Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 2, 2021

KH . ORG 5 By Kim Anderson Each year, the Kootenai Health board of trustees and administrative team go through a planning process to set priorities for the organization and talk about future work. It’s a process used for years at Kootenai Health and one of the drivers for projects like building the east wing and expanding cardiovascular services. In 2011, it was also the origin of Kootenai Health’s 2020 vision to become a regional referral center and ultimately receive national recognition. At the end of 2020, a new vision was established to guide Kootenai Health’s work for the next 10 years. The process to create the new vision was as interesting as the vision itself. Focusingonwhatmatters “First, Kootenai Health’s administrative team updated the organization’s strategic objectives following an assessment of the changing regional and health care landscape,” said Collin Furukawa, executive director of strategic planning and business development at Kootenai Health. “This work included reaffirming priorities around the patient experience, organizational culture, clinical innovation and financial stability. Next the administrative team and the board engaged in a series of formal, facilitated strategic planning sessions designed to further develop specific strategies needed for future success.” As the work of the board and administrative team was being finalized, Kootenai added a strategy employed at the Mayo Clinic. As part of developing the new vision statement, Kootenai Health pulled together a small group of organizational leaders outside the administrative team. They discussed their own views on what will be important for Kootenai Health in the coming years. The similarities among this group, the administrative team and the board was solid confirmation that the new strategic plan was the right course for Kootenai Health. With priorities, strategy and tactics in alignment, all the pieces were in place to establish a new vision statement. The vision team evaluated all the work, and identified three overarching themes: • Connected—making better connections between health care providers and with patients • Transforming—improving the health care experience from the inside out • Premier—providing the best possible care for all patients Our Vision for the Future: Exceptional Care forYou With these three themes in mind, the new vision for 2030 was developed. One connected team, boldly transforming the health care experience to become a premier medical destination. Chartingour course Each theme works independently and also builds upon the others. As better connections are created, the health care experience can be transformed. As the health care experience is transformed, more people will seek exceptional care here, more providers will bring services to our region and Kootenai Health will become a premier medical destination. This is an exciting vision not only for Kootenai Health but for our entire region. It speaks to bringing more services and higher levels of care to our community, creating new jobs, and bringing an economic boost that will benefit the entire region. Given the success we had with our prior vision, we owe it to our community to continue that momentum on to 2030.