title: Mission-driven market strategies: lessons from the field. A study of six successful Catholic systems finds mission and values clarity more relevant than ever.
abstract: Convinced that Catholic organizations might have special strengths for succeeding in price-competitive markets, the Catholic Health Association, with the assistance of a national membership advisory committee and The Lewin Group, Fairfax, VA, studied six healthcare organizations that are successfully meeting the challenges of difficult environments. Based on more than 100 interviews and assessments of the environments in which these progressive mission-driven organizations operate, the researchers identified strategies that can assist other faith-based health organizations. The Lewin Group's Kevin J. Sexton, who led the research team, explained that "the study examined how the organizations embraced their mission and used their values in three areas: linkages with other organizations, linkages with physicians, and strategies for balancing delivery and insurance." CHA's executive vice president William J. Cox said the study sites were selected to obtain a range of marketplace, sponsorship, and structural experiences. "We wanted to learn how Catholic organizations responded to environmental forces with strategies that were grounded in mission," Cox said. CHA has published the study in a resource packet that describes the five major findings, profiles the cases, and provides Best Practices Checklists--specific pointers to guide organizations in their efforts. The following study excerpts provide a brief overview of the findings and a sample of the Best Practices Checklists. To obtain the complete resource, Mission-Driven Market Strategies: Lessons from the Field, call the Catholic Health Association at 314-253-3458 (for more information see the advertisement on p. 62).
mesh_terms: D002410:Catholicism; D004465:Economic Competition; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000639:trends*; D006302:Health Services Research; D018578:Hospital-Physician Relations; D016519:Hospitals, Religious / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D009935:Organizational Affiliation; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010934:Planning Techniques; D012945:Social Values; D014481:United States