Friday, June 29, 2012

Guidelines to Finance and Maintain Your Wellness Programs

If you offer a community-based wellness system for seniors, financing is likely a continuous task.

Too often, effective applications get off to a great start with allow financing, only to disappear when the money operates dry.

In association with the U.S. Material Misuse & Psychological Health Solutions Management (SAMHSA), we’ve collected a useful new guide that can help you keep your system going strong. Training Discovered on Durability of Mature Mature Group Behavior Health Solutions contains tips, sources, and more.

The review is targeted on older adult personality wellness applications, but the ideas included can be used to any wellness system for seniors that is in need of ongoing financing.

7 Training Learned

The review information training discovered from 12 past SAMSHA and Management on Getting mature grantees in mature mature behavior health. Here are their key findings:

1. Learn the business side of your health program.

Learn how to provide covered services, become a provider, and bill a third-party payer such as Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance. If you’re already a provider, learn how to bill more effectively. Plan for sustainability from day one. Prepare clear strategies for gradual financial self-sufficiency.

2. Pursue multiple and diverse financing sources.

Approach potential funding sources early on and solicit feedback. Identifying funder needs early allows time to obtain data or change your approach. Also, expand the search. For example, if you are an area agency on aging, pursue health funding in addition to more familiar aging sources.

3. Measure service outcomes from the outset.

The most important factor to sustainability can be documented impact. To secure additional, long-term support, a potential funder will need evidence that the service is having positive client outcomes. Use data to make the funding case.

4. Use braided funding to sustain services.

Weave together multiple funding sources to support a coordinated package of services. In this approach, the funds remain in separate strands but are joined or “braided” at the client-level.

5. Integrate the work into your organization.

Choose a service that can be built into ongoing work. For example, embedding depression care into traditional care management can be a meaningful and practical service enhancement.

6. Get CEO commitment.

To be sustained, a service must be a priority in the organization. Only the CEO exercises this authority.

7. Engage local partners.

Find partners such as area agencies on aging and community health centers. The advantages of partnerships and strategic collaboration should not be underestimated.