Meeting the Moment: My NatCon Keynote

NatCon is in full swing. I know some members and partners are unable to join us in Denver, so I want to share the message I delivered in my keynote. It is simply this: National Council members are at the center of everything we do.

But nothing is simple these days. It’s no secret that these are difficult times. We know what we’re up against. As big as our problems are, none of them are insurmountable and our members are not facing this alone.

That’s because the National Council is built for moments like this. 

Navigating H.R.1 

We know what’s at stake, so we’re laser focused on helping members understand how H.R.1 will affect them. We developed the H.R.1 Journey Map to help navigate the changes, and we have a plan to continue developing new resources throughout the year related to practice and change management to assist members through this process.

We will also continue to work with Congress to identify ways to mitigate the effects of H.R.1, while also continuing to do what we can to shape the best possible regulatory environment for members in relation to H.R.1 implementation.

We resolve to make tomorrow better. That means we must think about our organizations differently — or maybe a better way of saying that is that we need to restructure our organizations strategically to handle anything that Washington throws at us.  

The time has come to re-think our strategies. We no longer have the luxury of saying “yes” to every opportunity. Saying “no” enables us to focus on what is most important and meaningful and help our organizations thrive, not just survive. 

Embracing Innovation 

As we think about the future, we must be mindful of the opportunities available to us to show up differently for our communities and to embrace innovation.

We have members using an innovative treatment approach called CETA — the Common Elements Treatment Approach — that breaks down evidence-based practices to their essential components and allows clinicians to deliver them in a more targeted way in response to client need.

We also have members creating new businesses. Four of our members in Minnesota — Alluma Inc, Woodland Centers, Mental Health Resources and MN Association of CMPs — are starting a for-profit telehealth organization that will return profits to its nonprofit owners. Other National Council members are contemplating for-profit subsidiaries to provide interventional psychiatry.

There has been phenomenal uptick in the number of organizations using AI to scribe sessions and prepare notes, and some organizations are also using AI to support their compliance and billing functions — many more untapped possibilities remain. 

Recently, I had a conversation with leadership from Integral Care in Austin, Texas, where they are encouraging all staff to identify ways to use AI to streamline and improve every process in the organization. For them, AI is not merely a tool. It is the foundation of organizational transformation to enable their organization to thrive in the future.

Bestselling author Wayne Dyer said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. When you stop seeing mountains as something blocking your progress and you start seeing them as an opportunity to reach a new perspective.”

I’m so proud of the National Council members doing that today. 

The Power of Connection

NatCon is home to me. I hope you feel the same way because we are not just an association. We are not simply a roster of members. We are a connected community, and I think all of us need community right now.

So much of what we experience every day is meant to divide us, to prevent us from engaging with one another. But connection is so important. Sharing ideas with one another; listening to one another; learning from one another. Those connections inspire us to say, “I resolve to make tomorrow better.”

So, let’s change the way we look at things. Let’s view obstacles as opportunities and problems as pathways.

Let’s resolve to make tomorrow better, bigger and brighter.

Please rely on our H.R.1 resources as we lead the way to help members navigate the new law. That includes the H.R.1 Implementation Journey Map. Sign up for advocacy alerts. Sign up to receive CapCon.