Every Dollar Counts

Problem Statement

CM Health remains committed to realising its goal – to achieve equity in key health indicators for Maaori, Pacific and communities with health disparities – despite facing significant escalations in demand for its services and increasing financial challenges.

As funding and revenue growth is outpaced by population growth and increasing demand for healthcare, the gap between revenue and the true cost of meeting demand has continued to widen and it has become increasingly difficult for CM Health to fiscally operate within its means.

What are we trying to achieve?

The overarching goal of the Every Dollar Counts portfolio of work is ‘to return CM Health to a sound financial position, while improving or maintaining the quality of care, the experience of that care and the experience of caring’.

What have we done?

In order to identify opportunities that would focus on quality, efficiency and value, while also supporting CM Health to achieve a sustainable break-even budget within three years, a Turn Around Plan was developed in December 2017. This plan was subsequently approved by the CM Health Board and Crown Monitor as a priority recovery plan for the organization, and was launched to staff in 2018 as the Every Dollar Counts savings plan.

A variety of programmes and projects were identified for the Every Dollar Counts portfolio – in total, there are 37 individual projects, covering seven key programmes.  Each project’s primary objective is to reduce spending across a range of services. 

How did we make a difference?

Project teams across the system have been increasing efficiencies and reducing costs within their service areas. As a result, significant savings have been identified and, in many cases, are delivering against target. This includes initiatives such as:

• improving processes and systems for nursing rosters
• using health board mobile phones instead of landlines where appropriate
• improving energy efficiency at the Manukau SuperClinic over the Christmas and New Year break
• collecting email addresses as a more efficient way of communicating appointment details to patients
• reviewing wound-care products to ensure we are providing the best care for patients, while also taking advantage of economies of scale through efficient procurement processes
• creating templates to support appropriate coding for clinicians, ensuring accurate funding is sought.

Where to from here?

Planning for the 2019/2020 financial year is underway and the Every Dollar Counts saving plan will be crucial to ‘returning CM Health to a sound financial position while improving, or maintaining, the quality of care, the experience of care and the experience of caring’ for our patients and staff.