The Challenge

The Draper Approach

Results Realized

The Challenge

Draper & Associates provided professional consulting services to the Alabama Department of Public Health's Bureau of Home and Community Services. Given a change in federal funding allocations, the Bureau, which operated the nation's second largest home health program, had to reduce staff by 400, while maintaining a fully functional and viable program throughout the state. Draper & Associates was tasked to prepare a comprehensive organizational and process re-engineering plan for the state.

The Draper Approach

Early in the engagement, Draper staff worked with senior departmental policy makers and financial personnel to determine available funding. Once a complete best case/worst case financial analysis was complete, Draper staff focused on the research and analysis of current operating policies and procedures. From these current policies and procedures, Draper began to identify best practice operating procedures. Simultaneously, operating policies and procedures were reviewed to determine current and optimal personnel utilization. From these analyses, Draper began to develop the framework for organizational and process changes necessary to meet strategic goals.

Draper & Associates' staff then conducted procedure and decision sessions with senior-level management to validate proposed changes. Once a consensus had been reached on program direction, Draper began the development of written organizational and personnel standard operating procedures.

A subsequent reorganization of the Bureau's billing team became apparent after several months under the new organizational template. Draper & Associates coordinated the identification of new policies, procedures, personnel, and information management tools to meet the needs of the new centralized billing team.

Results Realized

These newly developed standard operating procedures were used as the basis by which the Bureau reorganized. Draper & Associates assisted in the implementation of these changes by developing a coordinated project plan detailing personnel, location, equipment, and organizational changes necessary. The resultant organization was able to provide quality care throughout the state while meeting federally mandated cost caps. The net savings for the state was approximately $9 million .

The changes to the billing team have allowed the program to stop a sliding reduction in the number of visits while remaining under the federally mandated cost caps.