This year, our team at OPEN MINDS is focused on sustainability. While there is no one definition, I believe sustainability is the strategy that prioritizes the long-term survival of an organization to continue its mission and meet its objectives. In the current health and human service environment, I think planning for organizational sustainability is really…

Diversification of revenue sources gives health and human service executives the freedom to operate without undue reliance on one service or one payer or one consumer group (see Strategic Revenue Diversification Planning: Where To Start). It is a key component of financial sustainability (see Strategic Revenue Diversification: What Are The Options? How Do You Decide…

Historically, talking about business in health and human service circles has made many managers and many more clinical professionals uncomfortable. It’s the conflict between “doing good for consumers” and the financial strength that is required for that mission. The management key is to draw a clear link between mission and profitability and financial strength (see…

This month, we’re discussing market survival, industry change, and above all else, financial sustainability. Technology has a role to play in ensuring an organization’s sustainability (see How Do You Compare On Tech Spending & Adoption?). While some question whether there is a “sure fire” way to plan and prepare for the risks that threaten sustainability,…

Market drivers and examples of provider organization successes in the California managed care market (see California Health Care System Landscape: An OPEN MINDS State Profile), a state that’s frequently called a bellwether, is a helpful guide for financial sustainability planning. I regularly talk about financial sustainability strategies including managed care, value-based reimbursement (VBR), and the…

Knowing the right questions to ask can be tricky as health care leaders engage in value-based reimbursement (VBR) and other alternative payment models that require wholesale changes to staffing, processes, and more. And without the right questions you’ll never get to the right answers. To help executives manage this paradigm shift, OPEN MINDS senior associates…

Best Practice Performance Management—The Key To Sustainability & Success
As competition for health and human service revenue grows, delivering and demonstrating “value” will be essential to compete and impossible without metrics. This article outlines three steps in best practice performance management to ensure your organization has the ability to measure, monitor, manage, and optimize…

I remember when quality improvement was the domain of “numbers types” who reported up to operations. It was a time when health care services were bought (and sold) like commodities – all licensed professionals and programs were assumed to be roughly the same. Payment was made for every unit of service and the role of…