NURS FPX 8010 Assessment 2 Strategic Plan Appraisal
NURS FPX 8010 Assessment 2 Strategic Plan Appraisal
Name
Capella university
NURS-FPX 8010 Executive Leadership in Contemporary Nursing
Prof. Name
Date
Strategic Plan Appraisal
Effective operational planning plays a critical role in the success of healthcare organizations. To achieve this, many healthcare institutions create comprehensive strategic plans that serve as a roadmap for future development and operational focus. These plans help clarify objectives, highlight opportunities and potential challenges, and optimize how resources are utilized within the organization (Dennis, 2019). One notable example is The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, a leading academic hospital located in Columbus, Ohio. This facility offers advanced healthcare services, cutting-edge medical research, and educational opportunities. Known for its state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative, interdisciplinary approach, the center is committed to delivering top-tier patient care across multiple specialties (Ohio State Medical Center, n.d.). This paper reviews the strategic plan of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and evaluates its alignment with organizational objectives and priorities.
The organization’s mission is to enhance health outcomes both within Ohio and globally by advancing patient care, research, and education. It aspires to be a leading academic healthcare institution dedicated to transforming lives and promoting community health improvements. The strategic vision emphasizes driving innovation, addressing healthcare challenges, and providing outstanding patient-centered care (Ohio State Medical Center, n.d.). To realize these goals, the strategic plan outlines several core priorities: developing talent and fostering a supportive culture, prioritizing research and innovation, promoting high-quality education, supporting health and well-being initiatives, and ensuring responsible resource allocation.
Each of these priorities supports the organization’s mission and vision. For instance, focusing on talent acquisition and professional development enhances the hospital’s capacity for groundbreaking research and exceptional patient care. Similarly, investing in educational programs ensures the training of future healthcare professionals, while initiatives targeting community health address broader public health challenges. The emphasis on research and collaborative partnerships leverages the medical center’s status as one of the country’s most comprehensive academic institutions, enabling multi-disciplinary cooperation among researchers, educators, and clinicians for the betterment of healthcare services.
Validity of Data, Analytical Strategies, and Stakeholder Input
The accuracy and reliability of the data underpinning a healthcare organization’s strategic plan are crucial for sound decision-making. At the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, strategic priorities are shaped using diverse, validated data sources, ensuring comprehensive insights into the institution’s operational performance and healthcare outcomes. Information is gathered from internal sources such as academic program performance, financial and operational reports, and clinical dashboards. External sources include regulatory data from agencies like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and epidemiological trends from public health authorities and research organizations. Stakeholder feedback collected through structured surveys and forums also contributes valuable insights (Brewis et al., 2023; Gandrita, 2023).
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) serve as benchmarks for evaluating progress toward strategic goals. Metrics for patient care, research achievements, educational outcomes, community health status, and financial performance are carefully tracked. Examples include patient satisfaction ratings, research funding levels, program graduation and licensure exam pass rates, public health indicators such as vaccination rates, and financial metrics like revenue growth and operational cost control. By rigorously monitoring these indicators, the medical center ensures that its strategic initiatives remain data-driven and aligned with its mission to provide evidence-based, high-quality healthcare.
To ensure the strategic plan reflects diverse needs and perspectives, active stakeholder engagement is prioritized. The participation of stakeholders ensures that operational decisions remain relevant, effective, and sensitive to the complexities of modern healthcare (Jafari et al., 2021). A healthcare administrator from the Wexner Medical Center explained that the Board of Directors (BODs), senior leadership, and community representatives are integral to the planning process. BODs contribute expertise and policy direction, while employees from various departments participate through focus groups, surveys, and town hall meetings to address operational challenges and service delivery improvements. Additionally, patient advocates and community organizations help shape initiatives targeting patient experience, health disparities, and population health promotion (Huebner & Flessa, 2022).
Balanced Scorecard and Strategic Alignment
To effectively translate strategic priorities into measurable objectives, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center uses a balanced scorecard framework. This approach structures performance measurement across four core domains: financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and growth. Each domain includes specific objectives, KPIs, and performance targets, ensuring a balanced approach to organizational improvement.
Table 1 presents a breakdown of these objectives, measures, and targets.
Table 1
Balanced Scorecard for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
| Domain | Objective | KPI Measures | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial | Optimize resource utilization | Operating margin, research funding | Increase margin by 5% annually; boost research funding by 10% per year |
| Customer | Improve patient satisfaction and community involvement | Patient satisfaction scores, community outreach programs | Achieve 90% satisfaction scores; expand outreach events by 10% |
| Internal Processes | Enhance efficiency and clinical outcomes | Average length of stay (LOS), quality of care ratings | Reduce LOS by 10% within 3 years; improve care quality adherence to 80% |
| Learning and Growth | Promote talent development and research | Employee training hours, research publications | Increase training by 15% per year; produce 2-3 publications annually |
These strategic priorities are balanced across all domains of the scorecard, reinforcing the medical center’s overarching mission and vision (Ohio State Medical Center, n.d.). Financial objectives ensure fiscal sustainability through responsible resource stewardship and support for research initiatives. Customer-focused objectives prioritize patient satisfaction and community engagement, reflecting the center’s dedication to patient-centered, inclusive care.
Internal process objectives focus on operational efficiency and clinical quality, targeting reduced patient length of stay and improved care outcomes. This aligns with the institution’s mission to provide exceptional healthcare services while enhancing operational workflows. Finally, learning and growth objectives address talent development and innovation through increased training opportunities and research output. This emphasis supports the organization’s strategic focus on fostering a skilled, innovative workforce capable of advancing healthcare education and medical discovery.
Altogether, the balanced scorecard ensures that the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s strategic objectives are comprehensive, measurable, and aligned with its mission of advancing health through research, education, and superior patient care.
References
Brewis, C., Dibb, S., & Meadows, M. (2023). Leveraging big data for strategic marketing: A dynamic capabilities model for incumbent firms. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 190, 122402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122402
Dennis, C. (2019). Strategic planning—A health system operational perspective. Journal of Hospital Management and Health Policy, 3, 32–32. https://doi.org/10.21037/jhmhp.2019.10.03
NURS FPX 8010 Assessment 2 Strategic Plan Appraisal
Gandrita, D. M. (2023). Improving strategic planning: The crucial role of enhancing relationships between management levels. Administrative Sciences, 13(10), 211. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13100211
Huebner, C., & Flessa, S. (2022). Strategic management in healthcare: A call for long-term and systems-thinking in an uncertain system. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(14), 8617. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148617
Jafari, M., Tofighi, S., Sadeghifar, J., Ghasemyani, S., Roshani, M., & Toulideh, Z. (2021). Stakeholder participation in the strategic plan developing process: A survey from the hospital setting. Evidence Based Health Policy, Management and Economics. http://dx.doi.org/10.18502/jebhpme.v5i3.7291
Ohio State Medical Center. (n.d.). About Wexner Medical Center. https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/careers/wexner-medical-center
Ohio State Medical Center. (n.d.). Strategic plan. https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/about-us/strategic-plan