Resulting, Not Consulting

Episode 50: Resulting, Not Consulting

In this milestone 50th episode of Gravity Healthcare Hacks, Melissa is joined by Devin Kassi, VP of Home Health Operations at Gravity Healthcare Consulting.
 
Together, they dive into the concept of "resulting" vs. "consulting" and how Gravity takes a hands-on approach to problem-solving that ensures lasting results for home health agencies. Unlike traditional consulting, where recommendations are made and left to the client to implement, Gravity becomes a long-term partner, actively involved in creating solutions and ensuring they’re sustainable.

Devin shares real-life insights on how this approach fosters meaningful partnerships that yield success beyond the initial engagement. If you’re a home health agency struggling with operational challenges, this episode will give you practical takeaways on how to identify the right partner to help you move forward.

Tune in to learn:

• The key differences between consulting and resulting.
• Why long-term partnerships matter for home health success.
• How to assess your agency’s needs and find the right solutions.

Don’t miss this episode! Subscribe now for more insights from industry experts.

Transcript

Melissa Brown

All right, GHH. Episode 50 Home health, resulting not consulting. Hello, everyone, and welcome to our podcast today. You know, I can't believe it, but this is actually our 50th podcast. I just want to thank all the guests and listeners. I truly hope this podcast has inspired you and assisted you on your journey to success. I know I've learned a lot. From all the guests that we've had. Today's podcast is going to be an exciting one. Home health, resulting not consulting. My guest today is a frequent visitor to the podcast Devin Cassie, the vice president of Home health operations for gravity. Welcome, Devin.

Devin Kassi

Hello. Thank you, Melissa. I'm happy to be here and it's wonderful to be a part of the the 50th podcast for Gravity.

Melissa Brown

I know I still can't believe it. I when I first started the beginning of the pandemic, I would have never guessed we'd be here this many years later, but very grateful to have the opportunity to meet so many people and learned so. You thanks. Well, I'm excited today, Devin, to talk to you about this topic. The difference between resulting and consulting. So let's just jump off with an explanation of what resulting is and how that's different from typical consulting. And let me just sort of put a disclaimer in here to start by saying this isn't a term we invented. We've heard it elsewhere, but we realized that it perfectly. Describes what we do at gravity. So Devin, how would you explain resulting?

Devin Kassi

Yeah, absolutely. So with resulting is, you know, not only are we assisting our clients with identifying a problem, a challenge, an issue, we are actually helping them to get down to finding the solutions and being a part of the solutions. On on how to maintain after we solve their problems. So we are a part. Of their team the whole way through the process. So we're not just identifying a problem and saying good luck, go ahead and and and try to fix it. We are we are with them. We are trying to identify the issues and challenges and we are there with them the whole time to develop those solutions. And then how to maintain those solutions and continue to help them throughout all the processes?

Devin Kassi

Yes.

Melissa Brown

Yeah, I really think that makes all the difference. You know, whenever it's more of the typical consulting where recommendations are made and you're sitting in this exit interview and all the recommendations sound great and make a lot of sense. And then people start to go execute them and for various reasons, they might be unreasonable, unrealistic. There might be a legitimate barrier or a perceived barrier that's not. Quite so legitimate to why it can't be implemented, and I think one of the reasons that our recommendations have had so much effect is because we actually are involved in rolling out the solutions. And because we do that, I think that helps us to be a lot more practical. Is that what you found too?

Devin Kassi

Yes, absolutely. Yes, it is. We really are gravity. Our team we become part of the agency team and we're not only with you throughout all the processes from A-Z, we are with you for the, for the rest of the time that you would ever need us. So it's not that we cut the cord. After we've completed the the strategic plan, we continue to be there. We have many, many clients that continue to contact us and reach out when they have questions or they need help rolling something else out. We really become a trusted team member.

Melissa Brown

Absolutely. And you know, if you're a home health agency and you're looking for some consulting, what do you think is kind of the difference in the two types of deliverables that a firm might provide to an agency if they're providing resulting versus consulting?

Devin Kassi

Yeah, that you know the the difference is is is when it's just consulting people do not really become a part of that team, they will go in there, they're going to just do superficial, you know, ideas, superficial problems, identifying those. And they're not gonna give you real life solutions. That you can maintain. And actually continue to be able to move forward so that you can grow your business. Those are the key differences between consulting and resulting resulting you're really gonna become part of that team. And with gravity, we really strive that with all the clients that we work with, we really learn their mission. And values and and develop a plan that is specific to them and we continue to be with them forever.

Melissa Brown

Yeah, we're really interested. I know you and I both have the same passion in developing long term partnerships and I think you know when you're reviewing various firms to potentially work with, you know, one of the warning signs could be a an audit that costs 10s of thousands of dollars. It has this huge upfront fee and a bunch of services provided upfront and that's kind of it. That's typically a good sign of of a of a firm that's more interested in just straight consulting there to come make recommendations. They're gonna make, you know, their their revenue and they're gonna disappear. We are much more interested in those long term partnerships and in not just. Auditing, but then implementing and then monitoring it because there's nothing worse than finding out what the problem is. Putting a solution in place, and then everybody stops the solution three months later. And unfortunately that happens far too often. So I agree with you. I really think it's about those long term partnerships and people that have a unified vision not of, you know, how can I get in and make the most revenue as fast as they can but. How can I make a lasting partnership that's gonna yield fruitfulness for me and my client down through all the years? So one of the other things that I think is really interesting is it's not about just identifying the problem because many times as an agency owner, you probably already know you have a problem, you might even kind of know what the problem is or have a pretty strong suspicion to exactly what the problem is. But what you really need help with is the solution, so. Kevin, how do you handle this with the agencies you're assisting?

Devin Kassi

Yeah. When, whenever an agency contacts us, we like to go in and really do an operational clinical audit based on kind of where their inkling is on where they could be having a challenge of problem and issue and really dig into the processes that are in place in that. Agency get to know the individuals who are running those processes, those team members, and really try to identify where the problem is. Is it a process that they have in place? Is it technology? Is it a leadership? Is it the clinicians you know, really taking a look at where those pieces are to be able to develop a solution that is truly strategic to them? None of what we do is cookie cutter. We really go in and identify. What issues could be potentially happening within the agency and really dig in before we come back and give our full analysis?

Melissa Brown

Yeah, that's a that's a great point, Devin. And I think you know, maybe if there's a home health agency out there that's realizing, hey, I need some help, what would you say are some good sort of gut check KPI's an agency could look at and say, hey, I really do probably need to get some outside help, get things back on track or even maybe get them on track for the first time if it's a newer agency.

Devin Kassi

Yes, and and and you know really it's just kind of starting from the outside and working your way in. So really peeling away the layers of the onion, you know taking a look at the financials. So taking looking at the bottom line and digging in and kind of really identifying where those numbers are coming from, whether it's an operational number or it's a clinical number that's that's impacting, it can be impacting revenue, it can be impacting quality of care value based purchasing. So really just kind of starting from the outside and working your way in and really making sure that you're not just looking at the numbers that you're really. Getting to know your team members, the leadership team, the clinicians, any any support staff, office staff really kind of taking a look at all of those aspects and identifying those. One of the key things too that can easily be looked at is going to be. Your. Margin, you know, where do you fall? And and obviously this is going to be specific to the agency based on your payer mix. You know whether you are looking you know how much Medicare you have. Says Medicare Advantage commercial payers, private pay. Where is this revenue coming from? Can really determine kind of where that best practice range is going to be for your margin and we can help with that. We can really take a look at it and make sure that those numbers are specific to you instead of just looking in. Articles or listening to someone says, hey, this is the average margin, you know really it's going to be specific to your agency where that those capabilities are going to.

Melissa Brown

Yeah, you know, and I found that all my years of consulting that the numbers just don't lie. There's so many times where, you know, we're called in to go to an agency. We're kind of walking and blind. We've never done anything with this agency before. And you start looking at the numbers and then you follow through with the interviews and looking at processes and all those kinds of things and your every single time. The data tells us the truth. It leads us to the problem, and so unfortunately it's very easy as an agency owner to go to the person that's responsible for that data. Point and say, hey, what's going on? And they come up with something that sounds like an excuse, but it really isn't an excuse. There's not an excuse to have those numbers not be where they ought to be for success and for quality and for longevity and all those things. It could be a reason, but we need to find a solution. So I agree with you, Devin. So it, you know, you you ran a bunch of home health agencies in your day, Devin, if you were going to work with a consulting firm. How would you go about trying to decide, you know which firm is the right firm? How am I gonna get this resulting and not just?

Devin Kassi

Yeah, it's really going to be, you know, developing that relationship with that consulting firm and and reaching out to them having having some multiple calls to identify if this is going to be a team that is going to fit our mission and vision and really wants to be a long term partner. And just not there for the easy fix. We want to be there for the long term. We wanna be your solution whether. For it's for one day or it's forever. We want to be there for you. And I think that you can easily identify that once you have a conversation with a consulting firm, if they are going to give you the time that your agency needs and truly become part of that team.

Melissa Brown

Yeah, you know the the gut instinct that we have about who's the right firm to work with almost always is accurate. But all of the rest of the interactions and data and everything should line up with that as well. So yeah, I agree with you. That's great advice. So what is your best advice, Devin, for a struggling agency for how to fix their issues and leverage opportunities at home?

Devin Kassi

Yeah, my best advice is is to, you know, reach out to a consulting firm and try to just have a discussion with them that is going to to be able to identify if they are going to be the long term solution for you and if they're going to be the ones that can develop. Truly develop a strategic plan. That is going to fit what you need. One of the best other things that you can do, you know, once you kind of identify an agency that you wanna work with, and if you're still kind of on the fence, if whether or not you wanna, you wanna partner with them long term, you can always ask them to do an operational audit, a clinical audit to come in. Two give you some information up front and and give you a strategic plan with those solutions and how they can assist you with those solutions to obtain and maintain your long term goals.

Melissa Brown

I also think there's firms out there that won't even really take a phone call with from you and give you any advice at all without having a contract in place. And you know, it just really isn't the approach we have here at gravity. We're happy to get on the phone and chat with you if a 15 minute phone call can solve your problem, that's great. You know, that's great. If that's all it needed, was a 15 minute phone call. Wonderful. I'm so glad we helped you. Maybe when you have other issues in the future. We'll reach out, but a lot of times it's that opportunity to begin to share the the wealth of experience that we have and begin to help them see solutions and opportunities right from the very first engagement. The very first time we get a cold call or an opportunity to chat with somebody at a conference or meeting or something like that. So it's it's wonderful to be able to reach out to all the clients that that are around us and be able to help them. I know that you find that as rewarding as I do. So I can't thank you enough for joining us on the podcast today. Devin, thanks so much for sharing your experience and insights.

Devin Kassi

Thank you. It was wonderful to be here.

Melissa Brown

Well, as always, if you'd like to learn more about Devin or gravity, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. You can also always find us on like LinkedIn. Please let us know how we can assist you. Thanks for joining us and if you enjoyed today's content, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast. Remember, it's not just what you know, but how you apply it. That makes all the difference. See you next time.