Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about our services, team, pricing, and how we work with healthcare organizations.
What type of services do you offer?
Three capability areas–Process & Governance, Analytics & Implementation, and Strategic Data Consulting–delivered as projects, retainers, fractional data leadership, or mentoring, coaching, and training. See each service page and our Leadership & Capability Support page for details.
What’s the difference between these services?
Governance sets ownership, definitions, and process. Analytics builds pipelines, reports, and models. Strategy sets direction, roadmap, and technology choices–including AI readiness. Fractional leadership and coaching/training are engagement models: how we deliver that work when you need embedded leadership or capability building rather than a single project.
What is fractional data leadership?
Part-time or time-limited leadership capacity–generally director level and below. Typical uses: covering a role while you hire, working in parallel with an existing leader to modernize or mature the function, or standing up something new such as data governance, then handing ownership to your team.
Do you offer mentoring, coaching, or training?
Yes. One-on-one mentoring and coaching for data leaders, and team upskilling that covers data concepts plus communication, operational partnership, and working with executives. Details are on our Leadership & Capability Support page.
Are you just one person or a team?
Led by Kevin W. Thornton, with more than 15 years in healthcare data. We scale projects with the right specialists when needed–without unnecessary overhead.
How do you compete with large consulting firms?
Senior consultants stay involved. You get direct access and clear communication–not junior staff and account layers.
What if our project needs expertise you don’t have?
We coordinate specialists for areas outside our core expertise–AI engineers, specialized data architects, or industry-specific consultants. You maintain a single point of contact while accessing the capabilities you need.
Who do you work with?
Healthcare organizations of all types and sizes: health systems, hospitals, and practices; digital health and health tech companies; and pharmacy and life sciences organizations. Kevin has experience across a range of care delivery settings and facility types. Leadership coaching is also available for individual data leaders, including when sponsored by their organization.
Why do you emphasize rural and critical access hospitals?
Because that is where we see the greatest impact. Rural and critical access hospitals and health systems often face budget, staffing, and technology constraints–and right-sized consulting can make an outsized difference there. The emphasis reflects where we believe we can help most, not where our experience is limited.
Do you work with digital health or pharmacy organizations?
Yes. Our expertise is healthcare data governance, analytics, and strategy–not a single business model. Digital health companies scaling platforms or member programs, and pharmacy organizations managing commercial, clinical, and regulatory data, face the same foundational challenges: inconsistent definitions, siloed data, unclear ownership, and reporting teams cannot trust. We apply the same capability areas to those problems and adapt quickly to how your organization operates.
What type of pricing plans do you offer?
Most of our projects are billed on an hourly basis, plus incidentals like travel costs.
Our retainer plans have a flat monthly rate which include a guaranteed number of hours, with a reduced hourly rate once the included hours are used.
Fractional leadership engagements are scoped as part-time or time-limited embedded roles with clear outcomes and a planned handoff. Mentoring, coaching, and training can be billed as packages or hourly depending on the format.
For cost-savings projects, we offer a lower hourly rate, with a bonus based on achieved savings.
Other options can be negotiated as well.
Are there any costs for initial meetings or discussions?
Unless you require an in person meeting, there are no costs until work begins. If you prefer to meet in person, then travel costs will be invoiced after the initial meeting.
Do you provide permanent staff or staff augmentation?
No. We do not fill permanent seats or sell ongoing analyst capacity as a staffing firm. We engage when the problem is too big, too new, or too time-sensitive for your team to handle alone–including fractional leadership that builds capability and ends with a handoff, and coaching or training that strengthens your people.
For clients that want to ensure our availability without an embedded role, we offer retainer plans to keep time reserved for situations that may come up.
How long does it take to get started?
Usually within one week for urgent work, or two to three weeks for standard engagements. Timing depends on our current workload and the complexity of the project.