ABSTRACT
Planning is a process used to guide the provider’s practice from where it is today to where it should be in the next one, five, ten, and fifteen years. To provide a complete picture of the organization’s future direction, given the competitive nature of health care, “strategic thinking” (positioning the medical practice to take advantage of competing health systems) becomes a principle in the development of plans. The plan is based on direction from the governing body but requires active participation from each mem ber of the organization. Other valued groups (formal or informal partners) at risk of gain or loss should also be considered for joint participation, (e.g., other providers, hospitals where the group’s physicians admit patients, etc.). The value of joint planning with those who have mutual interests includes:
1. additional resources to focus on specific activities; 2. potential cost savings through consolidation of duplicate activities
and systems; and 3. overall greater leverage associated with more points of influence
focused on key success targets.
