Over the last decade, Hillsboro County has gradually experienced significant change. Middleboro has historically been the hub of the county’s economy, population, and politics. However, the town of Jasper is slowly making progress, and the construction of new interstate connecting Jasper to the capital will only contribute to that change. Middleboro has a vibrant healthcare community; however, the question of whether or not Middleboro can sustain two hospitals into the future has been raised. Additionally, Jasper’s continued growth is contributing to its growing need for healthcare services, with specific needs discovered through your CHNA.
It is January 1, 2016, and you represent the leadership of a healthcare organization situated in the town of Middleboro. Since the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare industry is changing its focus from “sickness” to “wellness.” The new buzz words “population health” have reached Middleboro, and the board of your organization is very interested in how your organization can improve the health and wellbeing of your community. Of course, the board does not want this to negatively affect the financial health and future viability of your organization. As a forward thinking leadership team, you recognize that planning for the future is a necessity. You must work together to identify what health challenges your community will be facing in the next ten years. Additionally, your team recognizes that your organization is not going to be able to improve the health of your community without help from other provider organizations in the community. You can learn more about each healthcare organization by reading the Middleboro case book.
You are responsible for creating a plan for your organization’s future. Remember, your intent is to optimize the future for your organization and the community.
Population Health – The board is very interested in the notion of population health, and they expect your organization to play a role in improving the health of Middleboro. Based on the information provided about your community, what current health related challenges do you see Middleboro facing in the next ten years? What conditions will be the most prevalent for your citizens? How will this affect the demand for health services? Your Organization – Given the research you have done on population health in Middleboro, what does this mean for your organization going forward? Do you intend to expand, add, discontinue or change services? Do you intend to focus primarily on the population of Middleboro, or do you intend to expand throughout Hillsboro County? What population will you target? Partnership Arrangements – Although your organization has the expertise required to provide a certain type of healthcare, you may need to collaborate with other local healthcare providers to better serve the citizens of Middleboro and Hillsboro County. What organizations do you intend to collaborate with, and what type of collaboration do you envision? Describe the relationship you hope to establish with other local healthcare organizations. How will this benefit your organization? How will this benefit the community?
Finally, how will your strategy optimize the health of your community and ensure the future viability of your organization?
Deliverables:
Your primary deliverable will be a paper (of at least 5 pages, but not exceeding 10 pages). This is not an academic term paper. It is a professional report that must include Critical Finding and Recommendations written for the organization’s CEO and board of directors and presented using an appropriate framework and style. Organize your report to facilitate its understanding. Also the report must adhere to the highest standards in terms of writing. Your analytical framework needs to be sufficiently comprehensive and robust to assess this organization from marketing, financial, human resources, community health, operational, and strategic perspective. Be sensitive to the organization’s world.
Final Thoughts, just for your information, don’t answer any of the following questions:
One of the competencies that this class intends to cover is systems thinking. The purpose of this exercise is to encourage the student to think beyond the silo of his/her individual organization. How does your organization function with other firms in the community? How does your organization affect the citizens of your community? Think about how your organization fits into the overall healthcare system and the city of Middleboro as you complete this assignment.