Compass Health Network in Missouri doubled the number of first-time clients served and eliminated no-shows while also increasing licensed staff and implementing telehealth capabilities for initial assessments after implementing SDA.

As early as 2010, it was clear that for-profit managed care was coming to Kansas and members of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas (ACMHCK) needed to get ready. To survive, ACMHCK centers needed to start operating like a business that had a clear handle on its costs.

As payers, employers, and policy makers continue to experiment with new payment and delivery models, healthcare providers can be overwhelmed by the scope and pace of change. Transforming the way providers operate requires informed and committed leadership willing to embrace real change. When they do, the results can be dramatic.

Legacy approaches to scheduling and client access mean that, for many individuals in need of behavioral and specialty healthcare services, it can be weeks between the call to request an appointment and the first visit. Not surprisingly, the result is too many behavioral health providers with consistent no-show rates of between 30 and 50 percent. The impact of sustained no-shows is system wide and significant.

In 2012, Central Nassau Guidance & Counseling Services (CN Guidance) faced a challenge familiar to almost every behavioral health organization today: survival. In a world of dramatically shifting payer requirements, CN Guidance needed to not only change, they needed to transform themselves to survive and be sustainable.