Our Commitment to a Better Future

The Mission states Salem Health’s reason for being, and the Vision states what we will look like in the future. The Statement of Strategy then clarifies the way we intend to fulfill our Mission and achieve our Vision. 

Strategic Plan

Salem Health updated its strategic plan in 2008 to reflect continued change in the regional healthcare environment and the need to respond in new and different ways to challenges anticipated to grow more pressing in the coming years. 

For example, a continued and growing shortage of physicians, other clinicians, and healthcare professionals is reducing communities’ access to various types and levels of health services. 

On a national scale, government Medicare and Medicaid programs are facing severe financial shortfalls considering the continued increase in utilization projected as the population ages.

Statement of Strategy

By 2012, Salem Health will provide consistently superior healthcare that individuals experience as personalized, timely, coordinated, and of excellent value, in collaboration with physicians, other clinical service providers, and the communities that together we serve.

Key Strategies and Initiatives

Four major strategies are being pursued in accord with the Statement of Strategy. 

1. Optimized patient and family experience through personalized care design and delivery.
2. Timely access to care through increased clinical capacity and care options.
3. Collaboration with physicians and other clinical service providers sharing common ground with Salem Health to improve quality, patient satisfaction, care coordination, and efficiency.
4. Continuous process improvement for high quality and service outcomes, provided cost effectively.

Six initiatives individually and collectively advance our progress according to the strategies stated above.  A series of projects are designed and executed on an annual basis to conduct the work necessary to carry out the initiative that together are summarized and monitored in the Organizational Work Plan. They are:

• Advance overall outcomes through adoption of evidence-based standards, workflow optimization, and decision-support technology.
• Grow patient and family-centered healthcare and service lines to meet diverse community needs and exceed patient expectations through best practice service delivery.
• Deliver coordinated care through alliances with community physician groups and other healthcare providers.
• Fill priority access needs unmet by community clinicians by employing needed physicians.
• Achieve Magnet status for an outstanding professional and care environment.
• Continue enabling infrastructure development to support organizational strategy in terms of workforce development, information services, administrative support, and 21st century facilities.