Embarking on a journey to excellence is never a short sprint—it’s a multiyear transformation. For health care organizations, hospitals, and businesses alike, the question often arises: Should we do it alone or bring in an expert health care consultant?
The right health care consultant can save you time, money, and energy, while also accelerating progress toward your goals. The wrong one, however, can slow your journey and even jeopardize outcomes. Here’s how to navigate the process and find the right health care consultant partner for your culture of excellence journey.
Why Use a Health Care Consultant for Your Journey to Excellence?
If you’ve ever struggled through a project only to later discover that expert guidance could have streamlined everything, you know the value of experience.
A seasoned health care consultant brings:
• Objectivity: An external perspective helps identify blind spots and readiness gaps.
• Expertise: Health care consultants have a deep knowledge of excellence journeys across different organization types, sizes, and geographies.
• Best Practices: Health care consultants can provide proven strategies, saving you from reinventing the wheel.
• Confidence Building: Health care consultants educate and validate stakeholders, instilling trust in the process.
Common Mistakes in Hiring a Health Care Consultant
Not every health care consultant relationship succeeds. Organizations often stumble by:
• Choosing based on cost alone.
• Skipping a proper readiness assessment.
• Failing to clarify the scope of work.
• Expecting too much for too little.
• Neglecting reference checks.
• Accepting cookie-cutter recommendations that don’t fit organizational culture.
Pro tip: Do your homework before hiring to avoid costly missteps.
Preparing to Hire: The ‘Pre-Dating’ Phase
Before you sign a contract, think of health care consultant selection as a pre-dating phase—time to decide what you cannot live without and what you’re willing to compromise on.
Consider:
• Products and Services You Need: From education and coaching to readiness assessments, document reviews, site visit prep, and year-after support.
• Virtual vs. In-Person Support: Will you benefit more from face-to-face sessions, or will remote coaching and virtual workshops suffice?
Clarity upfront ensures you attract the right partner.
Health Care Consultant Selection Criteria
When evaluating health care consultants, look beyond credentials.
Ask:
• How many organizations have they supported, and with what outcomes?
• Do they have experience with organizations like yours (acute care, pediatric, rehab, cancer, international)?
• Are they full-time health care consultants with availability to support you?
• Do they bring a team approach or operate solo?
• What do their past clients say about their strengths—and their opportunities for improvement?
Remember: cost should never be the top criterion. While budgets matter, the cheapest option may be the most expensive mistake in the long run.
Where to Find the Right Health Care Consultant
• Word of Mouth: Recommendations from satisfied clients are gold.
• Conferences and Networking: Engage with health care consultants in person and see their expertise firsthand.
• Social Media: Monitor conversations for who is trusted—and who to avoid.
Evaluating Health Care Consultant Proposals
When reviewing a health care consultant’s proposal, look for red flags:
• Does it feel generic and boilerplate?
• Do the health care consultant’s values align with your organization’s?
• Are deliverables, timelines, and pricing transparent?
• Does the proposal reflect customization for your specific needs?
A well-crafted proposal signals the quality of work you can expect.
Interviewing Health Care Consultants: Key Questions to Ask
A structured interview process helps you compare candidates fairly.
Questions to ask include:
• How do you stay current on excellence journey requirements?
• How many organizations have you supported—and how many were successful?
• Do you have experience in both initial and redesignation journeys?
• What is your health care consulting philosophy?
• If we asked past clients, what would they identify as your strengths and areas for improvement?
Use a health care consultant comparison tool to document responses and ensure consistency in your evaluation.
The Final Consideration: Culture Fit
At the end of the day, the most important question is: Does this health care consultant fit your organizational culture? A consultant who understands your culture and tailors their approach accordingly will amplify your chances of success. Ignoring culture fit, on the other hand, can undermine even the most well-designed strategy.
Closing Thoughts
Your journey to excellence is one of the most significant investments your organization will make. Finding the right health care consultant partner requires careful attention to readiness, services, credentials, references, proposals, and interviews—but above all, to cultural alignment. Choose wisely, and your health care consultant won’t just be an advisor—they’ll be a partner in creating a lasting culture of excellence.
Ready to start your journey to excellence? Contact us today to learn how CHCM health care consultants’ partner with organizations worldwide to achieve lasting cultures of excellence.
MAGNET®, Magnet Recognition Program®, ANCC Magnet Recognition®, Journey to Magnet Excellence®, Pathway to Excellence® Program, Pathway to Excellence in Long Term Care®, Demographic Data Collection Tool®, DDCT®, Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) are registered trademarks of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The products and services of Creative Health Care Management are neither sponsored nor endorsed by ANCC. All rights reserved. The content presented in here is the expressed opinion of the author/presenter and not that of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Gen is driven by the desire to help clients create organizational excellence through measurable improvement. She thrives on helping others reach meaningful goals, including Magnet® designation.