Managing care through organizational change 

As we shared in our recent white paper, behavioral health organizations are seeing more demand for services, raising questions for operators about how to address the need. There are lots of positives to growth—delivering care to more clients in need, expanding services, and potentially making a stronger business. 

But for clinicians, that kind of change can also disrupt patient relationships and the way you deliver care. Merging with other organizations means bringing two different work cultures together, and can mean trying to integrate different ways of approaching therapeutic delivery.  

It can be very stressful. You don’t want a change in the business to result in a negative outcome for a patient, because a therapist wasn’t aware of a workflow or protocol, or because you have an influx of new clients in need of care, limiting your bandwidth for care continuity with existing clients.  

So how can you navigate the change? First and foremost, make open, clear, and honest communication (with internal staff and clients) the bedrock of your approach. Be sure your therapists are aware of organizational changes and how new policies may impact their roles and responsibilities. And, when you communicate those changes, be sure you’re also making time to listen to and genuinely address any concerns staff have. And, keep your clients in the loop—share any changes that may impact them, and be prepared to emphasize and demonstrate that their care won’t be disrupted. 

Beyond that, here are five areas to focus on to make sure you’re managing through change effectively: 

1. Be a part of the strategic planning: When you know operational leaders are considering growth, be your own advocate. Clinicians should and must be active participants in developing growth strategies. Make sure your insights and concerns are heard; but, be prepared to be flexible as needs related to growth evolve.  

2. Stay focused on consistent, client-centered care: If you don’t already have clear, standardized care protocols in place, do so now. This will help to keep care consistent regardless of organizational changes. Consider assigning case managers to ensure that no clients’ care is interrupted. And, ask your clients for input to ensure their needs are being met—if they aren’t, address those issues quickly.  

3. Promote cultural alignment through support, training, and a positive work environment (including workload and stress management): Be sure you’re focusing on managing your staff’s stress levels. Monitor and adjust workloads to avoid burnout wherever possible, especially in times of major transitions. Offer training and support opportunities to help your therapists adapt to new systems and practices. If you’re going through a merger or an acquisition, develop programs to help integrate and align different organizational cultures, values, and practices.  

4. Get the right tech: Make sure that all the technology you’re using can handle scaling up, share information effectively, and streamline documentation and patient management.  

5. Monitor and evaluate: Before any organizational shifts, put metrics in place to monitor how effective care delivery is. Get as much data and feedback as possible during the change, and address issues before they become large-scale problems. 

Growing a practice is exciting and stressful, but managed well, it can help you deliver more care to more patients in need. Be sure your clinical perspective is a part of that change. To learn more, download our Growth White Paper and book a consultation today.  

About the Authors

Dean Fitch serves as the Principal at Kipu Health and is the Co-Founder of Avea by Kipu.