Takeaways
- Cash balances alone can hide financial trouble, making days cash on hand, aging receivables, and accounts payable trends essential indicators to monitor together.
- Revenue cycle improvements can help health centers collect payment for care they have already delivered before considering staffing or service cuts.
- Fractional financial leadership can supplement an internal team with the time and expertise needed for strategic planning, realistic budgets, and measurable goals.
- Patient growth strategies should reflect available capacity and payer mix, while enrollment assistance helps eligible patients secure coverage that extends beyond the health center.
- Reviewing 340B compliance, prescription capture, and pharmacy utilization can reveal opportunities to support affordable medications and fund essential wraparound services.
- Helping existing patients access medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services can strengthen continuity of care and increase utilization.
- Provider vacancies carry costs beyond lost visits, including overtime, temporary staffing, burnout, and turnover, making recruitment a financial priority.
- Finance, operations, and marketing should share measures tied to appointments, completed visits, retention, and service utilization, while evaluating grants and resources such as the Google Ad Grant.
