Healthcare Management Consulting 2016
(Mostly) Great Options for Tackling Healthcare's Biggest Challenges

1. TOP PERFORMERS PREMIER, ADVISORY BOARD, & THE CHARTIS GROUP HAVE A BROAD, HEALTHCARE FOCUS

Firms with a broad, healthcare-specific focus have proven better able to deliver a consistent experience across all clients. Premier customers often have long-term relationships with the firm and engage them deeply for consulting help. Premier delivers strategic guidance, a partnering approach, and significant, tangible outcomes. Advisory Board is unique in their ability to engage physicians in performance-improvement projects, value-based care transitions, population health initiatives, and physician practice alignment. Clients appreciate both firms’ national perspectives on industry trends. The Chartis Group is engaged more than other firms for strategy, growth, and consolidation work. Within this area, clients describe the firm as a thought partner who delivers highly impactful strategic frameworks, road maps, and financial models.

2. FIRMS' PERFORMANCE—BY HEALTHCARE CHALLENGE TACKLED

3. PREMIER, OPTUM, AND VALENCE DELIVER STRONGEST COMBINATION OF INSIGHT AND IMPACT

Premier clients achieve improved efficiency, workflows, and cost savings and appreciate the insights they receive from Premier regarding peers’ best practices and benchmarks. Optum is noted for their strong modeling, data-presentation capabilities, and analysis of clinical practices, patient populations, and the financial and actuarial aspects of VBC programs. Optum helps clients develop a better understanding of how to make a VBC program financially sustainable. VBC-focused Valence Health is highly knowledgeable about pediatrics and provider-sponsored health plans and instills confidence in clients that they are on the right track to VBC.

Data for Conifer Health Solutions comes from a limited sample. Customers report polarized experiences. Some have successfully set up VBC programs and gained a better understanding of VBC; others say the firm fails to meet outcome expectations or properly support their services.

4. CLIENTS EXPECT—AND MOSTLY RECEIVE—DEEP STRATEGIC EXPERTISE AND INNOVATIVE TOOLS, METHODOLOGY

While most firms are capable of consistently providing strategic expertise, Conifer Health Solutions (limited data), Accenture Health (limited data), and Huron Consulting are seen as less so. Some clients feel they have to push Conifer for the insights they want, while others just use the firm for pieces of their plan rather than an overall strategy. Accenture and Huron are both capable of creating and executing strategic plans, but each has weaknesses to address. Some Accenture clients feel the firm is rigid and doesn’t consider clients’ unique cultures. Huron is cited for overpromising or focusing more on selling than making appropriate recommendations.

When it comes to tools and methodology, Lumeris and Evolent Health lead the VBC-focused firms, while Premier, PwC, and Deloitte lead the broad firms. Lumeris’ tools and reports enable clients to manage populations and initiate the right discussions with clinicians. Evolent delivers to timelines, has a strong payer financial background, and is flexible in what type of role they play. PwC helps clients create detailed, actionable plans, prioritize business needs, and set up proper workflows and documentation. Expert at financial and revenue cycle transformations, Deloitte delivers detailed, executable road maps, helps clients develop tools and project management, and provides benchmarking.