to improve community health. AGH’s purpose is important to the community because access to care has been a struggle for many Americans; and it is also addressed in the ACA. Improving access to care provide patients an opportunity to be seen for medical concerns in a timely manner and prevent any further sickness. Quality of care ensures that patients are not only seen in an appropriate timeframe, but are being offered the best possible treatment as well. AGH strives to meet this goal between the years 2011-2015.

          In addition to access to quality care, AGH plans to provide personalized services to accommodate their community (alanticgeneral.org, n.d.). For example, AGH will place more emphasis on services such as Cancer Care or Cardiac/Vasuclar units since their population consists of patients needing that type of treatment. In conjunction with treating patients, the mission for their hospital includes educating individuals on ways to prevent illnesses. Furthermore, the proactive role AGH is taking in their region, will possibly inspire other surrounding facilities and improve the lifestyles of their patients. 

Introduction

         

           Healthcare in the US has faced complete turmoil in an attempt to revitalize the health system and provide care for every citizen. Although President Barak Obama’s Administration reached a milestone in history by implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), hospitals such as Alantic General Hospital (AGH) did not allow new legislation to deter the expansion of their services. AGH, located in Maryland, is transitioning into a new health system using a five year strategic plan. Furthermore, by utilizing this plan, AGH insists on being the preferred healthcare service within their region (alanticgeneral.org, n.d.).