Sg2 and St. Luke’s: Guiding Future Growth and Transformation

St. Luke’s Hospital, a nonprofit health system in the greater St. Louis area, consists of two hospitals with 636 beds, two ambulatory surgery centers, eight urgent care facilities, nearly 200 employed physicians, and a medical staff of over 1,000 physicians across 60 specialties. Post-pandemic, the hospital faced challenges due to the lack of a formalized strategic plan and wanted to refine its vision and develop a five-year strategic plan to ensure growth, transformation, and financial strength while maintaining its independence and unique culture.

St. Luke's leadership recognized the need for a comprehensive and customized strategic planning approach, based on solid market data and analytics, rather than a generic one-day session. They sought a partner who could understand their unique organization, listen to stakeholders and provide the expertise necessary for informed decision-making. Sg2 and Vizient were selected as trusted partners to help guide St. Luke's future growth and transformation.

The Sg2 Approach

The Sg2 team conducted a six-week assessment involving interviews and surveys to understand organizational dynamics at St. Luke’s. They worked with the steering committee to define a future vision, identified barriers and formulated strategies. Seven scenarios were created to evaluate environmental impacts, and strategic imperatives were prioritized. A tactical roadmap and communication plan were developed in collaboration with Vizient’s experts, including targeted communications, a marketing plan, a presentation to the board, progress tracking, governance updates, a public relations strategy, and a one-page summary of the vision and strategy.

The Results

The development of St. Luke’s new Enterprise Strategic Plan achieved consensus on the organization's future direction, identified growth markets and services, developed success metrics, enhanced system integration, optimized asset use through market analytics, and encouraged organizational cohesion. The plan also received unanimous buy-in from the board and donor committee, leading to discussions on financial support. Implementation included a marketing campaign to raise awareness, creation of a One St. Luke’s brand and various promotional tactics. One year later, an Enterprise Strategic Session promoted cross-departmental information sharing, accountability, and identified numerous tactics for completion in FY24, with Phase 2 sessions planned.

Access the full case study here, and for more information on Sg2 capabilities, contact us at info@sg2.com.