Strategy

Assessment of Current Strategy

Most healthcare organizations employ varied and complex technology, but few organizations truly realize the significant business benefits that can be achieved from a well crafted and executed IT strategy. All too often after the annual strategic planning exercise, binders are filled, brows are mopped, and the new strategic plan is carefully placed on the shelf until next years rerun. Is your organization deriving value from an IT specific component of the overall strategic plan?

Strategy Assessment: Key Questions

Answering the questions below may help to evaluate the health of your strategic plan for IT:

  • Does the organization have a current, relevant IT strategic plan? If so, is it aligned with the comprehensive organizational strategy and business objectives?
  • Is the IT strategy serving the needs of the business and all stakeholders?
  • Is real business value being created from IT investments?
  • Does the plan include addressing foreseeable regulatory requirements and quality targets?
  • Are IT applications meeting today's business needs? What about future requirements?
  • Are the right investments and projects in the pipeline?
  • Is the plan refreshed frequently enough in response to changes in the healthcare business or IT landscape?

An Effective IT Strategy: Typical Benefits

A well crafted strategic plan can support the following:

  • Improved alignment between IT investment and clinical/ business objectives
  • Increased value per IT dollar invested
  • IT moves toward becoming a source of competitive advantage instead of a cost center
  • More effective and efficient allocation of IT resources
  • More predictable IT infrastructure investments

Strategy Development Services

Developing an IT strategy in rapidly changing healthcare environments is an ongoing process - not just a yearly event. Using a right-sized, common sense methodology we can lead the development of a new IT strategy, or refresh and validate an existing strategy. The primary goal is usually to align IT initiatives and investments with the organization's high-priority clinical and business objectives, but we can adapt to suit your specific needs. Typically there is also a component of the strategy dedicated to appropriate and predictable investment in IT infrastructure, software licenses, etc. to support IT operations and improvements. We can also help to create a process for regular review and tuning of the IT plan.

Healthy Technology can provide these strategy development services:

  • Understand the business strategy in an IT context
  • Identify the IT vision
  • Determine IT strategic objectives
  • Develop/document the strategic plan
  • Governance and alignment of the IT portfolio
  • Develop/refine the portfolio of IT initiatives
  • Assess and refresh the strategic plan as needed

Our strategy development services are applicable during business start-up, planning, or whenever required by the business.