A number of non-profit agencies in New York State (and probably across the nation) will disappear over the next couple years. It’s imperative to change perspective in these agencies to a for-profit viewpoint.
Surviving the Office of Mental Health clinic restructure and the OASAS switch of charging methods to APGs with fee-for service elements in New York will include a very tough lesson for some provider agencies. Agencies are discussing mergers and acquisitions to consolidate resources (which loses jobs) in order to increase efficiencies. Financial models are being created and most discarded because they just won’t bring in enough revenue and they expend too much human energy to deliver the services to earn the revenue.
People are feverishly working overtime to come up with plans to save jobs.
Although projecting income requirements is a big part of the survival work, I don’t hear much about the nuts and bolts of the matter: Service Pairing.
Since threshold visits are disappearing (one charge per day with most services performed for the client included in that charge), the new financial model for these agencies needs to include two separately charged services for a visit. A number of elements come into play in determining which services are scheduled, and when.
It’s no secret that agencies work differently; they all have a different personality. The business processes of each agency need to be evaluated and modified; exactly when the second service is scheduled and what it will be for a client visit will vary.
The questions bring up concerns and change from agency to agency.
Is your agency ready to include service scheduling at the time the treatment plan is written? Is your front desk person of the personality type to effectively juggle a few more balls, a few more considerations in scheduling visits? What workflow procedures need to be considered in the workflow models? Is the team ready to evolve on this business level with the client treatment needs?
Analyzing and redesigning business processes needs to be part of the restructure of your financial model. You may need to hire a masters level person at the central scheduling desk (expensive, effective in some situations). You may need to upgrade your enterprise software to the tune of thousands of dollars…oh, you don’t have enterprise software?
If your agency is properly staffed to survive, there just aren’t enough human resources to analyze, design and implement new processes and you need help: info@ehrsio.com.
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