Introduction
A foundation of strategic thinking is necessary to analyze the performance of an enterprise and carefully consider all the problems that a healthcare facility may face. The analysis process should be done using six steps and a suitable framework. The Six-step process can provide an integrated approach to analyzing situations that arise in different organizational circumstances (Barry et al., 2022).
Six-Step Analysis
Business Mission
Defining the business mission is the first step in determining the company’s mission, goals, and values, which are vital for proper management. Thus, all resources can be properly focused on achieving the goals. In the case of Kaiser Permanente, a possible mission option would be to shorten the waiting list for emergency care (Swayne, 2016). To do this, patients will need high-quality access to all available medical services that must be patient-centered.
The organization is influenced by two external forces: competitive pressure and customer expectations. Kaiser Permanente may face competition from HCA Healthcare or Tenet Healthcare in healthcare. These competitors influence the market share of medical services, including emergency care. This external factor has a major impact as organizations operate in the same space and can lure customers away by offering faster and better service. As a result, Kaiser Permanente needs to constantly analyze the market and improve its capabilities to remain an active player in the medical services market. This directly affects patient expectations, as they may demand more from Kaiser Permanente after learning about other companies’ options.
Situational Analysis
Analysis of the situation is an important step, which allows us to say how much the current state of affairs differs from the desired one. The analysis should include consideration of the internal and external environment, which will cover all factors comprehensively and take into account all the smallest details (Barry et al., 2022). At the same time, external analysis will have to consider competitors’ capabilities in the same field. Patients have to wait a long time due to high demand and inefficient processes (Swayne, 2016).
Moreover, other companies can offer faster services, which can soon cause serious damage to the institution’s resources due to the outflow of customers. External forces should influence the organization’s activities in such a way as to emphasize the need to eliminate the shortcomings that exist at the moment. Using its competitive advantage, an organization can respond to competitive threats differently. For example, one option might be to increase investment in areas at particular risk compared to other organizations.
Interpreting Kaiser Permanente’s external forces can help further analyze the company’s competitive advantage. The emergency department may be influenced by how the organization’s competitors develop and in what ways their services outperform Kaiser Permanente. One of the organization’s competitive advantages is its well-established, strong reputation as a company that maintains a high level of medical services. In addition, an integrated healthcare system can allow a company to provide its customers with comprehensive care and medical procedures that will provide the best service. The future implementation of telemedicine services in the emergency department will be another advantage that can set the company apart from the competition.
Strategic Action Planning
The next step is to identify strategic options for action. The company should develop several strategies that theoretically could address the identified problem. The best solution would be to use brainstorming to generate all the possible options (Barry et al., 2022). Based on the current situation, the optimal strategic goal would be to increase the number of staff to distribute the workload evenly (Swayne, 2016). Another potential solution could be the introduction of telemedicine services to streamline processes.
Evaluating Options
The next step is to evaluate the selected options to determine their strengths and weaknesses. This should be based on the company’s profitability principles and optimal convenience for customers. In addition, an important aspect is the compliance of the chosen strategy with the missions and goals of the institution (Barry et al., 2022). Thus, the introduction of telemedicine is the most profitable and practical solution, does not require large investments, and can significantly speed up the admission of patients.
Strategic Planning
The next step is to develop a strategic plan, which is to select a leading strategy and begin to plan its implementation. Implementing Kaiser Permanente’s telehealth services will require fewer resources than the second option. However, funds will need to be allocated for equipment, staff training, and the creation of suitable software.
Implementing Strategy
The final step is to implement and monitor the strategy, and Kaiser Permanente must collect all the best practices available to this point in order to implement them. Online consultation software services should be provided for clients in parallel with the installation of the necessary equipment to conduct telemedicine sessions. In addition, to maintain a high level of service delivery, it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of services provided through customer feedback and surveys.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the six-step framework effectively implements a new system that will allow the Kaiser Permanente clinic to improve its ability to receive patients without a queue quickly. The staff needs to become familiar with all the strategic aspects and develop a plan for how the implementation of telemedicine technologies will be done. In this way, the clinic can significantly improve its throughput and make the patient experience more comfortable.
References
Barry, E. S., Merkebu, J., & Varpio, L. (2022). State-of-the-art literature review methodology: A six-step approach for knowledge synthesis. Perspectives on Medical Education, 11(5), 281-288. Web.
Swayne, D. (2016). Kaiser Permanente: Creating a No-Wait Emergency Department. Richard Ivey School of Business.