Address “Sacred Cows” to Get Past COVID-19 Shock

by Mark J. Dubow, Director
and John Harris, Director

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Every organization has sacred cows. The financial challenge from COVID-19 calls for large scale improvements. This has emboldened our clients to address sacred cows, making tough changes that were unthinkable a few months ago.  The time to act is now! Sacred cows to consider include: Underperforming Assets: Every organization has some assets that perform significantly […]

COVID-19 and Your Strategic Plan: What Now?

by John Harris, Director
Meredith Inniger, Manager

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The pandemic has led healthcare leaders to ask, “Should we just throw out our strategic plan?” Though much has changed, the quickest and most effective way to lead and make good decisions – and to reassure boards and other stakeholders – is to revise and build on your existing strategic plan[1]. It will help set […]

Micro-Hospitals: Short-Term Fad or Promising Market Growth Strategy?

by Meredith Inniger, Manager

Many conversations we have with hospital and health system executives about market growth strategies eventually turns to the topic of micro-hospitals — and for good reason. These facilities typically include a small-scale emergency department (ED), low-acuity surgery, and are often comprised of eight to 10 inpatient beds as well as additional observation beds (notably, these […]

To Merge or Not to Merge: Informing the Conversation

by Scott Stuecher and Daniel Grauman

“Everyone in the industry is merging. We should be too.” “We’ve always been independent, and we should stay that way.” Independent hospitals continue to merge or affiliate with other hospitals or with health systems. However, independent hospitals still have company. In 2016, the latest year for which information is available, there were about 1,600 independent […]

Survey Results are in: 5 Partnership Planning Insights From Industry Executives

by Scott Stuecher, MHA and Laura Zacchigna, Veralon
Becker's Hospital Review
April 2018

  It is no surprise that merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is on the minds of healthcare leaders across the country: There were an average of over 100 affiliations of various forms annually among health systems and/or individual hospitals between 2012 and 20171 as healthcare provider sector activity continues at a steady pace. Perhaps more surprisingly, […]

Independent Orthopedists: Arm’s-Length Relationships Are No Longer Enough

by Michael Rovinsky, Director & Sean Looby, Manager
HFM Blog
March 2018

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For most hospitals and health systems, orthopedic services are a major contributor to the bottom line and indirectly support many other critical acute care services. Demand for orthopedic services is increasing—but so is competition among providers. To protect orthopedic share and margin in this environment, it will be essential for health systems and hospitals to […]

5 Guiding Principles for Consumer-Driven Ambulatory Networks

by Meredith Inniger, MHA
Becker's Hospital Review
March 2018

  When health system leaders are asked how they intend to make their ambulatory networks more consumer friendly, many point to their organization’s new one-stop ambulatory care center, on-line scheduling, patient portal or upcoming telehealth plans. In other words, they refer to specific tactics or initiatives rather than describing an overarching strategy for consumer engagement. […]