Teleios Blog

What is going on with our dedicated healthcare workers?  Have you spoken with anyone who works in healthcare lately?  Now that we are 10 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, with cases currently on the rise, we see healthcare workers literally walking off shifts and not returning, looking for non-patient care positions, or walking away from the profession all together. If you really want to tick them off, call them a “healthcare hero”, they are pretty tired of that.

What a long, strange trip it’s been…

I have always loved New Year’s Day, and certainly never more than this year! For me, it represents unlimited possibilities. Some years are easier to put away than others and 2020 is a tough one to put away. Many of us are carrying baggage with us into the new year, and for some, it may be difficult to let go and look forward. As we journey on to the new year, let’s spend some time unpacking that 2020 baggage, putting some things away and choosing what we want to bring along into 2021.

Years ago, I had a PowerPoint slide that had these cool dials on it and the animation would make the dials move. I would use this slide as a metaphor that as a leader you can create the pace and speed of your team, just like adjusting the dials on your vehicle.  

Whether you are a turkey-lover or practice a meat-free diet, chances are when you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner that stuffing is one of the showstoppers on the table.  Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, whether it’s in the bird or prepared in a separate dish, you can’t go wrong with chunks of bread cooked with celery, broth and special seasonings. 

A few weeks ago, we conducted our fall TCN Leadership Immersion Course. We were thrilled to have over 80 leaders from six states participating, and their engagement level was off the charts. Due to COVID, as with most trainings and meetings, we pivoted to Zoom for the conference, which made the engagement level even more impressive given the virtual nature, in addition to the fact that the training took place over three consecutive days.

Since mid-March, I have heard many hospice leaders share that their organizations have been unable to continue strategic sales initiatives due to “the COVID effect.”

Do you remember back a long, long time ago when a phone call was pretty much how you got things done? 

Hospices are on the hook for all items, services, and drugs related to the patient’s prognosis.  Stated in CMS language: “…services Unrelated to the terminal illness and related conditions should be exceptional, unusual, and rare  … hospices are required to provide virtually all the care needed by terminally ill patients.” 

A couple of months ago I ordered my groceries online and went to pick them up as I have done a dozen times.  I had ordered a bunch of fresh cilantro as part of the order.  When I got home and unloaded the groceries, I noticed I had received a tiny little box of organic dried cilantro which was three times more expensive than the bunch of fresh cilantro I had ordered and paid for. 

It has been said that success is frequently determined by the ability to adapt and respond to the speed of change. In years past this concept has been related to such things as technology, economics, demographics, and the political climate.