🔒CCCI’s Consorte: His reach extends beyond numbers

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Nonprofit leaders often invoke the mantra, “No margin; no mission,” as they seek to do more financially than break even.

Connecticut Community Care Inc.'s (CCCI) Chief Financial Officer Joseph G. Consorte, 66, of Harwinton, upholds that philosophy with head and heart, says President Molly Rees Gavin, because he understands that “if you can't maintain your financial viability, then you don't get to execute your mission.”

That mission, implemented in part through Care Management Associates, a private division of CCCI, involves helping older adults and people with disabilities find the resources to live in the community, instead of being institutionalized.

In its 2016 fiscal year that ended June 30, CCCI had revenue of about $20 million, 4 percent higher than the previous year, Consorte said.

Part of the reason for that, Consorte and Gavin said, was because the state, with layoffs looming, increased its outsourcing of contract work to help support the disabled.

Having run a pilot program in the spring of 2015 for individuals who have suffered an acquired brain injury, Bristol-based CCCI positioned itself for more of that kind of work and ended up filling a need, Consorte said.

Starting with 66 people, CCCI had its contract with the state Department of Social Services renewed twice, to the point where the nonprofit is now helping 360 people in three regions of the state within that one program.

“Had we not done a good job, DSS wouldn't have considered us [for the work],” Consorte said. “I try to ensure we make money, as modest as it may be. We are not going to be here if we don't sustain ourselves.”

Consorte brings decades of accounting experience to his job, as well as compassion derived from having lived through circumstances similar to what many CCCI clients and their families go through: He oversaw care for his late mother while she suffered for years with Guillaume-Barre Syndrome, a disease that destroys nerve cells and results in paralysis.

“He really 'walked the walk,' ” said Gavin. “In our environment at CCCI, that makes an extraordinary difference to people. That's a treasure in Joe. He gets it.”

As CCCI's “chief problem solver,” Consorte helps ensure that reimbursement formulas for federal and state money don't work against the agency, Gavin said.

Consorte's handling of the Money Follows the Person program, a state demonstration project, is one such example.

The program allows individuals to remain in their homes instead of being institutionalized in a nursing home or hospital because of illness or disability. However, these individuals are typically impoverished and may not have a home to go to, so CCCI helps them find homes. That was “costing us a lot of money,” Consorte said.

He used financial modeling to make his point with DSS.

Initially unable to get paid until a person was transitioned fully into the community, the nonprofit now has an arrangement where it does an assessment to start the transition process. After three months, the nonprofit can bill for the work done to date, Consorte said.

“The reimbursement rate was increased and the timing changed as well,” he said.

Also this past year, Consorte led CCCI in obtaining an $850,000 grant to enhance its electronic clinical records system and another $41,000 grant to improve its document management system. Both awards were made this past spring by the state Office of Policy & Management.

The larger grant, which updates record-keeping using software the nonprofit developed in 2000, will help case managers and employees in the field work more intuitively and efficiently, Consorte said.

To win that award, Gavin said, Consorte pulled together a team from information technology, clinical services and quality improvement departments and worked with an external consultant.

CCCI also successfully pitched a return on investment. Consorte said he was able to demonstrate how the nonprofit will earn back the $850,000 and more in three to five years' time.

Educated with a bachelor's degree in accounting from Quinnipiac, Consorte spent his early career working in accounting for various small manufacturers and then, from 1986 to 1990, for SNET Cellular in New Haven. In 1990 he became controller at CCCI, and in 1997 was promoted to CFO.

Consorte also has a hands-on approach to educating employees about their impact on the bottom line.

In the Connecticut Home Care program, for instance, he explains, CCCCI doesn't get paid if a client is in a nursing home or hospital, and not in the community. He uses PowerPoint slides to show employees how the size of their community caseloads impact the bottom line.

Additional revenue from having more clients in the community benefits the company as well as the client, who doesn't want to be in the hospital or nursing home any longer than they need to be, he says.

Gavin says his approach reflects “profound respect” for clients, families and the nonprofit itself. Without sacrificing quality of care, everyone's “best interest” is kept top of mind, she said.

The Basics

Name of Organization: Connecticut Community Care Inc.

Title: Chief Financial Officer

Size of Organization: 264 employees

Revenue this past year: $20 million

Education: B.S. in Accounting from Quinnipiac University, member of the Institute of Management Accountants

Previous jobs: SNET Cellular Inc./SNET FiberCom Inc. (1986-1990); Fenn Manufacturing Co. (1980-1986); Cott Corp. (1977-1980)

On the Job

Guiding business principle: Full disclosure

Best way to keep your competitive edge: Invest in technology with the goal of increasing productivity and decreasing cost per service. Also, know the cost of each service you provide to accurately set pricing.

Best business decision: Hiring the right people for key positions. I have an incredibly supportive staff who make my job much easier.

Biggest missed opportunity: Contracting with the state of Iowa

Goal yet to be achieved: Build net assets to exceed $5 million

Personal Side

City of residence: Harwinton

Favorite way to relax: Listening to classical music, taking my 1985 Corvette through the gears, playing tennis, doing yard work

Hobbies: Model ships, garden railroading

Last vacation: Stowe, Vermont — cross country and downhill skiing