In most counties, rural dwellers usually lack access to essential amenities as compared to those leaving in urban areas. One of those amenities is healthcare. Okeene Municipal Hospital (OMH) is one of the only two hospitals located in Blaine County, Oklahoma and serves over nine thousand people (City-Data, 2019). Also, considering the weak economy of Blaine county, the cost of care is increasingly becoming costly making it difficult for the residents to access healthcare. Moreover, most of the medical practitioners do not enjoy working in a rural environment, and Blaine County represents such an environment. As a result of the stated lapses, OMH wishes to launch a comprehensive satellite health clinic in the county and to determine the feasibility of the project, and it is vital to carry out a market analysis.
Market Analysis
A market analysis is integral as it offers the Board of Directors (BODs) with the necessary information regarding healthcare trends. The analysis shows that Blaine County consists of 9,898 residents as of 2016 which is a decrease in population as compared to 11,976 residents in 2000 (City-Data, 2019). The county consists of different racial ethnicities: white non-Hispanic (73.6%), Latinos or Hispanic (10.1%), Black non-Hispanic (5.2%), and American Indian and Alaska Natives (5.3%) (City-Data, 2019). Also, as per the analysis, the median income of a household is $44,216. The county has the largest poverty rate in the USA at a rate of 14.1%, which is above the official poverty rate of 12.3% (Data USA, 2019). The age groups survey in the county is as follows: Age 0-14 (18%), 15-19 (5.7%), 20-24 (7%), 25-44 (30.5%), 45-64 (24.4%), 65+ (14.4%) (OMH Health Need Assessment, 2018).
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Consequently, rural residentials at most times tend to be less financially viable. Besides that, statistics show that Americans living in rural areas are more likely to live below the poverty line. Twenty-four percent of the kids residing in rural areas live an environment of financial lack (Data USA, 2019). Most of rural inhabitants are not employed and may not be viable for employer-offered health insurance. Besides, their chance of being covered by Medicaid is less compared to their counterparts in urban towns (NRHA, 2019). However, the 2010 Affordable Care Act promised to expand its Medicaid coverage to reach the people in rural areas with little income. This means that rural residents can meet the Medicaid requirement and benefit from the provision. Because most of the rural residents make smaller earnings, a more significant population will qualify for protection. As a result, the demand for healthcare among the people will increase unlike before when they could not afford health insurance.
Competition in Blaine County cannot be ignored, although the number of health amenities is minimal. In that case, the satellite clinic has to ensure its health products and services are offered at a moderate price since the people do not make a lot of money. Also, it would be necessary for the clinic to administer a SWOT analysis of their competitors to optimize their weakness and opportunities. Learning from competitors will help the clinic to strategize and plan on a better way to reach more people in the county. Another essential factor to consider is hiring fresh doctors and mix them with some experienced doctors since the clinic might not be able to meet the cost demands of healthcare professionals with many years of experience. The clinic is the right place for new doctors to work as they gain more experience.
Assuming the clinic is to be located in a town away from OMH, the committee members tasked with the development of the clinic have to study all the municipalities in Blaine County and choose the most appropriate location. This study would be done with assistance from the county mayor. With a suitable location selected, other value-adding support services and resources may be implemented. These services may include the provision of decent logistics such as free and safe parking space for customers, a clear location board with all the details of the organization to help visitors quickly locate the clinic and many more. Setting up these support services may seem to incur extra costs, but they are essential as they complement and enhance the primary functions and activities of OMH.
About medical equipment and technology, the clinic would need to procure the necessary equipment to attract more patients. Since the clinic cannot afford to buy all the expensive equipment, they can endeavor to lease some of the machines. Medical equipment will enhance service delivery and efficiency in the clinic (Duarte et al., 2014). Since it is a significant problem to attract health professionals and staff in Blaine County, the clinic needs to advertise on the television and newspapers and also use social media frequently to promote their healthcare services. Additionally, to attract health professionals to come and work in a rural environment, they have to be lured. For this reason, an incentive strategy such as free house cover and transport for medical practitioners should be implemented.
References
City-Data. (2019). Blaine County, Oklahoma, detailed profile - houses, real estate, cost of living, wages, work, agriculture, ancestries, and more. Retrieved 30 August 2019, from http://www.city-data.com/county/Blaine_County-OK.html
Data USA. (2019). Blaine County, OK | Data USA. Retrieved 30 August 2019, from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/blaine-county-ok
Duarte, N. T., Goodson, J. R., & Dougherty, T. M. P. (2014). Managing innovation in hospitals and health systems: Lessons from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winners. International Journal of Healthcare Management , 7 (1), 21-34.
NRHA. (2019). About NRHA - NRHA. Retrieved 30 August 2019, from https://www.ruralhealthweb.org/about-nrha
Okeene Municipal Hospital Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy. (2018). Retrieved 30 August 2019, from https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/7c9b4c_fa5bcd1bdbce428ca3337913d819b755.pdf
