Fun!  Games!  Prizes! *
(*BUSINESS PLANNING)

Communities in Charge Cluster Meeting
Rosemont, IL
June 5-6, 2003

Overview:

On June 5 and 6, 2003, Communities in Charge (CIC) project directors and community leaders convened in Rosemont, Illinois for the CIC cluster meeting, "Fun! Games! Prizes! (i.e., Business Planning)." The purpose of the final cluster meeting was to build the case for business planning and, through the communities' presentations, understand how and when the business planning process can be of value.  The communities were encouraged to share insights from their individual business planning processes and use their collective learnings and/or experiences to problem-solve around selected topics.

This document provides a brief summary of each presentation followed by a link to the full presentation. (Adobe Reader may be needed to view the presentation). To view the full cluster meeting agenda, please click here.

Keynote Presentation:

Ronald S. Sonethal, Partner at Deloitte and Touche in Chicago, began the meeting by building the case for business planning and presenting the business planning basics.  He discussed the role of the staff and Board in business planning, details important financial statements and then reviewed the budget process.

Building the Case for Business Planning

Community Presentations:

The meeting was structured as an opportunity for the CIC communities to share their learnings from the business planning process and discuss the value of the process to project success.  Five communities formally shared their experiences and recommendations.

• Shannon Harvey, President and CEO of Community Health Works in Macon, GA, described business planning as a necessary approach to understanding what is NOT fiscally possible and informing subsequent business strategies.

          Business Planning to Inform Next Steps

• Wendy Ward, Project Director of getCare in Louisville, KY, was able to use business planning to uncover important funding gaps and identify alternative funding sources.

          Business Plans & Root Canals:  Drilling Down to Fill the Financial Gaps

• Rhonda Poirier, Director of JaxCare (Jacksonville, FL), described how JaxCare used a business plan and financial statements to craft important value propositions and secure critical public and private investment.

           Using Information to Craft a Value Proposition and Secure Investors
           JaxCare Financial Plan

• Paul Gionfriddo, Executive Director ofthe Indigent Care Collaboration (ICC) in Austin, TX, discussed strategies for implementing the ICC business plan and explained the importance of creating an quantifying business rationales for every major business activity.

          The ICC Business Plan:  Implementation, Challenges, Successes
           ICC Business Plan
           Business Rationale for ICC Initiatives

• Anne Nelson, Project Director of MSSC Project Access in Wichita, KS presented specific business-related challenges that are likely to arise as a project matures and identified strategies for confronting each.

                Attending to the Business Demand of Maturing Programs

The remainder of the meeting was an opportunity for project directors and community leaders to identify topics of common interest and work together in small groups to problem solve.  The communities selected five topics to discuss in greater depth and provided the following suggestions and/or outcomes from their discussions:

1. Measuring the benefits of case management
   Reduce no-show rates at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
   Reduce congestion (wait times, quicker appointments, etc)
   Use acuity-based measurements (e.g., decrease inappropriate use of services and/or increase appropriate use of services)
   Be consistent when describing care management

2. Simplifying the claims analysis process
   Format claims analyses for easy presentation to stakeholders
   Recognize the difficulty in comparing user patterns and rates for different populations and from different types of provider organizations

3. Dealing with legislative turnover
   Take advantage of opportunities to build relationships with new leaders (i.e., cultivate future leadership)
   Look to individuals who may have recently left a position of leadership or elected office for important skills and expertise
   Treat legislators like people; build a relationship first as opposed to reviewing everything about a program in a first meeting

4. Improving physician recruitment
   Identify a physician advocate and/or trailblazer to recruit other physicians
   Encourage physician-to-physician referrals
   Alert a physician's office manager when a project director is coming to speak to the physician
   Create opportunities for a physician to do a direct mailing and/or secure a CEO endorsement