By Dan Matas, Founder of OutcomesBase,Inc.
Recently I was able to attend a gathering during CalABA that was hosted by one of my former companies. As I walked through the front door, I was overwhelmed to see so many faces from the past who are still working in ABA, and who were beyond curious with what I was doing and how things were going with OutcomesBase. The questions of “why do this now” and “what do you hope to accomplish” lingered throughout the evening, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to share with old and new friends about the future of the company I’m building.
With conference season in full swing, I thought now would be a good time to share more publicly about OutcomesBase and to answer the questions I’ve received. After working in the ABA industry for over a decade, always in support of clinical, I have learned and experienced so much! Initially, I started as a scheduler of services, pairing parents and therapists in the most strategic and efficient way. That job, as many others in this industry, included quite a bit of customer service for both internal (staff) and external customers (clients). I quickly became the manager of scheduling and caseload planning, and from there tackled authorizations, intake, company policies, recruiting, etc. I learned how the business was run and what the key metrics for operations looked like on a large scale.
Most recently, I was the leader director of operations, a chief compliance officer, and a chief people officer, and I have truly loved each role I have had the opportunity to play. The companies I have worked for (Autism Spectrum Therapies/LEARN Behavioral, Autism Learning Partners, and Behavior Frontiers), all underwent extensive growth during my employment and are continuing to thrive as some of the industry leaders in ABA. All of the complexity of quick growth and mergers & acquisitions, balanced with the day to day operations, has helped me learn sometimes very tough lessons. I can say that every shortfall has made me a stronger and more capable operator, and helped me institutionalize the various risk and quality metrics necessary to run a great ABA company.
I’ve never been someone who has had a hard time waking up to go to work, because I get so much joy from creating an action plan and collaborating with others to see the fruits of our labors. To quote one of my favorite TV series, “Work hard at work worth doing” (Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation). I believe in ABA and the impact that this industry is imprinting on the world. I have experienced firsthand the parents who have seen significant life-altering changes within their family as a result of these services, and it always empowers me to want to see more of that in the future.
When leaving my last executive role, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do next. I started meeting with recruiters and talking to various companies about open roles on their leadership team, when it occurred to me that what I really wanted to do was work with all of them. Through my latest roles in Operations, Compliance and Human Resources, I have seen how much risk each company in this industry faces, and I wanted to impart the wisdom I have acquired to many instead of few. OutcomesBase was built out of the goal to support ABA companies manage their operational hurdles so they can ultimately focus on the quality of clinical services.
Additionally, as someone who has spearheaded the implementation and due diligence of various merger and acquisition (M&A) endeavors, I have a great deal of passion in helping with these in the future. There is so much that can go wrong and so many details that need to be explored and fine-tuned throughout each phase of M&A. Poor planning or ineffective management can lead to horrendous results and have negative impacts on company culture, employment, and client satisfaction. It is a goal of mine to assist with M&A from a quality and risk management perspective.
Since launching in January 2024, OutcomesBase has already had steady work which has kept me engaged and enthused each day. My network has really come through to provide referrals and opportunities to assist with regulatory compliance initiatives, large project management undertakings, human resource support, and acquisition due diligence. I’m excited about all of the future opportunities I have yet to encounter and truly see a bright future for how OutcomesBase can continue to make a positive mark on this industry for years to come.
I will be hanging around the Autism Investor Summit taking place this week in Beverly Hills, and am also planning to attend the Council for Autism Service Providers conference in Fort Worth later in the month. Whether you are an old friend or a new one, I would love the opportunity to connect with you and explore ways that we may be able to collaborate now or in the future. Please feel free to reach out! If you’d like more information about the services OutcomesBase is offering, please check out our website.
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