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The healthcare system in the United States is experiencing several changes. As a result, healthcare organizations are forced to change their future plans to align them with current changes. For instance, the American population is rapidly aging. As a result, there is a projected increase in demand for geriatric care. Thus, healthcare organizations are working on plans to expand geriatric services. This is part of strategic planning. As Whitney (n.d.) notes, “is the process in which organizational leaders purposefully look ahead into the future, outline goals for the organization, and develop a process to reach those goals.” Hence, strategic planning places an organization in a better position to meet the future healthcare needs of the population.
However, there are many factors that influence an organization’s future planning. Among them are resources. Delivering healthcare services is costly. Therefore, healthcare organizations have to bear the issue of the budget in mind. Then there is the level of care provided. Organizations provide different levels of care. It is important that these levels of care match current or future trends in healthcare. For instance, today, there is an emphasis on the provision of primary care. In addition to that, there is the level of staff expertise. If you are planning to expand your services in the future, it is important to consider whether the current staff has the expertise needed for expansion or not (Whitney, n.d.).
In doing all that, the SWOT analysis tool can be very helpful. Many organizations rely on the SWOT analysis tool for strategic planning. The tool is crucial for identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Whitney, n.d.). Identifying all these issues helps the organization to better prepare for the future.