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brate not only his achievements but also his unwavering dedication to creating enterprise value through transformation. His insights are invaluable for anyone looking to navigate the intricate world of healthcare consulting and drive meaningful change.
Can you share your journey that led you to establish DAH Consulting, Inc.?
Born of a working class Civil Service fam- ily, I watched my father toil at multiple jobs, including handmade furniture - cabinetmak- ing, to support his large family of seven (7). I rose out of the
neighborhood of settlers to win a scholar- ship to a prestigeous college (high school), where I qualified amongst the elites of the Trinidad and Tobago society and migrated from Trinidad and Tobago to Howard Uni- versity, where my academic and entrepre- neurship journey began. Through exposure to faculty and peers in various academic settings I defined my purpose and business model that became my life’s work. My journey is filled with mentors, advisors and collaborators that broaden my exposure and resource base.
Dr. John Edward Harvey is a pioneering leader whose innovative strategies and dedication have profoundly transformed healthcare consulting on a global scale.
What experiences in your early career shaped your approach to consulting and healthcare policy?
I graduated from Howard University with a Phd in Economics and commenced teaching graduate and undergraduate students. My PhD advisor, the owner of a management consulting firm that I later interned at, was influential in both my Dissertation design, an Econometric Commodity Forecasting Model of the Petroleum Industry, and in developing my consulting practice which I modeled after his. He provided commodity economic mod- eling to US Government Agencies such as the US Department of the Interior. My research areas for the advanced degree provided me the tools and skill sets to be a successful advi- sor, mentor and consultant. My Post Doctoral studies helped hone my skills and provided networks that opened up opportunities for further consulting work in specialized areas. My foray into local government in New York exposed me to some leaders in healthcare and finance who encouraged me to develop the consulting practice.
How has your time teaching at in- stitutions like NYU influenced your consulting work?
My consulting practice followed the en-
trepreneurship model, where I only provided services that matched my skill sets, many
of them acquired from the research and preparatory work developed in the classroom. My students benefited from the practices and pilot projects that I tested in many environ- ments, and with different levels of urgency. Interestingly, the healthcare models that I used for theoretical analysis were quite often used for empirical modeling and testing in various country studies and sectors. My work in healthcare financing for the governments of Jamaica, Suriname, Liberia and Trinidad, to name a few, benefitted from a seamless transfer from the classroom. The desire to add value, and make a difference in the lives of these country citizens led to me prioritizing the International consulting practice over the classroom. The program(s) at NYU have Public Service focus, with faculty expertise driving many local government and federal governemnt initiatives. I became part of that community
What are some of the biggest chal- lenges you face in consulting for health care policy?
Interestingly, my consulting practice benefitted from work in an area of need e.g., when DAH first got into healthcare financ- ing, the environment was not as competitive and services were mainly from the major universities in areas such as Public Health. The competitive environment has changed, service delivery models have developed and embodied many of the digital transformation and innovation practices commonly associat- ed with manufacturing. My experience with consulting for healthcare policy has been quite often challenging, given the likely im- pact of these policies for economic and social well being. The de-
cision to finance and
implement Universal
health care, for
example, was chal-
lenged by medical
associations, private
providers, insurance
companies and
health care organiza-
tions. Each of these
stakeholders had
to be given voice,
risks assessed, and recommendations made to mitigate risks as needed. In every case the consultant had to act as objective participants while trying to find optimum solutions.
How does your experience with inter- national organizations like the World Bank differ from working with U.S. federal agencies?
My experiences with the international agencies have been beneficial, as services are specific and directed to fill a need that quite often affects significant numbers of the affected populations. US Federal Agencies have multiple choices and quite often rely on a small sample of experts for their servic-
es. Entrepreneurs are quite often forced to compete with vendors with special access and are not always funded at a level to break the barriers to growth and access. Increasingly these financing institutions are partnering, leading to less duplication when serving the same target audience.
In your experience, what are the most common financial management pitfalls that healthcare organizations face?
Many healthcare organizations are not not resourced in a way to support equity and access, although that is quite often written into their missions. Because of the funding structure for healthcare, especially in uni- versal health systems where technology and pharmaceutical costs drive health budgets, health systems suffer from quality dispari- ties, long wait times, service inefficiencies, inconsistent execution and staff not properly integrated into services. Whereas the solution may include more technology, the capital and human resources to increase ROI and generate use value on a continuing basis are not available. Although Fee for Service sys- tems may provide more resources, planning and funding for technology disruption should be continuous and accessable. Healthcare organizations need to integrate resource management and capacity development into their strategic planning. Increasingly, health service models require other skilled work- ers, new systems and different production functions from the traditional service models. Unless these new skills are integrated, the technology upgrades will not be effective and trust in these new systems will not be built. Skill Sets to include, policy, standards and communication guidelines will add to the successful application and embracing of the
“If we entrepreneurs are not resilient, adapt, network and plan accordingly, we will be cannibalized and die.”
– Dr. Harvey
new environment.
What are the key components of effective strategic planning in health care organizations?
Effective strategic planning requires identifying areas of op- portunity for growth, or stabilization, supported by appropriate risk as-
in this exercise, as we have to plan for rapid change and be better able to predict market needs. Deep conversations on resource needs, gaps and solutions should be routine, both
sessments and mitigation strategies. I am re- minded by a plan I developed for a healthcare organization, that would put the organization on the cutting edge of health service delivery. While it embodied sound practice, it never predicted the type of risk and effect of the COVID 19 epidemic. The organization’s plan was abandoned, as we all went into survival mode. There are many lessons for planners
to recognize opportunity and to plan change. Additionally the organization must develop the capacity, individual and institutional, to
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