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Funneling Porter’s Five Forces of Business

Staff Reporters

Michael Porter PhD, of Harvard Business School, is considered by many to be one of the world’s leading authorities on competitive strategy and international competitiveness.

In 1980, he published Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, in which he argued that all businesses must respond to five competitive forces. And now, these thoughts have been condensed for the healthcare industrial complex by Robert James Cimasi; MHA, CMP™ of Health Capital Consultants, LLC, in St. Louis, MO. They are cited below from the print journal-guide www.HealthcareFinancials.com

1. The Threat of New Market Entrants

This force may be defined as the risk of a similar company entering your local marketplace and winning business. There are many barriers to entry of new market entrants in healthcare including: the high cost of equipment, licensure, requirement for physicians and other highly trained technicians, development of physician referral networks and provider contracts, and other significant regulatory requirements.

Certificate of Need (CON) laws, which require governmental approval for new healthcare facilities, equipment, and services that have been in place since they were federally mandated in 1974. State CON laws create a regulatory barrier to entry. New medical provider entrants commonly faced substantial political opposition by established interests, which is manifested in the CON review process.

2. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers

A supplier can be defined as any business relationship or vendor you rely on to deliver your product, service or outcome. Healthcare equipment is a highly technical product produced by a limited number of manufacturers. This reduces the range of choices for providers and can increase costs.

3. Threats from Substitute Products or Services

Substitute products or services are those that are sufficiently equivalent in function or utility to offer consumers an alternate choice of product or service.  An illustration of this in healthcare would be diagnostic imaging, or PET scans, as a substitute for surgery, which is often a more costly and risky option for patients. The threat of less invasive or less expensive diagnostic tests other than diagnostic imaging is relatively small for the near term future.

4. The Bargaining Power of Buyers

This force is the degree of negotiating leverage of an industry’s buyers or customers. The buyers of healthcare services are ultimately the patients. However, the competitive force of buyers is manifested through healthcare insurers including the US and state governments through the Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other programs; managed care payers (e.g., Blue Cross/Blue Shield affiliates); workers’ compensation insurers; and others. 

In addition to the government, many of these healthcare insurers are large, national companies, often publicly traded, commanding significant bargaining power over healthcare provider reimbursement.

5. Rivalry among Existing Firms

This is ongoing competition between existing firms without consideration of the other competitive forces which define industries. Healthcare providers face pressure from other existing providers to obtain favorable provider contracts; maintain the latest technology; increase efficiencies; and lower prices.

Link:

http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2009/02/making-price-competition-work-.html#comments

Assessment

And so, these forces should be considers by all new, mid-career, and mature independent medical practitioners. They should also be combined with an internal organizational SWOT analysis as well.

Conclusion

And so, your thoughts and comments on this Medical Executive-Post are appreciated.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com  or Bio: www.stpub.com/pubs/authors/MARCINKO.htm

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Filed under: Career Development, Managed Care, Marketing & Advertising, Recommended Books | Tagged: competitive forces, david marcinko, HBS, hope hetico, medical marketing, michael porter, SWOT analysis | 1 Comment »