The following document sets forth the current version of the interscholastic strategic plan for the University of Minnesota's Academic Health Center. Its purpose is to set the broad direction and emphasis for those programs and actions that reach across the AHC, i.e., that cross the current collegiate program borders. It is anticipated that individual colleges and schools will maintain their own strategic planning processes and internal missions, cognizant of and consistent with this overall plan. This plan is an ongoing work in progress; it has been crafted with broad opportunity for discussion and input from across the AHC. This plan, like all plans, will change. The spirit and commitment behind the planning process, our shared goal of leadership, excellence, efficiency, relevance, and the creation of a positive collaborative community, will not change.

The mission of the Academic Health Center is to be a leader in the ethical, innovative, and efficient discovery and dissemination of knowledge to enhance the health and well being of Minnesota, the nation, and the world.

SIX STRATEGIC GOALS

1) enhance the competitive relevance and position of AHC education and research

2 meet relevant work force needs and ensure AHC's leadership role in the health professions through adjustments in the size and mix of enrollments and educational programs

3) improve the competitive position of clinical/outreach functions for all health professional schools and the AHC

4) enhance the environment to promote faculty and staff creativity, excellence, and productivity

5) strengthen financial management to promote flexibility, investment, and financial stability

6) maintain each profession's identity and excellence as AHC interscholastic programs develop.

To achieve our missions, we will be most effective if we share a common vision of the principles upon which we base our work. These commitments provide a foundation for our strategic plans and a basis for our interactions with our constituencies and among ourselves. We will:

1) be more responsive to those we serve, remaining aware of our many market expectations and opportunities.

2) strengthen our collaborative partnerships with the communities we serve.

3) seek to provide leadership as each profession advances its vision of its role in health care and services.

4) insist on an efficient and effective management infrastructure to support education, research, and service.

5) integrate financial planning and management with our strategic and programmatic decision-making.

6) make continuing, prospective planning a core cultural value and invite widespread participation in the process.

7) adopt a philosophy of continuous improvement in our human resources development, planning, and operations.

8) provide opportunities, recognition, incentives, and rewards to enhance creativity, excellence, and productivity.

A. ACTIONS:

1) Establish an effective process for strategic planning and decision-making across the AHC. This includes the interface among professional disciplines and interscholastic programs.

2) Establish an efficient and effective support services infrastructure across the AHC using a distributed management model.

3) Establish an effective information technology platform across the AHC.

4) Establish an effective internal and external communications program.

5) Establish timely and effective financial planning and budgeting across the AHC that is integrated with programmatic and human resources development.

6) Facilitate an integrated fund raising and development strategy.

7) Initiate key strategic programmatic investments and development.

B. EXPLANATION OF ACTIONS:

ACTION 1: Establish an effective process for strategic planning and decision making across the AHC. This includes the interface among professional disciplines and interscholastic programs.

1) Integrate wide consultative input into the process, both internal and external

2) Core process management: Deans' Council

3) Time line: operational in 1996-97

ACTION 2: Establish an efficient and effective support services infrastructure across the AHC using a distributed management model.

1) Services: finance, human resources, communications, information technology, facilities

2) Process redesign done interactively with users

3) AHC level integration of policy and oversight, operations distributed to the level as close as possible to the day to day functions

4) Time-line: operational by June 1997

5) Cost: cost neutral by June 1999

ACTION 3: Establish an effective information technology platform across the AHC.

1) Hire a Chief Information Officer for the AHC, begin to assemble staff, and create a comprehensive information plan for the AHC, including education, research, clinical/service, and administrative systems

2) Initiate a program to require compatibility of information systems across the AHC

3) Initiate a program for implementation and coordination of an AHC-wide distance technology service

4) Develop a plan for faculty and staff education in the use of information technology

5) Time line: operational in 1997

6) Cost: will require an investment; offset by efficiencies and productivity

ACTION 4: Establish an effective internal and external communication program.

1) Hire Director of Communications, assemble staff, and develop communications plan

2) External: develop constituent based advisory groups

3) Internal: integrate faculty, student, and staff consultative processes; promote electronic communication

4) Time line: operational in 1997

5) Cost: will require an investment; offset by efficiencies and productivity

ACTION 5: Establish timely and effective financial planning and budgeting across the AHC that is integrated with programmatic and human resources development.

1) Establish financial systems for planning, modeling, budgeting, biennial budgeting for legislature, reporting, and management

2) Integrate the financial system with human resources planning

3) Integrate the financial system with programmatic decision making

4) Identify funds for the AHC investment pool and initiate programmatic investment

5) Time line: operational 1997

6) Cost: investment required, offset by efficiencies and productivity

ACTION 6: Facilitate an integrated fund raising and development strategy.

1) Create coordinated process for identifying and approaching opportunities, increased contacts and communication within and from the AHC

2) Coordinate development efforts with the communications plans

3) Initiate process review and planning process by July, 1997

ACTION 7: Initiate key strategic programmatic investments and development.

1) Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Education Programs: Development and Enhancement.

The principal curricular focus of the AHC will remain its collegiate professional education programs and graduate training programs. There is opportunity, however, to enhance the programs of individual colleges by taking advantage of educational opportunities that bridge across collegiate boundaries. Similarly, there is a need to improve the coordination or restructure some educational programs within the AHC.

a. Rural Health Education Program

b. interdisciplinary managed care curriculum for health professional students

c. team care curriculum

d. primary care

e. chronic disease program

f. program on aging

g. population and community based intervention strategies, including enhanced education in public policy, social and environmental role in health events, epidemiology, biostatistics, health services organization, management and financing, outcomes assessment, and non-therapy based health interventions

h. curriculum addressing the issues of biomedical ethics and health care ethics, including patient's rights and confidentiality issues associated with technology

i. curricular emphasis on interpersonal skills, cultural competence, primary prevention and client/family/community participation, motivation, decision making, and health

j. student placements at communities

k. linkages/partnerships with health services providers and the managed care industry

l. task force on allied health professional programs

m. strategic task force on diversity in the health professional education programs

n. encourage the creation of an interdisciplinary task force on graduate education (MS/PhD)

2) Research.

While most research activities in the AHC will come from faculty initiatives and external funding, the AHC will strategically invest in some key promising research areas. To that end, processes must be created that assure that those investments are properly targeted, well managed, and productive.

a. develop an ongoing strategic planning process to set broad programmatic areas for research investment

b. initiate an internal competitive research pool of dollars for the AHC. Ideas and proposals solicited from the faculty, selection based on scientific merit, strategic importance, and fiscal opportunities

c. initiate research support service infrastructure for enhanced private sector access and service

d. consider and initiate targeted investments in areas of strength and potential in the AHC in:

basic science, examples might include

1. neuroscience programs
2. developmental biology
3. animal comparative genetics
4. drug development program
5. immunology
6. emerging infections and microbial pathogenesis

clinical science, examples might include

1. cancer
2. neuroscience
3. human genetics
4. biotherapy
5. geriatrics
6. outcomes research

population sciences, examples might include

1. disease prevention
2. community assessment
3. health promotion / disease prevention strategies
4. health services organization, delivery and finances
5. aging and long term care
6. environmental hazards
7. population outcomes
8. children, youth, and families at risk

biomedical engineering

ethics research

behavioral sciences related to family systems, psychological dimensions of health and illness, and sociology of health and illness

animal health and productivity

Clinical practice will remain a key component of many AHC efforts. With the creation of the Fairview/U of MN relationship and the single medical FPO, new systems of practice and administration are needed. External competitive pressures on all clinical activities in the AHC demand new and creative approaches to the role of the AHC in clinical affairs.

a. bring the Medical School FPO into full operational status by July 1, 1997

b. develop or update FPO's for other AHC schools

c. bring the opportunity presented by Fairview into operation

d. enhance the Pharmaceutical Care Program

e. enhance the utilization of advanced practice nurses (nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists and nurse leaders-managers), physician assistants, and allied health professionals

f. enhance the utilization of the Dental Clinics

g. enhance the operation and competitive position of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital

h. address issues for potential conflict of interest arising from clinical practice at multiple sites

Strategic Goal 1: Enhance the competitive relevance and position of AHC education and research.

1) Expand and enhance Rural Health School with an integrated Greater Minnesota Network

2) Create a Health Care Systems Center for health care policy, education, and research

3 Greatly increase the use of on-line and distance technology-based education

4) Develop Education and Research Services Organizations to facilitate and promote education, research, and technology transfer, and to complement existing efforts in the university

5) Establish greater community partnerships in education and research

Strategic Goal 2: Meet relevant work force needs and ensure AHC's leadership role in the health professions through adjustments in the size and mix of enrollments and educational programs.

1) Develop a health provider work force needs assessment process

2) Initiate AHC-wide curricular and education program planning to address work force needs for health professionals and in research

4) Expand the scope of the Advanced Practice Nursing Program

5) Expand the scope of the Pharmaceutical Care Program

6) Develop new curricula for health professional students, e.g., managed care, team care, public health core, interdisciplinary core

7) Develop educational programs that can enhance professional experiences in a community based, non-hospital environment

8) Reduce the cost of education/training of health professionals

Strategic Goal 3: Improve the competitive position of clinical/outreach functions for all health professional schools and the AHC.

1) Assure that professional school group practices are operational

2) Complete the implementation of the Fairview relationship

3) Enhance the FPOs' position in competitive contracting: decrease the cost of patient care by AHC clinicians

4) Develop new clinical revenue through investment in new programs

5) Implement wide use of information systems and distance technology for clinical care

6) Enhance our community outreach abilities

8) Increase the linkages in all schools between private health service organizations and the AHC

Strategic Goal 4: Enhance the environment to promote faculty and staff creativity, excellence, and productivity.

1) Enhance faculty development programs

2) Enhance staff development programs

3) Develop effective human resources management support services

4) Improve merit recognition systems

5) Review and improve faculty evaluation systems and processes

Strategic Goal 5: Strengthen financial management to promote flexibility, investment, and financial stability.

1) Continue strategic planning and resource allocation via Deans Council utilizing the consultative process

2) Identify new revenue sources from programs, health systems, Fairview, government, and private fund raising

3) Seek infrastructure efficiencies across the AHC

4) Identify investment resources for education and research

5) Provide for work force adjustments in all categories via hiring practices, reassignment/ retraining, incentives and exit strategies

6) Set benchmarks for infrastructure performance using best practices evaluation based on performance outcomes

Strategic Goal 6: Maintain each profession's identity and excellence as AHC interscholastic programs develop.

1) Facilitate and improve structure on-going collegiate level strategic planning processes

2) Enhance the linkages between the colleges and their constituent professional organizations

3) Improve public relations between each college and the public; assure a better understanding of the professions' role in Minnesota and nationally