Contingency Planning for Healthcare Organizations

Margaret Steffens

Contingency Planning for an Outpatient Surgical Center

American InterContinental University

March 16, 2014

Inst. Dr. PaulChris Okpala

HCM640, IP5

Contingency Planning for Outpatient Surgical Center

When an organization chooses to build a business plan that will dictate how its money, materials and other resources will be allocated, a direction is started with goals in mind (Zuckerman, 2012). When a plan veers off course because of outside influences or inside changes or errors there needs to be a plan in place to deal with it effectively and efficiently to minimize risk and maximize results. During difficult periods a contingency plan will keep negative effects to a minimum and maximize positive outcomes. It is not unlike planning for an emergency (All about strategic…) (Westergaard, J., 2008).

Business planning requires planning-a-plan but it also requires planning for those times when the plan fails to achieve forward momentum toward the desired goal (Fried, B., 1986). Becoming aware of when these times may occur, the likelihood they may occur and what action should be stopped or started as a result of an occurrence is contingency planning (Westergaard, J., 2008). Within contingency planning there are seven steps for arranging a comprehensive and adaptable contingency plan (Swayne & Duncan, 2006). When the current course of planned actions have failed or are lagging behind for any possible reason, a contingency plan can be substituted or added at any point in the strategic management cycle, allowing the organization to employ an alternative course of planned action (Zuckerman, 2012) (All about strategic…). Although contingency planning can be considered optional; in the healthcare industry where the dynamics change almost daily, contingency planning has become a necessity if an organization is to stay competitive and survive the changes of the market and variables within (Swayne & Duncan, 2006)....