Student Name

Capella University

EDD-FPX8010 Foundations of Doctoral Studies in Education

Professor Name

Submission Date

Strategic Plan Appraisal

Strategic plan appraisal refers to the evaluation of the strategic plan of an organization in order to determine the suitability, efficiency, and results of the strategic plan. The strategic plan analyses the strategic goals, objectives, and performance of the organization. The plan aids in ensuring compliance with the mission and vision statement of the organization and examines the external factors that can be used in formulating future strategies. Credibility, the involvement of stakeholders, and the balanced scorecard of Albany Medical Center will be looked into in the analysis (Albany Medical Center, n.d.). The current strategic plan and implementation of the hospital will be discussed in the review.

Organization Strategic Plan

• Strategic Plan and Priorities

The 2022-2024 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) of the Albany Medical Center covers health needs of the community based on interconnected health priorities. Prevention of chronic diseases is the first priority. The second priority will be to promote mental health and substance use prevention. The third priority is to enhance the health of women, infants, and children (Elizabeth et al., n.d.). A systems perspective supports the task of controlling diabetes and obesity with the help of wellness programs at the worksite and food security programs. The priorities offer an interrelationship between the public health interventions and the systemic health determinants (Elizabeth et al., n.d.). The strategy combines clinical care, education, and community-based programs, which puts the community at the centre of the initiative to address both upstream and downstream health determinants.

• Precedence of Priorities

CHIP has strategic priorities that put mental health and chronic disease prevention as its first priority. Thus, the two regions seem to be priorities. Raising the level of behavioral health, better access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and suicide prevention programs are all indicators of an urgent reaction to the rising mental health and substance use problems (Elizabeth et al., n.d.). At the same time, the measures in the field of chronic disease prevention, including breastfeeding support, asthma control, and better diabetes treatment, are oriented towards community health matters (Elizabeth et al., n.d.). Priorities are also aligned with the top health needs that the community has identified during health assessment, as well as indicating an interest in food insecurity and tobacco use, which also exacerbates a disparity in health.

• Alignment with Mission and Vision

The priorities align with the mission and vision of the center, which is focused on excellence in care, education, and research to improve the health and well-being of the community. The plan focuses on enhancing access to care and managing the social determinants of health, which is in line with the goal of the organization to provide comprehensive health services (Albany Medical Center, n.d.). The vision of the plan also incorporates the vision of the center to be a community health advocate by actively working with local stakeholders, including schools, businesses, and nonprofits, to develop sustainable health solutions. The alignment focuses on the institution as a hub of health improvement for communities. The center’s plan is a systems approach that is aimed at complex health issues. The focus of the plan is mental health, chronic disease prevention, and maternal and child health areas that are significant community needs, fitting well with the overall mission and vision of the organization (Albany Medical Center, n.d.). The equity, access, and collaboration strategic plan that supports the long-term and sustainable nature of the medical center in improving the health of the community.

Validity of Data and Analytical Strategies

The 2022-2024 plan at the Albany Medical Center will involve the use of both internal performance indicators and external public health data to build the key performance indicators (KPIs) and priorities of the organization. Data for patient satisfaction, readmission from the hospital, and outcomes in managing chronic diseases would be major internal data points. The data points that lead towards the direction of the enhancement of behavioral health access and chronic disease prevention. The patient experience rating of the center is 2 out of 5 (based on the surveys of discharged inpatients) (Hospital Compare Score, 2024). The scores were based on the way the patients perceived hospital stay and discharge, and the level of satisfaction of the patients regarding different aspects of care.

The sources of the metrics data probably comprised both internal and external data. Internally, the center could have used electronic health records (EHRs), patient satisfaction surveys, and hospital utilization reports. Externally, the Medicare Compare data would have come in handy in showing the trend in the prevalence of mental health issues, substance use disorders, and chronic diseases. The Albany Medical Center has a Medicare Compare score of 14.1% (meaning 4173 patients) in the rate of admission after discharge (Medicare, 2024). The Medicare patient survey rating is 2 out of 5, based on patients’ experiences of their hospital care (Medicare, 2024). The Leapfrog survey rated the center as having a harmful events score of 1.18, in contrast with the best hospital score of 0.55 (Albany Medical Center, n.d.). The score demonstrates the hospital’s effectiveness in averting complications and adverse events following surgeries or procedures, and childbirth.

The highest score of the center was 0.781 on patient falls, and the lowest scores were 0.000 and 1.942 on the worst-performing hospital. Falls often occur due to patients’ efforts to walk without support and lead to extended hospital stays and permanent disability. The center has a blood clot score of 4.83 as opposed to a score of 1.61 at the best hospital (Albany Medical Center, n.d.). The blood clots, which develop in the leg following surgery, may travel to the lungs, causing chest pain, loss of consciousness, or even death. The readmission data, which involves significant financial facts about the pattern of service utilization and the costs, could have been required to reveal high areas of resource utilization (Puspoky et al., 2023). The powerful data collection/analytics approach gives a strong foundation in establishing measured and precise priorities.

Stakeholder Input

Input from stakeholders is significant in the development of the center plan. The hospital would have most likely involved key stakeholders such as patients, community leaders, local health departments, nonprofit organizations, and healthcare providers to develop the Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) and the focus groups. The tools enable stakeholders to voice concerns about the pressing health issues, gaps in healthcare delivery, and social determinants that affect health outcomes in the community (Hilts et al., 2021). As an example, food security and access to behavioral health, which the plan focuses on, imply significant conversations with the local nonprofits and public health agencies in target areas. The consultation meetings and surveys could have been conducted jointly to collect qualitative and quantitative data to make sure that the plan reflects the health disparities (Collyer & Smith, 2020). Further, pathways of internal performance and distribution of resources within the hospital staff, such as clinicians and administrators, could have informed actionable strategies.

The value of stakeholder input is reflected in how the plan is designed to meet the health priorities identified by the community and make the most out of the resources available at the medical center. As an example, the efforts to enhance access to medication-assisted treatment, as well as to better manage asthma, display a sensitivity to both the data on public health as well as the responses of stakeholders regarding the needs to meet (Cheetham et al., 2024). There is a clearly displayed understanding of the role of a community anchor institution in the center. Needing to establish trust is essential as it allows a hospital to maintain continued engagement and openness with stakeholders in making the strategies relevant and effective (Cheetham et al., 2024). The participative method enables the organization to make effective conclusions based on the wisdom of various stakeholders, so as to successfully align resources and capabilities with the health demands of the community.

Balanced Scorecard

The center has rather equalized strategic priorities but appears to pay more attention to customer-oriented initiatives and internal processes, which can be explained by the willingness of the organization to enhance the level of patient care and use healthcare services as measures to close the gap between healthcare and the community. Enhanced access to behavioral health services, preventive care, and chronic disease management have been found to dominate the strategy focus and are in line with the mission to meet the needs of the community (Hilts et al., 2021). The supporting pillars towards sustainability and workforce development include financial priorities and learning and growth initiatives, but these are not core drivers. The patient-centered care and operational efficiency focus highlight the priorities of the organization, but the focus on long-term growth and innovation needs to be given further attention.

Conclusion

To sum up, the 2022-2024 plan by Albany Medical Center is a strategic, patient-focused response to the long history of health concerns of the community. The plan can be observed to be balanced in terms of financial sustainability, improved patient satisfaction, streamlined internal processes, and workforce development. Use of data from public health reports and performance indicators is used to set priorities. In addition, stakeholder involvement is the foundation of plan development through collaboration and trust in ensuring that the strategic goals are in tandem with the organizational mission and vision. All in all, the plan offers a more balanced method of community health outcome upgrading and hospital capacity consolidation in the same way, which would enable the hospital to innovate over the long-term and lead to sustainable care.