Prioritizing cost savings allows providers to benefit from following a fundamental approach that involves using easily attainable small-scale initiatives to support larger-scale projects that can realize improvements in short periods of time. Increases in capital that result from these efforts can then be used to focus on equally important opportunities where the organization has less control, where the payoff may take longer.
             Although identifying opportunities to cut costs can be relatively easy, the true test is prioritizing these opportunities in a way that optimizes use of capital and maintains the organization's strategic focus. In this article " Making the Tough Choices for Cost Control" briefly talks about the strategic plan and concepts that an organization may go through when faced with this challenging position. There was much discussion regarding the fundamental approach to prioritization that allows for the considerations and concepts that typically proved to be successful to focusing on the largest-dollar, recurring expenses where management has the greatest control and accountability. Focus then are shifted to areas such as supply expense and care management, where less direct control and accountability are possible. The article discusses the 3 steps of making the tough choice, starting with step on: Starting Easy, indicating that projects selected need to be ones that the organization has control over, that an individual can be held accountable for, and that will generate momentum through quick successes. Step two discusses Thinking Big and Fast allowing for the reader to focus on the easily attainable small sale opportunities of goal realized improvements. The third step would be for the reader to continue to Think Big are issues that that tend to offer a similarly high level of savings-only where the same degree of accountability and control is less likely with some of the typical issues that fal...