ABSTRACT
The mission of a health care organization represents its vision for the future. The authors present an approach used to develop an organizational mission for a large multispecialty physician clinic. In implementing the strategic planning process, research objectives must be clearly stated that identify in advance how the data will be used. Failure to integrate strategic data from all relevant publics will likely result in a mission statement that misses the significant interests of one or more stakeholders and reduces the effectiveness of the strategic planning process. Although costly, comprehensive research can uncover some surprising differences in perception that, if ignored, might complete defeat strategic planning efforts.
Subject(s)
Consumer Behavior/statistics & numerical data , Group Practice/organization & administration , Marketing of Health Services/methods , Organizational Objectives , Allied Health Personnel , Data Collection , Health Facility Environment , Humans , Patients , Physicians , Planning Techniques , Research Design , Social EnvironmentABSTRACT
Direct marketing holds much potential for the health care industry, but little has been written about hospitals' use of DM techniques. The authors discuss the distinct characteristics of direct marketing, report findings from an exploratory study of how U.S. hospitals have incorporated DM into their communication programs, and construct a profile of high and low users.
