SWOT Analysis: Market Trends And Challenges

Market Trends and Challenges
Healthcare specialties, such as cardiology and oncology, along with women and children’s healthcare, as well as resources for mental health and drug addiction are some of the principal services presently lacking in Pocahontas County (Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, 2016). The establishment of a new satellite clinic provides an opening to meet some of these deficiencies while correspondingly supporting the health industry inclination towards population health management. Thoughtful and flexible strategic planning is key to effectively evaluate and address predicted challenges, concerns, and trends. One such challenge, the recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in rural locations, demands pioneering efforts
The healthcare industry faces a complex set of problems fueled by disproportionate health provider supply and demand, a rise in chronic conditions, an ageing population, and out of control cost. The rural community encounters all of these challenges plus the additional hurdles of a remote geographic location and the need for effective utilization of limited resources in managing complex patients (Calciolari et al., 2016). The following is a SWOT analysis conducted for Pocahontas Memorial Hospital (See Appendix
For example, PMH is located in a rural geographical region, creating a natural barrier of isolation, a primary concern for rural healthcare entities (Calciolari et al., 2016). Furthermore, PMH offers limited access to provider specialists along with a narrowed scope of available diagnostic and treatment capabilities, forcing the population of Pocahontas Country to seek these services from competitors in other counties (Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, 2016). Pocahontas County lies in an allocated professional shortage location, compounding PMH’s ability to retain and recruit quality healthcare providers (Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, 2016). At present, PMH is restricted to affiliation with only one hospital, but, is looking to expand by establishing a satellite clinic. However, the resources for launching a new clinic are lacking and require innovative measures for raising capital, obtaining staff, and delineating roles between the hospital and the satellite