The clinical strategy for a CV service line is essential to both present and future success. It creates focus, guides decision-making, attracts talent, and can inspire the entire organization.
Gordon Wesley, DBA, FACHE, the Executive Director of Ambulatory Cardiovascular Services for AdventHealth, has helped shape successful clinical strategies throughout his career. Gordon believes it is essential to continually challenge and improve the clinical strategy of a CV service line. He has found that asking the following 4 questions can help take clinical strategy to the next level:
How engaged are stakeholders in the clinical strategy?
Engage clinical champions
Clinical champions need to be highly engaged, which means that close collaboration is absolutely essential. This seems obvious, but far too often the clinicians executing the clinical strategy are not fully immersed in crafting it. So, an important consideration is how to maximize engagement and partnership. Hold whiteboard sessions, seek feedback, co-create. Find ways to ensure that clinical champions are as invested as possible.
Engage
administration
What does the hospital board think of the clinical strategy? How does it align with their plans for the future? Asking these questions can be the key to powerful alignment and greater buy-in from hospital administration. The simple step of proactively seeking out guidance from the board can be extremely helpful towards greater success.
Engage the community
This is often a source of ideas and inspiration that not enough CV service line leaders take advantage of. Creating a Community Board can be an amazing source of connection with the population affected by the CV service line. The right clinical strategy is one that tightly aligns with the needs of the community—and it can lead to greater sustainability through financial and clinical success..
Where do value-based initiatives fit into the clinical strategy?
Fee-for-service initiatives are essential for the CV service line of the present. But a clinical strategy also has to build for the future, which means embracing value.
An effective clinical strategy will build in initiatives that prepare for this new reality. Find areas where the CV service line can build out in anticipation of that future. This is a key consideration towards building financial strength and competitive advantages that can benefit the CV service line for the next 3-5 years.
What new technology is being embraced?
Adopting new technologies doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of preparation. That means embracing the innovations of the future starts with the clinical strategy of today.
Assess new technologies, meet with innovation partners, talk to colleagues—pick the technology that fits the future, and begin building today’s clinical strategy.
What is the competition doing?
A clinical strategy is about the direction that the CV service line will be taking. But if other CV service lines are doing the same thing and doing it better, then how successful can a clinical strategy be?
A true and comprehensive assessment of the competition can be a source of great inspiration and clarity. It can be paramount towards finding a clear path forward—for a CV service line to flourish financially and to maximize its ability to serve the community.
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