Business Unit Strategic Plan on Implementation of a PET CT unit at a local hospital Draft: This paper attempts to examine whether or not it is convenient for a local hospital to achieve an ultimate technology medical device, mainly a PET/CT scanning system. In order to come up with a convenient answer and proper solutions, I will present the vision statement, mission statement, objectives, values, strategies, programs, the goals the hospital expects to achieve with the help of the investment it is about to develop. Afterwards I would develop a SWOT analysis which is going to emphasize the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the proposed objective. Moreover, the last part of my paper would focus on the marketing strategies that should be developed in order to convince more patients to use the modern device, on the sales projections and technology means which are expected to be used in the near future, on the operational plans, financial projections I will end up with a conclusion which has the role to summarize all the parts I would have presented.

Vision statement: With the development of the human kind, the number of diseases has increased as well. "From advances in x-ray film and cassettes to the introduction of computers and digital images, diagnostic imaging has never stopped reinventing its technology to improve patient care. Today, diagnostic imaging is on the cusp of explosive growth in an arena known as fusion."

Mission statement: One of the latest technologic in the medical world is PET/CT, a powerful imaging technique that is expected to give magnificent results in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases.

Objective: Achieving the PET/Ct system and helping many sick persons to improve their health by using it.

Values: PET/CT scanning is one of the latest methods dedicated to the tumors' treatment, which may be used for an exact diagnostic identification, and a precise localization of a tumor. PET/CT functioning system is based on two techniques, each of them working in the same time, but registering and analyzing different parts of the human body: "PET (Positron Emission Tomography) sees metabolic processes, which is useful for targeting a tumor. In a PET scan, the patient is injected with a small amount of radioactive sugar, which the scanner can see through the body. Cancer cells, because they grow more rapidly than healthy cells, often consume much of the sugar, allowing the scanner to make precise images of the tumor."

Strategies: The method through which the disease is detected follows the already-existing x-ray technology, but completed by some adjustments: practically, the body is scanned in a greater detail and with much more attention, and, after being theoretically divided into parts, these segments are photographed. Another great difference from the traditional x-ray system consists in the fact that CT scans are 360°, so 3-D pictures have the role to replace the traditional radiographies.

The next step this new technique follows is the combination of the images taken by the two scanners, which allow a proper of the tumor location, size, and shape. Therefore, a proper diagnosis might be given including the gravity and staging the disease, allowing the planning of the treatment, and the monitoring of treatment progress. "The level of detail that PET/CT imaging gives doctors allows oncologists to reduce the amount of healthy tissue which is treated."

Programme: The appearance of the revolutionary medical improvement is quite recent: "UPMC Cancer Centers has had access to PET/CT technology since its creation. In 1998, UPMC became home to the first PET/CT scanner, and has since utilized the technology in more than 10,000 clinical cases. The introduction of PET/CT has benefited the diagnosis of head and neck cancer and melanoma patients, two formerly hard-to-spot cancer types. PET/CT provides greater diagnostic accuracy in a variety of cancers including lung cancer, lymphom and Hodgkin's disease, and pancreatic, head and neck, ovarian, and cervical cancers."

Since a first glance it might be assumed the fact that PET/CT would bring some important benefits to the patients' status and living. Even though, a great disadvantage might be represented by the high cost of the equipment, which has only allowed large hospitals to achieve it Moreover, in order for the very ill persons to be helped, UPMC has developed a mobile PET/CT unit that can be brought next to them. In this way the same equipment is able to be used by more than one clinic and its cost might be shared among them. "The Mobile PET/CT unit is identical to the stationary units, except that the equipment is mounted in a tractor trailer which is parked outside the network locations. Scans are scheduled with your oncologist, and the actual procedure takes place in the trailer."

Goals: A local hospital has decided to achieve the PET/CT equipment and expects to cover its investment through the gains it would achieve from the patients willing to stand such a treatment.

SWOT...

Moreover, the strengths and the weaknesses compose the Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix, whileas the opportunities and threats are the two parts of the External Factor Evaluation Matrix. As it might be inferred from behind, the number of strengths and opportunities is greater than that of weaknesses and threats:
Strengths:

The new machinery is able of performing both functions of assessing information about metabolic function and depicting anatomy in the same time;

Since it is able to unite metabolic function with anatomic form, fusion imaging depicts the human body with a level of precision never before achievable;

The PET/CT technology allows radiation therapists to deliver very high doses of cancer-killing radiation directly to cancerous tumors. Moreover, with its help, the radiation therapists would benefit from a more accurate anatomical reference point for IMRT procedures, being provided with information about functional size and shape of a tumor and being shown precisely where to target the beam of radiation. This ensures that the tumor receives the maximum amount of radiation possible while the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor is spared.

Its revolutionary mobile system allows PET/CT in the cases of the patients who are not able to walk long distances.

PET images can more accurately define a host of disease processes than conventional, anatomic-based imaging alone (such as CT and MR)

PET can play an important role in cardiac, neurological and whole-body imaging.

Weaknesses

Its cost is quite high - $2.4 million - and therefore it can be achieved only by large hospitals;

The modern technology used might raise problems for the medical personnel;

In the case of some possible defaults, the reparations might prove to be expensive and difficult to be achieved.

The Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix:

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

The system is also available in a mobile form and can therefore be achieved in collaboration with another hospital.

Great prices are usually a characteristic of the ultimate tendencies in technology but, once other items appear, their cost is cheapened.

The high cost of PET/CT might be somehow compensated if the treatment would be offered at a high price as well; moreover, it would be able to produce significant gains.

The system is provided with a management facility.

The company that provides the system also offers marketing services.

PET/CT might easily target its market because of the high popularity it would achieve, a fact that would significantly contribute to the increasing of the number of patients.

Threats:

As it has been stated above, the technological investments represent a great challenge, as new items appear very often and, therefore, there is a high risk for PET/CT to become sonly outdated.

The same technological risk might represent a great concern for the hospital that decides to achieve the new system, since it might not be able to cover its investment.

The number of clients might prove to be unexpectedly small because of the high price.

The External Factor Evaluation Matrix:

Opportunities

Threats

Status: PET/CT is one of the most important developments in medical imaging until no, and due to its high performances capabilities, it also represents one of the most costly pieces of diagnostic equipment. For facilities wishing to provide this major advancement in patient care, the price tag can run more than $2 million for a new, state-of-the-art scanner.

Offerings: PET/CT "allows medical specialists to see both the structure and molecular activity of various diseases and health disorders." marketing and management assistance from the provider company

Target markets:

Very sick persons, for which the proper treatment has not yet been discovered, since the great amount of radiations PET/CT provides might represent the only solution remained for them.

Patients who are in need of permanent medical assistance and whose disease level need to be constantly evaluated.

Rich persons who refer to keep their health under control and do not care about the costs involved.

Marketing strategies:

using the management and marketing strategies provided by the selling company

Inform the hospital's personnel on the benefits PET/CT might bring and determine them through a payment system to convince patients to use it.

Develop an advertising campaign…