Mithoff Healthcare Consulting Operational Planning

Operational Planning

Operational planning and programming is a disciplined planning process that establishes an interface
between the clinical services business planning and the design of new or renovated healthcare spaces.
Successful operational programming requires expertise in clinical services operations and the ability to
translate how patient care will be delivered in the future into facility requirements.

How an organization plans to develop, expand and improve its services when a facility project has been
completed will depend, to a great extent, on how its management, physicians and staff can envision the
future. While the planning effort can be energized and led by external parties (planners, consultants,
architects, etc.) the outcomes have to be "owned" by those key stakeholders within the organization.

Utilizing the operational planning approach ultimately leads to the following benefits:

		Documentation and user sign-off on patient volume projections and space utilization goals
		Implementation of changes in clinical practice and new technology
		Opportunity to looks at processes and identify opportunities for process improvements and cost
		savings
		Smoother design process with operational parameters already determined for the design team
		A "right-sized" facility to efficiently provide patient services
		A planning process that "ties back" to the business plan
		Achievement of identified goal, i.e., improving patient access, improving patient satisfaction,
		reducing duplication of resources, etc.

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