Why Misaligned Teams Cost You More Than Just Revenue – And How to Fix It
Written by Kassi Ellison
The situation is all too familiar. Maybe the sales team is working hard to bring in referrals, but the operations team feels stretched thin, and clinical staff aren’t looped into essential updates. Or, sales might be focused on bringing in volume while clinical leadership stresses quality—leaving operations caught in the middle, struggling to meet both demands without added resources. Or sometimes, clinical teams feel overburdened, unable to handle the increased patient load. When these misalignments happen, it’s not just about internal frustration—it directly impacts patient care and can seriously hinder growth.
Why Misalignment is a Growth Killer
When teams aren’t aligned, the signs are clear. You might see a high volume of referrals, but admissions stay low due to process breakdowns, bottlenecks, or missed steps in intake. The intake team may feel pressure to handle referrals faster, but vital details might slip through without proper collaboration, impacting the patient’s experience and delaying necessary care.
The cost is enormous—lost revenue, frustrated teams, and an unhealthy culture of finger-pointing. In community-based care, the stakes are high, and getting these teams to work in harmony is crucial. Leadership has to take charge, demonstrating how departments can work together effectively, with clear communication and shared goals.
What Does Effective Collaboration Look Like?
Effective collaboration goes beyond meetings; it requires intentional communication and a clear understanding of each team’s role, challenges, and scope. When teams empathize with each other’s responsibilities, they’re more likely to work as a cohesive unit. For example, clinical staff must understand that sales efforts drive growth supporting patient care, while the sales team needs insight into the quality requirements to which clinical teams are held. This mutual understanding forms the foundation of respect and cooperation across departments.
Here are some critical steps to build that foundation and start breaking down silos:
- Daily Stand-Ups: A 10–15 minute morning check-in ensures all teams are aligned on the previous day’s activities and current priorities. This simple touchpoint provides a baseline for communication and alignment.
- Weekly Cross-Department Meetings: Bringing sales, operations, and clinical leaders together weekly creates space to discuss shared goals, identify challenges, and plan for upcoming priorities. A particular focus on the referral-to-admission process keeps everyone aligned.
- Monthly All-Hands Meetings: These larger meetings ensure everyone understands broader goals, such as patient satisfaction and business metrics. This fosters buy-in and keeps all teams rowing in the same direction.
- Clear Metrics and Accountability: Use data to identify process bottlenecks. For instance, if the clinical team struggles with increased referral volume, you can address the root causes before they become more significant issues.
Balancing priorities across different departments requires commitment and intentional communication. CHAP Growth Solutions provides the expertise to help align sales, operations, and clinical teams, partnering with your agency to implement tailored strategies that improve efficiency and foster sustainable growth.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Agencies often make the mistake of overcomplicating collaboration or creating bottlenecks. Here’s how to avoid those traps:
- Overcomplicating Communication: Forcing everyone to participate in every conversation slows progress. Instead, focus on the most essential cross-team interactions.
- Creating Bottlenecks: Conversely, having a single communication point can stall decision-making. Ensure that relevant team members can interact directly without too many approvals or roadblocks.
The CHAP Growth Solutions Advantage
With CHAP Growth Solutions, we do more than just point out issues; we help you solve them. Our team conducts thorough on-site assessments to get a natural feel for your agency’s dynamics. Through structured communication, leadership development, and custom strategies, we’ve seen how small changes—like improving intake workflows or establishing regular cross-department meetings—can significantly increase admissions and lead to patient satisfaction.
If your agency is struggling with misalignment, CHAP Growth Solutions can be your partner in transforming the way teams work together. Unlike typical consultative services that only diagnose, we work alongside you to implement real-world solutions, tailoring our approach to your unique needs.
Moving Forward: Steps You Can Take Today
Effective collaboration isn’t just about adding meetings; it’s about building a culture of respect, trust, and clear communication. Here’s how you can start making improvements today:
- Set Communication Cadences: Establish and maintain a regular schedule for cross-department communication.
- Align Goals Across Teams: Ensure each department understands the bigger picture and how their efforts contribute to overall agency goals.
- Leverage Data for Insights: Use metrics to identify where misalignment may exist and address it strategically.
- Model the Way as Leaders: When leaders model respectful collaboration, teams are more likely to follow suit.
- Understand Challenges Across Departments: Encourage shadowing or observation days where each team can experience the other’s challenges and workflow firsthand. This helps foster mutual understanding and reduces finger-pointing.
Ultimately, it’s not about pointing fingers; it’s about creating a united front where everyone is working toward the same goal. With the right processes in place, your sales, operations, and clinical teams can collaborate effectively, enhancing patient care and fueling agency growth.
We offer the tools, expertise, and support to align your teams, improve communication, and drive sustainable growth. Let’s work together to ensure your teams aren’t just communicating—they’re collaborating.