GCASA's other than personal services almost half the average

As was written about yesterday, Coordinated Care Services Inc., the nonprofit management services company in Rochester, NY recently did an analysis of GCASA's financial operation. Yesterday, we described the personal service cost and benefit costs per units of service and today we are describing what is called OTPS, other than personal services, costs per unit of service.

The average OTPS cost is $11.00 with the highest among the 10 comparable agencies at $20.00 per unit. GCASA's OTPS cost per unit of service in both Genesee and Orleans counties is $6.00 almost half the average.

Other than personal services are expenses such as equipment, supplies, postage, etc.

Once again GCASA is thrifty and frugal in its operations and the taxpayers are getting excellent value for their expenditures.

Here is a graph depicting the findings.

GCASA's employees productive and efficient in comparison

Coordinated Care Services Inc, a nonprofit management services organization in Rochester, NY, recently reviewed GCASA's financials and compared GCASA to 10 other substance abuse agencies in the Rochester area, 6 of which were stand alone substance agencies and four of which were part of hospital systems. GCASA compared very favorably. Over the next few days I will be sharing some of the findings with readers of this blog.

In looking at the GCASA's treatment programs in Genesee and Orleans Counties the average cost of a unit of service delivered was $38.00 per unit in Genesee and $41.00 per unit in Orleans. the average of the 12 agencies, the other 10 plus GCASA's two clinics was $38.00 per unit. A number of agencies were spending significantly more with three agencies spending $49.00, $48.00, and $45.00 per unit.

In looking at the cost of benefits per unit GCASA was below average with $8.00 per unit while the average was $9.00 per unit. The high agencies were one at $12.00 per unit and three at $11.00 per unit.

GCASA's personnel costs both cost per unit of service and costs for benefits per unit of service are lower than most other agencies. These agencies are all nonprofits. If a similar comparison were done for State and County employees the disparities would much greater.

Is GCASA's salaries and benefits per cost of service a good thing or a bad thing? It definitely is a bad thing if you are an employee. It is a good thing if you are a funder or a client.

It terms of organizational performance, GCASA outperforms most substance abuse agencies in the region for many reasons. It has a great staff who are very productive, a great managerial team, and a great board of directors.

In terms of being accountable to the communities we serve, they couldn't be getting better services at a lower cost by any other provider.

The accusation heard from time to time that GCASA's employees are rich and only want money and that GCASA is only a Medicaid mill bilking the taxpayers out of money is not borne out by the facts. GCASA operates most effectively and efficiently and provides great returns for the money spent.

Click on charts to enlarge for easier reading.

Organizational Excellence - GCASA's Superior Performance

Jim Collins the author of Good To Great has written a little monograph entitled, "Good To Great and the Social Sectors",(This book is listed in My Favorites on the side bar) in which he applies the concepts form his book Good To Great to nonprofits. He says on page 5 "In the social sectors, the critical question is not 'How much money do we make per dollar of invested capital?', but 'How effectively do we deliver on our mission and make a distinctive impact, relative to our resources?"

Collins then goes on to use the Cleveland Orchestra as an example demonstrating that nonprofits can measure their success by assessing their performance, impact, and endurance. Collins suggests that nonprofit organizations should aspire to superior performance, distinctive impact, and lasting endurance.

What would be indicators of GCASA' Superior Performance? I can think of several for G
CASA's treatment and residential services progams:
Excellent ratings on client satisfaction surveys; Excellent ratings on referral agent satisfaction surveys; High rates of client engagement; High rates of client retention; high rates of drug of abuse discontinuance; reduced incarceration rates and legal problems; increase in self-sufficiency; increase in self-actualization with client report of well being.

I can also think of several indicators of superior performance for GCASA's Prevention Program: reduction in the incidence and prevalence of substance abuse in GCASA's service area; reduction in 30 use rates for people under 21; increase in the intensity of protective factors; reduction in intensity of risk factors; a change in social norms and attitudes about substance abuse reducing demand for addictive and damaging substances and behaviors(gambling).

There also several indicators of superior performance for GCASA's Royal Employee Assistance Program: improvement in employee attendance; improvement in employee productivity; improvement in employee error rates; improvement in employee retention; improvement in employee morale; decrease in supervisory problems; increase in workforce well being.

There are many ways to measure GCASA's performance and compare it to other similar service providers. GCASA does better than most already on most indicators, but in its desire to be just not good but great, GCASA has a way to go to further improve its outcomes commensurate with its resources. GCASA cannot rest on its laurels of being the Agency of the Year in 2005 in New York State, and the Best Drug Free Coalition in the United States in 2006 according to CADCA, and in 2007 by NASADAD. Our quest is to be the standard in the industry in outpatient treatment, residential services, and substance abuse prevention.



For future goals GCASA stives for 95% client satisfaction scores in the excellent range knowing that our program services will not suit everyone. Likewise, GCASA strives for 98% referral agent satisfaction in the excellent range. GCASA strives for public recognition and support of its prevention efforts which make the community a healthier place. As this has occurred, citizens tend to take it for granted and think "this has how it has always been" when in fact, things in the past have been worse. GCASA strives to make services available to all who need and want them. We have learned as a society that a criminal justice approach to substance abuse problems, while it has a place, doesn't eliminate our citizens demand, use, and abuse of substances and destructive behaviors.

In the next article, we will be covering the idea of Distinctive Impact.

This is article # 2 in a series on Organizational Excellence.

What are GCASA's core values?

I have read Jim Collins and Jerry Porras' book, Built To Last: Successful Habits Of Visionary Companies (book is listed in My Favorites in right side bar)which has inspired me and given me many ideas about how to work to make GCASA even better.

One of the things that Collins and Porras found that Visionary Companies do is stick to their core ideology while they push for continuous improvement. This idea very much resonates with our philosophy at GCASA.

An important component of a company's core ideology are its values. These values are not some saccharine pollyannish ideas that sound good but something that defines the organization at a visceral level. Different people might have different ideas about those organizational core values are but I would say they are four fold: we treat everyone, clients, staff, referral agents, general public with respect. We also recognize people's intrinsic worth and dignity no matter how low they have sunk in their lives. We believe in a person's right and responsibility to become actualized, that is, to realize his or her potential, and we believe in continuous improvement in one's own life, in one's family, in one's community, in one's place of work etc.

So the four values which resonate most deeply with me are dignity, respect, actualization and continuous improvement. These are the things that GCASA is committed to as it goes about its work. This means we are not driven by regulatory requirements, or payors, or evidence based practices. We are driven primarily by a client centered orientation which is respectful, protective of dignity, empowering of individual growth, and always trying to become better at what we do.

Let us know what you think. Leave us a comment. What do you care most deeply about as you go about your work in the substance abuse field, or as you interface with the substance abuse system.

This is article #1 in a series on Organizational Excellence.