Neha: How would you describe Care Predictor to those who are unfamiliar with the company? Could you speak to how the company came into existence?

Michael: Care Predictor utilizes data science, predictive analytics, technology and AI to empower the behavioral healthcare workforce to provide transformative, high-quality care. What started as a mission to offer the best treatment possible turned into a full-scale effort to identify and measure the unseen force possessed by care providers who effectively align with clients by leading with genuine empathy, and compassion.

My experience in the corporate world taught me that there are three primary elements that comprise a business: people, process and technology. I observed early on that people had a larger impact on behavioral health outcomes than process or technology did. Interestingly, these individuals tend to have one key commonality - many of them, including myself, are "wounded healers", if you will. They have been through adversity and are consequently highly empathetic, which is a great thing. However, a person's ability to effectively act on their empathy can be hampered if they haven't had the opportunity to process the internal conflict their adversity has caused.

As the CEO of a treatment center, this was a major pain point I had to figure out how to solve. At the time, no one had a scientific framework to measure why some therapists were more successful than others. I chose to investigate this issue because I wanted to improve treatment quality, clinical outcomes and company culture. That's how Care Predictor was born. The Care Predictor assessment was never intended to be a product or service. It was created solely to ensure we had good providers facilitating the best outcomes for the people that mattered most.

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Neha: Can you detail Care Predictor's existing products and services?

Michael: We have the Care Predictor Index (CPI), a scientifically-validated assessment tool that can predict a person's capacity for human connection, an important feature given that the therapeutic alliance is a leading predictor of positive treatment outcomes. The CPI provides invaluable insight into how organizations can hire more effectively as well as help care providers optimize their interpersonal bonding capabilities. Our Care Intelligence Platform reports metrics and helps us move the needle towards achieving both clinical and organizational goals. We also have the ability to coach clinicians via data-driven insights on our Clinical Supervision platform. The Employee Engagement Surveys helps organizations improve company morale, connectivity and engagement by obtaining and responding to employee feedback.

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Neha: How do you measure customer satisfaction?

Michael: Care Predictor measures customer satisfaction by conducting routine reverse validation studies that analyze their clinical outcomes and KPIs since implementing our tools. It's important to us that our customers find value in our products; when the data shows a trajectory of improvement within these organizations, they are thrilled and so are we. At the end of day, though, the primary stakeholders are the individuals in treatment. If they're happy, this is reflected in positive clinical and financial outcomes, which naturally cultivates customer satisfaction.

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Neha: How do you ensure that your company's values (empowerment, collaboration, integrity, innovation and compassion) are reflected in the products you create?

Michael: It's a continuous process of checks and balances, making sure that what we're doing is the embodiment of our values. It's critical that we remember our north star, and it really does show up in the feedback and data we get back from our customers. If their outcomes and KPIs come back positively aligned to our core values, then we know we're doing something special.

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Neha: As the Founder and CEO of Alter Behavioral Health, a respected treatment center in its own right, you are in the unique position of being the architect behind Care Predictor's innovations as well as an early implementer of these same tools. Can you describe the impact the CPI has had on ABH, and your other endeavors, since implementation?

‍Michael: The CPI has had a significant impact at ABH, which has experienced increased treatment completion, longer overall lengths of stay, fewer clients leaving against medical advice, improved clinical symptomatology, and lower employee turnover - all of which have boosted financial performance as well. Ultimately, it has been a culture builder. It has created a highly aligned, high-performing team of people, selected and supported by the CPI, that have helped transform the lives of numerous individuals in our care. Additionally, our crisis hotline, AlterCareLine, also staffed via utilization of the CPI, continues to make an impact in a huge way. As the recipient of both state and federal grants, we've provided the entire state of California with approximately 250,000 crisis care encounters and counting. We hope to continue these measures with those who have been affected by the devastating wildfires in southern California.

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Neha: As a leader who is invested and involved in the inner workings of both Care Predictor and ABH, can you tell us how your approach to employee growth and development has evolved over the years?

Michael: I've come to an understanding about the necessity of our own continuous self-development, especially given that our main objective in this industry is to help individuals in treatment grow. You can't help others grow if you aren't committed to doing so yourself. It's a dynamic process that is an essential element of providing good care. I've always had a passion for wanting to elevate people, and I see how critical this mission is in behavioral healthcare specifically. It's not an option. It's a must.

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Neha: Where do you see Care Predictor in the next 5-10 years?

Michael: I see Care Predictor as being a standard of care in behavioral health. We know the therapeutic alliance significantly impacts outcomes. The fact that we now have a scientific construct to measure and predict it is game-changing; it has the potential to really elevate the quality of care and outcomes throughout the industry. Using technology to elevate people and their ability to provide great treatment creates a scenario in which everybody wins, including patients, care providers, facilities, society, regulators, accrediting bodies and insurance companies.

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Neha: Why do you think professionals and organizations in behavioral healthcare are so reluctant to challenge the status quo by adapting to changing processes?

Michael: I believe growth requires us to step outside of our comfort zones. Change is not always comfortable for people. If we are collectively seeking to move to higher ground, it's going to take a willingness to leave our comfort zones and start embracing innovation. We have to be willing to adapt and grow in order to improve the outcomes that we are attempting to achieve. We're also a relatively young industry and still discovering so much, which is another dynamic we're challenged with. We have to learn to respond to change in a way that's comforting and supportive of the workforce. This industry requires that we adapt, be agile, innovate and change, but those things are contrary to human nature in general.

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Neha: What prompted your foray into the behavioral healthcare space after three successful decades in the financial sector?

Michael: Like many other people, I have had my own experience and journey with mental health issues. I had a traumatic childhood in which I was neglected, abused and deprived of the thing that every person - especially a child - craves the most: human connection. My inherent resolve helped me survive my childhood and thrive professionally, but it became clear that I needed to address the intense wounds I sustained during such a vulnerable phase of development in my early life. I realized I needed to look inward and truly address my pain, so I sought help. The compassion I received from one particular clinician was life-changing, and I left treatment with immense gratitude. At the same time, I witnessed several problems with other aspects of my care. My experience inspired me to enter the industry to provide individuals with the highest quality of care and increase their chances of getting better.

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Neha: Utilizing technology to increase and enhance relationships is an interesting (and somewhat ironic) approach. Why do you think human connection has so much power despite shifting societal dynamics caused by technological advancements?

Michael: From a neuroscientific perspective, we are designed to experience the multimodal and multidimensional aspects of authentic human connection. As nuanced as technology is, it will never be able to replicate the depth or intensity of human connection, which is an organic and necessary part of the human condition. That's why the work Care Predictor is doing is so powerful. To understand, support, enable and optimize ourselves and those around us - that is an invaluable gift, and one that I believe is worth sharing.