Part 1: What We Do and How We Help
Most of us know Mission Health for the care provided every day across our skilled nursing and assisted living communities. But the Mission story extends beyond the communities we operate.
Through Mission Health’s sister company, Mission Management Services (MMS), that same experience, leadership, and commitment to quality care helps senior care organizations across the country navigate challenges and build a stronger path forward.
MMS works with organizations that may need additional support, whether they’re navigating operational or financial challenges, regulatory concerns, leadership transitions, or other complex situations. From management and consulting to monitoring and operational support, MMS brings the knowledge and resources of the Mission team into communities when they may need it most.
“At Mission Management Services, we provide experienced interim leadership that helps communities regain stability and build a sustainable path forward.” —Mission Health Communities & MMS President and CEO Stuart Lindeman.
So, what does that actually look like?
I sat down with Nichole Burger, Vice President of Mission Management Services, to learn more about MMS, who the team works with, and what happens when they step into a community that needs help.
Nichole brings 23 years of long-term care experience to her role and has worked in nearly every area of a community—from housekeeping and dietary to CNA, CMA, nursing leadership, administration, and regional operations. And while she’s worn plenty of hats over the years, there’s still one she’s working on.
“I still try to help maintenance occasionally, but they usually draw the line when I ask for the power tools!”
That experience has given Nichole a firsthand understanding of how each part of a community works together and the challenges team members can face at every level. It’s a perspective that has made her a valuable asset to Mission Health and to the organizations MMS serves.
But the work of MMS is never a one-person job. Behind every engagement is a team of people bringing their own expertise, experience, and resources to the table. With support from teams across Mission Health, MMS is able to step into complex situations, work alongside communities, and help find the right path forward.
We asked Nichole to take us behind the scenes of MMS and explain how the team helps communities when they need it most.
Q: For those who may not be familiar with MMS, what types of services do you provide?
Nichole: Mission Management Services provides a wide range of support designed to meet organizations wherever they are in their operational or regulatory journey.
Our services include management and operational support; long-term, short-term, and interim management agreements; regulatory and compliance services, including temporary management, state monitoring, and directed plans of correction; clinical and quality improvement services; environmental and operational reviews; and financial and reimbursement consulting.
While the scope of each engagement may look different, our goal is consistent: identify the most critical needs, stabilize the organization, build sustainable systems, and help position the community for long-term success.
Q: Many of the communities MMS works with are already facing difficult situations. Where do you begin?
Nichole: In our experience, many of the communities we enter are already in crisis. Time is critical, and decisions often need to be made quickly while ensuring resident care and safety remain at the center of everything we do.
We begin by identifying immediate priorities—resident safety, staffing, leadership, supply levels, resident and family concerns, and regulatory or compliance issues.
But I think one of the most important things we do can be summed up in three words: “listen, engage, and act.”
We listen to community leaders, frontline team members, residents, families, state agencies, and other collaborative partners. We address immediate priorities, but we also spend time observing and monitoring so we can understand what is really happening within the community.
Sometimes our biggest successes start with one small change. That change creates momentum, gives people hope, and gets everyone focused on a common goal. What I found is small moments can have big, long lasting impact
“Small moments = big impact”
Q: How do the CARES values guide the work of Mission Management Services?
Nichole: Our CARES values are everything.
Our CARES values represent who we are and what we believe, and they guide how we approach our work every day.
There are organizations and consultants that can walk into a struggling community and focus solely on achieving regulatory compliance. What sets MMS apart is how we do the work. Our approach is led by our CARES values.
When we enter a community, we do so with intention. We pride ourselves on being collaborative, purposeful, and accountable for our actions. We don’t view ourselves as outsiders coming in to “fix” someone else’s community. “We become part of the team”.
Their challenges become our challenges, and their successes become our successes.
More to the MMS Story
So, what happens when those small moments start adding up? For MMS, they can mean a community regaining stability, rebuilding confidence, and getting another chance to succeed. Stay tuned for Part 2, where Nichole shares some of MMS’s biggest successes, the moments that have stayed with her, and a closer look at the impact happening behind the scenes.
