Connecting healthcare, public health, human services, and communities for better outcomes
HMA helps government agencies, health plans, providers, and community organizations improve population health by connecting the systems that shape people’s health and well-being. We bring together healthcare, public health, human services, housing, behavioral health, and community-based services experts to address clinical and social drivers of health. Our experts align policy, financing, operations, data, and community partnerships to improve access, coordination, equity, and outcomes.
Integrated Population Health Strategies That Connect Systems and Communities
HMA helps organizations improve outcomes and strengthen system performance by connecting healthcare, public health, housing, human services, and community-based systems.
Organizations face growing pressure to improve outcomes while navigating fragmented systems, workforce shortages, funding uncertainty, rising costs, and increasing demands for accountability. These challenges often span multiple sectors, making them difficult to address independently.
HMA helps clients align policy, financing, operations, data, and community partnerships to strengthen access, performance, and sustainability. We combine deep safety-net expertise with practical implementation experience to help organizations move from strategy to measurable results.
Our Areas of Expertise
HMA brings multidisciplinary expertise across healthcare, housing, human services, child welfare, and public health to design practical solutions that address complex community needs.
Housing & Health Solutions
HMA helps healthcare organizations, Medicaid agencies, housing providers, and community partners develop integrated housing and health strategies that improve health outcomes and address social drivers of health. Our experts support planning, financing, implementation, stakeholder engagement, and partnership development to build sustainable housing and health models. Our capabilities include:
- Housing-related service strategies
- Cross-sector financing approaches
- Supportive housing initiatives
- Homelessness response system alignment
- Housing and healthcare partnership development
Human Services
HMA partners with state and local agencies to modernize human services systems and improve how individuals and families access and experience services. We help clients redesign programs and operations, strengthen their workforce, improve performance, and coordinate more effectively across healthcare, behavioral health, child welfare, and other community systems. Our capabilities include:
- System redesign
- Organizational assessments
- Operational improvement
- Workforce development
- Cross-sector integration
- Program integrity and performance improvement
Child Welfare
We help child welfare agencies improve outcomes for children, youth, and families through prevention strategies, organizational transformation, implementation support, and performance improvement. Our consultants help agencies strengthen operations, improve permanency and placement stability, and align services and funding across healthcare, Medicaid, behavioral health, and community organizations. Our capabilities include:
- Child welfare system assessments and transformation
- Blending and braiding funding
- Prevention and family preservation strategies
- Placement stability and permanency improvement
- Workforce development and organizational redesign
- Data analytics, performance management, and dashboards
- Cross-system alignment, financing, and implementation support
Public Health
HMA helps state and local public health agencies modernize infrastructure, strengthen workforce capacity, improve data systems, and enhance community health planning. We help organizations develop practical, data-informed strategies that improve public health performance, strengthen prevention efforts, and support long-term community health. Our capabilities include:
- Public health modernization
- Data and infrastructure improvement
- Workforce strategy
- Community health planning
- Cross-agency integration
- Community-centered prevention initiatives
Our Population Health Consulting Services
Our work is guided by equity-centered strategic approaches and community-based approaches. We help organizations advance health equity by incorporating culturally humble engagement, meaningful metrics, and continuous improvement into strategy and implementation. We also work with communities to identify needs, align priorities, strengthen partnerships, and deliver practical solutions across healthcare, social services, and community organizations.
Strategic Planning – HMA helps organizations set priorities and develop implementation-ready roadmaps. Our plans strengthen cross-sector collaboration and support long-term improvements in health outcomes.
Systems Improvement – HMA redesigns workflows, governance structures, and operating models. Our approach improves performance, strengthens accountability, and supports more effective service delivery.
Needs Assessments – HMA conducts population health, market, and organizational assessments. We identify service gaps, emerging opportunities, and community needs to help organizations prioritize investments and guide system transformation.
Evaluation – HMA evaluates program performance, health outcomes, and community impact using data-driven methodologies. We translate findings into practical improvements that strengthen strategy, accountability, and long-term sustainability.
Stakeholder Engagement – HMA brings together public, private, and community partners to build consensus. Our collaborative approach strengthens alignment, builds trust, and supports long-term system success.
Coalition Building – We help organizations build cross-sector coalitions across healthcare, public health, housing, human services, and community organizations. Through governance, convenings, and collaborative planning, we create partnerships that support shared goals and improve population health.
Workforce Development – HMA strengthens recruitment, retention, leadership, and organizational capacity. We help organizations improve collaboration and build the capabilities needed to deliver whole-person, community-centered care.
Implementation Support – HMA helps clients turn plans into action through practical implementation support. We assist with governance, project management, stakeholder coordination, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement to help sustain change.
Who HMA Helps Across the Population Health Ecosystem
State and Local Government Agencies
Supporting modernization, strategic planning, system redesign, workforce development, and cross-agency coordination.
Public Health Agencies
Helping agencies strengthen infrastructure, improve performance, modernize data systems, and advance prevention strategies.
Health Plans and Managed Care Organizations
Supporting population health strategy, health equity initiatives, social care integration, and community partnerships.
Healthcare Providers and Health Systems
Helping organizations improve community partnerships, address social needs, and implement population health initiatives.
Community-Based Organizations and Nonprofits
Providing strategic planning, evaluation, coalition development, capacity building, and sustainability planning support.
Foundations and Regional Collaboratives
Supporting community investments, program design, evaluation, and cross-sector initiatives.
Why Organizations Choose HMA
Organizations choose HMA for our combination of cross-sector expertise and practical implementation experience. Our consultants include former Medicaid leaders, public health executives, human services administrators, behavioral health experts, researchers, and operational leaders. HMA works alongside clients from strategy through implementation. We help organizations align stakeholders, improve operations, strengthen performance, and measure results across healthcare, public health, housing, human services, and community systems.
Outcomes Clients Can Expect
HMA works with clients to achieve:
- Improved health, social, and community outcomes
- Stronger cross-sector partnerships and coordination
- Modernized operating models and service delivery systems
- Improved access and equity
- More effective workforces and stronger organizational capacity
- Sustainable financing and implementation strategies
- Greater accountability through data and performance measurement
- More integrated approaches to whole-person needs and social drivers of health
Measurable Impact and Practical Experience
- Pediatric behavioral health service continuum: HMA used Medicaid data, service mapping, and stakeholder input to identify gaps in New Orleans’ pediatric behavioral health system and develop an actionable roadmap to improve access, care coordination, and crisis stabilization for Medicaid-eligible youth. View case study.
- School-based behavioral health access: HMA helped Glenn County, California, strengthen collaboration among schools, healthcare providers, public agencies, and community organizations to improve pediatric behavioral health access, referral pathways, and care coordination. View case study.
- Sustainable public health workforce: HMA partnered with North Carolina’s Region 7 local health departments to assess workforce needs, develop recruitment and retention recommendations, estimate public health service costs, and support long-term workforce planning. View case study.
- Indiana public health modernization: HMA supported Indiana’s Governor’s Public Health Commission through stakeholder engagement, public health research, workstream coordination, and development of recommendations to strengthen governance, funding, workforce, data integration, emergency preparedness, and child health. View case study.
Population Health Consulting FAQs
How is population health different from public health?
Population health focuses on improving outcomes for specific populations by coordinating healthcare, social services, and community resources, while public health emphasizes protecting and improving the health of entire communities through prevention, policy, and public health infrastructure. HMA supports both by helping organizations build integrated, cross-sector solutions.
Can HMA support organizations that are already in the middle of a population health initiative?
Yes. HMA can support organizations at any stage by strengthening strategy, addressing implementation challenges, improving operations, and measuring results.
How does HMA help organizations build and sustain cross-sector partnerships after implementation?
HMA helps organizations establish governance, strengthen partnerships, and align stakeholders to support lasting collaboration. Our implementation-focused approach builds the capacity needed to sustain improvements beyond the engagement.
How do you measure population health outcomes?
HMA uses data analytics, performance measurement, and continuous quality improvement to help organizations track outcomes, evaluate progress, and make informed decisions. Success metrics are tailored to each organization’s goals and may include health outcomes, operational performance, service access, equity, and community impact.
Can HMA work with our existing technology and data systems?
Yes. HMA works with existing technology platforms, data systems, and reporting tools whenever possible to improve coordination, analytics, and performance without requiring unnecessary technology replacements.
How does HMA balance short-term improvements with long-term population health and system transformation goals?
HMA prioritizes practical solutions that deliver measurable early progress while building the foundation for long-term system transformation. Our approach combines strategy, implementation, analytics, and continuous improvement to support lasting results.
What internal resources or staff should we have in place before starting an engagement with HMA?
Organizations benefit from having executive sponsors and key stakeholders available to support planning, decision-making, and implementation. HMA works collaboratively with existing teams and adapts its approach to each organization’s capacity and resources.
How does HMA support rural health transformation?
HMA helps rural communities, state agencies, providers, and partners strengthen access to care, align stakeholders, and develop sustainable transformation strategies. Our work supports rural health planning, financing, implementation, data-informed decision-making, and cross-sector partnerships that connect healthcare, behavioral health, public health, human services, and community-based supports.