Running Head: HEALTHTAP 1

HealthTap - Comprehensive Strategic Planning Process Map

Amrit Virdee

University of San Diego

ENLC-557-02B-SP18 - Strategic Planning and Management of Health Systems

Dr. Brenda Boone, PhD

April 30, 2018

HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 2

Step One – Set the Stage

The healthcare entity that I have selected is HealthTap, a company that provides a

personalized engaging health experience for everyone at any stage by providing or receiving

care, from query to cure. HealthTap is aiming to re-invent the way people take care of their

health and well-being, providing immediate access to patients it has claimed to be the world’s

first global health practice providing 24/7 immediate access to over 108,000 doctors via video,

text or voice. HealthTap was founded in 2010 and currently has between 101-250 employees.

Its revenue model is based on a subscription service, the use of its app is free and users get

limited access to approximately 5.5 billion answers from doctors available on the platform whilst

‘Prime’ members pay $99 monthly for unlimited access, as well as live consults with doctors via

video, voice or text chat (HealthTap, 2018).

Diagram illustrating the connection between patients, payors and doctors within HealthTap
(HealthTap.com)

The organizational structure of HealthTap includes a Chief Executive Officer (CEO),

Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Medical Office (CMO), Chief Privacy Officer (CPO),

Head of Product, Head of Engineering, Head of Sales and Business and various other managerial

roles. HealthTap’s mission is to measurably prolong the life expectancy of humankind and help
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 3

everyone feel good by providing immediate access to top medical experts and their trusted health

advice anytime, anywhere. Its values include a number of key words and phrases such as

becoming the most trusted online health companion, valuing trust, openness, transparency, health

and wellbeing. The primary decision makers of HealthTap are the CEO, CTO and CMO

(HealthTap, 2018).

The strategic planning process will involve a number of key parties which includes all the

C-suite levels (CEO, CTO, CMO, CPO), the Head of Product, Head of Engineering as well as

the Head of Sales and Business, a total of 7 key stakeholders. Each participant will bring in their

level of expertise and help contribute towards the documented strategic plan. The timeline for

developing strategic plans that are centered around HealthTap’s directional strategies will be six

months.

The goal of HealthTap is to be the ‘go-to’ place for health information and a mandate

should include a number of assumptions such as the emergence of new dominant technology, the

emergence of substitute products, the entry of competitors, how internal processes within

HealthTap may change over time, how to retain and engage the current workforce and what new

skills may be needed in the future to maintain a competitive advantage. HealthTap has a number

of resources such as its partnership with its 108,000 doctors in its network, its relationship with

payors and most of all the patients that use the platform. All these can provide insightful

information that HealthTap can use to ensure that they are meeting the needs of the patient,

providers, payors and keeping ahead of market trends.

Step Two - Do Your Homework

HealthTap provides a platform that is built as an ecosystem of micro services that have

been architected to be extremely scalable (HealthTap, 2018). HealthTap provides benefits for
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 4

various stakeholders such as the patients, physicians and payors. It also takes advantage of

regulations provided by other stakeholders such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) and the Center’s for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). HealthTap was created to

help someone live healthier, happier and longer lives (HealthTap, 2018). HealthTap’s strengths

include; from a patient perspective it provides access to a credible source of health information

(crowd sourced through their doctor network), the ability to access doctors via video, call or text

twenty-four hours a day and the ability for patients to save time and money as some contacts

may not need an actual in-person doctor’s visit. From a doctor’s perspective the platform allows

for another avenue for doctors to generate additional revenue, the ability to improve on their

reputation and the ability to help patients they may not have had access to (remote areas of the

world). From a payor or health system perspective HealthTap allows the ability to improve

patient productivity and lower costs by providing the right care at the right cost at the right time

(HealthTap, 2018).

The weaknesses of the company include the constant need to recruit and maintain top

talent. HealthTap is an extremely mission-driven company which is constantly pushing their

own frontiers on performance and infrastructure with weekly reporting (HealthTap, 2018). This

in turn can lead to issues with employee morale and retention. Access to HealthTap is dependent

on patients having access to a compatible smartphone as well as access to a wireless connection.

Opportunities include patient and doctor education on how to use this platform

effectively. Patients and doctors have been accustomed and trained to interact with each other in

a typical doctor’s office setting so the use of an ‘app’ for health services can have challenges

with expectations. I currently do not think that HealthTap needs to stop doing anything that it is

currently doing.
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 5

Strategies for moving forward should include developing a means of educating patients

of how to use this type of doctor visit more effectively. Patients are most likely to use this at the

point of need and the interaction will result in a disappointment if the platform does not meet the

patient’s expectations. I believe that HealthTap is well poised in continuing to strengthen its

current relationships with its stakeholders as well as making partnerships with new stakeholders

moving forward.

Internal External

- Employees - CMS
- Doctors - FDA
- Management - Medical Board
- Patients
- Payors

Positive Strengths Opportunities

- Established (Founded - On demand access to - 90,000 shortages in

2010) doctors doctors by 2025
- 108,000 doctors on their - Ability to save on costs - Re-educating patients on
network - Immediate access to health how to effectively use this
- Access anywhere in the information platform efficiently
world - Subscription model - Increasing smartphone
adoption
- Worldwide opportunities

Negative Weakness Threats

- Employee recruitment and - Dependent on technology - Competitors

retention smartphones, wireless - Anticipated doctor
- HIPAA regulation providers shortages
- Doctor liability with
online consultation
- Doctor reimbursement
rates

Table 1: HealthTap SWOT Analysis

Step Three - Describe Your Culture

HealthTap was founded in 2010 and its mission is to measurably prolong the life

expectancy of humankind and help everyone feel good by providing immediate access to top
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 6

medical experts and their trusted health advice anytime, anywhere (HealthTap, 2018). The core

reason for a mission is purpose (Ebener & Smith, 2015) and a mission statement consists of three

components: 1) business, 2) purpose and 3) values (Ebener & Smith, 2015).

HealthTap’s mission, vision and values are based on research it conducted around what

patients were looking for in healthcare. The research resulted in three main conclusions; patients

want a completely trustworthy source of health and wellness advice, they want it immediately

and they want their health advice to be completely personalized (HealthTap, 2018). HealthTap’s

business as defined by its mission statement is to provide access to top medical experts and

trusted medical advice anytime and anywhere (HealthTap, 2018). This information is created,

curated and edited by its network of doctors. Access to this information is provided twenty-four

hours a day, seven days of week through video, text, or voice (HealthTap, 2018).

Its purpose is to measurably prolong the life expectancy of humankind and help everyone

feel good (HealthTap, 2018). A purpose such as this appeals to those outside the organization

and provides meaning to people within it (Ebener & Smith, 2015). Its values are defined by

strategically placed words within its mission statement that include ‘trusted’, ‘Feel Good’, ‘top’

and ‘expert’ (HealthTap, 2018). HealthTap’s values are discussed at every meeting and they

measure themselves at every opportunity, they also guide them on who they hire, how they work

together, how they shape the decisions they make and how they grow (HealthTap, 2018). These

choice words add a colorful expression and serves to modify and amplify the statement’s purpose

and business elements (Ebener & Smith, 2015).

Step Four – Frame The Question

The first strategic area of concern for HealthTap is continuing to be the market leader by

providing the best doctor sourced, curated and edited health information. This is comprehensive
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 7

and critical as there are a number of direct competitors such as Doctor on Demand, Teladoc and

MDLIVE (CB Insights, 2018). Currently HealthTap has a network of 108,000 doctors and they

provide a means of provide accurate and dependable health information, this differentiates

HealthTap from its competitors and it is important for HealthTap to continue to retain and

increase the number of doctors in its network.

The second strategic area of concern is the challenge in retaining and recruiting

employees. HealthTap currently has between 101-250 employees (HealthTap, 2018) and it is

important to hire competent employees that have similar values as HealthTap. HealthTap is an

extremely mission-driven company which is constantly pushing its own frontier’s on

performance and infrastructure with weekly reporting (HealthTap, 2018). This can lead to issues

with employee morale, high levels of attrition and employee burnout (Banerjee, 2017).

The third strategic area of concern is their dependence on technology such as

smartphones and wireless providers. Issues can arise with accessibility and connectivity which

could result in interrupted communication and misinterpreted information. These could result in

liability cases that could hamper HealthTap’s reputation. One of the advantages that HealthTap

promotes is the ability for doctors to connect with patients in remote areas, this is a value that

matches HealthTap’s mission of providing top medical experts anywhere (HealthTap, 2018). A

differentiator for HealthTap would be to have the ability to reach remote areas in the US and the

World once they can ensure that their platform can function even with basic functionality in

situations where connectivity may be an issue.

Steps Five and Six – Answer The Questions and Get Specific

Strategic Area #1: Strive to be a market leader for creating and providing the world’s

most trusted online health companion (HealthTap, 2018). Strategy: Increase HealthTap’s
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 8

network of doctors. Action Step #1: Recruiting goal of increasing HealthTap’s doctor network

by 5% a year; start 08/01/2018 by recruiting team. Action Step #2: $500 incentivized fee for

every doctor that joins after a recommendation; start 07/01/2018; by recruitment team, CEO and

CFO. Action Step #3: Outreach to 5 schools of medicine per year to introduce HealthTap to

newly qualified doctors; start 08/01/2018 by HR team on a yearly basis.

Strategic Area #2: Creating a culture that helps retain and attract employees that

resonate with HealthTap’s mission and vision. Strategy: Improve employee retention and

recruitment. Action Step #1: Hiring adds in various online recruiting sites; start 08/01/2018 by

recruitment team. Action Step #2: Attend 2 shows per year such as HIMSS in order to increase

exposure; starts 08/01/2018 by recruiting and marketing teams. Action Step #3: Training

module that teaches employees the mission, vision, values and goals of HealthTap. Starts

08/01/2018 developed by the recruiting team with input from the CEO.

Strategic Area #3: Invest in relationships so consultations can be provided in remote

areas, areas hit by natural disasters or war as well as underserved areas. Strategy: Outreach to

nonprofits with primary aim of ‘giving back’ to society. Action Step #1: Develop a disaster

readiness/call to action plan starts 10/01/2018 by HR department. Action Step #2: Partner with

a non-profit organization; starts December 2018 by CEO and PR team. Action Step #3:

Develop infrastructure plan that looks at how technology will work in areas where a natural

disaster occurs or in areas with limited wireless connections. Starts May 2018 and will involve

the CEO, CTO, CFO and HealthTap researchers.

Step Seven – Discover The Vision

A vision is an expression of hope. It is a description of the organization when it is

fulfilling its purpose. Vision involves creating compelling images of the future and produces a
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 9

picture of what could be and, more important, what a leader wants the future to be (Ginter,

Duncan & Swayne, 2013).

HealthTap’s vision is an extension of its mission which is to ‘measurably prolong the life

expectancy of humankind and help everyone Feel Good’ (HealthTap, 2018). The key elements

here are not the notion to live forever. Americans may live longer than their parents, but they are

likely to be more incapacitated (Emanuel, 2018). Since 1960, increases in longevity have been

achieved mainly by extending lives of people over 60, rather than saving more young people, we

are stretching out old age. (Emanuel, 2018).

The ‘compression of morbidity’ theory was developed by James. F. Fries in 1980 and

thinks about two points on a typical human lifespan, the first representing the time at which a

person becomes chronically ill or disabled and the second point representing the time at which

that person dies. The idea behind compression of morbidity is to squeeze or compress the time

horizon between the onset of chronic illness or disability and the time in which a person dies.

(Swartz, 2008). This idea works on elongating the first point of a typical human lifespan so a

person can live healthier longer. Keywords mentioned in HealthTap’s mission include prolong

life expectancy and help everyone feel good. Being healthy is a pre-requisite of feeling good.

Effective visions possess four important attributes; idealism, uniqueness, future

orientation and imagery (Ginter et al, 2013). HealthTap’s vision statement should be: ‘Helping

humankind live healthier, happier and longer through innovation and immediate access to top

medical experts and their trusted health advise anytime, anywhere.’

Step Eight – Hold Yourself Accountable

Although implementation strategies may be carried out at various organizational levels,

implementing action plans should have common characteristics (Ginter et al, 2013). Action
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 10

plans initiate the strategy – start the work – and serve as a blueprint for managing the strategy

(Ginter et al, 2013). In addition, action plans must be the responsibility of individuals within the

organization and made an integral part of their jobs (Ginter et al, 2013). Each action plan should

also be simple and understandable (Ginter et al, 2013).

Effective action plans should address five key questions, 1) what objectives should

healthcare organizations establish 2) what actions are required to accomplish your healthcare

organization’s objectives and in what sequence should the actions be accomplished 3) who will

be responsible for accomplishing each action step by the designated time 4) what organizational

resources will be required to accomplish each action step in a timely manner and 5) how will the

results be measured (Ginter et al, 2013).

The action plans are based around HealthTap’s three strategic areas which include 1)

strive to be a market leader for creating and providing the world’s most trusted online health

companion (HealthTap, 2018). 2) create a culture that helps retain and attract employees that

resonate with HealthTap’s mission and vision and 3) create training modules that teach

employees and doctors using HealthTap’s network the mission, vision, values and goals of

HealthTap.
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 11

HealthTap action plans

Objectives Actions Resources and Responsible Measurement

Timeline person/group
Strive to be a Implement a Start date HR Team, CEO Goal of
market leader recruiting plan 08/01/2018. increasing the
for creating and with targeting doctor network
providing the marketing on by 5% or above
world’s most various recruiting per year.
trusted online websites such as
health Indeed and
companion by ZipRecruiter as
implementing a well as on
plan for HealthTap.com.
recruiting $500 incentivized Start date Doctors in the Goal of 10% of
doctors to join fee for every 07/01/2018. network, HR, doctors joining
the HealthTap’s doctor that CFO HealthTap via
network. recommends a referrals.
doctor that joins
HealthTap.
Outreach to Start date HR Team, CFO Outreach to a
schools of 08/01/2018. to finalize minimum of 5
medicine to Printing budgets for schools of
introduce brochures, outreach and medicine per
HealthTap to leaflets, promotion, year
newly qualified promotional Marketing
doctors; start items for department
08/01/2018 by display and
HR team on a give-away
yearly basis.
Creating a Have hiring adds Start date HR Team, CEO Have a
culture that placed in various 08/01/2018. minimum of 2
helps retain and online recruiting hiring
attract sites such as advertisements
employees that Indeed and open at all times
resonate with ZipRecruiter as as a means of
HealthTap’s well as on connecting to
mission and HealthTap.com potential
vision Improve candidates.
employee Attend healthcare Start date CEO, CTO, Attend a
retention and shows in order to 08/01/2018. CFO, Marketing minimum of 2
recruitment. increase Printing department, HR health related
HealthTap’s brochures, shows a year
exposure leaflets,
promotional
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 12

items for
display and
give-away.
Training module Start date HR, CEO, Complete a
that teaches 08/01/2018. Marketing comprehensive
employees the department training module
mission, vision, by 12/20/2018
values and goals
of HealthTap due
to the increased
attention to
recruiting doctors
and employees.
Invest in Develop a Start date CTO, HR Complete a draft
relationships so disaster 10/01/2018 and plan by
consultations readiness/call to ongoing as new 12/20/2018 for
can be provided action plan to opportunities submission to
in remote areas, address the arise. the CEO for
areas hit by potential of any approval
natural disasters future disasters
or war as well as Partner with a Start date CEO, CFO, Goal of
underserved non-profit 09/01/2018 CTO, Marketing partnering with a
areas. Outreach organization department non-profit
to nonprofits organization by
with primary 12/20/2018
aim of ‘giving Develop Start CTO, CEO, Have quarterly
back’ to society. infrastructure plan 05/01/2018 CFO, HealthTap meeting with all
that looks at how researchers key stakeholders
technology will to discuss
work in areas progress and
where a natural next steps.
disaster occurs or
in areas with
limited wireless
connections.
HealthTap – Comprehensive Strategic Planning 13

References:

Banerjee, S. (2017, January 31). Employee Retention: Why it Remains a Daunting Task

at Startups. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/288519

CB Insights. (2018). HealthTap Competitors. Retrieved from

https://www.cbinsights.com/company/healthtap-competitors

Ebener, D. R., & Smith, F. L. (2015). Strategic planning an interactive process for

leaders. Paulist Press, Albany, NY

Emanuel, E. J. (2018, April 16). Why I Hope to Die at 75. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/10/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/

Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., Swayne, L. E. (2013). The Strategic Management of

of Health Care Organizations, 7th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, CA

HealthTap - Who we are. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.healthtap.com/who_we_are

Maier, S. (2017, August 15). California Demand for Primary Care Providers to Exceed supply

by 2030. Retrieved from https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/08/408046/california-demand-

primary-care-providers-exceed-supply-2030

Swartz, A. (2008, July). James Fries Healthy Aging Pioneer. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2424092/