Baker Newman Noyes sees opportunity in health care niche

Courtesy / Baker Newman Noyes C. Dayton Benway is director of the 18-member health care consulting practice at Portland-based accounting firm Baker Newman Noyes.

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By Renee Cordes

Portland-based accounting firm Baker Newman Noyes is looking beyond its home turf to add to its health care consulting team.

C. Dayton Benway, recently promoted to director of the 18-member health care consulting practice after nearly two decades with Baker Newman Noyes, told Mainebiz he plans to bring on two new full-time hires outside of Maine to work in new niches.

“We will have full staff running outside of Maine in three to six months,” he said, without giving further details. He added that the newcomers would “predominantly” be in the firm’s other New England offices but “still have a presence” in Portland and help clients in Maine.

Besides Portland, Baker Newman has offices in Manchester, Portsmouth, Boston and Peabody, Mass. The firm’s workforce of 266 comprises 157 in Maine, 69 in New Hampshire and 40 in Massachusetts.

Benway said it’s not unusual for employees now to travel from Portland to other offices, and it would also work the other way around for the incoming hires.

“I actually spend two to three days a week in Massachusetts,” he said. “My base is here, the ‘bricks and mortar’ of me is here, but I’m as likely to be in the Boston office, or with a client in Boston, as I am here.”

While bringing on health care consultants from other states would be a first, Benway believes it’s necessary for growth.

“If we’re truly going to serve all of New England, I think growth in our other offices is going to be necessary,” he said, adding, “I would not turn down talent in Portland, but I’m also going to actively look for talent in other areas as well.” He said the new staff would take on new niches he described as “revenue-cycle focused.”

Speaking about recruiting more generally, he said it was a challenge to find experienced manager-level talent, “because the best are usually tied down.”

In part, he overcomes that hurdle by keeping feelers out for attractive job candidates. “You listen very closely for when certain individuals may be at a point in their career where change is attractive to them, and strike early,” he said.

He also makes use of networking opportunities through his long-running involvement in the 40,000-member Healthcare Financial Management Association, where he currently serves as treasurer of the New England Region.

Benway specializes in hospital Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, rural clinic Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, Medicare audits and provider certifications.