HHS Sales Cheat Sheet

Internal Seller Reference

Health & Human Services

Your conversation toolkit for state agency executives

$120.2M
2025 HHS Revenue Forecast
500+
Projects Since 2020
30+
Years in Public Sector

Your Reality Today

The pressure board - what HHS leaders are dealing with right now

Recertification backlog and staffing burnout

Impact: Timeliness risk, high error rates, compliance pressure

Urgency: CMS mandate deadlines, audit exposure

High call center volume from citizens who can't self-serve

Impact: Operational costs, citizen frustration, legislative scrutiny

Urgency: Constituent complaints reaching governor's office

Legacy systems blocking data sharing (MMIS, eligibility, SNAP/TANF silos)

Impact: Manual data reconciliation, duplicate work, data quality issues

Urgency: Federal mandate for integrated eligibility

CMS compliance pressure and audit exposure

Impact: Potential clawbacks, federal escalations, legislative questioning

Urgency: Audit findings require response within 60-90 days

Fraud / waste / abuse pressure from legislature and press

Impact: Budget scrutiny, program integrity mandates, public trust erosion

Urgency: Legislative hearings, budget cycle pressure

Policy changing faster than IT can deliver

Impact: Manual workarounds, staff frustration, compliance gaps

Urgency: Emergency mandates (pandemic response, federal rule changes)

Talk Tracks That Land

Bulletproof positioning statements aligned to business outcomes

We help you prove program integrity to auditors while reducing manual review burden

We reduce eligibility worker burnout by removing low-value rework

We help you deliver within mandated timelines without triggering resistance from other agencies or vendors

While competitors sell tools, we build the future operating model - an agency that is fundamentally more agile, intelligent, and citizen-focused

We don't sell advisory decks. We deliver execution capacity, modern data and AI muscle, and operating model transformation inside the agency

We work as a true extension of your team - advisors, connectors, and advocates working on your behalf

Key Questions to Ask (Cheat Sheet for Sellers)

Discovery scripting in consultative language - steers buyers to value gaps

Where are you seeing the most manual rework in eligibility or recertification?

Purpose:

Uncovers process inefficiency and automation opportunities

Leads to:

Eligibility Acceleration offering

What is the single tightest compliance deadline you're carrying into the next quarter?

Purpose:

Establishes urgency and funding justification

Leads to:

PMO/Transformation Office offering

Which process right now depends on 'hero employees' to keep it alive?

Purpose:

Highlights business continuity risk and knowledge management gaps

Leads to:

Operating Model & Org Change offering

Where are you being forced to add headcount instead of fixing the process?

Purpose:

Reveals cost pressure and process redesign opportunity

Leads to:

Process automation and AI assistant offerings

If you had a real-time view of program integrity risk, who would use it first: finance, compliance, or operations?

Purpose:

Uncovers stakeholder dynamics and data platform readiness

Leads to:

NHIQ - Agency Intelligence offering

When was the last time your call center data actually changed how you designed a form or workflow?

Purpose:

Highlights disconnect between operations and service design

Leads to:

Citizen Experience / Digital Front Door

What would it mean for your agency if you could stand up a transformation office in 30 days instead of 6 months?

Purpose:

Quantifies time-to-value and competitive advantage

Leads to:

PMO as a Service

Buyer Personas & What They Fear

Medicaid Director

😰 What They Fear

  • ▸Audit findings and federal escalations
  • ▸CMS compliance letters and corrective action plans
  • ▸Legislative questioning and public scrutiny
  • ▸Clawback risk and improper payments

💬 Speak Like This

  • ▸Focus on compliance outcomes and audit defensibility
  • ▸Emphasize partnership with CMS and federal alignment
  • ▸Highlight program integrity and financial accountability
  • ▸Show how we reduce personal political risk

CIO / IT Director

😰 What They Fear

  • ▸Fragile legacy systems and integration nightmares
  • ▸Talent gaps and inability to hire/retain tech staff
  • ▸Vendor lock-in and platform dependencies
  • ▸Failed modernization projects and wasted budget

💬 Speak Like This

  • ▸Emphasize modern, modular architecture (not rip-and-replace)
  • ▸Highlight our technical depth and delivery track record
  • ▸Show how we transfer knowledge and build internal capacity
  • ▸Focus on risk mitigation and phased delivery

COO / Operations Director

😰 What They Fear

  • ▸Caseworker burnout and retention crisis
  • ▸Processing backlogs and timeliness failures
  • ▸Manual workarounds that create error exposure
  • ▸Inability to scale without adding headcount

💬 Speak Like This

  • ▸Focus on staff enablement and workload reduction
  • ▸Quantify time savings and error reduction
  • ▸Show empathy for frontline worker challenges
  • ▸Emphasize practical, adoptable solutions

CFO / Finance Director

😰 What They Fear

  • ▸Federal clawbacks and improper payment penalties
  • ▸Fraud, waste, and abuse exposure
  • ▸Budget constraints and funding uncertainty
  • ▸Inability to demonstrate ROI on IT investments

💬 Speak Like This

  • ▸Lead with financial outcomes and cost avoidance
  • ▸Quantify recoveries, error reduction, and efficiency gains
  • ▸Emphasize program integrity and audit readiness
  • ▸Show clear ROI and payback periods

Priority Use Cases / Service Plays for HHS

Problem → What we deliver → Value proof anchor

⭐ FIRST CALL PITCH

Eligibility & Recertification Acceleration

Problem:

Backlog, timeliness risk, high error rates

What We Deliver:

Process redesign + targeted automation + staff augmentation + change management

Value Anchor:

States have cut processing time per case by 20-40% and reduced error-driven rework without adding FTEs

Vault Assets:NHIQ - Agency IntelligenceOperating ModelAI & Automation
⭐ FIRST CALL PITCH

Integrated Data Layer for Program Integrity

Problem:

Fraud/waste/abuse pressure; siloed systems

What We Deliver:

Data integration, entity resolution, case investigation workflows, audit-ready reporting

Value Anchor:

Agencies increased recoveries and protected benefits while strengthening audit defensibility

Vault Assets:NHIQ - Agency IntelligenceData & AnalyticsNH360 Enterprise Connect

Citizen Access / Digital Front Door

Problem:

Call centers overloaded, constituents confused

What We Deliver:

Intake triage, guided self-service, status tracking, multilingual prompts, SMS nudging

Value Anchor:

Call center volume down double digits, faster resolution for simple cases

Vault Assets:Citizen ExperienceAI & AutomationProcess Optimization
⭐ FIRST CALL PITCH

PMO / Transformation Office for Federal Mandate Delivery

Problem:

Under a mandate (MITA, CMS, etc.) but can't stand up a cross-functional program fast enough

What We Deliver:

Governance, program runway, workplan, tracking model, vendor coordination, reporting to CMS

Value Anchor:

Program stood up in weeks, not months, with stakeholder alignment and reporting hygiene from day one

Vault Assets:Enterprise Program ManagementDelivery AssuranceChange Management

What HHS Agencies Care About This Quarter

Legislative & Funding Cycles

  • ▸Budget approval cycles (typically Q1-Q2)
  • ▸Federal Enhanced FMAP windows
  • ▸Legislative session timing and appropriations committees
  • ▸Federal grant application deadlines

Federal Oversight & Audit Pressures

  • ▸CMS oversight and compliance reviews
  • ▸MITA (Medicaid Information Technology Architecture) requirements
  • ▸Program integrity mandates
  • ▸OIG audit findings and corrective action plans

Workforce & Union Issues

  • ▸Caseworker burnout and retention
  • ▸Union negotiations and labor relations
  • ▸Hiring freezes and budget constraints
  • ▸Remote work policies post-pandemic

Service Delivery & Equity

  • ▸Processing timeliness (% within federal standards)
  • ▸Language access and cultural competency
  • ▸Rural vs urban service parity
  • ▸Digital divide and technology access

Fraud & Improper Payments

  • ▸Improper payment rates and recovery
  • ▸Legislative investigations
  • ▸Program integrity technology investments
  • ▸Payment error rate measurement (PERM)

Value Selling Framework (Corporate Visions)

1. Why Change?

Objective: Overcome status quo bias - create urgency

HHS Approach: Paint the pain: CMS deadlines, audit exposure, backlog crisis, fraud pressure. Status quo = personal and agency risk.

"Your recertification backlog isn't just an operations problem - it's a compliance time bomb. When CMS reviews timeliness next quarter, what's your defense?"

2. Why You? (Why North Highland?)

Objective: Differentiate from competition - unconsidered needs

HHS Approach: We don't just deliver projects - we build institutional capability. While Deloitte brings scale, we bring embedded partnership and agency fluency.

"Deloitte will send you 50 consultants to implement a platform. We send you 12 people who become part of your team and build your capability to sustain it."

3. Why Invest? (Why Now?)

Objective: Justify the decision - quantified business case

HHS Approach: Federal funding windows, mandate deadlines, cost of inaction (clawbacks, audit penalties, staff turnover costs).

"Enhanced FMAP expires Q2 2026. Every month you delay costs you $X in federal match. Plus audit penalties if you miss the CMS deadline."

Common Objections & Responses

🚫 "We've tried consultants before and it didn't work"

✓ I hear that. The difference: we don't parachute in with a deck and leave. We embed, we transfer knowledge, and we stay until you're self-sufficient. Want to talk to a Medicaid Director in [State X] about how that worked?

🚫 "Our budget is locked for this fiscal year"

✓ Understood. Let's talk about next fiscal year planning - and whether there are federal funds (MITA, enhanced FMAP, grants) that operate on a different timeline. Sometimes compliance mandates unlock emergency budget.

🚫 "We need to focus on our current vendor relationship"

✓ Not here to replace anyone. Often we complement existing vendors - we bring the PMO, governance, and integration layer that coordinates multiple vendors and keeps the program on track.

🚫 "This sounds expensive"

✓ Let's talk about cost of inaction: What's one month of backlog costing you in overtime? What's the penalty if you miss the CMS deadline? What's staff turnover costing you? Our engagements often pay for themselves in cost avoidance.

HHS Key Metrics & KPIs

What they measure - speak their language

Processing Timeliness

% applications processed within federal standards (typically 45-90 days)Average processing time per caseBacklog size and ageRecertification completion rates

Program Integrity

Improper payment rate (%)Fraud recoveries ($)Payment error rate measurement (PERM) scoresAudit findings and corrective actions

Citizen Experience

Call center volume and handle timeApplication completion rateCitizen satisfaction scoresDigital channel adoption rate

Operational Efficiency

Cost per case processedStaff productivity (cases per FTE)Error/rework rate (%)System uptime and availability

Compliance & Risk

CMS compliance scoreAudit readinessCorrective action plan completionFederal reporting accuracy and timeliness

Engagement Pathways

Not a generic 'contact us' - specific paths mapped to pain points

"We need backlogs under control"

→ Eligibility Acceleration Assessment (2-week diagnostic)

Process analysis, automation roadmap, staffing model recommendations

"We need to prove compliance to CMS"

→ Compliance Readiness Review (1-week audit prep)

Gap analysis, documentation audit, corrective action roadmap

"We need cross-program data visibility"

→ Data Integration Feasibility Study (3-week assessment)

Technical architecture, data governance framework, implementation roadmap

"We need delivery capacity for a mandate"

→ PMO Stand-Up (4-week mobilization)

Governance structure, program charter, workplan, vendor coordination