Boots on the Ground–Learning from Clients through Firsthand Experience

Like many healthcare consultants, I started out working in hospitals learning about the finances and operations of provider-side healthcare firsthand. Now, as a consultant, I have the privilege of being invited in to hospitals in communities all over the country. My work typically centers on problem solving, or what our industry calls performance improvement. On a given week you’ll find me on site, waist-deep with clients as we tackle the big challenges facing their organizations. That is what is special about Stroudwater the way we draw on our backgrounds to quickly develop camaraderie, roll up our sleeves together with our clients to solve a problem, and leave behind the tools needed for the client to continue independently as we move on to serve others.

One of my performance improvement projects in the Northeast has unlocked about $10 million in revenue through business process and policy improvements, and they’ll realize even more incremental savings next year. This work gives me the best of both worlds. As part of interim management teams helping organizations of all sizes, I have a great opportunity to both help and learn at the same time.

We get a lot of feedback from clients about the enormous benefits of our project support in performance improvement. Being side-by-side with employees builds credibility and allows us to share more of our breadth of experience. It also shows the employees how invested their leadership team is in their success and in a better future for the organization and the community. I am impressed by our fresh and unbiased perspectives. We work hard at being smart enough, and gaining enough credibility to tell hospital leaders what they really need to hear.

One of the hidden benefits for organizations we work with is our consultants’ enhanced learning. No project is the same, but by having our boots on the ground across the country and working in real time, we are able to rapidly gain practical experience that informs our current and future engagements. We get stronger with every project, which enhances our knowledge and makes us even more formidable in addressing hospitals’ needs.

If you’re ready to seek meaningful performance improvement with a combination of fresh insights and knowledgeable, caring professionals dedicated to your success, I would love to talk with you about our work. Contact Stroudwater.