Introduction RIA Endovascular is an outpatient, interventional radiology clinic that provides cutting-edge medical treatments for patients suffering from venous disease. The long-term goals are centered on adding new procedures and building a profitable practice. The medical business is in constant flux so it is critical that the clinic can weather the ups and downs of the industry. Growth is an important piece to the success of the clinic and achievement of this objective will require an analysis of alternatives including value disciplines, generic strategy and grand strategy. At the close of the evaluation, a recommendation will be made pertaining to the strategy the organization should implement.

Value Discipline Value disciplines are an alternative to generic strategies which is based on the notion that market leaders have realized their top position by focusing on one of three core disciplines: operational excellence, customer intimacy, and product differentiation (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). RIA Endovascular excels at customer intimacy. Each patient receives personalized services, treatment planning, and follow-up care according to their condition and expected results. Customer intimacy is more than just good customer service; it is an emotional connection with the customers or patients. RIA can also use this value discipline more consistently with all of the clinic customers, including the referring physicians. Implementing this level of service with referring physicians will lead to opportunities to cross-sell other clinic procedures. Physicians that already refer patients for treatment of venous disease will appreciate the level of care provided to their patients and will refer patients for other conditions that can be treated in the clinic versus a competitor.
Generic Strategies Achieving a competitive advantage in the region will involve the leaders of RIA Endovascular looking at the three generic strategies: low cost leadership, unique services through differentiation, or focus on a particular market niche (Pearce & Robinson, 2009). The generic strategy is the focal point on how RIA Endovascular can be competitive and become the regional leader for vein treatment as well as all outpatient interventional radiology procedures. Because insurance is involved in medical care and each patient’s insurance plan is different, it is difficult to implement the strategy of low cost leader. RIA Endovascular can focus on the generic strategy of differentiation. This strategy will achieve customer loyalty by promoting the successes of patients that have received their treatment in the clinic and establishing the clinic as the regional center of excellence. Not only will this seek to attract new patients, it will deter new competitors from entering the market.

Grand Strategies Grand strategies are viewed as the master plan and provide direction for strategic activities (Pearce & Robinson, 2009). While there are 15 defined approaches to grand strategies, many of these do not align with the business model of RIA Endovascular. Market development has been the primary grand strategy of the clinic but past efforts have not been well organized. Despite the absence of a well defined strategy, the clinic is profitable. RIA can strengthen its position both financially and among competitors by defining an implementing a market development and concentrated growth strategy. These strategies are not costly to implement and they focus on the customer by meeting the customer’s needs. Concentrated market development will be enhanced from current efforts so that the clinic will attract customers away from competitors.

Recommendation The current strategies of customer intimacy and small scale attempts at market development have brought stability to the clinic and allowed for the clinic to slowly increase its market share. However, RIA Endovascular has the ideal structure to combine strategies and implement an additional value discipline. Medicine, especially medical device technology, is a very competitive industry in which there is a race to possess and promote the most-advanced devices, techniques, and treatments. RIA Endovascular is fortunate to have two vein treatment rooms featuring two different methods of treating disease, both of which are highly regarded ("RIA Endovascular", 2012). Using the value discipline of product differentiation and the generic strategy of product leadership, RIA Endovascular will create an advertising campaign aimed at the consumer and the referring physician. This campaign will be based on the implementation of two grand strategies; market development and concentrated growth. Focusing on a defined market, the advertising will be in publications that align with the desired customer and demographic. Customer intimacy levels among referring physicians will be increased so the relationship is strengthened beyond current levels. A liaison will interact and build relationships with referring physicians through education, follow-up, and regular communication. This provides the foundation for building a strong partnership and loyal referral base for long term objectives. Combining the strategies and value disciplines into one plan will provide the organized strategy needed to grow market share, procedure volume, and revenue. Conclusion RIA Endovascular is dedicated to providing innovative, highly specialized services that improve the lives of patients. The clinic has remained strong despite the depressed economy. This has been achieved through a well executed strategy of customer intimacy. The clinic can grow its market share by combining the recommended strategies and still maintain a high level of customer intimacy.