The Alliance completed its strategic plan that will guide its vision to be a catalyst that ignites bold advancements in organ donation, transplantation, and patient survival through collaboration and engaged learning. The plan emphasizes community collaboration, innovation sharing, enhanced learning experiences, and sustainable infrastructure. The planning process was supported by The Joint Commission.
Three-fourths of The Alliance’s board members served on the Strategic Planning Committee, which was led by Alliance Board Chair Kevin Myer, president and CEO of LiftGift. “The world of healthcare is so dynamic that using a strategy mapping approach to plan for The Alliance’s future was essential,” says Myer. “And, the engagement of one of The Joint Commission’s leading strategic consultants to guide the planning process was invaluable.”
That consultant, Yerachmiel “Rocky” Ephraim, a Lean Six Sigma consultant at The Joint Commission, was loaned to lead the work of the Strategic Planning Committee. At The Joint Commission, he is a teacher and practitioner of their Robust Process Improvement methodology, where he works closely with senior leadership and staff on cost-saving and revenue-generating improvement projects. With an MBA in finance/management and 15 years in healthcare operations, he championed using a data-driven approach for the planning process.
“I’m a big believer that listening to the ‘voice of the customer’ is what allows organizations to thrive,” says Ephraim. “The Alliance’s Strategic Planning Committee was very collaborative and really engaged with using a data-driven approach. They launched listening sessions and a community-wide survey to gain insights, created a dashboard of performance metrics, and are committed to measuring ongoing activity. The insights of the voice of the customer will be improving The Alliance for years to come.”
“The Joint Commission values the important work of The Alliance in the field of organ donation and transplantation,” says Laura Gayton, Alliance board member and associate director of Standards Interpretation for The Joint Commission, who facilitated the consulting services of The Joint Commission. “The results of initiatives developed through this strategic planning process will affect thousands of patients across the United States.”
Work on the planning process began in March 2021 and included refining The Alliance’s mission and vision, conducting a situational analysis, setting strategic priorities, determining resource implications, and developing an implementation plan.
Under the leadership of Karri Hobson-Pape, executive director of The Alliance, and the Board of Directors, eight cross-cutting strategic goals for the future were identified:
- Enhance collaborative leadership opportunities to improve donation and transplantation practices
- Reinforce the connections among our three domains in organ transplantation – hospitals where donations occur, organ procurement organizations and transplant programs
- Deliver valued contextual perspective and interdisciplinary view across the organ donation and transplantation continuum.
- Improve access to current tools, resources and learning programs for broad consumption
- Drive innovation and solutions to address the challenges that exist today
- Enhance depth of community partnerships with supporting associations and government organizations, while maintaining an objective and balanced perspective
- Advance diversity, equity and inclusion across all Alliance efforts
- Increase awareness about collaborative initiatives and learning solutions provided by The Alliance to a broader audience
To achieve these goals, the strategy map for the future of The Alliance was tooled into three mission-driven strategic pillars and one mission-enabling strategic pillar:
- Community Collaboration: drive community collaboration for greater sharing among thought leaders in the field
- Innovation Sharing: provide effective practices, emerging ideas, innovative approaches and interdisciplinary perspective through engaged learning solutions
- Enhanced Learning Experiences: cascade knowledge through improved access and a comprehensive learning resource for the organ donation and transplantation community
- Sustainable Infrastructure: build infrastructure for long-term sustainable success
“Our 15th anniversary was the perfect time to embark on this enhanced strategic planning process,” says Hobson-Pape. “The Strategic Plan will be part of the board’s annual process and will allow us to thoughtfully determine important programs with data-driven insights. The plan creates an enduring foundation for the future.”
“This strategy development and plan will guide the work of The Alliance’s board and its extensive group of volunteers so we continue to demonstrate the vision and mission of the organization to help restore lives through transplantation,” says Board Chair Myer.
Strategic Plan Committee Members:
Kevin Myer, Chair
Richard Gilroy, MD
Ana Hands, MD
Tom Nakagawa, MD
Jennifer Berumen, MD
Nancy Foster
David Klassen, MD
John Magee, MD
Paul Myoung
Kelly Ranum
