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The Healthcare QualityCast

The Healthcare QualityCast

By Jarvis Gray

The Healthcare QualityCast is an audio podcast spotlighting today's most exciting and inspiring professionals within the healthcare industry. In our podcast we dive into the career journeys of leaders that work daily to improve quality, safety, and service outcomes for patients, their family members, and their communities at large. Our mission is to provide motivation and direction to our listeners, encouraging you all to continue your efforts in improving the overall quality of healthcare.
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152: Resetting Healthcare with Sanjay Prasad, MD FACS

The Healthcare QualityCastMar 16, 2024

00:00
40:40
152: Resetting Healthcare with Sanjay Prasad, MD FACS

152: Resetting Healthcare with Sanjay Prasad, MD FACS

Meet our guest in this episode, Dr. Sanjay Prasad, a Surgeon and the CEO SurgiQuality/SurgiConnect. His goal is to help patients connect with the best surgeons for their condition, within their network. Realizing that surgical quality varies from place to place without any tools for patients to navigate, inspired the creation of his company.
In this episode, Dr. Sanjay discusses the inability of patients to assess the quality of surgical care they can expect, and how his business tackles the different aspects of this problem.

Top Takeaways
[05:57] Some points of failure in your life give you such momentum that you never want to fail again. This perseverance through failure is greatly amplified by a passion for what you do.
[09:21] Patients need quality transparency, in other words, the quality metrics for each procedure for every surgeon in a hospital.
[12:30] Creating a platform where surgical cases can be reviewed by other surgeons has had a tremendous impact in lowering the rate of unnecessary surgeries, which also lowers premiums paid for malpractice.
[16:04] Best 'Aha' moment: This was the realization of the wide price difference between different surgical centers while there was a coexisting lack of any means to navigate through the differences in quality between these centers, and how this confirmed an opportunity for business while helping patients.
[19:13] Ongoing changes in the healthcare industry: Following the pandemic, a lot of cases were put on hold and patients started to pay more attention to the health risk of going to a surgical facility. This is a great time to reset healthcare. Dr. Sanjay's book "Resetting Healthcare Post Covid-19 Pandemic" is written for the patients based on this.
[22:15] Surgery centers and other institutions will have to consider other parameters before giving privileges to surgeons, particularly their past outcomes.
[24:18] It is vital to keep up with the latest technologies and information in surgical practice.
[25:16] Best career advice: "Follow your passion"
[26:28] Statistically, Black patients tend to have a poorer surgical outcome than white patients.
[29:26] It helps to always note ideas down whenever you get them, so you don't forget.
[30:34] Website recommendation: Pubmed, American Journal of Medicine
[31:42] Countermeasures and awareness need to be created to address the issue of racial disparity with various procedures, hopefully, to cause behavior modification.
[32:50] Book recommendation: “Resetting Healthcare Post Covid-19 Pandemic" by Dr. Sanjay Prasad. Find out more about the book on the Resetting Healthcare website.
[35:16] Dr. Sanjay's message to himself 10 years in the past would be to identify ways to engage the masses to change the system for the better. To himself in the future, he would ask, "what did you leave behind?"

Key Quotes:
"Know before you go"
"I think you're so lucky if you can find what it is that you love to do, and passion to do, and have an opportunity to do it"
"Depending on specialty, 15-30% of procedures that are being performed today are unnecessary"
"You've got to seek happiness, and to seek happiness you have to follow your passion"

Connect:
Find | Dr. Sanjay Prasad
LinkedIn – Dr. Sanjay Prasad
Email -
info@surgiquality.com
Website – www.surgiquality.com
Mar 16, 202440:40
108: Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS OrthoNOW Founder and Chief Medical Officer

108: Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS OrthoNOW Founder and Chief Medical Officer

Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS is a hand and upper extremity surgeon at Badia Hand to Shoulder Center in Doral, Florida. Dr. Badia studied physiology at Cornell University and obtained his medical degree at NYU, where he also trained in orthopedics. A hand fellowship at Alleghany General Hospital in Pittsburgh was followed by an AO trauma fellowship in Freiburg, Germany.
He runs an active international hand fellowship, serves on the editorial board of two hand journals, and previously organized a yearly Miami meeting for surgeons /therapists devoted to upper limb arthroscopy and arthroplasty. This international meeting was held at the world-renowned Miami Anatomical Research Center (M.A.R.C.), the world’s 2nd largest surgical cadaveric training lab which Dr. Badia co-founded in 2005. He is a founding member of the American Hand Institute, a think tank, and medical device start-up company focused on minimally invasive solutions to hand, wrist, and elbow pathology.
In 2008, Dr. Badia completed the Badia Hand to Shoulder Center, a fully integrated clinical facility for the upper limb also encompassing the Surgery Center at Doral, a rehabilitation center, and an MRI imaging facility. In 2010, Dr. Badia inaugurated OrthoNOW, the first immediate orthopedic care center in South Florida which is staffed by surgeons from the Doral Orthopedic Center (DOC), a group of surgeons from lower extremity, upper limb, and spine subspecialties who also treat elective orthopedic problems, frequently in international patients. OrthoNOW was officially franchised in early 2013 and is actively engaging healthcare entrepreneurs and surgeons, here and abroad to open orthopedic urgent care facilities nationally and abroad.
Dr. Badia is the past worldwide president of the International Society for Sport Traumatology of the Hand (ISSPORTH) , was named to 100 Latinos Miami, has been given legacy awards by several organizations, and was featured on the Hispanic Entrepreneur website. He is a member of multiple national subspecialty medical societies (AAOS, ASSH, AAHS), an honorary member of more than 10 international hand surgery and arthroscopy associations, and served as an honored professor at the prestigious Philadelphia Hand Course in 2012. He has lectured in all six continents and is currently focused on improving healthcare delivery in the orthopedics and sports medicine realm.
Here in episode #108 Dr. Badia starts our show with the mindset that quitters never win, and winners never quit; He shares how his passion for meeting his patients needs led to launching his own business franchise; Dr. Badia gives a number of insights and lessons learned gained through both is medical and entrepreneurial career paths; Dr. Badia shares a dark moment story connected with the importance of building the right team, and have a shared vision; He centers us on the messy middle of being a business owner; Dr. Badia highlights the power of establishing 1-on-1 connections, and calls out the need to hear more stories on the positive impacts of the frontline; He highlights the ways OrthoNow is adapting technology to support patients; He highlights the undeniable power of healthcare at the people level, and shares the benefits of being a small, innovative practice; Dr. Badia gives us a career Aha, encouraging us to minimize the middle man; Dr. Badia shares why the move to Outpatient setting is best for the industry, and why rejecting the best career advise that he ever received was a good decision.

Connect with Dr. Badia on LinkedIn
Dr. Badia’s Book on Amazon
Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
Mar 03, 202401:03:28
033: Anthony Davis, Sr. Director for Quality Strategy

033: Anthony Davis, Sr. Director for Quality Strategy

Here in Episode #33, Anthony teach us the value of doing what’s even when nobody’s looking, he introduces us to healthcare quality from a health plan point of view, he shares his passion and lessons learned in promoting health literacy, he promotes a mindset for quality people to always know your numbers, he shares his AHA moment with an introduction to his quality 4-square, and just heads up, be prepared to take notes on this one; both Anthony and I geek all of the way out in our conversation about natural language processing and its potential impact on the future of healthcare, and you’ll glean his great advice on how to align your career priorities in a true make or break fashion.
Mar 03, 202450:02
168: Special Announcement - Pause

168: Special Announcement - Pause

The Healthcare QualityCast will be taking a temporary break in producing content. We will be back with an entirely new show and format soon! Be sure to stay connected.
Connect with Jarvis on LinkedIn
Email Jarvis Directly
May 04, 202200:46
167: Healthcare QualityCast Pilot Episode #0: Chika Odioemene MSN, NP, RN, MS-HQS, CPPS, CPHQ

167: Healthcare QualityCast Pilot Episode #0: Chika Odioemene MSN, NP, RN, MS-HQS, CPPS, CPHQ

Chika Odioemene MSN, NP, RN, MS-HQS, CPPS, CPHQ, LSSMBB, FISQua is the CEO and Founder of Utopian Healthcare.
Connect with Chika on LinkedIn
Learn more about Utopian Healthcare
Apr 26, 202254:30
166: The Journey of the Healthcare QualityCast with Jarvis Gray, Part 3

166: The Journey of the Healthcare QualityCast with Jarvis Gray, Part 3

Welcome to the third and final installment of The Healthcare QualityCast, featuring Jarvis Gray. we truly hope that you've enjoyed each of these conversations reflecting on the journey with the podcast, as well as the journey that Jarvis has been on for the past few years. As Jarvis goes through a transition in launching his new show, we invite you all to stay connected and continue all of your incredible efforts to make healthcare a safer, more accessible, and more affordable industry serving the communities that we love and live in.
Connect with Jarvis on LinkedIn
Email Jarvis directly
Apr 19, 202201:03:16
165: The Journey of the Healthcare QualityCast with Jarvis Gray, Part 2

165: The Journey of the Healthcare QualityCast with Jarvis Gray, Part 2

A pleasure to assist this connection - I’ll let you both take it from here.
Apr 12, 202201:01:02
164: The Journey of the Healthcare QualityCast with Jarvis Gray

164: The Journey of the Healthcare QualityCast with Jarvis Gray

Quality people, after building this up for the last few weeks we are finally tapping into the last of our new interviews for this segment of the podcast. I'm honored to have had our amazing guests, Dr. Nigel Brown and Evita Payton, Reach out to me at a point where I didn't know what to do with the podcast and how to close it out as I shift and begin the process of launching an entirely new show.
I remember jokingly mentioning 2 Evita over a year ago that I hadn't been a guest on my own podcast and sure enough, she recalled it and not only offered to interview me but also bought in Nigel for the tag team, throwdown, knockout interview of the entire series.
Now if you can imagine I've personally had so many things that I can touch on given the entire genesis of this show that the discussion actually lasted nearly three hours so with that I'm breaking this up into a three-part series before we officially transition back into our best of series to wind the showdown.
So with no further delay let's jump into part one of three and well I guess that I am officially the person in the hot seat… I hope that you all enjoy the first part of this conversation and let me thank you all again for such an amazing journey over the past three years with this podcast.
Apr 05, 202254:54
163: The Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Evita Payton, MSHI, MSHA, LSSBB

163: The Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Evita Payton, MSHI, MSHA, LSSBB

Evita is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and holds dual master’s degrees in Healthcare Administration and Health Informatics from the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
Here in Episode #48 Evita opens our show with a classic quote to help us avoid the mistakes of rework;
She then walks us through her career story in going from the marines to Disney, and making her way into healthcare…And as part of that story, she shares how a diagnostic error guided here career path;
Evita shares several insights connected to permitting clinical leaders to be more patient-centered within their daily tasks;
And shares an impressive team-building technique where she allows groups to jump right into solutions and reverse engineers the problems;
Evita shares an impressive aha moment that lead to her earning additional credentials in healthcare informatics;
She shares her excitement in the progress being made to foster more patient participation in their own care processes;
Evita gives us powerful examples of how investing in people can have tremendous impacts on the personal and professional make-up of our teams;
And she illustrates a phenomenal story of leading by example gained from her time in service as a US Marine.
Evita, thank you for your service to our country, our healthcare industry, and to our podcast to share your story!
I hope that you find continued success with your teams as you continue move forward and make great strides in your healthcare quality improvement career!
Quality people, I hope that you enjoy todays show with Evita and that you and your teams are all set to continue bringing value to your organizations, your patients, and your communities
Mar 29, 202256:44
162: The Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Nigel Brown, DBA

162: The Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Nigel Brown, DBA

Hello quality people, healthcare leaders and everyone in between!!!
Welcome! You’re listening to episode #17 of the healthcare qualitycast and I am your host Jarvis Gray with the quality coaching company….And I’m proud to introduce you all to today’s guest, Mr. Nigel Brown.
Nigel is the Executive Director of Performance Excellence and Process Improvement for the UAB Health System, where he promotes and leads a culture of quality and performance improvement through coaching, mentoring, facilitation and education.
Nigel has been recognized for his work in quality and process improvement initiatives through many organizations including most recently by Press Ganey.
Nigel brings to our show over 15 years of experience in deploying lean production systems, he holds a Master’s in Healthcare Quality and Safety, along with an MBA, and is currently pursuing Doctoral studies in Strategy and Innovation.
Now I’ll stop there, because I kid you not Nigel’s bio and professional profile may officially be the longest and most diverse in the short history of our show!...I mean this guest literally teaches Quality and Patient Safety programs in South Africa.
Please trust me when I say that Nigel brown is well qualified to be on the show, but a story that I would love to share is actually connected to the last time that I ran into Nigel.
It was about 3 months ago in San Antonio Texas at the recent SHS conference.
Now as it turns out, my grandmother lives in San Antonio, and she dropped by the conference to sit in on my presentation. And following the presentation as I walked her back to her car, we came across Nigel and his team from UAB…and I kid you not, they chatted my 83 year old grandmother up for every bit of 30 minutes just making her feel like the most important person in the world!
After that, we went to lunch and all she did was talk about Nigel. Every so often when I call her, she’ll ask about Nigel. And when I shared this episode with her, she was so excited because it was Nigel!
Now Nigel, your contributions to our show and quality people are exceptional, but the impact that you and your team had on my grandmother in such a short period of time has been priceless and for that I salute you!
Here in episode #17 Nigel and I talk about his career transitions from manufacturing into the healthcare industry, the power of listening, taking the humble approach to team development, Nigel shares a perspective on how best to lead healthcare teams in their improvement efforts, he geeks out around the future innovations coming in healthcare, our shared vision for increasing the diversity of skillsets among healthcare quality people, and his thoughts on embracing change.
Mar 22, 202240:16
161: The Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Don Martin MHA, FACHE

161: The Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Don Martin MHA, FACHE

Here in episode #26, Don shares how he keeps a consistent focus on quality improvement with his teams, he shares how he got his lucky start from playing music and selling pianos, to transitioning into the healthcare industry; he highlights his success in growing physician practices, while simultaneously achieving high-quality outcomes; Don reflects on leadership challenges in managing physician practices and offers tips on how he communicates change across his teams; Don shares a success story in helping a new physician practice achieve long-term success and sustainability, and offers his thoughts on the industry moving ever closer towards value-based care.
There are only a handful of leaders that I aspire to be like and model my career journey after, and Don is 100% on that list.
In my experiences with Don, I’ve found that he’s always been super cool, calm, and collected…and at the same time given his incredible career path and longevity, I know that he’s probably forgotten more than I’ve ever learned when it comes to executive leadership.
At this point, being a great leader its likely all reflex and muscle memory because he’s been doing it so well for so long!!!
Don, I appreciate you greatly for the time, knowledge, and the opportunity to reconnect!!!
Quality people, I’d love to know who are the Don Martins of your careers? What leader stands out for you as a future aspiration?
Shoot me an email or post a comment in our Linked in page…I’d love to hear you!
Enjoy todays show with Don and we’ll be back next week with another quality guest!!!
Send in a voice message:
anchor.fm/healthcarequalitycast/message
Mar 15, 202201:01:55
160: The Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Bonnie Barnes, CEO at The DAISY Foundation

160: The Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Bonnie Barnes, CEO at The DAISY Foundation

Bonnie (Baruch) Barnes, FAAN Co-founder, CEO at The DAISY Foundation
Bonnie Barnes was retired from a long career in advertising and marketing and was growing wine grapes in Sonoma Valley when her step-son Patrick died.
You’ll soon hear her story of how she and her husband Mark turned their attention to the profession of nursing and created The DAISY Foundation.
Stuart Downs, DNP, RN, CENP, CPHQ, NEA-BC, FAONL, FACHE Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Stuart Downs is the Chief Operating Officer of WellStar Atlanta Medical Center. In collaboration with an integrated system leadership team, Dr. Downs drives the implementation of policies and standards across the hospital system to ensure evidence of high quality in the provision of patient care across all service lines.
Inducted as an inaugural fellow in the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), Dr. Downs is a past member of the AONL Board and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the International Daisy Foundation.
Here in episode #106, Bonnie and Stuart share the spotlight in this unique and incredibly insightful episode;
Bonnie starts our show with 3 mindsets that allow her to lead such a powerfully, influential recognition program;
Stewart add to our kick-off with the mindset that leadership is the goal and not the role;
Bonnie shares insights on Patrick’s journey and how the experience launched the Daisy award;
Stewart shares how his original career plans to be a pilot were rerouted due to the personal impact of a nurse;
Bonnie gives us three vital takeaways for all health care leaders to know about the Daisy Award;
We get the scoop on how the Daisy Award and Cinnabon came into partnership;
Stewart provides us with insights on the impact of the Daisy Award with the front line and additional benefits of the Daisy program on hospital leadership teams;
Bonnie provides details on many of the challenges realized with launching an international program;
Stewart gives us a “day in the life” view as a healthcare senior executive, and his passion around professional career development;
And we highlight staff burnout and mental health as some of the greatest concerns for health care leaders moving into 2021 and beyond.

Connect with Bonnie on LinkedIn
Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn
Mar 08, 202201:04:29
159: Best of The Healthcare QualityCast: Eddie Pérez-Ruberté, Healthcare Transformation Leader

159: Best of The Healthcare QualityCast: Eddie Pérez-Ruberté, Healthcare Transformation Leader

Eddie Pérez-Ruberté is an Operational Excellence consultant, facilitator, author, speaker and blogger. He is currently Senior Lean Project Manager at BayCare Health System. With a background in industrial engineering, Eddie now helps organisations in implementing Lean programs. In this episode he talks about how he moved from engineering to healthcare, gives insights on Gemba and his thoughts on what needs to change in healthcare.
Episode Summary:

How Eddie got into quality
Turning around a rapid improvement event he was running that looked like it was going to fail
The importance of getting to know your team
Some insights on how to do Gemba
How Eddie balances the high expectations he has for his teams
That quality professionals need to keep challenging the status quo
That the innovation in medicine needs to transfer to other areas of healthcare
How the healthcare industry needs to change its perception so it can attract talented professionals
Advice Eddie was given from a mentor about not putting your opinions in writing

Quotes to Remember
“If you can’t be a tall and sturdy pine that on the summit rises in it’s splendour, do not grieve for it. Be a bush but amongst the bushes be the best” - translation of Spanish poem
We lose touch with the fact that what seems to us a small change may be a big change for other people. We need to be cognizant of that and help them through it.” – Eddie Pérez-Ruberté
Connect with Eddie
Twitter
LinkedIn
Mar 01, 202247:36
158: Best of The Healthcare QualityCast: Jennifer Hooks, Performance Improvement Expert

158: Best of The Healthcare QualityCast: Jennifer Hooks, Performance Improvement Expert

Jennifer is the Manager of the Performance Improvement Department at the Medical University of South Carolina and is a retired Air Force E9 Chief Master Sergeant with 32 years of clinical, administrative and performance improvement experience in hospital, ambulatory care and dental facilities in a variety of settings worldwide.
At MUSC Jennifer and her team of Six Sigma Green and Black Belts supports executive leadership teams in the deployment of Lean Six Sigma throughout the organization by developing and delivering Lean Six Sigma training programs and leading system wide improvement projects.
Jennifer has a MBA in Human Resources, a BS in Occupational Education and Health Administration, she is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and LEAN Sensei, she is a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the Institute of Industrial and System Engineers (IISE), Society of Health Systems (SHS), Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and Project Management Institute (PMI).
Here in episode #32 Jennifer opens the show with a great leadership mindset, she shares her career journey from the Air Force and into her current leadership role, she highlights the value of Demings 14 points of management, and breaks down the cultural differences between military leadership culture and civilian hospital culture, she shares a great tactic for letting teams vent their emotions when launching new projects, she connects a major career aha moment with the tastiest training exercise ever, Jennifer highlights an often overlooked opportunity for healthcare systems to focus on aligning cultures following company mergers, and after reviewing this session I really wish that I had stayed on that topic just a little bit longer. Jennifer then calls on all quality people to become better storytellers and turns our mentor question around and highlights the power of professional sponsorships.
Jennifer you are truly one of a kind! From all of the value that you’re delivering in today’s show to your leadership with the conference and the exceptional team you’ve built there at MUSC. I thank you sincerely for the contributions that you’re bringing to the industry and also for your past service to this country.
Feb 22, 202251:29
157: Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Quint Studer, Author, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist

157: Best of the Healthcare QualityCast: Quint Studer, Author, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist

Quint Studer is a community volunteer, a visionary, an entrepreneur, a mentor to many, and extremely dedicated to his community. For more than 30 years, he has given his life to designing the building blocks in organizations that will guide them to achieving and sustaining a culture of high performance.
Quint Studer is the founder of Studer Group®, a recipient of the 2010 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Studer Group is an outcomes firm that implements Evidence-Based Leadership systems and practices to help organizations achieve, sustain, and accelerate in service, quality, finance, people, and growth. For six consecutive years – the last three being in the top 10 – Studer Group has been named one of the Best Small and Medium Workplaces in the United States by Great Place to Work®. Quint retired from Studer Group in March of 2016 to become a full-time community volunteer to undertake the development, training, and education of the Pensacola Metro Community.
Inc. magazine named Studer it’s Master of Business, making him the only healthcare leader to have ever won this award. Twice Modern Healthcare has chosen him as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare for his work on institutional healthcare improvement. Modern Healthcare, along with its sister publication Advertising Age, also honored him with the first Healthcare Marketing Visionary IMPACT award in 2014. Around the same time, Becker’s Hospital Review recognized him as one of the 40 smartest people in healthcare.
Studer has authored ten books, most of them for the healthcare leadership market. His first book, BusinessWeek bestseller Hardwiring Excellence, is one of the most-read leadership books ever written for healthcare. More than 1 million copies are in circulation and is still one of the best-selling books in healthcare. His latest book, The Busy Leader’s Handbook: How To Lead People And Places That Thrive, is packed with proven best practices, tools, tips, and tactics for engaging employees, revitalizing cultures, delighting customers, and building high-performance companies and reach. It reached number five on the Wall Street Journal’s bestseller list.
Here in Episode #88, Quint starts our show with a leadership mindset that if you see it solve it; Quint walks us through his tremendous career spanning the course of 30+ years as a teacher, healthcare administrator, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author; he shares why self-awareness is needed to fine-tune your leadership skills; Quint teaches us that the best leaders are very coachable; he calls out authenticity as a foundation of good leadership; he shares his biggest failure that almost caused him to walk away from healthcare; Quint highlights the power of learning labs for professional development; he shares a tool that will help you level up to becoming a “Straight A Leader”; he delivers a perfect mindset for creating Always experiences; Quint gives great real-life examples of leading with values; and tells us why leadership is an inside job.
• Connect with Quint on LinkedIn
• Learn More About EntreCon Link
• Register for EntreCon
• Link to Quint’s Latest Book
• Join Quint’s Email Newsletter
Feb 15, 202201:22:53
156: Mamba Mentality Meets Healthcare Quality with Brittany Fennell MBA, LSSGB, CPHQ

156: Mamba Mentality Meets Healthcare Quality with Brittany Fennell MBA, LSSGB, CPHQ

Introducing today's guest, Brittany Fennel who currently serves as the Director of Quality Metrics for MedCura Health with a role focused on establishing processes and infrastructure to continued improvement in healthcare.
In this episode, Brittany describes her journey into healthcare, highlighting the intentional steps and methods she employed, lessons learned along the way, and her hopes for the future of Healthcare Quality.

Top Takeaways
[00:35] A quote that inspires Brittany is Kobe Bryant's 10 rules; "Get better every single day, Prove them wrong, Work on your weaknesses, Execute what you practiced, Learn from greatness, Learn from wins and losses, Practice mindfulness, Be ambitious, Believe in your team, and Learn storytelling".
[18:35] Best moment of failure: This occurred when Brittany did her very best to prepare and deliver a presentation to clinicians but got a response that was not encouraging. She learned that she had to change her mode of delivery as a non-clinician in a clinical space, by engaging clinicians in one-on-one conversations that build trust and relationships.
[25:56] Tools for building intimate connections: For starters, people need to know they can freely speak their minds without fear of judgment. Secondly, be yourself; know and be open about your strengths and limitations. Additionally, it's good for people to have the mindset to do their best knowing some days will be better than others.
[30:20] Best "Aha" moment: This was also when she had the presentation that didn't get the expected response, particularly the realization that it is pivotal to know your audience and adopt the most effective means of communicating with them.
[36:34] People need to be made to see healthcare as any other business, with several different aspects that would benefit from innovation by healthcare quality professionals while offering various opportunities to them at the same time.
[39:37] Brittany is most inspired by her interactions with different areas of the business and the different roles they play as it relates to her work, creating the fundamental background for the business to thrive.
[41:43] Best Career Advice: Everything does not require an immediate response or decision.
[43:47] A personal habit that contributes to your success? Having a good information management system which includes putting things down meticulously such that they can just be checked up and the mind has space for creativity.
[45:07] One Note and a handwritten planner. Other very effective tools for planning are Notion and "The Full Focus Planner".
[48:28] Professional Society and Conference recommendations: National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) and Vizient.
[50:34] Book recommendation: "The Price We Pay" by Marty Makary M.D
[52:17] Brittany's message to herself in the past would be "It's going to be okay". To herself 10 years in the future, she would say "Just do it".
[53:43] Connect with Brittany on LinkedIn.

Key Quotes:
"Beyond the data, beyond the regulatory impact, there's a story to be told"
"Population health only improves when the outcomes of many individuals improve...and that's what value-based care is working to do"
"Do everything you want to do, try to do it, if you fail, you know it's not fatal...go for it and believe in yourself along the way"

Connect:
LinkedIn – Brittany Fennel
Feb 08, 202256:18
155: Shouldering the Burden of Care with Roz Jones, CEO

155: Shouldering the Burden of Care with Roz Jones, CEO

Introducing today's guest, Rosalind Jones, CEO/Owner of Jacksonville's Best Caregivers, a non-medical home healthcare business under the Roz Jones Enterprises. The business offers the services of a sitter, homemaker companion, home health aide, and certified nursing assistant. Roz's initial career path was in Television as an Executive producer, however, she later moved into healthcare, as a technical writer on the back end for a major insurance company, till she became a caregiver.
In this episode, Roz emphasizes the importance of educating caregivers and patients to aid the successful transition from discharge to home care, and reduce the rate of return of patients to the hospital due to poor home management. after taking care of a sick friend.

Top Takeaways
[00:34] Many of the tough situations we face may arise again and we should be able to have learned enough to glide through them.
[07:35] When a patient is discharged from the hospital, it becomes paramount to maintain the same level of care at home such that the patient does not deteriorate and return.
[10:08] How healthcare leaders can lift the caregiver community: Education; before releasing patients from the hospital, someone needs to be trained on what to expect to take care of them.
[14:16] Roz's biggest failure was not having the right systems in place before starting her business. She learned using the data from her failure and bounced back.
[16:11] Despite the closeness to her patients, it is imperative that Roz maintains her professionalism, and only take certain steps when requested by the patients.
[19:37] Tools that help with end-of-life support: Partnering with a company called "Circle of Care" and adopting "Advanced Directives"; "have that conversation before they can't talk because they may get to a point where you have to speak for them". Most importantly, all end-of-life plans have to be in writing.
[24:21] The biggest challenge and opportunity in healthcare: Leaders need to stop being too focused on money, but rather remember that this is about lives. This challenge also affects healthcare workers, as many of them are leaving the healthcare industry causing increased work pressure on the ones remaining.
[27:48] Roz inspires others by showing rather than telling, and she is inspired when she sees her patients improving.
[28:21] Best career advice: Do it because you want to, not because anyone is making you do it.
[28:34] Attributes of a healthcare leader: Leaders have to listen, be present, and then communicate, in that order.
[29:05] A professional society recommendation: The Whitehouse Conference on Aging (WHCOA).
[29:50] Book recommendation: "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
[30:12] Find Roz's book "Lifted" on her Instagram page or her website. The book is focused on lifting people out of the mindset of not getting their documentation in order, to a mindset of leaving a legacy.
[32:29] Healthcare leaders need to educate patients and caregivers more in the transition from discharge to home health.
[33:28] Roz hopes that in a year, her team would have been able to go into a hospital to educate people on the discharge phase before they leave the hospital.

Key Quotes:
"When you're going through hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill
"You can't make a wise decision in crisis if you don't have the right information"
"Success leaves clues, failure leaves data"
"Make sure that at the time of death, you have a beneficiary on your bank account"

Connect:
Find | Rosalind Jones
LinkedIn – Rosalind Jones
Instagram - @rozjonesenterprises
Website –
www.rozjonesent.com
Feb 01, 202238:35
154: Leaning Towards Change with Tanya Stinson, MHQS, CMBB

154: Leaning Towards Change with Tanya Stinson, MHQS, CMBB

Meet our guest today, Tanya Stinson, Founder of Leaning Towards Change, LLC. Tanya had a Master Blackbelt in Lean Six Sigma while working in power plants and coal mines before her seamless transition into healthcare getting a Meditech certification by herself.
In this episode, I sit with Tanya as she highlights the importance of improving processes, and ourselves as individuals by continuous learning and strategizing.

Top Takeaways
[00:27] Never stop chasing your dreams and when you do fail, get back up and start all over again.
[08:10] Process Improvement and Continuous Improvement offer an opportunity to get more hands-on experience beyond just the knowledge gotten from school. The more your years of experience, the more knowledge you have.
[10:48] Advice for new PI professionals: Be a sponge, try to soak in as much as you can. Be an effective listener. It also helps to build trust and relationships because people will recognize that you go all out to solve problems and after a while, they be the ones to bring these issues to you.
[14:30] Tools for building intimate team connections: Talking with people helps to know where to start, take time out to explain processes. An example of this is teaching the team a waste walk so they can carry it out in their respective fields.
[19:20] Best 'Aha' moment: This came following the loss of a miner due to an accident because of the inadequacy in preventive processes. This event motivated her to work hard on improving processes to prevent a recurrence.
[20:25] Current changes in health care: Healthcare needs process improvement now more than ever to streamline processes, reduce cost and reduce waste.
[23:54] New professionals in healthcare are encouraged to join organizations like A.C.H.E, where they can make new connections to get established or get mentored.
[25:30] Tanya's faith in her family and consistent positivity around herself which she spreads through the team, help to keep her and her team inspired.
[26:28] Best career advice: Don't stop learning, always be learning something to keep your competitive edge.
[27:51] A habit that contributes to her success: Always determine where the errors and inefficiencies are because if people don't know where to start, they have no foundation.
[28:35] Website recommendation: Google.
[29:20] Listeners are also encouraged to visit Tanya's website, sign up and get a free consultation.
[29:50] A professional society: A.C.H.E and N.T.A.H.Q (North Texas Association for Healthcare Quality). Listeners can also make out time to get in touch with their state quality associations.
[31:13] Book recommendation: "The Toyota Way" by Jeffrey Liker
[32:15] Tanya's message to herself: Learn from your mistakes, don't make those bad mistakes twice. To herself in the future, her message is to never stop, and continue on even if she falls.
[33:08] Final advice from Tanya: Be a sponge, continuously listen to people that have a lot of knowledge. Take a lot of notes and never stop learning. You never know what kind of certification or knowledge will give you that step up above everybody else.

Key Quotes:
"If you fall, fall forward"
"Experience comes with time"
"Never stop learning, always be growing"

Connect:
Find | Tanya Stinson
LinkedIn – Tanya Stinson
Website –
www.leaningtowardschange.com
Jan 25, 202237:49
153: Uncovering Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in a Leader with Shalisha Grace Maddela, MPH, CPH

153: Uncovering Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in a Leader with Shalisha Grace Maddela, MPH, CPH

Introducing our guest today, Shalisha Grace Maddela, a Performance Improvement Consultant at Stanford Health Care. Wanting to have an impact in healthcare, Shalisha got a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at UC, Davis, and later on, a Master's Degree.
In this episode, Shalisha shares her strong drive for quality and performance improvement work as a key factor in her successful journey in the healthcare industry.

Top Takeaways
[00:44] Oftentimes, the first step can be the most daunting, but if we don't try, we're never going to learn. For the mindset of a Process Improvement professional, there's no such thing as failing, either you find success or you find a lot of points to learn.
[06:52] Shalisha also has a strong motivation for volunteering and taking part in different foundations. These experiences have helped her make great connections and give back to society.
[09:03] Lessons from moments of failure: It is important to speak to customers and get a good understanding of the root cause of a problem before jumping into solutions.
[12:16] Tips for building intimate team connections: "Ethos, Logos, and Pathos". Ethos refers to the ethical appeal and proper alignment with authority. Logos is the logic behind decisions, especially consideration given to data. Pathos is the emotional appeal; this helps with motivation and drive for people to get the work done. Combining these with Performance Improvement was not an easy feat as it took learning through trial and error.
[17:23] Best 'Aha' moment: When Shalisha was activated for the Covid-19 response, she realized she could take advantage of her Lean Six Sigma training to improve performance, effect change, and reduce the chaos.
[21:03] Current changes across the healthcare industry: With more technological awareness following the pandemic, the pivotal role of people skills and change management will continue to be needed.
[22:55] How can the healthcare industry become a more attractive place for ambitious PI professionals? It would involve creating inclusive spaces for diverse talent and working more towards retaining people by showing their passion for retention. This helps people feel desired and valued. Healthcare leaders need to discuss with staff and figure out what they want; even if it can't be done yet, just the process of talking goes a long way.
[27:15] The environment at Stanford where people are constantly striving to be better inspires Shalisha to do the same.
[28:10] Best career advice: Don't let the fires of the past burn you. Keep moving forward and don't be defined by your errors.
[29:24] A successful habit that contributes to success is Feedback. Always getting feedback from her team members, her manager, and even internally with herself promotes growth immensely.
[29:50] Website or Application recommendation: Smartsheet
[31:00] Professional society or conference recommendation: California Association of Healthcare Leaders (C.A.H.L)
[32:34] Book recommendation: "Humble Enquiry" by Edgar H. Schein
[32:10] Shalisha's message to herself in the past would be "don't be so hard on yourself, it's going to be okay, and don't be too attached to the idea of what success looks like, you're going to end up in the places you need to be". As for the message to herself in the future, she hopes she is happy and does not forget her roots.
[35:04] Final comments from Shalisha: Lead with your humanity.

Key Quotes:
"Fail early, fail fast, but always fail forward"
"If you go out and make an impact or give value, it's going to come back"

Connect:
Find | Shalisha Grace Maddela
LinkedIn – Shalisha Grace Maddela
Jan 18, 202237:39
151: The Future of Prescription Decision Support with Carm Huntress

151: The Future of Prescription Decision Support with Carm Huntress

Introducing today's guest, Carm Huntress, Chief Innovation Officer and founder of RxRevu. With a Degree in Electrical Engineering, Carm started out working in early-stage technology companies focusing on product and technology.
In this episode, Carm expounds on the deficiency in information regarding the cost of medical treatment both on the side of the medical professionals and the patients. He describes his passion for his work, which involves bridging this gap to create room for transparency and measurement, as the ultimate steps to healthcare improvement.

Top Takeaways
[00:44] It's easy to tell be people what to do but it's very hard to get people to want to do what must be done.
[04:44] RxRevu provides real-time cost transparency. What healthcare lacks today, both for providers and patients is an understanding of the cost of any product or service. RxRevu helps to bring real-time drug costs to doctors when they are prescribing at the point of care.
[07:32] Probably the most important thing for early-stage startups to understand is that "Timing is everything"; about half of your success is about timing. Startups need to have the best when it comes to disciplined people, disciplined thoughts, and disciplined actions.
[11:35] Critical concepts for healthcare leaders: Transparency especially with information for decision making. The second is Right place, Right time. The third issue is about fitting into the value chain of healthcare in the right way.
[14:28] The biggest success is what the company has achieved today. Carm shares his past failure to work more collaboratively and this affected the team but he continues to work on it.
[19:18] The biggest challenge and opportunity in healthcare today: The biggest challenge is what to do as we come out of Covid; do we go back to the way things were, or will Covid-19 be a trigger for a major change?
[25:02] For Carm, inspiring others comes from discussing the mission, to let workers feel the emotional connection of what the mission means to them. His inspiration comes from the time spent discussing with healthcare leaders to share the benefits of his company's work.
[27:56] Best career advice: it's not about your career, it's about your calling. What you need to find is your personal brand or the thing you're better at than any other person.
[29:31] 3 attributes of a data-driven healthcare leader: Measure everything; so many times, we have assumptions but data will show something different.
[32:22] A professional society recommendation: The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). A conference Carm recommends is "The Health Evolution Summit".
[35:04] Book recommendation: " No Rules Rules" by Reed Hastings, and "The Growth Handbook" by Elad Gil.
[37:35] Carm hopes to continue to expand cost transparency nationally offering services beyond just pharmacy. He also hopes to be a better leader.

Key Quotes:
"Leadership is about getting people to want to do what must be done"
"If you're a leader and you look behind you, and nobody's behind you, then you're not a leader"
"Someday, all providers, all patients are going to have access to real-time costs for the services and products we buy in healthcare"
"People tend to follow their emotions, not their thoughts"
"Find the thing that you love to do that keeps growing your unique knowledge and pursue that wholeheartedly"
"Measure every part of your business"

Connect:
Find | Carm Huntress
LinkedIn – Carm Huntress
Twitter - Carm Huntress
Website –
www.rxrevu.com
Jan 11, 202242:58
150: Leading Immersive Health with Dov Z. Hirsch

150: Leading Immersive Health with Dov Z. Hirsch

Meet our guest on this episode, Dov Hirsch, General Manager of the Immersive Health Group, a subsidiary of the Glimpse Group, which works with Augmented and Virtual Reality technology building software for a variety of industries including healthcare.
In this episode, Dov describes the role of AR/VR as well as the entertainment industry generally, in future advancements of the healthcare industry, particularly following the impact of the pandemic on workflows.

Top Takeaways
[03:00] Get uncomfortable, explore things that you haven't explored, and be open to ideas that you haven't been open to.
[17:17] There is a huge difference between what people talk about in healthcare and what they do. Even with growth in value-based care, it is grossly under-practiced, and most healthcare delivery in the US remains fee for service.
[21:21] The role of AR/VR in healthcare: The two main areas where augmented reality will have an impact are Clinical training and Behavioral health.
[30:56] Lessons from experience in failure: The failure of so many health systems is leaning too heavily on past knowledge and actions that gave success, to predict what will be successful in the future.
[38:53] Tools for building intimate teams: Leaders need to demonstrate an ability to change and adaptability to different situations to still achieve their goals. While closely managing the most important things, the leaders must also keep in mind that the goal is not to be indispensable; the goal is to be able to walk away and know that the entity can thrive.
[43:30] Best 'Aha' moment: There are lots of opportunities for healthcare to deliver impact using entertainment as a tool, and this has been greatly underestimated.
[48:20] Current exciting changes in healthcare: Care delivery has to be more affordable, more convenient, and more effective. Quality professionals need to start thinking about applying quality measures to retail and consumer health.
[53:37] Dov gets a lot of inspiration from his family and the fun in his work.
[56:53] Best career advice: "Accept Help; Don't be afraid to ask for help"
[01:00:30] Successful Habit: Take care of your health
[01:02:45] A professional society recommendation: Game Developers Conference (GDC)
[01:03:38] Book recommendation: ‘The Challenger Sale’ by Matthew Dixon, ‘Moonwalking with Einstein’ by Joshua Foer, ‘The Tipping Point’ by Malcolm Gladwell
[01:06:05] Dov's message to himself would be to embrace who he is, and to have fun.
[01:09:30] How to contact Dov

Key Quotes:
"Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, if you're comfortable while you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong"
"You cannot underestimate the value of your clinical or caregiving workforce"
"The opportunities for learning are going to be greatest where and when mistakes occur"
"We don't transform, if we're lucky and we work hard, we adapt"
"Everyone needs to seek out help and accept it"

Connect:
Find | Dov Hirsch
LinkedIn – Dov Hirsch
Website –
www.immersivehealthgroup.com
Dec 28, 202101:13:20
149: How to Create an Immersive Learning Experience with Sharon Sloane, CEO

149: How to Create an Immersive Learning Experience with Sharon Sloane, CEO

Meet today's guest, Sharon Sloane, President CEO of Will Interactive, a software service delivering knowledge worldwide through technology. With a background in Education training and mental health, the goal of Sharon's company was to answer the question "what does it take to positively influence behavior?"
In this episode, I talk with Sharon as she expounds on the problem of culture within the healthcare industry, and how this impacts professionals and patients, as well as the role of training in addressing these issues.

Top Takeaways
[05:46] There is a problem with the culture in healthcare ranging from diversity and equity to rampant burnout among healthcare professionals.
[09:07] Leaders need to understand that whatever training is recommended for healthcare professionals who now have to deal with several symptoms, must be engaging and worthwhile.
[13:51] Lessons from experience: A huge success Sharon recalls was creating the program "Beyond the Front" to combat the high rate of suicides at the time, which resulted in a 60% reduction in suicides.
[19:58] Sharon's work technique: Listen; if you listen you can learn things that are implied and people will share things with you if they feel safe.
[22:00] Challenges and Opportunities in healthcare: The upheaval caused by the pandemic is a huge challenge but at the same time invites innovation that needs to happen at a rapid pace.
[26:30] Sharon is inspired by her deep commitment towards her client and staff, especially from the ideas they develop.
[28:00] Best career advice: "No one ever achieved success alone" Find bright people and mentors and engage with them.
[29:38] A professional society recommendation: The Association for Talent Development, Becker's Hospital Review.
[33:00] Leaders need to evaluate a training before recommending it to healthcare workers, to know how valuable and engaging it would be. Training should be an investment, not a cost.
[34:50] Listeners are encouraged to visit the Will Interactive Website, get a free 20-minute call, or a free demo.
[36:37] Achieving an impact on the organizational culture in healthcare, alongside leading organizations would be something to celebrate.

Key Quotes:
"It is not easy to be a pioneer, but oh it is fascinating"
"61% of physicians are reporting burnout"
"We need to look for small wins"
"If you're the smartest person in the room, you have to find a new room"
"Be real, be who you are because you do a lousy job at being anyone else"
“It's not about forcing someone to do x,y, or z; it's about leaving them to the conclusion that it's in their best interest to do a,b, and c.”

Connect:
Find | Sharon Sloane
LinkedIn – Sharon Sloane
Email -
sharon@willinteractive.com
Dec 21, 202142:07
148: Transforming the Healthcare Transportation Sector with Nathalie Occean, MHA, CPHQ

148: Transforming the Healthcare Transportation Sector with Nathalie Occean, MHA, CPHQ

Meet today's guest, Nathalie Occean, Chief Operating Officer for MedHaul, a healthcare tech startup based in Memphis, Tennessee, which essentially connects healthcare organizations to specialized transportation providers to aid patients with major mobility difficulties. With experience in academic medical centers and Healthcare Administration, Nathalie quickly realized she had a mindset for operations and a passion for healthcare quality.
In this episode, Nathalie narrates her journey into the healthcare industry and her work as a part of the growing technological changes in the healthcare industry.
Top Takeaways
• [09:27] The pandemic brought out the importance of the MedHaul service as patients who needed to continue hospital visits could take advantage of the platform after the shutdown of public transportation. This has only emphasized the need for leaders to adopt change in healthcare, especially in the digital healthcare space.
• [12:17] Lessons from failure: Getting into grad school was very tough and this helped Nathalie realize her resilience and determination towards her passion. In this process, she also discovered the importance of communication as she had to reach out for insight from the faculty while trying to get in.
• [16:48] Tips for team building: Let the team members be experts in their own rights, but find out what is working or not working for them, then help them connect the dots, so in the end, they can feel connected to the solution.
• [20:40] Leaders need to recognize the importance of setting boundaries in and out of the workplace. Another key point for leaders is to lead by example when it comes to accountability; this involves dutifully carrying out your own role for team members to see how it relates to theirs. Follow-up is another critical tool for accountability.
• [24:06] Best 'Aha' moment: This was the realization that it's okay to not know all the answers, although rather than simply accept you don't know, give a response that shows you plan to work on it. Learning the right people to ask questions saves a lot of time. • [28:07] What is the N.A.H.S.E Case Competition? The organization is aimed at promoting minorities and executives in healthcare. The case competition is for graduate students to present solutions as if in the shoes of consultants.
• [34:50] Ongoing changes across the healthcare industry: Technology and the digital health space are being embraced more widely in healthcare.
• [50:55] Keeping a habit of having a baseline before starting a project helps measure how much work has been done at any point in time.
• [52:34] Website recommendation: Slack for communication, and Asana for project or team management. • [54:02] Professional society recommendation: N.A.H.S.E, National Association for Healthcare Quality (N.A.H.Q), I.H.I
• [57:38] Nathalie’s message to herself in the past; Trust your gut. In the future, she would remind herself to remember why she started.
• [01:00:14] Final advice from Nathalie: Understand the full scope of quality in whatever organization you're in or trying to get into, as this varies from one organization to another. Be open to opportunity.

Key Quotes:
"Always advocate for service"
"What are the things that you're not willing to accept failure in?"
"We are not in a position to be resistant to change"

Connect:
Find | Nathalie Occean
LinkedIn – Nathalie Occean
Dec 14, 202101:04:06
147: Leading in a Healthcare Accreditation Organization with Shawn Griffin, MD

147: Leading in a Healthcare Accreditation Organization with Shawn Griffin, MD

Meet our guest, Dr. Shawn Griffin, President and CEO at URAC, Washington DC. URAC is an accrediting organization that verifies the quality of healthcare organizations throughout the industry. Dr. Shawn is also a Family Physician with a background in the role of Chief Medical Information Officer and experience creating quality improvement projects.
In this episode, I sit with Dr. Shawn as he shares his work influencing quality on a global scale, as well as the inspirational events that led him through this journey.

Top Takeaways
• [00:14] As a leader it's important that you know and understand your team, in order to approach management like a coach and maximize the skill set of everyone on the team.
• [13:30] As you push forward in your career, look for opportunities that will put you in a unique spot, and make you uncomfortable, and your breakthroughs will come.
• [14:06] Lessons from failure: "You can be doing everything right, and still suffer a setback"
• [21:48] "You should make friends"; because being a resource for people is a great way to network. However, make sure that you are transferring your contacts to a device that you would keep if your business shuts down tomorrow. It is also important to copy all your work contacts, print them out, and take them home every year to preserve them.
• [23:22] Listeners are advised to update their resumes at least once a year, to keep track of their progress.
• [23:50] Building intimate teams: You need to understand the skills and personality tendencies of the people you're working with to know how to deal with them.
• [38:20] Current changes in healthcare: There will be continued support for telemedicine, as the pandemic has forced innovation and things cannot go back to the way they were before the pandemic. Additionally, attention needs to be paid to policymaking which is becoming more of a focus in creating a positive impact in healthcare.
• [44:00] The importance of engaging with your local and state regulators and legislators is incredibly underappreciated. They listen to someone from their community rather than an expert they don't know.
• [45:10] Many of the standards used for the Covid-19 vaccine were first written up by URAC years ago and it has been inspiring to relate with the person that wrote them. Dr. Shawn also inspires workers by getting to know them and relating beyond the office work they do.
• [47:11] Best career advice: Know what you know, know what you don't know, don't be afraid to be uncomfortable as long as what you're being uncomfortable for is worth it.
• [47:27] A successful work habit: Whatever your job is, you need to understand it well, and you need to understand what's required to understand it well.
• [50:55] Dr. Shawn's message to himself; focus on work that's meaningful.
• [52:35] Final comments from Dr. Shawn: If you're working on quality, you're doing noble work. Take time to take care of yourself after this tough year, no job is greater than your value.

Key Quotes:
"Know what you know and know what you don't know and never try and fool people"
"Accountability should never be shaming"
"Regulation sets the bar for safety, and accreditation sets the bar for quality"
"You want the world to be fair… and sometimes it's not"
"Every setback can be a reset"
"If I am wildly successful, what would I accomplish?"
"Stats give you details but stories give you memories"
"If you don't understand what makes me a person, then I don't think you're going to care about what makes me a leader"
"If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of your job"

Connect:
Find | Dr. Shawn Griffin
LinkedIn – Dr. Shawn Griffin
Email -
sgriffin@urac.or
Dec 07, 202156:05
146: Leading for Physician Equity with Pringl Miller, MD, FACS

146: Leading for Physician Equity with Pringl Miller, MD, FACS

Introducing Dr. Pringl Miller, a General Surgeon, also with a Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, as well as Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Pringl is the Founder and Executive Director of Physician Just Equity, an organization created to help empower doctors through complex work conflicts.
In this episode Dr. Pringl discusses the problem of physician inequity and maltreatment of doctors especially among healthcare leaders, highlighting the negative impacts on the healthcare industry.

Top Takeaways
• [06:48] Women and underrepresented people in Medicine and Surgery seem to be more vulnerable to harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Usually, these situations are unrelated to their clinical quality or work proficiency.
• [10:56] Lessons from failure: It's important to understand the culture and engage in proactive communication with colleagues to minimize misunderstanding. Also, remember that not every environment is going to be supportive of your authentic self and it's better to part ways amicably.
• [14:23] When faced with such challenging situations, it is important to avoid going into conversations hot but to take time and understand what happened, and be sure that the cultural values in that workplace align with yours.
• [17:13] Tools for building intimate connections: Respect for colleagues, Active Listening, and Aligning with what gives people meaning.
• [21:18] Best 'Aha' moment: Moving from clinical work to focus on her foundation gave a lightness, and Dr. Pringl realized that it was because she left an environment where there was a constant expectation for her to fail.
• [27:40] Ongoing changes in the healthcare industry: There is a heightened awareness of health inequity and the need for health justice as the pandemic brought to light some of the racial inequities in the healthcare system.
• [33:28] Professionals need to be encouraged to move into healthcare by improving the workplace treatment of doctors, especially the underrepresented groups of doctors; this alone is a major reason for the mass exit of healthcare professionals.
• [37:05] Dr. Pringl is inspired by her work to lead by example, and this passion helps her inspire workers in her organization.
• [40:45] Dr. Pringl's message to herself in the past is "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game". To herself in the future, she hopes all her challenges have helped her grow productively.
• [42:07] Dr. Pringl encourages listeners to reach out and offer support through the Physician Just Equity website.

Key Quotes:
"Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced" - James Baldwin
"40% of women leave Medicine altogether or go to part-time within 6 years of completing their training"
"We are all stories"
"If you're not being allowed to shine and to thrive, there's something wrong with your workplace environment"

Connect:
Find | Dr. Pringl Miller
LinkedIn – Dr. Pringl Miller
Twitter - @equitydocs
Nov 30, 202139:51
145: Healthcare on the Mend with Jessica Neyer

145: Healthcare on the Mend with Jessica Neyer

Meet today's guest, Jessica Neyer, VP of Strategy for Mend, a telehealth company. Jessica has a background also in Pharma Sales and Health tech. The focus of her work is the patient journey, how it interacts with the practice of the physician and the organization as a whole.
In this episode, Jessica highlights the role of teamwork and diversity of ideas in innovation, as well as her work so far in telehealth to revolutionize patient experience.
Top Takeaways
• [05:43] Tools that can help healthcare workers learn more about organizations include Crunchbase, which is used to search for particular aspects in healthcare of interest, places related, and opportunities out there. It is however important for workers to first identify what exactly they want. Other recommendations include HLTH newsletters and HIMSS.
• [11:13] Lessons from experience: Trust your team, you will get incredible support and people will step up.
• [15:33] Focusing solely on work in life can have a detrimental effect on your work due to accumulated fatigue while prioritizing other aspects of life helps to fit in better into the workplace thereby increasing productivity.
• [17:30] Tools for building intimate team connections: Being able to communicate the purpose of the work team members are doing and how it affects them, goes a long way to motivate them.
• [21:21] Best 'Aha' moment: This was coming up with strategies for telehealth patients to be engaged and encouraged to stay while in the waiting room till their physician visit, rather than stare at a blank screen.
• [28:11] Current challenges in healthcare: Leaders and practitioners trying to decide on whether to continue telehealth need to understand that patients now see the benefits and want to continue. However, there is the challenge of integrating telehealth with real-life consultations.
• [30:30] Leaders are encouraged to find people that are open to having conversations with others, rather than just sticking with their ideas; ideas from different people push innovation and move the organization forward.
• [34:28] Jessica's inspiration comes from the innovation of strategies to replace blank screens in telehealth. In turn, giving teams the understanding behind their work helps her to inspire them.
• [35:29] Best career advice: Don't fear the unknown.
• [38:13] It is pivotal to have some form of activity that helps get some release from accumulated work fatigue and stress in order to be a better worker.
• [39:40] Website recommendation: Crunchbase.
• [40:07] A professional society recommendation: HIMSS and HLTH.
• [40:47] Book recommendation:
• [42:05] Jessica's message to herself: Enjoy the journey, don't always be thinking of what in your career is going to come next.
• [44:26] Embrace the unknown, this will help us move forward personally and professionally. Connect with Jessica

Key Quotes:
"Nothing ever good came from doing it easy"
"If you don't have the patient experience down for your practice, you're going to lose that patient"
"80% of patients want to continue doing telehealth post-pandemic"
"We need to all embrace the unknown and get comfortable with the uncomfortable, now more than ever"
"Enjoy every moment and be present, because you never know where it's going to take you"

Connect:
Find | Jessica Neyer
LinkedIn @Jessica Neyer
Email -
jneyer@mend.com
Nov 23, 202147:12
144: How To Become a Respected Voice in Healthcare with Physician Leadership Coach Lisa Herbert, MD

144: How To Become a Respected Voice in Healthcare with Physician Leadership Coach Lisa Herbert, MD

Introducing today's guest, Dr. Lisa Herbert, a Family Physician, and an Executive leadership coach for transitioning healthcare professionals who want to move from clinical medicine into healthcare leadership. Dr. Lisa also has a background in academic medicine, and experience supporting organizations to internally develop leadership programs.
In this episode, I talk with Dr. Lisa as she expounds on healthcare leadership strategies, particularly communication and teamwork, as well as pivotal points of focus leaders need to be aware of, in the industry today.

Top Takeaways
[01:51] Empathy is taking the time and effort to understand a person's struggle and this helps inspire people to move forward; sympathy does not involve any effort but simply acknowledging a person's difficulty.
[08:06] 3 critical concepts for emerging healthcare leaders: focus on workplace diversity and equity, strategies for retaining employees, and Change management.
[11:30] Healthcare leaders need to reach out to other professionals who have experience in change management.
[14:17] The more persistent leaders are about keeping change management in the forefront, the more likely it is to see a change in the mass movement of workers out of healthcare.
[17:35] Without training, Dr. Lisa implemented change management processes to turn a basic family planning agency into a full women's wellness center.
[23:00] How physician leaders can be more team-oriented: Listen intently, be curious and ask questions, remember to always assume positive intent.
[24:43] The Sandwich Method of Communication: This is a method used to deliver negative feedback; it involves giving the negative comment in between two positive comments.
[31:10] The biggest challenge healthcare leaders are facing is the rapid ongoing change in the healthcare industry.
[33:38] Getting feedback from clients is a great source of inspiration for Dr. Lisa in her work. This inspiration is transferred to her workers by listening and acknowledging them.
[34:52] Best Career advice: Always be willing to step outside your comfort zone.
[35:20] Daily reflections; "What fear did I confront today?" Admitting that you're facing something scary, helps encourage you to think differently and grow.
[36:02] Key Attributes of an effective healthcare leader: Cultivate the ability to be aware of yourself as this helps to advance and grow. The ability to build and foster relationships and work with other people is also critical in leadership. Lastly, leaders need to be adaptable.
[37:58] When selecting a professional society to work with, it's important to pick one that aligns with your values and allows you to support issues important to you. As for conferences, attending a conference in a completely different niche gives the opportunity to explore new possibilities.
[43:31] Advice to healthcare organizations: Healthcare organizations need to understand the importance of leadership development.

Key Quotes:
"Leadership is about empathy, it is about having the ability to relate and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring their lives" - Oprah Winfrey
"You don't want to always go into a meeting with something to say, sometimes it's okay just to sit back and listen"
"Change is a bus, you can either drive the bus or you can get hit by the bus"
"As long as you put your best foot forward and as long as you always do your best, no one could ask more of you than that"

Connect:
Find | Dr. Lisa Herbert
• Website |
www.drlisaherbert.com
• LinkedIn | Dr. Lisa Herbert
• Instagram | @drlisaherbert
Nov 16, 202149:35
143: How to Implement Smart Staffing Strategies with Alan Dial MBA, MSQA

143: How to Implement Smart Staffing Strategies with Alan Dial MBA, MSQA

Meet today’s guest, Alan Dial, the President of StaffDx LLC, and a labor productivity subject matter expert. Starting with a career in the military in a nuclear power program and nuclear engineering, Alan later gained experience with Quality Assurance, from where he moved into the Healthcare sector.
In this episode, Alan describes how healthcare has lagged behind other industry segments in the area of process improvement in quality management and shares practical tools with strategies that can be applied as a solution to this challenge.

Top Takeaways
[08:25] Critical concepts to know: There is a gap that needs to be bridged between the finance and clinical arms of health care organizations. Medical workers also need to understand the business and fiscal side of what they do. Lastly, leaders should operationalize change by investing in growing their technical acumen around change management.
[12:20] Taking time out to understand the workflows in the clinical arm helps financial leaders also know how to implement decisions that improve productivity.
[19:50] Lessons learned: A major lesson learned after an experience that resulted in laying off staff, is to always be ready for the enemy you don't see. Secondly, don't arbitrarily set a target to meet financial goals without understanding what the process is.
[24:30] Tips for listeners connecting with productivity: When staffing to demand, appreciate that every day is not the same, particularly with jobs like nursing. It is also beneficial for leaders to be accountable for nonproductive hours like PTO, as well as productive hours since managing it can increase efficiency.
[30:10] Financial leaders in healthcare need to plan on "Hiring Ahead" for more staff than the fixed bedside number. This helps to avoid burnout caused by staff shortages due to vacancies.
[33:51] StaffDX, A recommended tool for leaders: The goal of StaffDx is to provide solutions for clinical leaders with real issues that have financial, patient experience, and employee quality impact.
[40:11] The number one opportunity and number one challenge for upcoming healthcare leaders...We have to get innovative with change management particularly coming out of the pandemic, both personally and in the organization.
[46:37] Best Career Advice: "There's change management, and then there's managing the pace of change" More than the technical acumen, you have to influence change by driving human behavior.
[41:56] Key attributes for a productivity-centered healthcare leader: You have to meet department or unit leaders where they are; don't expect them to understand your needs when you are not meeting theirs. It is critical to also equip them to be successful if you want better results.
[51:11] Book recommendation: "The Class You Missed at Nursing School" by Alan Dial, being released chapter by chapter.
[53:45] Advice to healthcare organizations: Start with some rhythm where senior leaders connect with their department directors, keeping workforce management in focus. Accountability is also critical; not punitive but in terms of working alongside department leaders.
[56:41] Looking forward, Alan sees an emerging presence of ambulatory surgery and home health in the community, with StaffDx tailored to address the needs arising from it.

Key Quotes:
"If you don't know where you're going, anywhere will get you there" - Lewis Carroll
"Money was never made in the board room, it's made

Connect:
Find | Alan Dial LinkedIn - Alan Dial / StaffDx
Twitter - StaffDx
Email -
hello@staffdx.com
Nov 09, 202101:02:20
142: Finding the Brilliance from Burnout with Brent C Jackson, MD, MBA, FACS

142: Finding the Brilliance from Burnout with Brent C Jackson, MD, MBA, FACS

Meet our guest, Dr. Brent Jackson, the Vice President/Chief Medical Officer at Mercy General Hospital, a Dignity Health Facility in Sacramento, California. Dr. Brent had been a Practicing General Surgeon for 15 years before moving to administrative roles.
In this episode, I sit with Dr. Jackson and discuss the healthcare industry in regards to burnout, the importance of taking time to recharge outside work, as well as dynamics of teamwork, and defining quality metrics.

Top Takeaways
[00:20] With a positive mindset, it's amazing what people can accomplish when they put their minds to something.
[01:45] Burnout is insidious, and the deeper you get in it, the more blind you get; this was the major reason behind Dr. Brent’s move from clinical practice into an administrative role.
[07:00] Losing the autonomy of private personal practice was one of the factors responsible for burnout. If you reflect and see that you've become your career, you're probably on your way to burnout. You need to take time away from your career and develop outside interests.
[14:30] The definition of a team is a small group of individuals with a shared goal who have mutual trust and accountability. When you bring a team together, you need to focus on developing relationships with them and encouraging them to develop relationships with one another. Also, often allow for shared decision-making, then they have ownership of it.
[16:53] Best 'Aha' moment: While taking time off work, Dr. Brent had realized he always wanted to do an MBA, and finally had time to do it.
[23:35] Current changes in healthcare: Error prevention is becoming critical, with new high-reliability organizational principles and tools being implemented.
[28:40] The healthcare industry needs to be more geared towards defining quality for the upcoming quality leaders. We need to spend more time finding good metrics for defining good quality.
[32:25] Newsletters and giving awards to recognize efforts and inspire.
[36:00] Best career advice: Listen more and ask more questions.
[37:57] Personal habit for leadership success: When trying to solve a problem, it is important to ask 'who are the right people to pool together and what are the right questions to ask?'
[39:25] Professional society recommendations; A.C.H.E and Becker's Healthcare Conference
[41:23] A personal goal-setting process: It is important to identify your goal, what are the stories to get there and what is the timeline.
[42:55] Book recommendation: "The Busy Leader's Handbook" by Quint Studer.
[46:24] Dr. Brent’s message to himself: To himself in the past "Don't become your career", and to his future self "Are you there? How do you like it where you are?"
[48:46] Final advice from Dr. Brent: when you put a project together identify who will be impacted by it, and take their workflows into account to manage the impact. If you often have shared decision-making and engagement of the stakeholders, you will have organic adoption as opposed to resistance.

Key Quotes:
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right" - Henry Ford
"Work to live, don't live to work"
"A team creates something that is greater than the sum of the individual components, whereas the work just creates the sum of the individual components"
"That's the mark of good leadership; it's 'how many leaders can you produce?' "
"When you have the drive and you get the recharge, you'll get it done"
"If you don't know where you're going, you can't define the steps to get there"
"'Some' is not a number and 'soon' is not a time"

Connect: Find | Dr. Brent Jackson On LinkedIn
Nov 02, 202152:03
141: Breaking Barriers to Enable Success with Akinwande Oshodi PMP, CISA, CDFM

141: Breaking Barriers to Enable Success with Akinwande Oshodi PMP, CISA, CDFM

Meet today's guest, Akinwande Oshodi, the current President and Founder of the Avery Group, a management consulting firm based out of the Atlanta natural area, with a mission to break barriers and enable success. They work with the CDC in the Program Management Office (PMO) support work including strategic planning and the Department of Veterans Affairs to modernize their electronic health records. The company also does IT audits for several nonprofits and commercial organizations.
In this episode, Akinwande talks about his background both in the military and in finance, narrating how he eventually got into doing business with the government after facing his failure and forging a path from it.
Top Takeaways
[02:46] A lot of sales mindsets can be easily translatable into anything we do as healthcare professionals.
[12:32] Failure can give us time to be introspective and understand our weaknesses so we can strengthen them.
[18:10] Have your destination in mind but be open to what the world gives you.
[20:21] One of the ways to foster intimate connections in teams is to understand their natural behaviors so small changes are easily observed. It also helps to understand their mindset in decision-making processes.
[30:01] Changes in the Healthcare industry: Modernization of healthcare data and systems is a huge ongoing trend, helping to get real-time data quickly for decision making.
[35:17] Requirements to pursue government business: It is important to have an LLC, a bank account, and a DUNS number. You need to register into the System for Award Management (SAM). While the process is not difficult, the actual work to win government contracts is more demanding and arduous. Having proof of past performance is pivotal.
[39:34] For people looking to do business with the government, there are a ton of resources, contact your local Procurement Technical Assistance Centre (PTAC). PTAC can help you understand your business model and plan, and connect with state and local buyers, as well as educate you more with the resources.
[42:22] It's up to us as individuals to educate ourselves on the various broad opportunities within the healthcare industry.
[46:07] Akinwande is motivated by a strong desire to create impact and add value to the organization. He inspires others by leading by example.
[55:58] Professional website recommendation: NAHSE for healthcare professionals, National Contract Management Association (NCMA) for those interested in contracting to learn more and get opportunities with buyers.
[57:21] Book recommendations: "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie
[59:11] Akinwande's message to himself: To his past self he says "Don't rush life, and be resilient". To his future self, "Did we accomplish everything that we set out to?"
[01:01:42] Final advice from Akinwande: Have some confidence in yourself and just know that everything is going to work out. Remain resilient, and put your people first.

Key Quotes:
"Be the light that you want to see in the world"
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care about them"
"You can change the plan but don't change the goal"
"Be radically open-minded"
"The success of any business is going to come down to people"
"Pressure makes diamonds"
"Collaboration helps breed the best ideas"
“The quicker you fail, the stronger you'll be in the long run”

Connect:
Find | Akinwande Oshodi On LinkedIn
At
www.theaverygroupllc.com
Oct 26, 202101:04:09
140: Navigating Healthcare IT Leadership with Laura Marquez

140: Navigating Healthcare IT Leadership with Laura Marquez

Introducing our guest in this episode, Laura Marquez, who is currently the Assistant Vice President of IT Applications at UConn Health, overseeing electronic health records, business applications, and business intelligence. With a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Laura had taken interest in a Clinical Informatics course which started to build her passion in that field.
In this episode, Laura shares her experience with IT in the healthcare sector as well as detailed knowledge of key leadership concepts with particular emphasis on empathy in the workplace.
Top Takeaways
[05:11] IT is a customer service department focused on delivering solutions and tools to other departments to aid patient care.
[08:06] About Laura's TEDx talk: The most valuable asset at any organization is the people that work there. Listeners are encouraged to listen to Laura's TEDx talk to learn more about leadership and empathy in the workplace.
[11:48] Learning empathy: Everyone receives feedback differently and wants constructive criticism differently.
[18:29] Facilitating teamwork can be achieved by having team norms that are agreed upon, making it easier to note and address behaviors that don't align.
[24:06] Your view has to change as you go higher in your career because you can now empathize with younger professionals, having faced similar challenges. Rather than judge them, accept the work they do even if you may have done it differently, as long as the goals were achieved.
[29:13] Current changes in the Healthcare industry: Bringing digital tools into the clinical space is a major ongoing development, with particular consideration given to ensure these digital tools are very accessible to patients.
[32:57] Listeners with interest or opportunities in healthcare are encouraged to be bold, be brave and apply for healthcare jobs; even without a background in healthcare, there are translatable skills.
[36:10] The 'STAR' Interviewing method: When asked behavioral-type questions, follow the STAR method (Situation Task, Action, Result) as this helps you respond concisely to meet all parameters being evaluated by the question.
[39:50] Best career advice: What's the worst that could happen, take risks, be bold.
[40:32] Choose your attitude: How do you think you're showing up, what does the best you look like today?
[42:32] Habits that contribute to success when leading projects: Have a questioning mindset and imbibe this in your team. The 7-second rule: when you ask a question, you need to pause and count for 7 seconds because that allows time and space for the introverts to answer. This also helps keep a continuous feedback loop to be sure you're in the right direction.
[44:14] Mobile website recommendation: LinkedIn, Newsfeeds,
[46:31] A professional society recommendation: A.C.H.E (American College of Healthcare Executives)
[47:21] Book recommendation: “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown.
[49:00] Laura's message to herself in the past; When one door closes, a window opens, keep your head high. Her message to her future self; Told you so! Listen to your guts more often.
[51:36] Final advice from Laura: We have to remember that we can only control our own thoughts and reactions, we can't control those of other people. How do you want to be perceived? Work on your emotional intelligence so that your intents and perceptions match.
Key Quotes: "Let's invite people in and raise them up so that everyone can do their best" "Every single person should go through emotional intelligence training and situational awareness training" "Look forward, not sideways… focus on yourself and not on others"
Connect: Find | Laura Marquez On LinkedIn
Oct 19, 202154:37
139: Engage, Learn, Adapt, Lead with Merritt McKenzie, MSHA

139: Engage, Learn, Adapt, Lead with Merritt McKenzie, MSHA

Meet today's guest, Merritt Mckenzie, a health care executive who is passionate about growing and scaling organizations through personnel development to impact patients, families, and the community. With over 26 years of experience, starting as an occupational therapist, then a certified hand therapist, Merit later moved into leadership roles including running a sales organization, and lastly took up the role of General Manager.

In this episode, Merritt discusses leadership in health care services, with particular emphasis on qualities and tools of great leadership, as well as challenges leaders face with practical solutions.

Top Takeaways

[01:20] Step into your greatness; Don't be afraid of calculated risks. It is through those risks that you end up learning, developing, and becoming better in your career.
[08:22] Critical concepts that emerging healthcare leaders should have: Diversity within the workforce, Embracing Technology, Empowerment Leadership, and Being Innovative.
[12:20] Leaders tend to always want to have the answer because they know it already, rather they should be the last to speak and ask more of the questions.
[19:14] Lessons learned from successes and failures: Firstly, it is so important that leaders are intentional about mentoring someone but also sponsorship as well. Secondly, be courageous and listen to your inner voice.
[26:10] Personal leadership tools: Self-awareness; leaders need to be aware of the impact they are having on others around them. Another is that we should be obsessively curious about people around us if we hope to be impactful in their lives. Other tools include the Strengths Finder tool and the Predictive Index.
[30:22] Lessons from an influential leader: Treat people well, be thoughtful and kind to people.
[38:30] Leaders do not take time to engage their employees and strategize to harness the full value of their employees. Leaders also often fail to be intentional about listening to all stakeholders at every level of the organization.
[44:32] Best career advice ever: "Be You"; there's only one person that can be the best you there is, and that's you.
[48:25] Key attributes of an effective Healthcare leader: Engage, Learn, Adapt, Lead.
[52:08] Professional Groups recommended for listeners; A.C.H.E (American College of Healthcare Executives), N.A.H.S.E (National Association of Health Service Executives), The Private Directors Association, The Black Corporate Board Readiness Program.
[54:20] Books Recommended: "Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader's Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You" by Frances X. Frei "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell
[56:13] Advice for health organizations: Be intentional about having a program to develop leaders, and make no assumptions that it is happening organically.
[57:43] I want to be intentional about helping team members and colleagues grow and prosper personally and professionally. Hopefully, this shows in clinical outcomes and the growth of the business.


Key Quotes:
"The best way to predict the future is to create it" – [Abraham Lincoln]
"It is important to step into your greatness"
"What fear did I confront today?"
"Companies who are diverse in their workforce as well as their senior leadership, outperform other companies who are homogenous"
"Be intentional and unafraid to pilot and test things as much as possible"
"Know that you were called for this, you may not be perfect, but it's not about perfection, It's about the process"
"Many years ago, I intentionally wanted to make sure I left any person I engaged...better than I found them"

Connect:
Find | Merritt Mckenzie On LinkedIn
Oct 12, 202101:03:38
138: Being the Coach Your Team Needs with Brian Wiggs, DHA

138: Being the Coach Your Team Needs with Brian Wiggs, DHA

Dr. Brian Wiggs is an accomplished organizational excellence practitioner with 16 years of experience in healthcare. Brian has a proven record of fostering and accelerating a culture of continuous improvement to create an operationally efficient, healing healthcare environment using lean principles. Brian is a collaborative leader focused on building cross-functional teams, systems to develop people into effective problem solvers, and infrastructure that drives focus and alignment around an organization’s strategic priorities. Brian is currently the Senior Quality and Organizational Excellence Leader with the UNC Department of Family Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC.
From an early age, Brian knew healthcare was his calling. Brian’s older brother and family live day-to-day with the long-term effects that result from medical error. Brian’s life goal is to find innovative ways to improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery while also developing and empowering people.
Brian holds a doctorate in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina, a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science from East Carolina University, and Master Certificate in Lean Six Sigma from Villanova University. Brian is currently pursuing Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence certification through ASQ.
Here In Episode #139, Brian starts our show with a mindset for relentless focus to make our teams better. Brian is a past classmate doing big things within the UNC Healthcare System and shares the personal mission that has empowered his entire path in healthcare leadership. He highlights his career dark moment story centered around the path of burnout connected with quality improvement work. He shares with us the two most impactful questions that he uses to build intimate connections on the teams that he leads. Brian tells us his AHA after finding his team hitting the wall on a PI project; and teaches us the impact of having multiple management systems in the facilities at one time. He shares some great outcomes and reflections provided through the lean transformation work taking place in his organization. And highlights many takeaways on why healthcare will be the destination industry of the future.
· Connect with Brian on LinkedIn
· Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
· Leaves Us a Rating
Oct 05, 202101:15:11
137: The Habit of Excellence with Drew Albano, DO, MBA, FAAFP

137: The Habit of Excellence with Drew Albano, DO, MBA, FAAFP

Dr. Albano currently serves as the Vice-Chair of Quality and Medical Staff Affairs for the Department of Family Medicine at Prisma Health in Greenville, South Carolina. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) with a Certificate of Additional Qualification (CAQ) in Sports Medicine. Dr. Albano is an alumnus of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine where he earned his medical degree. Following medical school, he completed a one-year rotating internship at Southampton Hospital on Long Island and then completed his residency in Family Medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. During his final year of residency, Dr. Albano served as Chief Resident. After residency, he completed a Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, where he worked closely with the Philadelphia Phillies organization under the direction of the physicians and surgeons of the Rothman Institute. Upon graduating from fellowship, Dr. Albano joined the Rothman Institute practicing Primary Care Sports Medicine before relocating to Greenville to join the Prisma Health Department of Family Medicine and to serve as an assistant professor in Family & Community Medicine for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville. Dr. Albano is also an alumnus of Auburn University in Auburn, AL where he earned a Master's in Business Administration, and he is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Dr. Albano enjoys spending his leisure time in the company of his family and friends. Here in episode #138, Drew starts our show reminding us that excellence is a habit. He gives us an overview of his background going from family medicine and to quality and patient safety. Drew shares the professional transition that he's going through as he moves deeper into executive leadership. He provides a great introduction to the world of medical affairs leadership. Drew shares a career dark moment teaching how the pathway forward may sometimes look like a circle. Drew shares how he leverages authenticity for personal and professional success. He gives a huge shoutout to practice managers as his first line of quality improvement and service excellence. He shares thoughts on how emerging technologies will continue to push the industry forward. And gives us his best career advice to always think ahead. · Connect with Drew on LinkedIn · Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group · Leaves Us a Rating
Sep 28, 202101:11:20
136: Building a Sustainable Direct-to-Consumer Pharma Brand with Russell Gong

136: Building a Sustainable Direct-to-Consumer Pharma Brand with Russell Gong

Russell (Russ) Gong, co-founder of sustainability healthcare brand Cabinet. Russ is a former social entrepreneur and US National Guard, Infantry who also worked in community empowerment. The Cabinet Health brand was born as a result of his vision for a more transparent and sustainable healthcare.
Building a sustainable direct-to-consumer pharma brand the right way is not an easy task, but it's today's only option. At the same time, healthcare is impersonal and it shouldn't be. OTC and pharmacies are very confusing - people wander down the aisles unsure of what to purchase - it shouldn't be this way and there are new generation entrepreneurs already tackling the challenge.
Here in Episode #136, Russ starts our show with a leadership mindset to persevere through your growth mindset. Russ gives us a great overview of how he brings quality, sustainability, and personal care into every aspect of his startup organization, Cabinet. He shares insights into the personal and professional goals that drive his mission-centered career. Russ highlights how his entrepreneurial journey has deepened his personal resolve for succeeding.
Russ gives us critical areas of focus that healthcare leadership have on their radar for achieving more sustainable solutions in healthcare; and adds insights on our responsibilities for protecting the environment. Russ breaks down the highest highs and lowest lows while leading his organization. He gives a huge shout-out to the healthcare leaders that have impacted his journey. Russ breaks down the number one challenge and opportunities for emerging healthcare leaders and highlights a business opportunity for professionals looking into the world of sustainable operations. And Russ gives us a straight shot leadership mindset with no hidden contracts.
• Connect with Russel on LinkedIn
• Learn More About Cabinet Health
• Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
• Leaves Us a Rating
Sep 21, 202152:05
135: Embracing an Open-Mind For Success with Sepi Browning

135: Embracing an Open-Mind For Success with Sepi Browning

Sepi is a Healthcare Management Professional with 30+ years of successful leadership in a variety of roles, with 16 of those years in healthcare information technology. Her in-depth experience offers operational, project, and change management leadership within a healthcare environment spanning the entire Revenue Cycle workflow in both an inpatient and outpatient setting.

She is very effective in the full life cycle of project management while maintaining an understanding of the operational needs of the areas the project is impacting. Her expertise range from implementing numerous health delivery projects focused on clinical, revenue, and technical arenas, involving system selection, procurement, workflow analysis, workflow documentation, and workflow process improvement, configuration and development, testing, reporting, training, activation, launch, and production support, and creation of policy and procedures for daily operations.

She is a proven team facilitator and effective team member with a personal mission to effectively support her users in prioritizing all the Information Technology needs and manage an operational roadmap with an effective governance process.
Here in Episode #135 Sepi starts our show with a leadership mindset encouraging us to be open to new opportunities. As a recent HIMSS Global Chapter Leader of the Year, Sepi shares how she's managed a 30+ year career in the healthcare industry; and introduces us to a number of specialized areas of healthcare IT professional certifications. Sepi gives us a dark moment story on how personal intimidation guided her into her career path.
Sepi shares how she leverages honesty, support, and humor for bringing teams together. She shares a career aha moment, continuing in the theme of being open to new opportunities. As an IT professional Sepi gives an official nod to Emergency Management as an area of focus that she would love to see project management and quality professional’s plugin more with. Sepi highlights a growing collaborative locally in Georgia known as the Innovation Crescent. And she shares how building a personal brand centered on being reliable will go far with both current and future teams.
· Connect with Sepi on LinkedIn
· Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
· Leaves Us a Rating
Sep 14, 202101:02:46
134: Leading the Path to ZERO Preventable Harm with Donna M. Prosser, DNP

134: Leading the Path to ZERO Preventable Harm with Donna M. Prosser, DNP

Dr. Donna Prosser has been in the healthcare industry for more than 30 years and is currently the Chief Clinical Officer at the Patient Safety Movement Foundation. She spent the first fifteen years of her career at the bedside and transitioned into administration in 2002 after a personal experience that helped her to understand just how fragmented and unsafe patient care can be. This experience ignited a passion to improve healthcare quality and safety that continues to burn to this day.
Prior to joining the Patient Safety Movement Foundation, Dr. Prosser worked as a healthcare consultant, helping organizations across the United States to improve quality and safety, increase patient engagement, and reduce clinician burnout. Before beginning her consulting career, she was responsible for clinical practice improvement across Martin Health System, while also functioning as Site Administrator and Chief Nursing Officer for the system’s largest hospital. She previously focused on improving quality and safety through administrative, education, and clinical roles at both Carteret Health Care and the Washington Hospital Center.
Dr. Prosser is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and is board certified as a Nurse Executive by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and as a Patient Advocate by the Patient Advocate Certification Board. She is the recipient of the 2021 Robert L. Wears Patient Safety Leadership Award.
Here in Episode #134, Donna starts our show with a mindset encouraging even the smallest of groups to change the world. Working with the patient safety movement, Donna is on an impressive mission to achieve zero preventable harm by the year 2030. She shares with us her impressive background in nursing, leadership; and the very personal story that set her off on her journey to transform the industry. She highlights opportunities to improve the medical record for patients as a career lesson learned from her past.
Donna shares of focus around human factors as an important tip for all facilitators to grow within. She provides great insights into the work that the Patient Safety Movement is leading, including access to the free virtual sessions for World Patient Safety Day. She gives a career Aha moment that encourages us to speak the language of the teams that we support. Donna connects the dots between problem-solving and the scientific method. Donna tells us why now is the perfect time for a quality and patient safety professionals to shine; and places a call to action for healthcare organizations to embed quality and patient safety in all areas of their organization.
· Connect with Donna on LinkedIn
· Learn More About Patient Safety Movement
· Learn More About World Patient Safety Day
· Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
· Leaves Us a Rating
Sep 07, 202144:08
133: Becoming the Change with John Toussaint, MD

133: Becoming the Change with John Toussaint, MD

John Toussaint, MD, is the CEO emeritus of ThedaCare, a five-hospital system in Wisconsin, and the CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. He was founding Chair of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality and of the Wisconsin Health Information Organization, as well as the non-executive leader of the Partnership for Healthcare Payment Reform in Wisconsin. He has participated in many Institute of Medicine subcommittees, including most recently the Value Incentives Learning Collaborative and the CEO Checklist for High-Value Healthcare.

Dr. Toussaint's healthcare improvement work using Toyota Production System principles has been well documented in articles published in Health Affairs, the Harvard Business Review Blog, and Frontiers in Health Management. His work on payment reform and the transparency of provider performance data has been featured in The American Journal of Managed Care and the Commonwealth Fund publications, as well as news publications like The Wall Street Journal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Healthcare Finance News.

He has been a featured speaker at the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Shingo Prize, The Lean Enterprise Institute, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and many international conferences. His groundbreaking first book, On the Mend, Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry, was recently awarded the 2012 Shingo Research and Publication award. It shows how healthcare can be fundamentally improved at the point of delivery to patients using the proven principles of lean management. His just-released second book, Potent Medicine, The Collaborative Cure for Healthcare, describes the three core elements necessary to transform healthcare and deliver better value: delivery of care designed around the patient; transparency of treatment quality and cost; and payment for outcomes.

Presently Dr. Toussaint is the leader of the Healthcare Value Leaders Network (www.healthcarevalueleaders.org). A partnership between the Lean Enterprise Institute in Cambridge Massachusetts and the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. This partnership is helping to facilitate collaborative learning between organizations committed to transforming themselves using the lean methodology. Presently there are 27 members in the network.

Here in Episode #133, John starts our show with a leadership mindset to act our way towards a new state of improvement. John gives us an overview of his career path, and what drove him to establish lean management principles as his guiding standard. He lays out the blueprint for leaders to establish management principles early for success and shares the dark moments story connected to the direct impact of failed leadership.

John gives us great examples of leaders stepping up with courage and applying the fundamental principle of respect for people. He describes how he leverages the power of listening to build strong teams. He highlights his best practice approach for going to the Gemba with purpose, and how that led to a $4 million renovation project. John shares how appropriate payment programs will lead to an explosion of healthcare quality improvement. He encourages healthcare leaders to prioritize collaboration over the competition; and how healthcare leaders can create their best selves through reflection and personal Kaizen.

• Connect with John’s on LinkedIn
• The Lens - Podcast
• Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
• Leaves Us a Rating
Aug 31, 202158:08
132: Succeeding in the Impossible with Sabrina A. Kuhn, PhD.

132: Succeeding in the Impossible with Sabrina A. Kuhn, PhD.

Dr. Sabrina A. Kuhn currently provides consultative services in Quality Improvement to health plans and health systems around the country while residing in Dallas, TX.
She has worked in Quality for the last 15+ years in a managed care environment, the provider community, and the city government.
She has spent 7 years in Public Health and the last 25 years in behavioral health. Dr. Kuhn has also served as an adjunct professor for 12 years teaching various psychology courses including Cultural Competency. She is a certified Cultural Competency trainer and holds a yellow belt certification in LEAN Six Sigma for Healthcare. She has worked in every level of care from the state hospital to owning a private practice.
She received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Temple University in 2011. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, live music, and her biggest joy is spending time with her husband and six-year-old son Isaiah.
Here in Episode #132, Sabrina starts our show with a leadership mindset centered on inspiration and perseverance. She shares how career burnout paved the path for a successful executive-level career in healthcare quality. Sabrina shares with the many faces of quality that she has experienced at key stages of her journey. She gives a personal reflection connected with receiving adequate resources while leading a quality team.
Sabrina shares her approach to assessing the current state of quality in her organization. She highlights a career aha moment focused on accountability, transparency, and owning your fails. Sabrina highlights the power of building strong relationships; and gives her thoughts on the impact to come with rapidly changing regulatory standards. She places a call to action for more equitable salaries for healthcare quality leaders; and shares her approach for checking in with team members
· Connect with Sabrina on LinkedIn
· Checkout Sabrina’s Podcast
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Aug 24, 202101:21:46
131: A Journey to Healthcare Quality and Safety with Moataz Mohammad

131: A Journey to Healthcare Quality and Safety with Moataz Mohammad

Moataz Mohammad Maamoun Hamed is a 27-year-old Egyptian, known for my honesty, friendliness, and perseverance.
In college, Moataz majored in economics, but for many reasons that he shares in our interview, decided to make a huge career shift into Healthcare Quality. Some people questioned his decision saying he didn’t have a healthcare background, but Moataz only listened to those who supported him and ultimately found his path.
Moataz has successfully completed a Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Total Quality Management at the American University in Cairo, trained in “Healthcare Quality and Accreditation at Al-Mokawilon-Al-Arab Hospital, self-studied and became a certified professional in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety after passing both the CPHQ and the CPPS exams with outstanding marks. He also became an IRCA-Certified ISO 9001 auditor, and an ISQUA Member and Fellow. Lastly, he journeyed to the UK to earn a Master of Science in Quality and Patient Safety Improvement.
Today, Moataz serves as a Quality Specialist at a 100-bed hospital in Jeddah-KSA and provides daily leadership in the hospital’s accreditation preparation efforts, along with many other Quality Management and Patient Safety activities. Moataz’s journey is clearly one of passion and inspiration; as he aspires to work in the quality department of a prestigious healthcare institute, where he can continue to systematically make a difference in improving the safety of patients as well as the quality of care they receive.
Here in Episode #131, Moataz starts our show reminding us that quality is a journey and not a destination. He shares the career transformations he's gone through, starting in economics and growing into a Master of Health Care Quality and patient safety. Moataz gives an overview of the ISQua organization; as well as an introduction to the beautiful city of Jeddah where he lives.
Moataz shares a career dark moment connected to the need of finding a suitable mentor. Moataz demonstrates how he leverages empowerment as an approach for building strong teams. He gives a number of best practices for promoting change and change management. Moataz tells us his strategy for using surveys to garner engagement. He shares his excitement for the growing focus for quality and safe patient safety in his country; and places a call to action for QI to become a standard curriculum for all healthcare disciplines. And closes our show with his best piece of career advice to do what you love
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Aug 17, 202156:46
130: Defining Perioperative Leadership with Vangie Dennis

130: Defining Perioperative Leadership with Vangie Dennis

Vangie Dennis is the Assistant Vice President: Periop Services at AnMed Health. Prior to this role, Vangie served as the Executive Director of WellStar Atlanta Medical Center and Atlanta Medical Center South located in the metropolitan area of Atlanta. Vangie has been a nurse for 44 years. Professional organizations include the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN), Laser Institute of America, AORN Specialty Assemblies, Laser Institute of America, American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopist, and the American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery. Professional activities and accomplishments are Past Chairperson for the American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery, Past Assembly Chair for AORN Advanced Technology, Past Assembly Secretary for the organization, and member of the American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopist. She is on the editorial board for the Journal for Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery, Outpatient Surgery, and for OR Nurse. Vangie has been published and cited in publications such as “OR Nurse, American Health, Laparoscopic Update, Surgical Services Management, Infection Control Today, OR Manager, Today’s OR, Outpatient Surgery, and Same-Day Surgery. She is also the author for the “Medcom Module: Laparoscopic Approach for Treatment of Urinary Stress Incontinence", referenced in “The Joint Commission's 2003 National Patient Safety Goals”, co-published the nursing Chapter 9, “The Team-Nursing’s Perspective” in the book Principles of Laparoscopic Surgery, Chapter 20 Laser Risks and Perioperative Safety: Donna Watson's Perioperative Safety, Author of the 2011 AORN Recommended Practices for Lasers, author for the AORN Laser Study Guide, Module, and video. Vangie sits on the Clinical Advisory Boards for the Gwinnett Technical School, OR Nurse, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Georgia Tissue Council, Medline Industries, Medtronics Corporation, Baxter, and Ethicon Endo-Surgery. She presently serves as the National Treasurer for AORN Board of Directors and served a term on the Board of Directors. Ms. Dennis is an independent consultant, lectures on lasers, endoscopic procedures, advanced technology, and nursing practice. Vangie has lectured nationally and internationally for AORN, AORN Chapters, Advanced Technology Specialty Assembly, American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery, The International Laser Safety Conference, Canadian Nurses Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, American Association Gynecological Laparoscopists, MedSun CODA Conference, and Medical Societies and facilities. Here in Episode #130, Vangie starts our show with a leadership mindset to embrace what we truly want. She gives us a great overview of Perioperative Services, and how she has successfully navigated a 30+ year career within it. Vangie connects the dots on the critical role of quality across the continuum of Perioperative Services. She shares a dark moment story contrasting when to lead with your heart vs. your head. Vangie tells how she leverages shared governance and appreciative inquiry to build strong teams. She shares her an AHA moment centered on influential leadership; and how the evolving world of preventative medicine will drive ongoing healthcare changes. Vangie highlights lessons learned so far from Covid-19 within surgical services. And closes our show with the needed encouragement to engage within our purpose to create WOW moments and make a difference. • Connect with Vangie on LinkedIn • Plug Into Vangie’s Work • Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group • Leaves Us a Rating
Aug 10, 202159:02
129: Unlocking the Healthcare Digital Transformation with Paddy Padmanabhan, MBA

129: Unlocking the Healthcare Digital Transformation with Paddy Padmanabhan, MBA

Paddy is an award-winning business leader and trusted C-suite Advisor with a proven history of success in guiding digital transformation and growth strategies across the healthcare and technology sectors. He has worked in a variety of leadership roles at globally recognized firms such as Accenture, GE, and Wipro where he built large global technology businesses and spearheaded strategic growth initiatives. He has also been in Silicon Valley start-ups that went through successful exits. Paddy is widely considered a thought leader and expert practitioner in healthcare digital transformation. Paddy is the co-author of Healthcare Digital Transformation – How Consumerism, Technology, and Pandemic are Accelerating the Future (Taylor & Francis, Aug 2020), along with Edward W. Marx. Paddy is also the author of the best-selling book The Big Unlock – Harnessing Data and Growing Digital Health Businesses in a Value-based Care Era (Archway Publishing, 2017). He is the host of the highly subscribed The Big Unlock podcast on digital transformation in healthcare featuring C-level executives from the healthcare and technology sectors. He is widely published and has a by-lined column in CIO Magazine and other respected industry publications. Paddy is a graduate of the executive management program of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, and a B.S. in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the executive education program on data and analytics strategy from Harvard Medical School and holds a CPHIMS certification from the HIMSS organization. Paddy is a Board Advisor and investor in several startups and has held Board positions in voluntary and not-for-profit organizations. Here in Episode #129, Paddy shares great insights on the path in developing as an industry thought leader of healthcare technology strategies. Paddy gives us a master class level overview on the inner workings of digital healthcare transformation and shares with us 3 key takeaways that healthcare leaders should have on their radar as it relates to digital healthcare transformation. He highlights how the pandemic has given digital technology strategies a much-needed boost across the industry. Paddy shares how organizations approach technology procurement in a strategic manner. He highlights the leadership mindset needed to bounce back from failure and define success for his teams. Paddy gives us a breakdown of the digital technologies that he's excited about. He outlines the top challenges and opportunities that emerging healthcare leaders will face moving forward; and underlines his key attributes for being a successful data-driven healthcare leader. · Connect with Paddy on LinkedIn · Plug Into Paddy’s Work · Subscribe to The Big Unlock Podcast · Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group · Leaves Us a Rating · Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification · Request a Corporate Demo of our online QI Academy
Aug 03, 202151:53
128: A Series of Conversations with Skip Steward, MBA

128: A Series of Conversations with Skip Steward, MBA

Skip Steward earned an MBA and is experienced in diverse industries including automotive, machining, food, process, service, and healthcare. He is a Shingo examiner, a Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), a Quality Management System Auditor, a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and a certified Lean Champion.
Skip is a certified trainer in TWI Job Instructions (JI), Job Relations (JR), and Job Methods (JM). He is an award-winning leader who has implemented streamlined business systems that deliver significant contributions to the bottom line, while increasing employee performance and improving productivity. He is recognized for superior project management and communication skills; he has spoken both nationally and internationally.
Skip currently serves as Vice President and Chief Improvement Officer at Baptist Memorial Health Care headquartered in Memphis, TN where he develops, directs, and implements performance improvement activities identifying inefficiencies; implementing strategies to improve quality, service, and finances; and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.
Here in Episode #128 Skip starts our show with a leadership mindset that encourages us to look at life as a series of conversations. Skip gives us a great overview of his career going from manufacturing, to private equity, into his current role as Chief Improvement Officer; and gives us insight into the daily focus that he brings to his teams. He gives us a 30,000-foot overview of the TWI principles and methodology. He shares a dark moment story encouraging us to avoid the seduction of over-analysis.
Skip provides a great definition associated with the complexities of healthcare. He shares how he uses humble inquiry to build strong connections with his teams. Skip provides an Aha centered on learning and respecting the different cultures that exist within our organizations. He shares thoughts on future trends and how do we can start to put quality ahead of many of the innovations; and gives us a healthy dose of advice career advice to move us all forward
· Connect with Skip on LinkedIn
· Baptist Management System – YouTube
· 6th Annual Baptist TWI Summit
· Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
· Leaves Us a Rating
· Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification
· Request a Corporate Demo of our online QI Academy
Jul 27, 202148:47
127: A Vision of Nursing Quality Leadership w/ Denise Josephs DNP, RN, NEA-BC

127: A Vision of Nursing Quality Leadership w/ Denise Josephs DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Dr. Denise Josephs is the Vice President of Nursing at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance in Seattle, Washington.
Denise has been a nurse for nearly 25 years and has obtained her Masters in Nursing Administration and Informatics from Excelsior College and her Doctorate in Nursing at Georgia State University.
Dr. Josephs is on the board of Black Women Leaders in Nursing; she is the secretary for "Help for Help Care Professionals," a nonprofit organization providing support and resources for nurses throughout the pandemic, and a mentor to upcoming nurse leaders.
Here in Episode #127 Denise shares a leadership mindset for turning visions into reality. She walks us through her fantastic career story, leading into her current role as Vice President of Nursing; and gives us a peek into her daily functions. Denise connects the dots between the role of a Nursing Informatics professional and quality improvement. With her dark place story, Denise teaches us the value of inviting key players to the table. She shares how she leverages empathy and emotions to build authentic connections with her teams. Denise tells the story of her career AHA, centered on nurses leveraging technology to improve quality and safety. She provides a vision on what the future of healthcare looks like after COVID-19, and shares her passion for ensuring quality maintains a focus on the human side of health care
· Connect with Denise on LinkedIn
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· Leaves Us a Rating
· Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification
· Request a Corporate Demo of our online QI Academy
Jul 20, 202145:45
126: Leadership Insights from an Interface Professional, with Mark Schnitzer, MD

126: Leadership Insights from an Interface Professional, with Mark Schnitzer, MD

Dr. Mark Schnitzer is an experienced Surgeon, Educator, Physician Advisor, Medical Director, and Consultant. An interest in processes and mathematics led him to pursue an unlikely course of pre-medical study, electrical engineering.  It was during his Ph.D. studies that he applied to medical school and completed his MSEE and MD concurrently.  He completed his clinical training in neurological surgery and a fellowship in neurosciences critical care at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.  His final year at Johns Hopkins was in the role of Assistant Chief of Service. Most recently, he has taken on the role of medical director for a large accountable care organization, part of the Baylor Scott & White Health System, based in Dallas, TX. Mark is board certified in healthcare quality and management by the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians with added qualification as a Physician Advisor.  He is a certified professional in healthcare quality by the National Association for Healthcare Quality and is certified by the American Society for Quality as a Six Sigma Black Belt.  Additionally, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Mark has provided several invited presentations in the areas of healthcare informatics and patient safety, and he serves as an examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Mark considers himself an interface professional, like most clinicians who have transitioned into healthcare leadership roles.  He maintains a state of constant inquiry and curiosity with the ever-present thought, “There is something I do not know, the knowing of which could change everything.” Here in episode #126 Mark starts our show with a quote that is guaranteed to keep you on your toes when applied. Mark highlights his career path going from a humble start as an electrical engineer, to leading a world-class accountable care organization. He shares several insights on his transitions into executive and quality leadership. Mark spotlights his approach to continuous personal development. Mark tells a phenomenal story of resiliency as he bounces back from a major personal and professional loss. He tells us how he leverages the power of coaching to develop great teams.  Mark highlights the value of physicians learning the business and operational makeup of their health care organization. He shares his excitement for the future potential of ACOs. He coins a new term for us to engage with as quality professionals. Mark places a call to action for leaders to support quality improvement initiatives within their organization and leaves us with his best career advice encouraging us to jump first and then grow our wings.  • Connect with Mark on LinkedIn • Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group • Leaves Us a Rating • Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification • Request a Corporate Demo of our online QI Academy
Jul 13, 202101:14:11
125: From Blue Oceans to Hooray Health with Shane Foss

125: From Blue Oceans to Hooray Health with Shane Foss

With over 20 years of tenure as an executive in the medical industry, Shane Foss became frustrated with how under-served Americans were with the current healthcare options. He set out to make a change and in 2018 achieved this goal through launching Hooray Health, an unconventional health insurance company dedicated to providing affordable basic and urgent health care alternatives to high-deductible health plans. Through Hooray Health, Foss and his team focus on offering peace of mind to lower-income individuals and families who face medical challenges, while also providing business owners with an affordable way to reward and retain employees. Partnering with companies like Sedera, Ameritas, and Aflac, they have been able to add critical services and supplemental plans giving immense value to employers and individuals. Throughout his professional experience, Foss has negotiated complex, multi-million-dollar contracts, worked in device sales management, created business strategies, and optimized P&L. He holds an MBA from Rice University’s, Jone’s School of Business, a BS from the University of the Incarnate Word, and a Surgical Technologist Certificate from the United States Air Force. Here in Episode #125, Shane starts our show with a mindset centered on leveraging failures into future successes. Shane shares details on the path that led him into the world of healthcare insurance and benefits. He connects the foundations of Hooray Health with Blue Ocean Strategies. Shane encourages us to challenge the current norms across the healthcare industry and to have the courage to carry the changes through to the end. He shares the ins and outs of starting a healthcare insurance company. He highlights the lessons learned from his biggest failure and success as CEO of Hooray Health. Shane shares his tops leadership strategies, as well as the impact his biggest mentor has left on him. He highlights consolidation and legislation as the two biggest risks lingering over healthcare; and how technology will continue to drive future industry transformations and provides insights on how Hooray Health uses technology to add value to its clients. · Connect with Shane on LinkedIn · Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group · Leaves Us a Rating · Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification · Request a Corporate Demo of our online QI Academy
Jul 06, 202140:37
124: From QI Project to Industry Best Practice with Andrew K. Stein MBA PMP

124: From QI Project to Industry Best Practice with Andrew K. Stein MBA PMP

Andrew has delivered results in the private, public, and non-profit sectors for more than 15 years. His passion is helping people be their best at work.
As President of Hospital Programs at 1Unit, Andrew is a trusted advisor for hospital leaders who want to protect against fragmented care and unnecessary variation. In this role, he handles account relationships, new partnerships, and customer success. He leads the business side so that 1Unit's clinical experts can focus on working shoulder-to-shoulder with nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals.
To do so, Andrew draws on his strong track record of organizational transformation. He has helped hundreds of large organizations from Anthem to the Veterans Administration align people, processes, and technology to grow, innovate, and solve their most complex problems. When Deloitte leaders were asked to help 30 senior leaders and diplomats at the U.S. State Department redesign the whole organization in five days, they tapped Andrew to lead, design, and facilitate the process.
Andrew's toolkit is a mix of high tech and high touch and includes strategy development, visioning sessions, training design, change management, performance improvement, and statistical analysis.
Andrew earned his MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University (as a full Woodruff Scholar) and his mechanical engineering BA from Brown University. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and he loves traveling and returning home from travel to get some sleep.
Here in Episode #124, Andrew starts our show with a mindset around leading and guiding teams. Andrew shares highlights from his impressive management consulting career path, where he gained expertise in helping organizations to optimize their people, processes, and technologies. We discuss aspects of Andrew’s background connected with creative problem solving and facilitation.
He tells us the 1-Unit origins stories and highlights customer success stories connected with their focus around implementing standard work and data transparency. Andrew shares best practices for change management strategies that his team uses regularly. We talk through his best moments of learnings connected with coaching teams around new work processes. Andrew shares three critical skills that all health care leaders should have on their radars. He teaches us why our improvement work should center on delta, breadth, scale, and durability. And gives us his favorite tools and techniques for team facilitation.
· Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
· Learn more about 1Unit
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· Leaves Us a Rating
· Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification
· Request a Corporate Demo of our online QI Academy
Jun 29, 202101:08:18
123: On the Path to KnowWare with Jay Arthur

123: On the Path to KnowWare with Jay Arthur

Jay is the shortcut to results with Lean Six Sigma. Jay is the only resultant that teaches people how to solve operational problems involving delay, defects, and deviation in one day using Excel and the Magnificent Seven Tools of Lean Six Sigma.
Jay was trained in the Deming Award Winning Florida Power and Light improvement process in 1990. He has worked as both a quality and process manager within a Fortune 50 company and on his own as a Six Sigma resultant. Jay applies the 4/50 rule to the discipline of Lean Six Sigma and excels at finding the 4% of the knowledge and tools that are needed to deliver over 50% of the results.
He is the author of Lean Six Sigma Demystified, McGraw Hill, and six other Lean and Six Sigma books. Jay is also the creator of the QI Macros for Excel, an SPC software package that leverages the power of Microsoft Excel to draw all of the charts and graphs needed for Lean Six Sigma and SPC. Has your Six Sigma Software developer written books on both software engineering and Lean Six Sigma? Jay Arthur has: Improving Software Quality, Software Evolution, Rapid Evolutionary Development, Unix Shell Programming, and Measuring Programmer Productivity and Software Quality.
Jay is also a Certified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which can accelerate your learning experience. He is the author of How to Motivate Everyone and the co-author of The Motivation Profile, a self-paced guide that has been used in Fortune 500 companies to train sales personnel and to diagnose and resolve conflict in ailing teams. Jay has written five John Wiley and Sons books on software engineering and holds a BS in Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona.
Here in Episode #123, Jay starts our show with a “Berwick-ism” to pledge allegiance to science and evidence. Jay shares an overview of his career path and how he became the Chief Geek of KnowWare International. His passion for helping organizations to save time, money, and lives is undeniable throughout our entire interview. We reminisce on our shared beginnings with Florida Power and Light. He tells us the story of QI Macros and highlights many of the value-adding features. Jay teaches us why we should become masters of the Magnificent 7 tools of quality. He shares a client success story connected with making data-driven decisions. Jay reminds us of the fact that there is no such thing as perfect data, and gives his silver bullet solution for healthcare organizations to improve performance.
• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
• Access Jay’s Agile for Healthcare video
• Access Jay’s Agile LSS Ebook
• Access Jay’s Agile Mini Manifesto
• Access Jay’s Magnificent Seven tools
• Access Jay’s Agile LSS Training Materials
• Access Jay’s Trillion-Dollar Prescription Webinars
• Access Jay’s Free Yellow Belt Training
• Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
• Leaves Us a Rating
Jun 22, 202101:03:01
122: Brenda Lopez, MBA, LSSBB Sr. Business Process Improvement Analyst

122: Brenda Lopez, MBA, LSSBB Sr. Business Process Improvement Analyst

Brenda Lopez retired from the Texas Army National Guard in March of 2021 as a Master Sergeant, Senior Manager. Throughout her career in the military, she implemented the use of the Malcolm Baldrige for Performance Excellence Framework and was the lead writer for quality and performance assessments, resulting in becoming top five performing organization within the U.S. Additionally, she served as a Team Leader where she evaluated the performance of other National Guard organizations in the areas of leadership, strategy, customers, workforce, knowledge management, and operations, and provided feedback reports to the Adjutant General and Directors. In 2014, Brenda was invited by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to write an article on how the TXARNG implements the National Baldrige Framework to increase and achieve higher levels of performance. In 2016, Brenda joined the Malcolm Baldrige Board of Examiners in which she currently assesses the performance of different sectors including Healthcare, Non-Profit, Small Business, and Manufacturing, and provides opportunities for improvement to CEOs and other senior leaders. In 2017, Brenda was internationally recognized as a Business Improvement expert by Triaster, a company located in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, that provides business process management solutions through customized computer software. In 2018, Brenda wrote an article for Triaster’s blog named “7 Steps to Improve Business Performance using the Baldrige Excellence Framework”. Brenda completed her MA in Organizational Management from Ashford University and MBA in General Studies from West Texas A&M University. She graduated from Grantham University with BS in Homeland Security with a concentration in Project Management. Brenda is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Business Process Re-engineering Specialist. Currently, Brenda works for UnitedHealth Group as a Sr. Business Analyst in Austin, Texas. Here in episode #122, Brenda starts our show with an essential mindset around leading through change. We learn that Brenda is a developing health care quality improvement professional, as she shares details on her transitioning career path, extending from 20 years of military service. We geek out on Baldridge and the impact that it has on organizational culture for performance excellence. Brenda challenges us to establish a career driven by our personal mission. She shares how she uses daily check-ins to build strong relationships across her teams. Brenda reminds us of the power of going to the Gemba and walking in the shoes of those that we serve. Brenda shares why she is excited about the future of telemedicine and furthering health care innovations; and the role that quality professionals can play to support it. Brenda gives us great insights into the value of hiring military service professionals. She highlights the importance of creating and sticking to a personal plan for success; and a tremendous list centered on the importance of self-care. • Connect with Brenda on LinkedIn • Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group • Leaves Us a Rating • Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification • Request a Corporate Demo of our online QI Academy
Jun 15, 202159:53
121: Patricia Macolino MSN, RN, ASQ CSSBB Director, Quality and Safety Clinical Practices

121: Patricia Macolino MSN, RN, ASQ CSSBB Director, Quality and Safety Clinical Practices

Patricia Macolino is a clinical nurse with over 22 years of experience. She transitioned into a formal quality improvement roll back in 2014 and hasn't looked back. Patricia earned her Black Belt certification from the American Society for Quality (ASQ) in 2015. Patricia is an active member of ASQ in both the South Jersey and Philadelphia chapters. She Co-Directs capstone course work for the Certificate in Healthcare Quality at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. And in her current full-time position, Patricia serves as the Director of Quality and Safety for the Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Here in episode #121 Patricia starts our show with the profound knowledge that information is not knowledge and reminds us of the power of self-reflection. Patricia shares how she never looked back after support from her leaders took her from the bedside and into formal roles as a health care quality leader. Patricia reveals her personal transformation going from the art of the workaround, into the science of quality improvement. She teaches us the secret to staying successful and relevant in the same organization for over two decades.
Patricia shares a dark moment story highlighting the power of developing as a people leader. She teaches us how she establishes clear goals and objectives with the teams that she leads. We share best practices around facilitating virtual teams. Patricia gives us a career aha moment teaching us nothing ventured nothing gained. She gives expert insights around understanding who the power players are and what it means to empower others. She shares thoughts on introducing QI principles earlier into the career path for health care professionals. And Patricia highlights upcoming regulations connected with workplace safety.
• Connect with Patricia on LinkedIn
• Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group
• Leaves Us a Rating
• Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification
• Request a Corporate Demo of our online QI Academy
Jun 08, 202101:11:37