Cost Improvement

Green & Kassab consults on a wide range of cost improvement initiatives designed to help both the public sector and commercial clients identify ways of increasing capacity, implementing cost reductions and, where appropriate, increasing income and profit.

Green & Kassab consultants have specialist knowledge of the healthcare sector and provide cost improvement services to Strategic Health Authorities, NHS Trusts, PCTs and a wide range of other public sector and commercial organisations. To find out more about our work, view our Client List and recent Case Studies.

We are so confident that our cost improvement work will deliver large-scale benefits that we are prepared to operate on a payment-by-results basis. This method of payment, together with our total implementation support and free post-assignment review, makes Green & Kassab a highly valued partner for anyone seeking to identify, evaluate or implement cost improvement and financial recovery plans.

New computerised monitoring tool

We now have a free computerised monitoring tool that is available to assist you in the process of managing financial recovery and cost improvement plans. This monitoring tool also provides a useful interface with external consultancy firms.

An expert team

Green & Kassab will provide you with support from experts in the field. All our principal consultants have considerable operational experience at general manager, director or chief executive officer level.

Our enviable reputation stems from the individuals we employ, our detailed evidence-based recommendations and successful implementation.

Implementation support

The implementation support we provide is one of the factors that differentiate us from other consultancy firms.

Our work does not stop with the delivery of our cost improvement and financial recovery recommendations. We continue working with our clients to help implement the agreed initiatives, bringing additional management and specialist resources to our clients’ own management team.

How we work

Our experienced team of consultants, business analysts and accountants are often able to provide consultancy services on a risk sharing and performance-related fee structure.

Our cost improvement projects are split into distinct phases:

• Preliminary scoping
  This initial phase is essentially a desk-based research exercise that aims to identify activities within the organisation that offer the greatest potential for cost reduction. This part of the programme is short and sharp and focused on areas likely to provide the best returns.


• Financial review
  This review looks at the financial contribution made by each part of the organisation, based on the cost and income of each line of activity (tariff). Our Strategic Partner EPS Research have developed powerful analytical tools to enable us to deliver a real financial improvement: CentreScope for Service Line Reporting and PerL to reduce or eliminate under recovery of payments due to Trusts as a result of HRG coding errors.


• Evaluating internal financial recovery plans
  The methodology we adopt is determined by the number and nature of initiatives contained in the internal financial recovery plan. Our role is to undertake an assessment of the feasibility and deliverability.We provide a realistic assessment of the deliverability of clients’ own financial recovery plans, the timescales and associated cash flows. We also identify where clients would benefit from extra support.


• Options development
  Based on agreed priority areas within the organisation, our consultants work with client management teams to identify potential sources of cost improvement. Typically, our consultants review 2–3 areas of an organisation at a time and report back to the Executive Management Team with a number of options for consideration. The aim of this phase is to agree specific actions that can be implemented.


• Implementation support to clients' in-house initiatives
  We support clients with the development and implementation of their internal financial recovery plans. As with our cost improvement work, we provide the necessary additional resource to help maximise the potential savings available.
  
  Green & Kassab works with client teams to provide additional expert capacity, which enables the implementation process to be accelerated; thereby ensuring financial balance is achieved earlier than might otherwise be possible.


• Implementation support to Green & Kassab initiatives
  Once the options have been considered and an action plan has been agreed, we then move towards the full implementation of the initiatives as quickly as possible. This ensures full potential savings and efficiencies are realised with the minimum delay. A key part of our implementation support is to accelerate the delivery of cost improvement measures through establishing a joint framework within which all the team members can operate.
  
  The major themes of our role in the implementation process are:
  1. Implementation of plans and review of performance against standards
  2. Hold the gains at the new performance levels
  3. Evaluate success and identify lessons learned.
  
  We are used to dealing with the conflicting priorities facing organisations as they seek to modernise, improve, grow and develop, and we have developed an approach that encourages staff to have both ownership and enthusiasm for delivering a successful implementation programme.
  
  Our implementation support can be provided on a risk-sharing basis, whereby fees are based upon successful delivery of the initiatives.


• Efficiency and restructuring projects
  We are able to support a number of initiatives that can assist and improve the overall efficiency/throughput of the client organisation. Although not necessarily releasing cash, this type of assignment can be managed on a traditional consultancy fee model or linked to a wider cost improvement programme.


• Cost improvement training
  A number of our clients prefer the option of providing further training to support their existing team. In this way Green & Kassab consultants pass on their skills and expertise in developing cost improvement solutions, managing wider cost reduction programmes and overcoming resistance to change.

Green & Kassab fee structure

Recognising that clients with financial problems may be wary of incurring consultancy charges, Green & Kassab is prepared to share the risk with its clients by agreeing fees based upon successful delivery of the savings initiatives.

This ‘no savings, no fees’ option for implementation support is open to you as part of your relationship with Green & Kassab. It is unusual for consultancy firms to offer this type of fee structure, but we continue to promote this option as we are confident of our ability to project manage the implementation of our improvement initiatives to a successful conclusion.

For further information on our consultancy services please contact us on 01903 234134 or email the consultancy team at: costimprovement@greenkassab.co.uk We would be pleased to arrange a free consultation to discuss your requirements.