The Helm - July 2026

Welcome to the July 2026 edition of The Helm, Sunstone’s executive briefing for Healthcare and Insurance leaders navigating growth, transformation, and scale. Each month, our Operating Partners share real-world insights from complex engagements to help leadership teams see beyond the horizon and build the capabilities required to turn opportunity into sustained results.

Like the ancient Vikings who used the Sunstone to find their path, we are ready to help you plot your direction and chart a course to become Extraordinary.

Mike Murphy

Founder and Managing Partner

Joe Rolewicz

Founder and Managing Director

Headwinds & Currents

Food insecurity, social isolation, home safety, medication adherence, avoidable utilization, and rising support create special challenges for vulnerable populations. Community-based organizations can help address these special needs by leveraging key attributes:

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Local presence

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Trusted relationships

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Recurring touchpoints

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Visibility into daily living conditions

Turning these into a scalable, complete health service model that also incorporates payer and provider integration requires bold thinking. This month, we share a client story focused on helping a national community-based organization evaluate how to transform a proven service model into a broader health and social care platform.

SMA Client Voyage

The Client's Storm

Our client had a trusted brand and deep community relationships supporting vulnerable seniors through nutrition, safety checks, social connection, and referrals to local services. Could those capabilities be leveraged into a senior-centered model integrating both healthcare and social services?

The opportunity was compelling. Healthcare payers and providers that manage high-risk populations seek ways to address social determinants of health, reduce avoidable utilization, and keep seniors safely in their homes. By leveraging our client’s direct insights, they could improve their impact on these seniors.

Our client needed to move from aspiration to an actual business model. Leadership sought clarity on:

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Target customers

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Services to prioritize

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Value definition

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Realistic revenue streams

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Required investment

Viewing Through the Sunstone

We translated the opportunity into a strategic plan for leadership and the Board. By reframing existing capabilities as a potential “last mile” health and social care platform, combining nutrition support, social connection, home safety observations, change-of-condition monitoring, care coordination referrals, and community service navigation. In parallel, we assessed the market through the lens of payer and provider demand. The strongest opportunity came from aligning those services to the issues these organizations face: member experience, quality performance, medical cost management, care coordination, and avoidable emergency or inpatient utilization.

The resulting strategy defined a scalable service model, potential buyer segments, value proposition, revenue options, operating requirements, and a staged path to market validation.

Signals

Defined a new ~$30M revenue platform

Identified total cost of care improvements of 10% for potential payer clients

Potential member utilization growth of 100K over 5 years

Developed a staged market-entry roadmap and ROI model

When developing a new product or service, the most important question is “What problem are we uniquely positioned to solve, and who has a reason to pay for it?”

Compass Points

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Disruption often starts with assets an organization already owns but has not leveraged

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Mission-driven trust is a market advantage with measurable customer value

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New service models should be designed around buyer urgency, funding pathways, and evidence requirements

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Focused market validation creates the path to sustainable growth

Set Your Heading

If you are considering a new product, service, or market expansion journey, ask a few practical questions:

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What customer problems are we uniquely positioned to solve?

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Can our existing capabilities be translated into a repeatable service model?

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What outcomes make the potential offering valuable in the market?

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What evidence is required to support adoption and reimbursement?

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What must be true before we scale?

Your answers will move you beyond “innovation theater” by shaping your strategy and building the disciplined path towards enduring success.

Book a Complimentary Voyage Briefing

If our perspectives on growth, transformation, and value creation resonate with you, let’s schedule a brief introductory call. We’ll listen, learn, and explore how our paths might align—no obligations, just dialogue.

Are You Ready to Be Extraordinary... To Go Beyond...?