I just read a great piece in Becker's Hospital Review, “10 Key Trends for Hospitals in 2011,” which focused on hospital subject matter experts’ predictions for the new year. Their observations are relevant not only if you’re in the acute care sector of the field, but also serve as useful guideposts for any organization in the health care field.  

The ‘top ten’ trends this group is expecting include:

1. Lower reimbursements
2. Recovery audit contractors (RACs) gather momentum
3. More uncompensated care
4. Political gridlock
5. Uncertain fate of healthcare reform
6. Anticipated ACO rules may open the floodgates
7. Greater focus on experimentation
8. States will further cut Medicaid spending
9. Healthcare IT payments start
10. More hospital consolidation likely

I think these will prove to be trends that all management teams will need to factor into their planning scenarios. So make sure that your team – and your plan – is ready for the new year.

I read, with interest, a recent piece on the future of U.S. hospitals,  Service-line strategies for US hospitals, by the consultants of McKinsey & Company. The premise is quite simple – the full service hospital is going to have an increasingly difficult time competing. Their solution? "A commitment to clinical service lines as an organizing paradigm, much as many corporations organize themselves by business unit—is becoming a necessity. . . Specializing in a few service lines allows hospitals to build a critical mass of patients in select areas and to enjoy economies of skill and scale... "

This market focus on specialization – and the need to adopt service line management tools is not limited to hospitals. I see it as a key survival strategy for organizations in the behavioral health and social service niche playing field.

At our 2010 OPEN MINDS Strategic Planning Institute last month, I presented our recent analysis of our post-recession, post-health care reform model for specialists. In a nutshell, there are four likely delivery system market positions – two in facilities and two that are tech-enabled:

• Destination Specialty Services
• One-Stop Health Service Shopping
• Mobile, Home-Based, & Community Care Services
• E-Health & Remote Services

But, that is only part of the strategic positioning story. Within those delivery system market segments, the detail can only be answered by effective service line analysis and management. For your strategic planning – and then for your on-going market strategy implementation and operations management structure – service line management models are key to effective analysis and nimble management during this turbulent market environment. If your current planning isn’t grounded in an organizational view based on service lines, consider next year’s plan as a good place to start today.