Essay Grade

Overview
Prepare a TOWS matrix (1–2 page grid) that summarizes a health care organization’s threats,
opportunities, weaknesses, and strengths. Then, write a 4–5 page analysis highlighting key
findings from the TOWS matrix. Finally, create a 1–2 page draft strategic plan that describes
four strategies for the organization to pursue, based on your findings from the first two
assessments.
Note: Each assessment in this course builds upon the work you have completed in previous
assessments. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in the order in which they are
presented.
An essential element in evaluating a health care organization’s overall strategy entails
examining the company’s resources and competitive capabilities. Are they sufficient to allow
the organization to pursue the best market opportunities, while minimizing external threats?
The most widely used tool in conducting this evaluation is a TOWS matrix. A well-executed
TOWS analysis provides the basis for crafting the organization’s strategic plan. A key difference
needs to be addressed here. SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis
has been a popular way to display pertinent external issues and internal strengths and
weaknesses. This type of analysis involves listing the organization’s strengths and weaknesses
and perceived external opportunities and threats. SWOT, however, does not provide much
insight into what strategy decisions might result from the list of strengths and weaknesses and
opportunities and threats. As a result, the TOWS matrix (threats, opportunities, weaknesses,
and strengths) was developed to provide a better way to develop and evaluate specific adaptive
strategic alternatives.
This assessment provides an opportunity for you to complete a TOWS matrix and
corresponding analysis, as well as draft a high-level strategic plan based on your TOWS matrix.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the
following course competencies and assessment criteria:
•
•
•
Competency 1: Analyze organizational structure, design, culture, and climate in relation to
environmental forces.
• Incorporate methodologies from the knowledge-economy management approach in a
strategic plan.
• Integrate recent strategy management research findings into a strategic plan.
Competency 2: Develop a strategic organizational plan that provides human and financial
resources to support targeted organizational outcomes.
• Synthesize operational and financial components into a strategic planning process.
Competency 3: Recommend an organizational structure and design to optimize a strategic plan.
• Determine the organizational structure that best facilitates a chosen strategy.
•
Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly professional, and consistent with
expectations for professionals in health care administration.
• Create a clear, concise, well-organized, and professional TOWS matrix analysis and
strategic plan draft.
• Apply proper APA formatting and style guidelines to citations and references.
Assignment Instruction
Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented. For
this assessment, you will continue to work with the organization you selected in Assessment 1.
Preparation
To prepare for the assessment, you are encouraged to create a practice TOWS matrix, using the
TOWS Analysis Worksheet, linked in the Resources. The practice matrix enables you to jot down
your initial thoughts and then come back to it later to see whether anything could be expanded
on in the matrix that you submit as part of your next assessment.
Consider your selected organization’s threats, opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses. In
addition, keep the following key points in mind:
•
•
•
Assumptions: What assumptions do people in the organization’s internal and external
environment have? What alternative assumptions might be useful in these situations?
Information: What information do your organization’s internal and external
stakeholders have? What information are they missing?
Evaluation Criteria: What criteria would you use to evaluate the quality of the
information and the effectiveness of existing or suggested strategies?
In addition, you may wish to review the assessment instructions and scoring guide to ensure
that you understand the work you will be asked to complete.
Note: Remember that you can submit all, or a portion of, your draft analysis and strategic plan
to Smarthinking Tutoring for feedback before you submit the final version for this assessment.
If you plan on using this free service, be mindful of the turnaround time of 24–48 hours for
receiving feedback.
Scenario
Your boss congratulates you on a fantastic job on the environmental analysis. She now needs
your help with the next step in developing a strategic plan for the CEO—completing a TOWS
matrix and accompanying analysis. After completing the TOWS matrix and your analysis, your
boss also wants you to prepare a high-level, draft strategic plan for the organization.
You know that a TOWS matrix is a decision-making tool for developing strategic alternatives.
You also know that you will be better able to develop a more effective strategic plan based on
an in-depth analysis and understanding of the current environment.
Requirements
Complete this assessment in two parts:
Part 1: TOWS Matrix and Analysis
Complete a TOWS matrix and accompanying analysis. Download the TOWS Analysis Worksheet,
linked in the Resources, and complete it for your selected health care organization. Incorporate
your findings from the current environmental analysis you completed in Assessment 1. Be sure
to include a minimum of 3–5 items in each quadrant of your matrix, which will give you a total
of 15–20 identified and categorized items.
After completing your matrix, summarize the findings from your analysis of each of the four
quadrants and develop a high-level, draft strategic plan containing alternative strategies.
Part 2: Draft Strategic Plan
Prepare a high-level, draft strategic plan for your selected organization.
The focus of this assessment is on applying the insights you have gained from your TOWS
matrix and the environmental analysis you completed in Assessment 1 to the strategic plan. The
information from the four quadrants of your matrix will serve as foundational criteria for
developing your draft plan.
You must be able to look at your TOWS matrix results and then formulate four overarching
strategies with at least one operational goal to support each strategy. Whether your strategies
are to enhance the strengths you have identified or to improve weaknesses, your draft strategic
plan must align with your organization’s mission, vision, and values.
As you prepare your plan, it may be helpful to review common strategies and goals many health
care organizations develop and monitor. Use the following document, linked in the Resources,
to guide your analysis of the TOWS results for your selected health care organization:
•
Common Strategies and Goals Health Care Organizations Develop and Monitor.
Include, with each of your strategies, the core assumptions regarding environmental
opportunities and threats, organizational strengths and weaknesses, and organizational
behavioral dynamics that are foundational to the strategy. For example, consider:
•
•
•
•
Service/product life cycle.
Product development.
Organizational culture.
Available funding to execute strategies.
Strategic Plan Requirements
The requirements, outlined below, correspond to the grading criteria in the TOWS Matrix
Analysis and Strategic Plan Scoring Guide, so be sure to address each point. Read the
performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Incorporate methodologies from the knowledge-economy management approach in a
strategic plan appropriate for your organization.
Integrate recent strategy management research findings into your strategic plan.
Synthesize operational and financial components into your strategic planning process.
Include your determination of the organizational structure (functional, divisional, or
matrix) that best facilitates your strategies.
Create a clear, concise, well-organized, and professional TOWS matrix analysis and
strategic plan draft.
Apply proper APA formatting and style guidelines to citations and references.
Document Formats
Prepare your TOWS matrix analysis and draft strategic plan using a familiar and appropriate
document format used by health care organizations, such as a memo, business report, or white
paper.
Page Length Requirements
•
•
•
Your TOWS matrix should be 1–2 pages in length.
Your TOWS matrix analysis should be 4–5 pages in length (roughly one page per
quadrant).
Your draft strategic plan should be 1–2 pages in length.
Supporting Evidence
Health care is an evidence-based field. Consequently, readers of these documents will want to
know the sources of your information, so be sure to include applicable, APA-formatted source
citations and references.
Additional Requirements
Submit all three documents for this assessment: 1) TOWS matrix, 2) TOWS matrix analysis, and
3) draft strategic plan. Remember, you do not need to submit your practice matrix.
Proofread each document to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more
difficult for them to focus on the substance of your work.
Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save your TOWS matrix analysis to your ePortfolio.
6/7/2019
TOWS Matrix Analysis and Strategic Plan Scoring Guide
TOWS Matrix Analysis and Strategic Plan Scoring Guide
CRITERIA
NONPERFORMANCE
BASIC
PROFICIENT
DISTINGUISHED
Incorporate
methodologies from
the knowledgeeconomy
management
approach in a
strategic plan.
Does not
incorporate
methodologies
from the
knowledgeeconomy
management
approach in a
strategic
management
plan.
Attempts to incorporate
methodologies from the
knowledge-economy
management approach;
however, methodologies
are not always
appropriate or their
application is unclear.
Incorporates
methodologies
from the
knowledgeeconomy
management
approach in a
strategic plan.
Incorporates methodologies from
the knowledge-economy
management approach in a
strategic plan and impartially
explains the pros and cons of
more than one approach.
Integrate recent
strategy
management
research findings
into a strategic plan.
Does not
integrate recent
strategy
management
research findings
into a strategic
plan.
Attempts to integrate
recent strategy
management research
findings into a strategic
plan; however, omissions
and/or errors exist.
Integrates
recent
strategy
management
research
findings into a
strategic plan.
Integrates recent strategy
management research findings
into a strategic plan and identifies
assumptions on which the
strategies are based.
Synthesize
operational and
financial
components into a
strategic planning
process.
Does not
synthesize
operational and
financial
components into
a strategic
planning
process.
Attempts to synthesize
operational and financial
components into a
strategic planning
process; however,
omissions and/or errors
exist.
Synthesizes
operational
and financial
components
into a strategic
planning
process.
Synthesizes operational and
financial components into a
strategic planning process.
Narrative includes multiple
examples, specifics, and
references to current, scholarly,
and/or authoritative sources.
Determine the
organizational
structure that best
facilitates a chosen
strategy.
Does not
determine the
organizational
structure that
best facilitates a
chosen strategy.
Attempts to determine the
organizational structure
that best facilitates a
chosen strategy;
however, omissions
and/or errors exist.
Determines
the
organizational
structure that
best facilitates
a chosen
strategy.
Determines the organizational
structure that best facilitates a
chosen strategy. Analysis
includes multiple specifics,
examples, and references to
current, scholarly, and/or
authoritative sources.
Create a clear,
concise, wellorganized, and
professional TOWS
matrix analysis and
strategic plan draft.
Does not create
a clear, concise,
well-organized,
and professional
TOWS matrix
analysis and
strategic plan
draft.
Attempts to create a
clear, concise, wellorganized, and
professional TOWS
matrix analysis and
strategic plan draft,
however, lapses,
omissions, and/or errors
exist.
Creates a
clear, concise,
wellorganized,
and
professional
TOWS matrix
analysis and
strategic plan
draft.
Creates a clear, concise, wellorganized, and professional
TOWS matrix analysis and
strategic plan draft. Narratives
includes numerous examples,
specifics, and references to
current, scholarly, and/or
authoritative sources.
Apply proper APA
formatting and style
guidelines to
citations and
references.
Does not apply
proper APA
formatting and
style guidelines
to citations and
references.
Attempts to apply proper
APA formatting and style
guidelines to citations
and references; however,
omissions and/or errors
exist.
Applies proper
APA
formatting and
style
guidelines to
citations and
references.
Applies proper APA formatting
and style guidelines to citations
and references without omissions
or errors.
https://courserooma.capella.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/MHA-FP/MHA-FP5010/190400/Scoring_Guides/a02_scoring_guide.html
1/1
Common Strategies and Goals Health Care
Organizations Develop and Monitor
Use this document to guide your analysis of the TOWS results for your selected health care
organization.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Strategy: Enhance health information technology processes within the organization.
Corresponding goals to support the strategy:
•
Identify potential EHR systems to integrate into the facility.
•
Install and train staff on the selected EHR system.
•
Identify novel practices and systems for installation or conversion.
Strategy: Improve the patient (customer service) experience.
Corresponding goals to support the strategy:
•
Decrease patient wait times for inpatient and outpatient visits, procedures, et cetera.
•
Integrate a customer experience survey.
•
Initiate and develop proactive patient contact.
Strategy: Maximize patient safety while minimizing employee workplace injuries and
illnesses. Corresponding goals to support the strategy:
•
Reduce medication errors.
•
Increase employee safety training.
•
Reduce mistakes made during surgical procedures.
Strategy: Strengthen the organization’s value to the community by reducing health
disparities. Corresponding goals to support the strategy:
•
Enhance service delivery to the community.
•
Meet community defined needs.
•
Perform community health assessments to better examine community health
diseases.
1
TOWS Analysis Worksheet
Threats
Opportunities
What trends could harm you?
What good opportunities are open to you?
What threats do your weaknesses expose you to?
What trends could you take advantage of?
[Write threats facing your health care organization here.]
How can you turn your strengths into opportunities?
[Write opportunities facing your health care organization here.]
Weaknesses
Strengths
What could you improve?
What do you do well?
Where do you have fewer resources than others?
What unique resources can you draw on?
What are others likely to see as weaknesses?
What do others see as your strengths?
[Write about your health care organization’s weaknesses here.]
[Write about your health care organization’s strengths here.]
1
Running Head: Current Environmental Analysis
Current Environmental Analysis
Samantha Mills
Capella University
MHA-FP5010
06/07/2019
1
Running Head: Current Environmental Analysis
2
Introduction
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was founded in the year 1969. The role of
the health faculty is to address the physicians’ shortages in West Texas through providing
innovative and quality opportunities to residents and the medical students as well. The offered
medical education lays a lot of emphasis on the principles of primary care and provision of sound
inter-professional and interdisciplinary training that help in equipping them with the necessary
training, diversity, clinical skills, and humanistic skills which lays a lot of focus on the
compensative evaluation and high quality. Medical care utilizes state-of-art technology to change
as technology changes. TTUHSC uses a research strategy that’s is embedded in the treatment,
practice of medicine, prevention, and cures. Humanistic care, cost-effectiveness, and teamwork
are embedded in this system (“Home | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center”, 2018).
The paper will primarily focus on both the internal and the external factors that are
currently facing Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in the day-day activities. I will
address these issues and also give a solution to the problems or the treats that limit its operation
using the PESTEL analysis. Being a large area that incorporates people from diverse groups
across the globe, it has a quite number of threats that limit its effective operation. This analysis
will put more insight into how internal and external environmental factors affects the ability of
the healthcare organization. This will ensure that equal services are provided to all people, the
mission of the organization is supported and also make sure that all challenges that relate to the
diversity that pose a limitation to physicians can stay competitive through having a competitive
advantage over their potential competitors.
Running Head: Current Environmental Analysis
3
Political Factors
Political factors affect significantly both the people and businesses across the globe.
When there are changes in political power, the people living in that country are greatly affected.
Power change means shifting of normal working, which can adversely or positively affect people
in a State based on type and support of the federal bench one is. When the issue surrounds a
health care industry and people are making choices on what to be covered or un-covered who not
medical practitioners are, it disconnects medical services and adversely affects the general
public.
The most remarkable change that happened in healthcare organizations was that of the
Affordable Care Act, which affected every citizen in America. Every person is required for the
ability to predict shifts in the legislative and political environment. This will help a person to
have strategic and planning skills. The impact of Affordable Care Act has a tremendous effect to
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and up to today, it’s significantly affecting how
patients are treated by the nurses and doctors in the medical organization (Maa, 2015).
After the implementation of Affordable Care Act, the health centre have to assess on its
effect to the way of funding which consequently affects the staff, institution, care providers and
patients who visit the facilities for health services. Medicare and Medicaid were expounded to
cover care providers and patients inclusively. The purpose of expanding mediocre and Medicaid
was to make sure that, all people who did not have healthcare coverages are included. Through
the Affordable Care Act, many people in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center lost
their coverage as the cost was high.
Running Head: Current Environmental Analysis
4
Economic Factors
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a multinational healthcare organization
that is located in Lubbock, Dallas, Amarillo, Odessa, and Abilene. The organization also have a
Correlational management Healthcare division, which has contact with the state prisons who are
in western Texas. All the divisions of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center were
faced with economic upheavals that resulted in high cutbacks losses and all the federal level
across the Texas state that affected all industries. This led to reduced funding, which afterwards
led to the cutback of care providers, which resulted in fewer patients and reduced revenue rate.
This cutback affects the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center up to today. Because
State partially funds it and still Texas is trying to recover from the Affordable Care Act.
Provision of quality healthcare in this health organization is a complex, subjective, and a
multidimensional concept.
Based on the report that was reduced by the United State Census Bureau in the year 2018,
Texas has more additional people as compared to California. This was quite different as
California had more people than Texas from the year 2012 to the year 2016. The new foreigners
who arrived in California during that period had increased by almost 4%. The growth has been
continuing even in the year 2018, which was an increase with a steady rate of 1.41%, which led
to a very considerable economic impact. Therefore, with the rise in the number of people, health
organizations have more responsibilities of treating people as every person is subject to illnesses
and injuries; hence, more medical services will be required (Ginter, P., Duncan, W., and Swayne,
2013).
This effect did not only affected the healthcare organization in economic perspective but
also from a financial perspective. For future feasibility of healthcare, the following questions
Running Head: Current Environmental Analysis
5
need to be answered continually. Will, the growing population, have self-insurance covers,
Medicaid or Medicare? And if so will the given reimbursement be worth the amount required?
Social factors
Social factors are the main issue affecting healthcare organizations today. There is a
change in demographic structure at an alarming rate. With more influx people, more ideas tend
to be developed, diverse languages and beliefs. In the healthcare organization, the Hispanic
population are the significant influx in the culture. Changes in culture and demographics also
attribute this influx. High immigration into a country implies that the government of that country
have to increase its budget to include all the people who visit healthcare organization. The
reimbursement rate for Medicare and Medicaid are much lower than private payers, and the
financial impact of this effect will be to break point for the organizations. TTUHSC is the only
health care practices which provide Medicaid services in Amarillo. This impact positively on the
environment. The minority people have a very high risk of being uninsured, experience poor
health services from health conditions that are preventable and treatable, and lack of access to
care.
The large group of patients that visit TTUHSC are the Somalis and Hispanics, and this is
an internal weakness to the health facility as it’s required to hire interpreters and integrate
different payment methods. Moreover, their large number of patient is made up of people who
are unemployed and are struggling for a better life in America. There’s a growing recognition of
continuous social, economic disparities in health services (Jackson, C. and Gracia, 2014). This
has led to most of the National Institutes of Health to carry out research that is required
concerning the topic. This implies that, while people access better healthcare services, the
seriousness of the illness is also worse. Social status plays a critical role as it helps to handle
Running Head: Current Environmental Analysis
6
health issues at a personal and societal level. Foreigners and low-income families play a vital
role in TTUHSC through their social impacts and ability to remain critical to the future of
healthcare and their ability to remain viable for the future.
Technological Factors
Advancement in technology has positive and negative impacts on healthcare. With the
development of the Electronic Health Records, keeping records was to be made more fast and
easy and improve the satisfaction of the patient and professionals in the future, but the intended
purpose was not fully achieved. It was found that most of the health cares were reluctant to adopt
innovation as they did not trust computers to a large extent. TTUHSC require all the care
providers in the organization to utilize the Electronic Health Record for all interactions with their
patients by making sure it has gone into the chart. There is still a big challenge in the operation
of the TTCHSC because some providers enter wrong information in EHR which the system
requires to be signed and once signed its irreversible.
TTCSHC make use of the automated call system. The system act as a reminder to
patients about their next appointment. It also allows the patients to make confirmation
concerning their next appointment or connect for appointment rescheduling. This is an
opportunity and strength of TTCSHC as it will enable it to effectively utilize all appointment
slots that are available to ensure that all patients are attended promptly. The implementation of
this call system required every equipment that was in all campuses and training, and this has
impacted positively to the organization although there have been cases of negativity centred by
the EHR system (Dumortier & Verhenneman, 2011).
Running Head: Current Environmental Analysis
Legal Factors
Healthcare laws are regulations that protect public health. These regulations encompass
patients and providers safety in a healthcare organization (Gostin, L. and Wiley, 2017). To be
certified as a healthcare provider, one is required to pass in a medical exam to be registered and
given the power to treat people based on the stipulated government policies. With continuous
changes in medical innovations, legal implications tend to increase, which call for more
government laws. TTCSHC is a teaching institution, and therefore, it has more onerous rules.
Students need to be overseen by the physician in their course of learning to make sure that the
registered treatment protocol is adhered to. Due to continuous changes in the regulations
governing healthcare organizations, TTUHSC must make sure that all stipulated government
rules and policies are followed and complied. Medicaid and Medicare centres consider issues of
fraud and abuses as the major weaknesses that affect healthcare organizations
Conclusion
TTUHSC Health organization leadership need to be aware of the current changes to
technology, society, law and the competition that is in the market to continue as a viable
organization and enjoy a competitive advantage. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
reviews all current changes consistently to its internal and external environment. This helps it to
secure its continued existence in the future to their patents and staff. Consistent reviews help
TTUSHC it comply with all new set rules, policies and regulation in the health industry.
7
Running Head: Current Environmental Analysis
8
References
Dumortier, J., & Verhenneman, G. (2011). Legal Regulations on Electronic Health Records: A
Prerequisite or an Unavoidable By-Product? – The Legal Aspects of Electronic Health
Records in Europe and the US Analysed. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:
10.2139/ssrn.1975758
Ginter, P., Duncan, W., and Swayne, L. (2013). Strategic management of health care
Organizations (7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Gostin, L. and Wiley, L. (2016). Public health law: Power, duty, restraint (3rd ed.). Oakland,
CA: University of California Press.
Home | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. (2018). Retrieved from http://ttuhsc.edu/
Jackson, C. and Gracia, N. (2014). Addressing health and health-care disparities: The role of a
Diverse workforce and the social determinants of health. Public Health Reports, 129(2),
57-61.
Maa, J. (2015). Harnessing the Affordable Care Act to Catalyze Delivery System Reform and
Strengthen Emergency Care in America. The Permanente Journal. doi: 10.7812/tpp/14-168
U.S. Census Bureau (2018). State-to-State migration flows. Retrieved December 2, 2018, from:
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/geographic-mobility/state-to-statemigration.html

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