Smartlinx Podcast

Today’s guests are Cathy Schweiger and Mario McKenzie of CliftonLarsonAllen, which offers wealth advisory, outsourcing, audit, tax, and consulting services. For the past 12 years, Cathy has assisted aging services and senior living providers to plan for their sustainable and successful future. Her experience spans market research, including survey and focus group facilitation, strategic planning and program development for continuing care retirement communities, continuing care at-home programs, home- and community-based services, and a wide array of senior housing and services. She is dedicated to developing new and impactful ways to serve the rapidly growing number of older adult consumers. Mario has been working professionally assisting senior living providers for over 25 years. He works in strategic planning, feasibility study analyses, executive compensation analysis, as well as in master planning for communities. Today we will focus on CliftonLarsonAllen’s 2018 Senior Living Trends Report, co-authored b

Today’s guest is Gregory L. Alexander, PhD, RN, FAAN, Interim Associate Dean of Research and Professor at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing. Dr. Alexander’s nursing specialties include clinical informatics and human computer interaction. His interest areas are Gero-informatics research and national health policy, along with IT effects on quality of care in nursing homes and long-term care. He also focuses on development, organizations, and health policy about nursing practice that impacts geriatric patients. His doctoral studies centered on human factors decision support and long-term care.

Our guests today are from the National Transitions of Care Coalition, or NTOCC. Dr. James Lett II, president of the coalition board of directors, is currently medical director of Avar Consulting Inc., which has a contract with CMS to oversee some aspects of the National Quality Improvement Organizations that oversee the quality and care of Medicare enrollees. He’s an experienced geriatrician in care provided in hospitals, nursing homes, and other sites of care. He most recently served as medical director and vice president of medical affairs for an extensive senior citizen complex, including an assisted living center and a long-term rehabilitation and nursing center. He has worked on three reports for the Office of the Inspector General to identify and quantitate adverse events in post-acute care. His passion is transitions of care, in which he has been involved with multiple entities, including CMS, ORG, and multiple national medical entities. Jackie Vance, also coalition director, who is senior director of

Our guest today is XinQi Dong, director of Rutgers University’s Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, or IFH. In addition to the institute directorship, he serves as the inaugural Henry Rutgers Professor of Population Health Sciences. He is the lead researcher of the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago, which examined the health and well being of Chinese older adults and culminated in the publishing of 20 articles, which is the topic of today’s podcast. Most recently, XinQi was a professor of Medicine, Nursing, and Behavioral Sciences at the Rush University Medical Center and the associate director of the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging.

In today’s podcast, we talk with Joanie B. Connell, Ph.D., president and CEO of Flexible Work Solutions. Dr. Connell is an organizational consultant and leadership coach who specializes in maximizing leadership potential. She works with companies to attract, develop, and retain top talent and with individuals to improve their success and happiness in their careers. Her clients range from Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profit and government agencies, as well as high tech, biotech, healthcare, finance, legal, and other industries. As a professor, she teaches and has taught at the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego, the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, and in the Master’s in Human Behavior program at National University. She is an author of the book "Flying Without a Helicopter: How to Prepare Young People for Work and Life".

Today’s podcast guest is Brent Weil, vice president of workforce development for Argentum, the national leading association in senior living. Senior Living Works is an initiative led by Argentum to meet the current and future workforce needs of the senior living industry. Brent is focusing his efforts on the challenges and opportunities facing the senior living industry in professional development, as well as recruiting and retaining dedicated workers to care for the growing population of older Americans.

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk with Marcia Hopkins, who serves as the Leader of the Risk Management Division for American Healthcare Management Group, or AHMG. Marcia has delivered risk management services for healthcare clients for 12 years, including aging services for continuing care retirement communities, skilled nursing, and assisted living facilities, as well as home health agencies. Her professional designations include Associate in Risk Management, Florida Department of Financial Services, Independent All Lines Adjusting license, Board Certification in Workers’ Compensation, and Board of Director of Florida Workers’ Compensation Claim Professionals.

Our guests today are from the National Transitions of Care Coalition, or NTOCC. Dr. James Lett II, President of the coalition board of directors, is currently medical director of Avar Consulting Inc., which has a contract with CMS to oversee some aspects of the National Quality Improvement Organizations that oversee the quality and care of Medicare enrollees. He’s an experienced geriatrician in care provided in hospitals, nursing homes, and other sites of care. He most recently served as medical director and vice president of medical affairs for an extensive senior citizen complex, including an assisted living center and a long-term rehabilitation and nursing center. He has worked on three reports for the Office of the Inspector General to identify and quantitate adverse events in post-acute care. His passion is transitions of care, in which he has been involved with multiple entities, including CMS, OIG, and multiple national medical entities.   Jackie Vance, also coalition director, is senior director of cl

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk about marketing strategies for long-term care. Our guest today is Winston Chenery, manager of Senior Care Growth, a lead gen and web design agency for senior living organizations. Winston is a senior living industry thought leader who produces the Senior Care Growth Show, a podcast specific for senior living sales and marketing professionals. He spoke at SMASH 2017 about sales alignment and authored the 2018 State of Senior Care Sales and Marketing Report.

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk with Dr. Edna Cadmus, clinical professor and specialty director of the graduate nursing leadership tracks at Rutgers University School of Nursing. She is also executive director of the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing. The center works on behalf of nurses to provide evidence-based recommendations to policymakers and leaders of the profession regarding the nursing workforce and its impact on patient care. The center has developed workforce reports for the governor, current workforce trends, and educational capacity reports to assist employers and legislators in decision making. Its current focus is on nursing demand in various healthcare industries. Dr. Cadmus serves as co-lead for the New Jersey Action Coalition, one of 51 groups nationwide focused on implementing recommendations from the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report, The Future of Nursing. She was a co-principal investigator on a funded project by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on develop

In today's podcast, we'll talk about the concept of servant leadership. Our guest today is Art Barter, founder of the Servant Leadership Institute. So what exactly is servant leadership? It's a set of behaviors and practices that turns a traditional power leadership model upside down. Instead of the people working to serve the leader, the leader actually exists to serve the people. As a result, the practice is centered on a desire to serve and emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power. Its primary goal is to enhance individual growth, teamwork, and overall employee involvement and satisfaction.

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk with XinQi Dong, Director of Rutgers University’s Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research. In addition to the institute directorship, Dong will serve as the inaugural Henry Rutgers Professor of Population Health Sciences. Most recently, he was a Professor of Medicine, Nursing, and Behavioral Sciences at the Rush University Medical Center and the Associate Director of the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging. His research and advocacy have been recognized by many national and international organizations, including awards by the American Public Health Association, American Geriatric Society, Gerontological Society of America, and International Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics. He was the first geriatrician to receive the National Physician Advocacy Merit Award by the Institute on Medicine as a Profession. This year, he was elected to the prestigious American Society of Clinical Investigation. He has served as a commissioner for the Commission on Law and Agin

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk about best practices for engaging different communities or audiences within long-term care organizations — employees, residents, and leadership. Our guest today is Nikki Rineer, President of Holleran, a senior living community engagement research and consulting firm. Holleran’s services include resident and employee engagement and satisfaction, leadership development, organizational engagement, and community engagement and needs assessments.

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk about the human resources challenges and opportunities in today’s manufacturing sector. Our guest today is Bill Looney, principal and co-founder of Signature HR Solutions, which provides human resources solutions for small and mid-sized businesses. Bill has 20 years of human resources management experience. Bill’s partner, personally and professionally, is Carol Looney, who has also shared her long-term HR insights with us on our podcast.

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk about virtual training for healthcare facilities. Our guest today is Kyle Golding, CEO of The Golding Group, an Oklahoma City business development think tank. Kyle and Tadd Weese are co-owners and partners of VORTTX Training, which provides virtual online tabletop exercises for healthcare facilities. Kyle is a born entrepreneur who started his first business as a teenager. With 30 years of experience building, owning, operating multiple businesses, he has positioned, marketed, and managed artists, musicians, startups, corporations, and non-profits to local, national, and worldwide success. He was quoted by Entrepreneur Magazine about “what it takes to be a creative entrepreneur.”

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk about critical thinking in long-term care nursing: How to improve outcomes and reduce errors. Our guest today is Shelley Cohen, RN, MSN, CEN, who has written a book by the same title. Shelly is the founder and president of Health Resources Unlimited, a Tennessee-based healthcare education and consulting company. Her seminars for nursing professionals are designed to engage staff nurses and nurse leaders, assuring the best interests of the patient.

In today's podcast, we'll talk about employee turnover, a huge problem in the long-term care industry. Our guest today is Roy Barker, a business and senior living operations advisor. For the past 19 years, Roy has consulted with senior living communities to improve their resident services, optimize operations, and increase occupancy.

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk about Plante Moran’s skilled nursing facility benchmarking report, “Make the Mark.” Our guest today is Christy Vandewater, CPA, consulting manager of Plante Moran, a certified public accounting and business advisory firm. One of the firm’s areas of specialty is senior care and living, and it serves nearly 1,000 senior care and living providers, including skilled nursing facilities, continuing care retirement communities, independent and assisted living facilities, and home health and hospice agencies.

In today's podcast, we'll talk about how to use behavioral insights to optimize your vetting and hiring process. Our guest today is Leon Morales, chief relationship officer for DNA Behavior International. Leon is a seasoned leader and consultant with experience working in finance, technology, operations, accounting, and organizational change. He's passionate about assisting organizations to unlock the power of behavioral insights to accomplish business goals. He works with leaders to further develop their organizational skills and to build collaborative teams that can execute. DNA Behavior International is an international people insights business. Since 2001, it has helped organizations worldwide by providing a single technology platform, which delivers practical and scalable behavioral intelligence solutions.

In today’s podcast, we’ll talk about how you can leverage kindness to realize powerful results. Our guest today is Lara Heacock, a self-professed “kindness ambassador.” Lara is a certified personal and professional coach who focuses on kindness as a key to success. Before she went into coaching, Lara spent 13 years as a professional recruiter and leader. She holds a psychology degree as well as an MBA. She is the author of Practical Kindness: 52 Ways to Bring More Compassion, Courage, and Kindness into Your World.