After a tumultuous 2020, I am eagerly looking forward to the future. COVID-19 is still destroying lives and livelihoods, but vaccines have arrived and our healthcare workers finally have hope. It’s that kind of hope that renews one’s belief in what’s possible. So, I decided to take some time to think about my New Year’s […]
The first six weeks of this pandemic cut patient volume in half for U.S. health systems. Now, six months in and counting, emergency rooms continue to see patient visits down by 25% due to consumer fears of COVID-19 transmission mixed with increased use of telehealth and other alternate care settings. While trends are definitely up […]
Worldwide, the healthcare data analytics market is expected to be worth nearly $50 billion by 2024. That’s a lot of data analysis, and with good reason – it’s no secret that data drive smart decisions. And yet, we see all too often that the resulting analyses fall short of telling healthcare leaders what they really […]
One in four U.S. hospitals hires a new CEO every 3-4 years. That statistic, which comes from a 10-year study by the American College of Healthcare Executives, is a call to action. Why? Because rapid turnover at the executive level can have adverse effects on hospital relationships with key stakeholders like physicians, staff, board members, […]
Strategy-first – it’s the bedrock of our brand promise in healthcare marketing, branding and advertising. Why? Because when it comes to growth and success as a healthcare organization, strategy is essential. It is also complex and often misunderstood. What is strategy? First, let’s talk about what strategy is not. Despite some common misconceptions, strategy is […]
Over the last few weeks, we have been discussing market challenges for rural health providers, as well as opportunities for innovation that emerge from creating an ecosystem of health via community partnerships and an emphasis on the value of primary care. With primary care alignment supporting the rural health ecosystem, critical access hospitals and rural […]
Rural health systems are fertile grounds for innovation – that’s the consensus reached by healthcare executives at the Health:Further conference last month, and we couldn’t agree more. With declining populations compounded by challenges associated with provider shortages, governmental influences and rapidly advancing technologies, rural health systems should recognize and seize the opportunity to reinvent the […]
Years ago, I read a parable about how to make a better decision written by Spencer Johnson, MD. It was about a business leader and his quest for improved decision-making skills as he trekked along a mountain trail. I loved the common-sense approach, and I have long carried in my wallet the book’s accompanying card […]
Several years ago, I spent a day at the National WWI Museum and Memorial with 11 other Kansas City-based CEOs from my Vistage group. We were there to explore the science/art of planning and directing large military movements and operations. In short, we studied strategy. Taking the opportunity to interpret the history of World War […]
Launching a new corporate identity (a.k.a. brand identity) signals to the market that something is different within your operations, strategy or positioning, or external environment. In healthcare, corporate identity changes are most often born from (a) environmental influences leading to changes in operations, or (b) new ownership—such as a merger or series of acquisitions—which frequently results […]
