This document outlines the assignments and course content for an organizational strategy and planning course for healthcare organizations. It includes 14 discussion prompts that require analyzing topics like strategic assets, industry competition, market segments, organizational mission, and implementing strategy. It also provides details on a 3-5 page midterm paper on competition in healthcare and an 8-10 page final paper analyzing the strategic planning of a selected healthcare organization.

1. ASHFORD HCA421 Entire Course (Health Care
Planning & Evaluation)
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Basic Strategy. Describe the key dimensions of an organizational strategy as
well as how they would, or would not, be relevant to the “strategic mindset” or the
ability to think “strategically” of an organization’s management. Do you think these
are learned or innate traits? Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.
Internal Audit of Strategic Assets. [Insert prompt]. Compare and contrast
strategic “resources” and “competencies” and identify what role (if any) licensed
health care providers in an organization play in the competitive advantage of a
health care organization. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.
Strategic External Assessment: Industry and Competition. Describe Michael
Porter’s Five Forces Model. What does he attempt to explain? How might the
forces function and affect industry profits? Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
Market Segments. If the movement toward “consumer-driven health care”
continues to advance, speculate on how a health care organization may want to
improve the way that it assesses and interacts with its market and customers,
including providing health services and programs to meet the needs of a diverse
population. Reflect on how this development may (or may not) affect those who
are already under-served in a market. Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
Competition in Healthcare. One of the trends marking the continuing
transformation of the U.S. health care industry is the dramatic increase in the
pace of competition. The heightened competition is taking place among hospitals,
among health plans, among physician groups, among drug companies, between
physicians and hospitals, and between hospitals and health plans.
Prepare a three- to five-page paper (excluding the title and reference page). A
comprehensive paper will include the following:
§ Describe the different forms of competition that take place in health care
amongst the various types of health care organizations.
§ Evaluate the benefits and pitfalls of competition in health care and suggest
alternatives if competition were not the prime drivers of operations in the U.S.
health care system.

2. § Explain the essence of successful competition and the use of competitive
intelligence.
§ Describe the influence competition has on the services offered by health care
organizations and the choices patients have.
You should incorporate and cite a minimum of two industry related sources into
your paper, with at least one from ProQuest, on competition in healthcare. You
must follow APA guidelines.
Organizational Mission. [Insert prompt]. Explain, in your own words, the terms
"mission," "vision,” “goals,” and “values” statements. What is the practical purpose
of a statement of organizational values? Under what circumstances should an
organization consider changing these – if at all? How do they play into the
strategic direction of an organization? If you are a departmental manager, how do
you implement and sustain these in your organization? Respond to at least two of
your classmates’ postings
Profits and Revenues. Explain the four fundamental ways in which a business
can grow its revenues and profits. Then, describe the five generic types of growth
strategy available to individual SBUs. Hypothesize what metrics a program
executive might use to monitor these strategies. Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
Future Direction of Health Care. In a three- to five-page paper (excluding the
title and reference page):
1) Describe a minimum of five challenges from the list below that are defining
the future strategic direction of health care.
§ Proposed health care reform and legislation
§ Information technology advancements including the electronic medical, or
health, record (EMR/EHR)
§ Accreditation, quality of healthcare, and organizational compliance
§ Economics, including third party payers, future funding, rising costs, the
Medicare and Medicaid programs
§ Access to health care including the uninsured and those in the poverty levels
§ Public entities in controlling the demand aspects of health service
§ Market shares and advancing age of population
§ Maintaining a skilled workforce

3. § Pay for Performance
2) Describe how an organization can adapt its direction and strategies
accordingly.
Incorporate and cite a minimum of two industry related sources into your paper,
with at least one from ProQuest. You must follow APA guidelines.
Implementing Strategy. Discuss which is more important - the formulation of a
strategy or its implementation - as well as the tribulations associated with your
choice. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.
Communication in the Planning Process. Prepare a three- to five-page paper
(excluding the title and reference page) exploring the role of communication in the
strategic and program planning processes in a health care organization. Consider
the topics discussed (both in the text and in the discussions) thus far and clearly
integrate at least five of them into your presentation (with applicable reference
and citations) along with challenges and recommendations for any organization to
succeed in their strategic and program planning processes through
communication.
Incorporate and cite a minimum of two industry related sources into your paper
with at least one from ProQuest. You must follow APA guidelines
Focus of the Final Paper
The Final Paper, 8-10 pages (excluding title and reference pages), should
demonstrate understanding of the reading assignments, class discussions, your
own research, as well as the implications of new knowledge.
For your Final Paper, you will choose one of the health care organizations listed
below and conduct an analysis of their strategic planning and evaluation of the
organization. You should utilize any and all information available about the
organization. Examples of valid resources can include but are not limited to
organizational websites, annual reports, personal interviews with organizational
leadership, investigative reports, government reports, and conference transcripts.
Your paper should include a minimum of five of the key areas, concepts, and
strategies outlined throughout the text. These should include, but are not limited
to: internal and external assessments; competitive marketing analysis;
identification of stakeholders; overview and assessments of services provided;
competencies and resource; public entities and regulatory requirements;
demographics served; strategic financial planning; financial and operational
outcomes; current and future direction of the organization of choice, etc.
Health care organizations of choice are:
§ Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)

4. § Tenet Health System
§ Mayo Clinic
§ Henry Ford Health System
§ Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
§ Children’s Miracle Network
§ Deborah Heart and Lung Center
§ Medtronic
§ Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
§ National Institutes of Health (NIH)
§ Planned Parenthood
§ Indian Health Service (IHS)
§ HealthMarkets