Which of the following is a step in the strategic planning process in healthcare?

Assessing the environment is a critical step in the strategic planning process in healthcare because it involves analyzing both the internal and external factors that can affect the organization's ability to achieve its goals. This assessment includes understanding the current healthcare landscape, including market trends, regulatory changes, competitive dynamics, and patient demographics.

By thoroughly evaluating the environment, healthcare organizations can identify opportunities and threats, which is essential for informed decision-making and for formulating strategies that align with the organization’s mission and vision. Understanding the environment helps in crafting realistic and actionable plans that are responsive to the needs of the community and the capabilities of the organization, ensuring better patient outcomes and service delivery.

The other options do not encompass the broader and necessary considerations involved in strategic planning. For instance, merely defining the budget is not comprehensive enough to guide strategic initiatives, as a thorough understanding of the environment is required to allocate resources effectively. Eliminating all risks is impractical since risk is inherent in healthcare; instead, organizations strive to manage and mitigate risks rather than eliminate them entirely. Lastly, while maximizing patient intake can be a goal, it is not a foundational step in the planning process; strategic planning must begin with a clear assessment of the organizational and market conditions before setting such specific objectives.