Strategic Plan
Introduction
Dartmouth Health 2030 – One Team One Vision is the second strategic plan undertaken by our academic health system. The new plan represents a significant evolution in the development of our collective vision for Dartmouth Health, our members and healthcare delivery to the people of our region.
As a major provider of healthcare services in Northern New England and the largest private employer in the state of New Hampshire, Dartmouth Health has a singular responsibility to our patients, our employees and the communities we serve. We must continuously position our organization to successfully manage the ever-changing healthcare landscape, where the demand for our services is growing with the region’s aging population, costs are increasing exponentially and reimbursement rates are not keeping pace.
Dartmouth Health 2030 – One Team One Vision is the culmination of a 2-year strategic planning process that included clinical and administrative leaders from across the health system in close collaboration with the Dartmouth Health Board of Trustees. The resulting strategic plan, outlined here, is a roadmap for our priorities and growth over the next 5 years. It is intended to be a dynamic, living document that informs our collective work and decision-making as we move forward.
Dartmouth Health 2030 – One Team One Vision reflects the power of our integrated health system, where the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. We are all one team with one vision—to be a premier academic health system, setting the standard for rural healthcare—where world-class care is woven into the fabric of our communities.
This strategic plan serves as the foundation for the individual strategic plans of our Dartmouth Health system members.
The Dartmouth Health brand stands apart by bringing to life our Brand Pillars.
- Clinical excellence and quality care
State-of-the-art science— innovative care and research - Access and support
An integrated web of support - Personal and welcoming
A neighborly approach - Community commitment
Strengthening the health of our region
One Team One Vision
- Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital
- Cheshire Medical Center
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
- Hampstead Hospital
- Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center
- New London Hospital
- Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
- Valley Regional Hospital
- Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire
Background
The Strategic Planning Process
In the spring of 2023, Dartmouth Health launched a comprehensive strategic planning process. The initial steps of the process included a detailed scan of both the system’s internal and external environments and more than 150 interviews with stakeholders from across the health system as well as trusted partners.
In September 2023, a strategic planning session with the Dartmouth Health Board of Trustees was held to review quantitative and qualitative data from the environmental scan and stakeholder interviews to begin developing a shared vision for the health system. The output from this session informed a larger strategic planning retreat held in November 2023. This retreat brought together more than 140 Dartmouth Health leaders to align on a vision, purpose and priorities for the health system over the next 5 years.
In April 2024, Dartmouth Health’s executive leadership presented a high-level draft strategic plan to the Dartmouth Health Board of Trustees that included revised purpose and vision statements as well as strategies and priorities identified in the September and November 2023 retreats. The Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed the draft strategic plan and charged Dartmouth Health leadership to establish workgroups, drawn from representatives across the health system, to recommend short-term and long-term initiatives that support each of the 9 priorities of the strategic plan.
The work culminated in October 2024, when the Dartmouth Health Board of Trustees unanimously approved the new Dartmouth Health Strategic Plan.
Dartmouth Health 2030 – One Team One Vision is now a reality
Goal:
Create an environment of excellence that attracts and inspires people to innovate, learn and grow at Dartmouth Health
Priorities:
- Foster a culture that is supportive, diverse and inclusive
- Be a magnet for research and education
- Implement digital/AI solutions to support our people & patients
Metrics:
- Engagement
- Retention rates
- Research funding
Goal:
Provide the highest value, safest care and best patient experience to each person and their families every time
Priorities:
- Be nationally recognized for quality, safety and patient experience
- Radically transform patient access across the care continuum
- Excel under value-based care payment models
Metrics:
- Access
- Patient experience
- CMS 5-star rating
Goal:
Expand services and build partnerships to improve the health of the populations we serve
Priorities:
- Grow sites of care and services in Southern NH
- Measurably improve health equity in our region
- Design innovative care models for an aging, rural population
Metrics:
- Population health
- Financial health
Our Strategic Goals
What do we need to do to live our purpose and deliver on our vision?
The 3 strategic goals that are the foundation of this plan support our system purpose and vision statements. Each strategic goal statement defines the broad, primary outcome we hope to achieve through our focus on key priorities. It is important to note that while these priorities are nested under each of the 3 strategic goals, they are not limited to that space. Many of these priorities are critical to our success in multiple areas.
The work of Dartmouth Health 2030—One Team One Vision will uphold the newly created Dartmouth Health Shared Values. While the strategic plan is our roadmap, the values are our compass.
Dartmouth Health Values
The Compass of Our Health System
we embrace
Nurture human connection by working together as one collaborative team, supporting people with warmth and kindness.
- Heal with Heart
- Be Inclusive
- Build Bridges
we explore
Discover new possibilities and knowledge by venturing beyond the familiar, seeking to learn, adapt, and grow—even when the path is unknown.
- Be Curious
- Get Creative
- Keep Growing
we excel
Deliver world-class care by consistently doing our best, improving every day and staying true to what really matters.
- Own It
- Find the Way Forward
- See the Need, Meet the Need
Strategic Plan Overview
The strategic plan is organized around 3 strategic goals, each with a set of priorities and metrics to measure success. The priorities are the key areas of focus that will help us achieve our strategic goals. The metrics will be used to track our progress and ensure accountability.The overall goal of the strategic plan is to ensure that Dartmouth Health meets the growing needs of our patients, our employees and the communities we serve. Our system purpose, strategic goals and priorities align around these 3 key areas that are critical to our success:
Our Purpose: Why we exist
Since the initial system strategic plan was developed in 2018, our health system has grown and become more integrated clinically and administratively. Dartmouth Health's purpose has evolved to not only focus on supporting each individual member organization's needs but also to how we, as a health system, collectively serve the needs of our broader region. Our purpose statement answers the question “Why does our health system exist?” and highlights the continued priorities that will allow us to best serve our patients, our employees and our communities.
Purpose...
To improve the health and well-being of our patients, our people and our communities.
Our Vision: What we want to be
The vision statement for Dartmouth Health includes 2 key elements. The first is to be a premier academic health system, which includes leadership in clinical care, research and education. The second is to set the standard for rural healthcare delivery in the United States. Both of these goals reflect the unique opportunities and challenges for our health system.
Vision...
To be a premier academic health system, setting the standard for rural healthcare.
Strategic Goal #1
Inspire • Innovate • Educate • Grow
Create an environment of excellence that attracts and inspires people to innovate, learn and grow at Dartmouth Health.
To ensure the long-term success of our health system, we must continue to attract and retain the best talent, fostering a culture of excellence that will draw and inspire talented individuals to learn and grow with Dartmouth Health. We must continue to build a culture that engages and elevates our employees and encourages professional growth across all our system members.
The Priorities:
Foster a culture that is supportive, diverse and inclusive. A supportive, diverse and inclusive culture is critical to our success. More diverse teams lead to better outcomes and results and a supportive culture is one that creates a “culture of safety,” leading to higher-quality, better patient outcomes and more engaged employees.
Be a magnet for research and education. As New Hampshire's only academic health system, it is incumbent upon Dartmouth Health to prioritize excellence in research and education. For research, this supports the continued work to advance patient care through technology, discovery and science that leads to better patient outcomes and a healthier community. On the education side, our partnerships with the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Colby-Sawyer College and other educational institutions support our goal to educate and develop the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Implement digital/AI solutions to support our people and patients. Digital and AI capabilities continue to rapidly advance and are poised to change the way we deliver healthcare. Dartmouth Health must work diligently to understand and thoughtfully deploy these new solutions in ways that support the needs of our patients and employees across the care continuum.
The Metrics...
How will we measure success?
- Employee engagement
- Retention rates
- Research funding
Strategic Goal #2
Value • Safety • Quality • Access
Provide the highest value, safest care and best patient experience to each patient and their families every time.
Dartmouth Health and its members have a reputation regionally and nationally as a provider of high-quality, cost-effective and patient-centered care. We must continue to improve our ability to demonstrate value, improve outcomes and enhance access across our member sites.
The Priorities:
Be nationally recognized for quality, safety and patient experience. Our health system must continue to seek and achieve excellence in patient experience, outcomes and safety through focused and coordinated system-wide efforts. These efforts will be achieved by engaging our rich ecosystem of trained quality leaders while leveraging other focus areas, including the development of our people.
Radically transform patient access across the care continuum. Access to healthcare has increasingly become a fundamental issue for our nation and our region. Dartmouth Health must dedicate resources to improve access for our patients and families across the care continuum while also building out internal capabilities to better manage patient placement and transportation.
Excel under value-based care payment models. Healthcare continues to move toward more at-risk models of care, focusing on value rather than volume. Dartmouth Health must continue to make investments that ensure our success in the future under new payment models.
The Metrics...
How will we measure success?
- Access
- Patient experience
- CMS 5-star rating
Strategic Goal #3
Innovation • Equity • Partnership • Targeted Expansion
Expand services and build partnerships to improve the health of the populations we serve.
Dartmouth Health will continue to invest in its member organizations and build strategic partnerships that keep patients close to home. We will look for strategic partners that share our vision and we will expand services in our region and beyond that meet the growing needs of the population.
The Priorities:
Grow sites of care and services in southern New Hampshire. As the demographics in our region continue to evolve, the growth of sites and services in southern New Hampshire is a critical priority for our health system. We must identify a path forward to establish a larger presence in southern New Hampshire and expand the world-class care we provide to that region.
Design innovative care models for an aging, rural population. New Hampshire and Vermont are among the oldest states in the nation, presenting both a challenge and opportunity for us to develop models of care specific to the needs of an aging, rural population. Dartmouth Health will work to become a leader in the development of new care models as we strive to meet our vision of setting the standard for rural healthcare delivery.
Measurably improve health equity in our region. The rural nature of our service area, coupled with the growing aging population, necessitates the need for us to understand, measure and drive health equity in all areas.
The Metrics...
How will we measure success?
- Population health
- Financial health
Execution and Monitoring
Doing the work and holding ourselves accountable
Between September and November 2024, the strategic planning team met with each of the 9 strategic priority workgroup leaders to identify critical initiatives that must be executed to advance the organization’s strategic goals. 30 initiatives were identified and now constitute the Dartmouth Health strategic portfolio. Not every initiative can be done at once and many build on each other. This portfolio will inform our annual budget process and be tracked and monitored to ensure steady progress. It will also be a living document with new initiatives added as others are completed and as the workgroups continue to progress through their initial 3-year plans.
The strategic planning team will continue to meet with workgroup and initiative leaders on a regular basis to update the portfolio and plans.
Ongoing Measurement and Monitoring
The completed strategic plan will be integrated into the annual planning cycle, which will consider new measures for the system scorecard based on the strategic plan priorities. These new metrics will also flow through to member scorecards, ensuring broader alignment across the system. The system scorecard will be reviewed regularly with the Senior Leadership Group, Executive Team and Boards of Trustees
Communications: Share the plan, embrace the vision
A system-wide communications plan is being launched to share the strategic plan with all employees across Dartmouth Health. Information and updates will be shared on an ongoing basis as the work progresses.
The Dartmouth Health employee community is integral to the success of the strategic plan—every person in every department and location plays a role in the successful execution of the initiatives outlined in this plan. The communications will invite them to see themselves in the plan, and to embrace it, both as employees and as patients and consumers of healthcare.
While employees are closely tied to the individual member organization where they work, it's important that they see their contributions as part of our greater academic health system.
All internal communications will emphasize Dartmouth Health 2030—One Team One Vision.
High-level themes and select initiatives outlined in the strategic plan will be shared externally with our patients, partners and communities on the Dartmouth Health public website.
Thanks: A message of appreciation
On behalf of Dr. Conroy and the Dartmouth Health Board of Trustees and the Strategic Planning team, we would like to thank the many leaders and subject matter experts from across the health system who contributed their vast expertise, ideas and energy to the process of creating this strategic plan. Each voice and perspective has contributed to the final product that will guide us into the future.
Your dedication to our patients, our mission and each other is incredible to witness and a simple thank you doesn't seem adequate. We are so grateful and look forward to putting the plan into action.
Stephen J. LeBlanc
Chief Strategy Officer
Samuel N. Shields, Jr., MBA, MHCDS
System Vice President Strategy
and Regional Operations
“This strategic plan—Dartmouth Health 2030 One Team One Vision—is the culmination of leaders from across our academic health system working in close collaboration with our Boards of Trustees and key community stakeholders to chart a course for the future of healthcare delivery in our region. With our shared mission and values as the foundation, and the patient always at the forefront, together we will change lives.”
— Joanne M. Conroy, MD
CEO and President, Dartmouth Health