Specialty Vs General Hospitals

OVERVIEW

A general hospital treats patients with diverse types of ailments all within the same structure. In a
general hospital, all general surgery procedures may be performed. A specialized hospital
specializes only in the treatment of a specific or a group of related diseases or conditions. For
this assignment, read “An Orthopedic Group Decides to Construct a Specialty Hospital” case in
the Walston Strategic Healthcare Management: Planning and Execution course text.
Differentiation in the healthcare market can provide a competitive edge for healthcare
organizations. Yet specialization does not come without its downsides. This assignment provides
an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of general and specialty hospitals.
INSTRUCTIONS
You will write a 5–6-page paper in current APA format that addresses the case questions given
in the assignment. Your paper must be supplemented with research from your course textbooks
(Walston – Strategic Healthcare Management: Planning and Execution, and Wayland &
McDonald – Strategic Analysis for Healthcare: Concepts and Practical Applications), and at
least 5 scholarly sources published in the last 5 years. Other quality sources are optional.
As you read the case think about the strategic tactics used: was the strategy aligned with the
organization’s mission? What might be some pros and cons of general vs. specialty hospitals? In
your paper answer the following questions:
1. What strategy perspectives did OrthoIndy employ in determining to build its own
hospital?
2. Do you believe OrthoIndy’s strategic tactics worked? Why or why not?
3. Was the strategy congruent with OrthoIndy’s mission? Why or why not?
4. What effect do you think the new construction had on consumers?
5. Do you think that a specialty hospital such as Indiana Orthopedic Hospital would
increase or decrease the costs, quality, and availability of care for consumers?
6. How were the general hospitals near the specialty hospitals affected?
7. Why did St. Vincent Health create its own orthopedic center?
Items to include are outlined as follows:
? Identify all strategic perspectives, tactics, issues faced by the organization.
? Assessment of whether the organization’s strategy is congruent to the mission.
? Why a specialty hospital would increase or decrease the costs, quality, and availability of
care for consumers.
? Clearly address impact to other regional providers.
? In at least a 5-page paper provide a minimum of 5 scholarly references current within the
last 5 years, and the course text. Other quality sources are optional.