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WHAT IS THE PROPOSE OF A SWOT ANALYSIS ?
• Enables organizations to identify both internal and external influences.
• primary objective is to help organizations develop a full awareness of all the factors (positive and negative) that may affect strategic planning and decision-making.
• is meant to act primarily as an assessment technique. • is used by Community health and development, education, and
other groups.
SOME BACKGROUND
There are thousands of healthcare clinics throughout the United States. The four main types of healthcare clinics include free clinics, general outpatient clinics, convenient care/retail clinics and specialist clinics. Together these clinics provide a wide range of services and treat millions of people annually. Through my analysis of U.S healthcare clinics I discovered extreme growth in one type or sector of clinics. Retail or convenient care clinics have opened in a vast number of retail outlets including CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Fry’s, Target, H-E-B Stores, Walmart, Shopko, Giant Eagle, ShopRight, Duane Reade, and RiteAid. For the purpose of this project I will focus mainly on retail clinics since their use and popularity has and continues to grow in recent years.
WHAT ARE RETAIL HEALTH CLINICS ?
Retail clinics or convenient care clinics are a category of walk-in clinic located in retail stores, supermarkets and pharmacies that both treat uncomplicated minor illnesses and provide preventative healthcare services. As of 2014 there are more than 1,800 such clinics operating in 40 states and have served more the 20 million patients. Retail clinics are usually staffed by nurse practitioners (NPs) or physician assistants (PAs) and do not necessarily have a doctor physically available onsite. However, a minority of retail clinics are staffed by physicians.
RETAIL CLINICS
Pros• Guaranteed appointment times• Short consultations (most less than 15 minutes)• Convenient locations and hours• Up-front pricing• Lower prices than ER or urgent care• Cash or insurance accepted• Electronic health record available at all locations• Some studies suggest clinics more likely to
practice evidence-based medicine
Cons• Short consultation may not leave much time to explain health
history, details of current complaint• May detract from the development of a "medical home" and
relationship with primary care doctor• Limited set of conditions treated — care for chronic conditions and
major ailments not available• May miss important follow-up care required for certain conditions,
such as infections• Some insurance companies waive co-pay at clinics — which could
force some patients to choose clinics when they would prefer to see their primary care doctor
• Oversight of clinics varies from state to state• Usually will not be treated by an M.D.
STRENGTHS • Convenience• Safety • Cost (inexpensive) • Range of therapeutic remedies • Insurance coverage • High stratification rate
WEAKNESSES
• Narrow scope of care• Un-personalized/standardized treatment models • Poor sharing of patient medical information• Possible conflict of interests
OPPORTUNITIES
• Increased growth of patient primary care (diagnoses)• Increased treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes
and Asthma • Emerging partnerships with hospitals • Quality of care similar to and sometimes better then
traditional healthcare facilities.
THREATS
• Competition with traditional healthcare facilities and providers such as hospitals and primary care physicians • Competition with urgent care clinics• Scope of practice laws• Imposed limits on types of medical professionals allowed
to practice independently
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
Having preformed my SWOT analysis of retail health clinics I have some suggestions. And those are the following…
• Retail outlets should build on the market strengths, minimize weaknesses, seize new opportunities, and counteract existing and future threats.
• Retail clinic operators should continue to reach out to other healthcare providers in order to create a stronger market foothold.
• The establishment of a reference system similar to that of the system that traditional healthcare providers use would be beneficial.
• Draw upon the substantial funding resources to obtain and maintain the latest healthcare technology in order to attract new patients, provide credibility, and to provide the best possible care.
IN SUMMARY
After all the work that I have done both in this course and with this project I have defiantly taken away some things. Furthermore, the things that I learned thus far I can apply both personally but more importantly professionally. One of the things that I learned is that hard work is not something that you should run from but embrace. I learned that SWOT analysis is a invaluable tool that should not be overlooked as it provides a complete picture thus enabling businesses to plan accordingly. And finally, I learned that I can apply all my skills in an effective and logical manner to meet my goals. I plan on using this experience as a testament of my ability to get things done and to accomplish anything that I set my mind to.
REFERENCES
• http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4245-swot-analysis.html
• http://www.ehow.com/list_6296023_types-health-clinics.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convenient_care_clinic
• http://www.cfah.org/prepared-patient/prepared-patient-articles/retail-clinics-whats-in-store-for-health-care
• www.ncsl.org/research/health/retail-health-clinics-state-legislation-and-laws.aspx
• http://www.hhnmag.com/display/HHN-news-article.dhtml?dcrPath=/templatedata/HF_Common/NewsArticle/data/HHN/Daily/2014/Mar/030314-keckley-retail-clinic-aap
• http://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2014/05/29/supermarkets-enter-the-retail-clinic-race
• http://kaiserhealthnews.org/news/walmart-opportunity-can-retailers-revamp-primary-care/
• http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba686