The Need to Optimize Public Health

Most organizations establish a product strategy that they feel best fits their market and values.  The strategy is thoroughly communicated within the organization, integrated into the culture, and operationalized through policy, process, and technology.  While periodically revisited, changes to the strategy are typically only made with major disruptions in the market, significant changes in organization and/or leadership, or shifts in the regulatory environment.

Public Health, particularly Medicaid program administration, is a far more volatile environment than most. There are a diverse array of stakeholders with sometimes rapidly changing demands.  Service delivery typically relies on a variety of partners with complex relationships.  The “customer” base can be quite fluid with ever changing needs.  In this environment, the “product” of public health must be capable of adapting.  To produce the desired value to the customers and stakeholders, it must continuously adapt along with, and at the pace of, the changing environment. 

Optimizing outcomes in Public Health requires actively managing the execution of your strategy.

Project management principles forever changed how we execute tactical initiatives.  It improves the predictability, quality and ultimately the measurable value of these investments.  Similarly, applying structure and discipline at the strategic level gives you the ability to adapt in an ever-changing environment while optimizing the value of your services.  

Across our three decades of experience, we have witnessed the challenges faced by Public Health executives.  The market provides more than adequate support for technology and services at the tactical layer.  But strategic support services are typically limited to strategy development.  We have seen first-hand how managing strategy execution can transform a program.  That is why we created these methods and now offer it to you.

Managing strategy execution need not be large, complicated, or expensive.  It is, however, very effective.  And when done the right way, not only improves outcomes, but is also fully supported by CMS.