18H - Grappling With Growth: Mergers, Affiliations, Acquisitions and Partnerships

Monday, March 20

3:15–4:15 p.m.

A comprehensive system of care, focused on care continuity, patient access and overall community health requires organizations to determine in which areas to build, buy or partner. Regardless of the decision and what growth means to each organization, a growth agility mindset is now required to be successful. With the majority of healthcare executives believing growth through regionalization and comprehensive network design are the primary drivers to increased long-term financial sustainability, a demonstrated need exists to accelerate an organization’s growth strategy. Factors influencing the need for growth agility include increased consumerism, reimbursement and payment reform, new and emerging technologies, and regionalization. As organizations pursue the next generation of growth initiatives to enhance the value equation, a continued focus on cultural alignment will also be paramount.

This session will provide a set of evaluation criteria for organizations considering mobilizing growth initiatives; a straightforward approach focused first on alignment of culture, objectives and priorities, followed by design, navigation and integration; how innovation is spurring growth; ideas for measuring impact and success of growth initiatives; strategies for including key stakeholders (providers, community members, leaders, etc.) in growth-based decisions; and key lessons learned from recent growth initiatives. The use of an actual partnership criteria tool will provide an immediate take-home tool to guide organizations on their growth strategy.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize growth agility within a market and how to capitalize on present and future opportunities to drive improved systems of care as well as long-term financial success.
• Construct and apply a thoughtful and clearly defined process to enhance decisions to pursue growth opportunities and obtain desired outcomes.