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In the past year, practices have not only been faced with the navigating the complexities of healthcare landscape, but also meeting patient needs during unprecedented times.  Market opportunity, competitive landscape, government regulations and research advancements all influence oncology practices. Navigating these changes through proper strategic planning is crucial to practice success.

With the onset of COVID-19, practices may have noticed areas of operational weaknesses, lack of cohesiveness or uncertainty on how to collaborate internally to navigate changes.  Implementing a solid strategic plan can provide a sense of direction in the middle of drastic change. Now it is more important than ever to develop a unified sense of direction through strategic planning for your practice.

Planning for the future

To support practices in the strategic planning process, The Network’s team of experts work hand in hand with practices to plan, evaluate and implement their long-term plans. Understanding data is crucial to developing a plan, setting goals, and driving decision making. We work with customized data and analytics to develop a clear picture of the practice and market to identify opportunities for growth.  By helping practices understand their current position in the market, we equip them to determine where they want to go and come up with a plan on how to get there.

Through one-on-one physician and practice leadership interviews, we identify common initiatives and perspective on the practice and analyze cohesiveness of workflows, communication, and leadership priorities. The information collected, along with our data analytics, informs the framework a practice’s strategic plan.

In addition, we facilitate further conversation and develop an action plan and timeline for execution via virtual retreats tailored to each practice. These facilitated planning sessions allow for peer-to-peer open dialogue with the goal of getting physicians and leaders aligned on initiatives for the plan. We work together to develop tangible planning session outputs, including a strategy roadmap with action items, accountability assignments, and timelines that will help keep you on track with your practice goals.

Our team understands the data and has deep expertise of the market. We know what it means to run an oncology practice and have in-depth institutional knowledge and draw from best practices.

Thrive with strategic planning

It is was once said, “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Operating without clear direction can lead to knee jerk actions with lasting effects. Once a clear goal is in mind for your practice, your strategic plan will lay out the path to get there.

Having a plan in writing helps guide decision making so your practice is proactive versus reactive and provides a sense of stability to today’s evolving oncology landscape.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marta Withers is the Director of Practice Strategy for The US Oncology Network. She is responsible for leading strategic planning collaborations for The US Oncology Network and McKesson’s specialty practice customers. Marta previously served as a Practice Administrator with Texas Oncology and has been with The US Oncology Network since 2011.