Health Dimensions Group

Client Services

Overview

• Health Dimensions Group (HDG) is a leading management and consulting organization, providing services to PACE, senior living, post-acute, and long-term care providers, as well as hospitals and health systems, across the nation.
• HDG provides comprehensive management services and experienced interim leadership solutions, including full-service operations oversight and executive search, to ensure stability, performance, and continuity across all levels of senior care delivery.
• As a PACE Technical Assistance Center (TAC), HDG has provided the full range of consulting services to prospective and operational PACE providers for more than 20 years.
• HDG has:
  • Supported over 40% of currently active PACE programs.
  • Completed 100+ feasibility studies in 30+ states.
  • Completed 100+ projects for 60+ clients in 30+ states in the last 3 years.
• HDG is honored to have assisted the National PACE Association (NPA) with multiple strategic initiatives, including development of the PACE pro forma model, Medicaid capitation rate analysis, nationwide PACE market penetration and access studies, and PACE financial planning resources.

Exploring PACE

• Market and financial feasibility studies
  • Market analysis
  • Organizational readiness assessments
  • Community needs assessments
  • Financial pro forma analysis
• Business plan development

Developing PACE

• Support in the development of Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
• CMS and state application support
• Program development
• PACE center development
• Operational implementation support
• Post-implementation support

Improving PACE

• Strategic planning
• Market penetration studies
• Program expansion feasibility studies and application support
• Operational assessments
• Benchmark analyses
• Financial turnaround
• Acquisition due diligence
• Regulatory and legislative analysis
• Financial and operational support

Key Employees and PACE Experience

Thomas (Tom) E. Stitt, CPA, CHFP, Senior Vice President, Consulting Services, has 36 years of experience in health care finance and reimbursement, which covers all segments of the health care continuum, including hospitals and health systems, post-acute care, long-term care, home- and community-based services, and PACE. He is nationally known for his PACE expertise, with 25 years of experience in the PACE industry as a consultant and a finance director. In addition to over two decades of consulting, Mr. Stitt’s work experience includes national director of finance, PACE, for Ascension Living; senior reimbursement specialist at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois; and director of reimbursement at West Suburban Hospital Medical Center. He is a frequent presenter at the NPA on PACE program development, operations, and finance, as well as at other health care professional associations.

Colin Higgins, Vice President, Market Analysis and Research, is one of the nation’s top professionals in the areas of demand and analytics. Mr. Higgins specializes in conducting market research, demand analysis, competitive assessments, and other data analysis for post-acute and long-term care providers across the continuum of care as part of their business plan development. He has over 25 years of consulting experience and 19 years of PACE experience, during which he has undertaken PACE market demand and feasibility studies for urban and rural locations across the nation. He has participated in multiple committees for the NPA and presents annually at their conferences on PACE demand and planning. Mr. Higgins developed the penetration and access analysis used by the NPA.

Rob McCommons, MSW, Senior Director of PACE Advisory Services, has 27 years of experience in long-term care services and business planning across residential and community-based settings. Prior to joining HDG, Mr. McCommons led national PACE development efforts at Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS), where he supported the successful launch of multiple new PACE programs across the country. From 1997 to 2022, he held leadership roles at Community Care, Inc. (CCI) in Milwaukee, including work with CCI’s PACE TAC. Mr. McCommons has conducted numerous feasibility studies, collaborated with state Medicaid agencies on Medicare-Medicaid integration efforts, and guided organizational development for new PACE programs. He is an active contributor to the NPA, participating in initiatives such as the rural PACE program and interdisciplinary team training. He brings extensive experience in PACE operations and provides strategic leadership and advisory support.

Brian Ellsworth, MA, Vice President, Strategy and Public Policy, has 42 years of experience in health care financing, delivery, and policy, with a strong focus on post-acute and long-term care. He leads efforts on strategic repositioning, market analysis, and development of innovative payment and service delivery models, while keeping abreast of regulatory and public policy issues. He has a career-long interest in integration of care for the dually eligible, including PACE. Mr. Ellsworth previously worked as a policymaker in New York’s Medicaid program and at Optum (UnitedHealth Group). He has held leadership posts in state and national health care trade associations (LeadingAge New York, Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home, American Hospital Association). He has served on numerous policy and technical advisory panels and is a respected thought leader and frequent speaker. Mr. Ellsworth was the primary author of the original PACE statute in the state of New York. 

Began Providing Technical Assistance for PACE

2003

PACE Clients Served

100+

PACE Applications Submitted

30+

PACE Organizations Moved from Market Feasibility to Ongoing Operations

20+

State Rate-Setting Experience

HDG has experience in rate-setting in 11 states since becoming a TAC in 2003. HDG has been involved in the following states in various capacities: Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Project experience ranges from working directly with states to supporting PACE clients in the rate negotiation process.