Whether you’re headed to the beach, the mountains or the national parks, nothing says “summer” quite like a road trip. Think about your last road trip and the steps you took to make it a success. You had to decide on a destination, map out the best way to get there and plan ahead for any roadblocks you might encounter along the way.
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health followed a similar approach to creating our strategic plan, which guides our overall efforts as a health system. Our strategic plan sets our goals and defines the tactics to achieve them, as well as how we will measure our success.
To create our strategic plan, we started with these questions:
What is our long-term objective?
We asked this question first, because the answer becomes the “True North” of our strategic plan. The basis is the most impactful realization of our mission, which is to advance the health and well-being of the communities we serve. Our objective is meant to be ambitious, and it will take a long time to achieve. LG Health has set a long-term objective to create the healthiest community possible.
How will we deliver value to our patients, consumers and other stakeholders?
Historically, LG Health has delivered value by directly providing medical care for individuals and the population in a variety of settings, including our hospitals, physician practices, Urgent Cares and telemedicine visits. We expect this to evolve as we increasingly focus on creating value by keeping people healthier overall and reducing the total costs of care.
What strategic priorities will we focus on in order to achieve our long-term objective?
Our plan outlines detailed strategies within five areas of focus: Advanced Services & Continuum, Consumerism, HRO (high-reliability organization) Culture & Workforce, Community Commitment and Innovation. For example, we will enhance our ability to deliver care locally by emphasizing advanced services in cancer, cardiology, neuroscience and research.
What do we need to get there?
Finally, we identified the unique assets that will enable us to successfully achieve our objective. LG Health’s capabilities and resources include everything from a dedicated and engaged staff to innovative technology, partnerships with community organizations and a culture that embraces diverse viewpoints.
Of course, flexibility is a must-have on any road trip. You never know when you might encounter a detour or another challenge in your path. We expect our strategic plan to evolve over time as patients’ expectations change, and we are well-prepared to pursue an alternate route if necessary, even as the destination remains the same.
I look forward to continuing our journey together.