Do Not Underestimate the Power of Operational Expertise

Offering mental health services is not a one-sided affair. In fact, it is not even two-sided. Mental health services are a multi-faceted enterprise that need to account for patients, regulatory compliance, billing, back-office administration, and so much more. It is imperative that those in decision-making positions possess a strong amount of operational expertise.

We have been in the behavioral health management industry long enough to know that it is unwise to underestimate the power of operational expertise. Healthcare is one of the most complex industries of all. As a subset of healthcare, mental health is among the most challenging from an operational standpoint.

The Patient Side and the Business Side

The starting point for operational expertise is understanding the clear differences between the patient and business sides of healthcare. It would be nice if everything within the mental health environment could be about treating patients. It would be nice if administrators, clinicians, and support staff could concentrate 100% on identifying patient needs and meeting them. But unfortunately, that is not reality.

The U.S. healthcare system is a for-profit system. Which means there is a business side to offering mental health services. The business side cannot be ignored. Otherwise, your organization runs the real risk of going out of business due to poor management.

At the same time, the business side of things cannot be so dominant as to ignore the fact that patients are people with genuine needs. There must always be a certain level of compassion. There must always be that subtle reminder that patients are dealing with all sorts of mental health crises that deserve personal attention in addition to services provided by a business.

Operational Expertise in Existing Programs

Horizon Health provides operational expertise to existing programs through our behavioral health consulting services. What can we do for existing programs? We can:

• Assess and Analyze – Assessing and analyzing current programs is the first step toward improving them. We leverage more than 42 years’ experience to take a deep dive at an organization’s current programs. We follow up with a thorough assessment.

• Provide Insights – We provide insights and data analytics into what is working for an organization and what is not. Further insights into how the program can be improved can position the organization for long-term growth through better administration and patient-facing services.

• Develop Targets – Identifying weaknesses and offering insights are sometimes not enough. When that is the case, we can develop targets that help clients incrementally achieve their goals over the long term.

In short, our mental health consulting services leverage decades of operational expertise designed to help your organization be a better mental health provider from both the patient and business sides.

Operational Expertise for New Programs

When we partner with organizations starting new behavioral health programs, the scope of our operational expertise becomes even more broad. We help clients from day one with everything from financials to how treatments will be provided. We aim to make new programs efficient and productive from the ground up.

New programs need the knowledge and experience only experts can provide. Without expert guidance and consulting, a new program is highly susceptible to getting off on the wrong foot. And a program starting on the wrong foot is one that will ultimately need consulting services down the road.

It is one thing to sincerely want to offer mental health services through a hospital or clinic. It is an entirely different matter to do so efficiently, productively, and successfully. Whether you are starting a new program or struggling with an existing one, do not ever underestimate the power of operational expertise. In fact, take advantage of it.