Healthcare, in general, is a multi-dimensional system that includes many working parts such as the patient, healthcare workers, stakeholders, health system organization, insurance companies, healthcare facilities/organizations, and the Government. With that in mind, it is important that strategic planning is done. Strategic health planning involves creating objectives and setting goals for where a healthcare organization would like to go in the future and then constructing a plan to achieve these objectives. With strategic planning, it is important to take into consideration the rapid changes in technology.

Refine an understanding of strategic planning and digital health.

Include the following aspects in the discussion:

• What are the fundamentals of digital health (provide an example with an explanation of their uses), and why is it important?
• Discuss how strategic planning varies from healthcare to business.
• How does strategic planning affect advances in digital health?
• Discuss in detail what type of leadership is needed to bring forth strategic planning for digital health.
• Discuss the importance of regulating digital health.

REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION TO THE ABOVE QUESTION AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE. (MINIMUM OF 200 WORDS) 

                                                CLASSMATE’S POST

Strategic planning in healthcare essentially is setting goals, calculating projections, and creating a plan to achieve said goals for the future of the healthcare company. This is achieved by taking into account every sector of the organization so that the organization as a whole continues to progress, function, and benefit, as well as the progression and regulation of digital health to support the organization.

The digital future for health care is a rapidly emerging certainty; the goal of evaluating and implementing innovative digital technology should be core to any healthcare organization’s strategic planning process. Following are four tactics healthcare executives can use to integrate technology into systemwide planning. Such integrated planning forces leadership teams to be deliberate with investments, identifying and funding initiatives likely to most effectively position the organization for success. (Shaikh, 2018)

1)     Commit to an integrated planning process:

· IT provides the platform for the delivery and financing of health care, so its inclusion in the organization’s overall planning process—encompassing strategy, budgeting, financial planning, and capital allocation and financing—is essential. The need for integrated planning might seem like common sense, but the fact is many organizations continue to perform planning and capital decision making for IT as a separate process. (Shaikh, 2018)

1. Understand the current state:
   • To determine the right level and type of technology       investment, leadership teams must understand their organizations’ current       strategic-financial position. A       well-prepared organization has an IT platform that enables clinical       decision making, convenient access points for consumers, information management,       and facile communications for all stakeholders (e.g., clinicians,       patients, and managers). (Shaikh, 2018)
2. Define a desired future technology state and the key gaps      that impede it:

· It is important to understand where the organization wishes to go and the technology that will be required to get there. Extensive input from across the organization is required to define the desired strategic business and clinical capabilities and the technology that will drive and support such capabilities. (Shaikh, 2018)

1. Create and implement an actionable roadmap:

· This “roadmap” defines how the organization will fill the gaps identified through the preceding analysis to achieve its desired future state. To successfully turn the corner on building the access, integration, and data-driven capabilities to move up the continuum from being a traditional investor in IT to becoming an innovator, health systems must invest in: reporting/analytics, patient access, RCM, supply chain, technology changes and management, optimization of clinical systems, network connectivity, population health, point of service, cybersecurity, sales and marketing, and ancillary services. (Shaikh, 2018)

References

Jhaymee Heinlein, M. M. (2017, May 24). Four Reasons Why Strategic Management is Essential to Healthcare Organizations. Retrieved from SHSMD Online Member Community: https://my.shsmd.org/blogs/the-shsmd-team/2017/05/24/four-reasons-why-strategic-management-is-essential-to-healthcare-organizations

Shaikh, T. F. (2018, October 31). 4 Tactics of Effective Strategic Technology Planning for the Digital Future. Retrieved from Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA): https://www.hfma.org/topics/hfm/2018/november/62270.html

Strata. (2018, December 1). Why Strategic Planning is Important in Healthcare. Retrieved from StrataDecision: https://www.stratadecision.com/blog/why-strategic-planning-is-important-in-healthcare/

World Health Organization (WHO). (2021). Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025. Retrieved from World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/gs4dhdaa2a9f352b0445bafbc79ca799dce4d.pdf