Health care on demand: four telehealth priorities for 2016.

Consumers who are accustomed to on-demand, virtual services are looking for more convenient ways to access health care. Giving patients the opportunity to connect with physicians remotely can promote higher patient satisfaction and engagement. Telehealth options may have a high start-up cost, but that cost is likely well-justified by the potential to enhance quality, outcomes, and customer attraction and satisfaction/retention over the long-term.

Succeeding in a disruptive healthcare environment.

A greater level of consumerism in health care is leading to market dislocations that involve the shift of services to outpatient settings and to web-based and mobile modes of care. Hospitals and health systems risk losing market share and clinical and financial viability if they do not adjust their business models to account for these changes. When planning for such a transformation, organizations should commit to a new view of health care, invest in consumer-centric outpatient and virtual strategies, use new metrics to gauge success, and create a blueprint as a guide.

Identifying PHM market and network opportunities.

Two key processes for healthcare organizations seeking to assume a financially sustainable role in population health management (PHM), after laying the groundwork for the effort, are to identify potential PHM market opportunities and determine the scope of the PHM network. Key variables organizations should consider with respect to market opportunities include the patient population, the overall insurance/employer market, and available types of insurance products. Regarding the network's scope, organizations should consider both traditional strategic criteria for a viable network and at least five additional criteria: network essentiality and PHM care continuum, network adequacy, service distribution right-sizing, network growth strategy, and organizational agility.

Preparing to succeed in a retail healthcare environment.

Health systems should be willing and able to engage in retail health care, given increasing incentives and opportunities for consumers to shop around for care. Understanding seven dimensions of retail care, and assessing the competitive landscape and the associated risk, can help health systems prepare to succeed in a retail healthcare environment. Health systems then can undertake a focused retail strategy, starting with reconfiguring their delivery network as needed.

Making the right match. These eight lessons can help boards explore the strategic partnership decision.

Working through eight lessons can help boards clarify the strategic partnership decision.

Finding the best strategy for service distribution.

To determine appropriate levels of care and access, while maximizing quality and capital resources, a service distribution plan fully defines: How the organization will serve the market, How each of the system's operations will relate to other operations, How clinical resources will be organized and deployed, The financial impact of the service distribution plan on the overall organization.

Keys to lasting partnerships.

Physician alignment will be essential to success under value-based care. Learn the six steps to building long-term, effective integration.

Positioning your organization for success in the new era.

To meet the challenges accelerated by reform, healthcare organizations require: integration of hospital and physician businesses, in which both parties' interests are aligned clinically and financially; care and disease management capacity and proficiency; the ability to use capital efficiently to fund strategic financial plans; sophisticated IT; the ability to direct patients to the lowest possible cost setting, in accordance with high-quality and best-practice care.

Making the right decisions in a consolidating market.

Market forces may lead to increased consolidation in the healthcare industry, creating both opportunities and challenges. Opportunities for small hospitals and health systems include partnering with stronger organizations, while for larger organizations, acquiring potentially undervalued hospitals can yield the benefits associated with increased size and scale. Potential barriers to success arise in three areas-strategy, finance, and operations. Healthcare executives must understand and be willing to fully address these challenges.

Ensuring affordability of your hospital's strategies.

In light of the economic downturn, hospitals must carefully reassess: Capital capacity and position. Feasibilityand impact of improved operating performance. Strategic position and viability of strategic plans.

Hospital strategy in the current credit crisis: 7 must-do-actions.

Hospitals need to take seven "must-do" actions to survive the capital markets crisis.

Achieving scale strategies for sustained competitive performance.

Growth to achieve scale requires the following strategic initiatives: Having a clear understanding of what the organization is and what it wants to become. Ensuring a structured and rigorous growth process. Leveraging size to achieve benefits of scale. Recognizing the importance of physicians, ambulatory care, and primary care. Establishing and maintaining accountability as growth occurs.

Growing the top line: 5 strategies to expand your business.

Five strategies healthcare executives can consider to enhance organic revenue growth are: Strategic communications. Physician referral development. Ambulatory and emergency care centers. Acquisitions and mergers. New hospital development.

Strategic financial planning.

Successful hospitals and health systems plot a careful and well-thought-out path to achieving long-term financial performance stability.

The big squeeze in search of a sustainable future for suburban community hospitals.

Suburban community hospitals face increasing competition from two sides-from larger regional providers and freestanding diagnostic and treatment centers. To effectively meet this challenge, these hospitals require rigorous integrated strategic financial planning. The hospitals should take a close look at their key differentiation strategies with respect to operational efficiency, performance and quality, program and service mix, market focus, physician staff alignment, and system linkage.

What's your game plan? Advice from the capital markets.

Healthcare organizations are most attractive to the capital markets if they demonstrate or make use of: High-level strategic thinking and integrated strategic and financial planning. Comprehensive data on market and strategic position. A measurable, measured, and achieved strategy. Market strength and competitive differentiation. An ongoing planning process. Frequent communication and well-considered documentation.

Strategic financial planning. What every trustee needs to know about facility replacement.

Find out what every trustee needs to know about facility replacement-when to rebuild, why and, most importantly, how to mesh new construction with a balanced financial and strategic plan.