Offer New, Specialized Services

Problem:

Funding from current payer sources is saturated.

Solution:

Create new niches by offering new and specialized services.

Featured Stories

St. Christopher’s Inn in Garrison, New York generated an additional $1,400,000 in revenue by offering services to unions, halfway houses, and state parolees. They asked referrers what they were looking for and learned, for example, that there was a need for more extensive vocational training programs. They also contracted with a bus company to transport clients living in a halfway house to St. Christopher’s Inn for treatment. See St. Christopher’s Inn case study for further information about the combination of changes that St. Christopher’s Inn made.

Gosnold, Inc. in Falmouth, Massachusetts created a 2-3 week transition program with case management services for clients who left their detox program, but who did not meet public reimbursement criteria. They explored how they might offer the qualities of care and treatment given to indigent patients as services they could offer to individuals with some resources. They can then use underutilized services for a different audience. They talked with Probation Officers and learned that some clients didn’t meet the criteria for intensive treatment, but needed something, such as anger management classes. They offered such classes on a drop in, payas- you-go basis.

Senior Hope Counseling in Albany, New York offers an age-specific treatment program for 50 year olds and older.

Lessons Learned

• “Be different or die”–Bill Davidow, Former VP of Sales at Intel
• Use underutilized services for a different audience.
• Explore what services you are not delivering within the context of all the other services you provide in order to identify continuum of care opportunities.
• Explore how you might fill gaps in the services provided in your community. For information about your state, see the Substate Estimates from the 2006 NSDUH.
• Offer services to populations not previously served.
• Explore ways of making it easier for the customers to come and for people to make referrals to you.
• Ask referrers what they are looking for and how you can better meet their needs.
• Do what you do better than anyone else.
• Use the Nominal Group Technique to have staff brainstorm new ideas.

Tracking Measures

Cycle Measure

Number of admissions or other services provided

Data Collection Form

None