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OPEN MINDS Management Newsletter

Learn about new business models and the latest management best practices in our monthly, how-to guides on trending issues. Knowing the market—and knowing how to manage your way to success in that market—are two different issues. For thirty years, we have shared our field-tested models developed by our senior advisors and case studies that illustrate the challenges and tips for success.

April 2025 Issue
Are You Ready For M&A?
The OPEN MINDS Management Newsletter, April 2025
The Merger Strategy Question 

Given the past 80 days of federal policy volatility, it’s not surprising that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the health care field are down. In fact, health systems announced five hospital merger and acquisition proposals in the first three months of the year, the lowest quarterly amount in more than a decade (see Hospital Merger Activity…

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How To Plan For An M&A Conversation

Growth will always be a strategic objective for provider organizations, and it is achievable through many means. Increasingly, consolidation has proven necessary for health and human service organizations as business costs make it difficult to compete for contracts or achieve long-term profitability without a critical level of revenue and scale.

In my experience, organizations under…

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Strategic Objectives, Positioning & Clarity: Three M&A Scenarios

The growth potential associated with mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is unparalleled in health and human services. As a result, many executives are tempted to transform M&A from a tool for accomplishing a strategic goal to M&A being the goal itself. Investing time upfront in shaping strategic objectives, researching strategic positioning, and clarifying the “what, why,…

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Ten Merger & Acquisition Tips

How often are mergers and acquisitions (M&A) successful? While the numbers say not often—studies show the failure rate is between 70% and 90% of deals—that hasn’t stopped the rapid pace of health and human service organization consolidations (see Done Deal? Why Many Large Transactions Fail To Cross The Finish Line and A Better Approach To…

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