Strategic Planning in Healthcare: An Introduction for Health Professionals is a practical guide to the theory of strategic planning and the principles of strategic management that apply to all organizational settings, including large health care networks, small practices, and public health institutions among many others. This text provides a solid theoretical framework, supplemented with examples and a common case, which is reinforced by hands-on practical student exercises and chapter-specific worksheets. It examines strategy-making issues from the initial assessment of the organization and competitive landscape, through situational analysis of economic incentives, creation of objectives and measurement, formulation of financial and operational strategies, and the development of mission and goals, effectively allowing students to apply concepts at each stage of the planning cycle. Throughout, this book explains different tactics for implementation and evaluation, the principles of integrating evaluation and control, and other factors that affect competitive positioning and performance in health service organizations. This hands-on text incorporates real-world examples and case studies so that the content can be digested easily in undergraduate and graduate courses alike and can be applied to an individual or group project to encourage application and experiential learning. Written by an experienced strategic planner and educator, this foundational textbook prepares public health students, health care administration students, and related health professionals to develop their own effective strategic plans that achieve performance excellence. Key Features: Provides a thorough, step-by-step review of the strategic planning process in health care organizations with a strong theoretical framework Detailed Case Studies using a fictionalized healthcare organization conclude each chapter Includes strategic planning chapter-specific worksheets that allow students to develop a quasi-strategic plan Real-world sample strategic plans from across the healthcare industry Access to the downloadable eBook