On this two-part episode series of The Healthcare Plus Podcast, Quint Studer hosts Dr. Gerald Hickson, Joseph C. Ross Chair of Medical Education and Administration, Professor of Pediatrics, Founding Director of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy (CPPA).

Quint and Dr. Hickson’s conversation focuses on addressing professional behavior among healthcare providers. Dr. Hickson discusses research linking disrespectful behavior to poor patient outcomes and malpractice claims, emphasizing the importance of professionalism in the workplace. The conversation also extends to nursing, offering innovative leadership strategies for behavioral intervention.

In Part 1, Dr. Hickson discusses the early career experiences that led him to explore professionalism and what he learned about the importance of respect in the practice of medicine. The conversation explores Vanderbilt’s latest research on the topic and shares how health system leaders can start pursuing a culture of safety and respect.

In Part 2, Quint and Dr. Hickson discuss intervention techniques for both physicians and nurses, highlighting “cup of coffee” conversations as a way to make medicine kinder, safer, and more reliable.

About Gerald B. Hickson, MD

Gerald B. Hickson, MD, Joseph C. Ross Chair of Medical Education and Administration, Professor of Pediatrics, Founding Director of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy (CPPA).

Dr. Hickson serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). He also serves on the Board of Directors of Keck (USC) Health System, the RL Datix Customer Advisory Board and is a member of the International Regulatory Expert Advisory Group to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Dr. Hickson previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF). Dr. Hickson received a BS from the University of Georgia and MD from Tulane University School of Medicine.

On this episode of The Healthcare Plus Podcast, Dan Collard is joined by Carla Yost and Dannette Staples from Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to discuss the work they’re doing in development with a specific focus on charge nurses and their Nurse Practice Council. Carla is the Chief Nursing Officer at Hillcrest. With 15 years of senior leadership experience, she is passionate about developing leaders and giving them a voice. Dannette is the Director of Nursing for Workforce Development and Performance Improvement. She has over 24 years of healthcare experience and shares Carla’s passion for frontline leadership development.

Carla discusses how she recognized that leaders were seeking development opportunities within the organization and why she proposed Precision Leadership Development™ as the solution through the Nurse Practice Council.

Then, Dannette shares her experience leading the orthopedics unit during challenging times, including the staff shortages experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. When she decided to invest in her charge nurses by mentoring them individually and involving them in the decision-making process, she began to see extraordinary results.

Through this investment in leadership development, Dannette’s unit has seen:

- Engagement scores increase from 77% in 2021 to 92% in 2023

- Turnover reduced from 27% to 4% on the orthopedic unit

- Net Promoter Scores improved from 39% to 75%

- Length of stay reduced from 1.62 to 1.29

- Falls rates reduced from 4.33 to 2.79

Dannette and Carla attribute all of these results to their focus on the mid-level, “boots-on-the-ground”, frontline leaders and emphasize the need for investment and development to drive positive change in healthcare organizations.

About Carla Yost

Among Becker's 66 CNOs to know in 2022, Carla Yost, BSN, FACHE, CPHQ, is the Chief Nursing Officer of Hillcrest Medical Center, Ardent Health System. Here, she leads the nursing and patient care operations for the 656-bed facility, successfully fostering achievements like most recently, a top-ranking hospital in patient safety, awarded by the organization, Leapfrog. She also advocates for nurses, investing in their growth, and increasing staff retention.

Carla brings with her more than 15 years of knowledge and experience in senior executive leadership. Her previous roles include System Chief Nursing and Quality Officer for Ascension Kansas, Vice President of Nursing and Quality at HCA Healthcare in Overland Park, Kansas, and a Baldridge Examiner for the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 2018, Carla was named a Health Care Hero by the Wichita Business Journal.

About Dannette Staples

Dannette Staples is a multidimensional nursing leader with more than 24 years of experience and a proven record of accomplishments built by the foundation of relationships that produce results that improve quality, efficiency, and growth. She is a dedicated nurse leader with a passion to mentor and develop new nurses by empowering and educating driven team members to become effective leaders.

She has worked in various organizations across the country, starting with Vanderbilt University, HCA, Ardent, and Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria Oregon. She has worked in a variety of healthcare organizations ranging from large tertiary facilities to small outlying facilities, all of which have impacted her growth as a leader in healthcare. She has also created and facilitated customer service training and coached improvement skills to enhance teammate development and performance.

On this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, Quint Studer welcomes special guest Leonard Friedman, Ph.D., a Professor of Health Policy and Management and the director of the Executive Master of Health Administration degree at the George Washington University. Their discussion focuses on the evolving landscape of healthcare leadership, emphasizing the need for emotional and social intelligence in navigating complex systems.

Leonard highlights key insights from his article, "Developing Leadership Competencies for an Uncertain Future," (published by the American College of Healthcare Executives) revealing that nearly half of healthcare leaders are relatively new to their roles. The conversation explores crucial leadership skills such as change management, self-awareness, and adaptability to complexity, underscoring the importance of fostering a culture of innovation and developing a workforce capable of navigating today’s and tomorrow’s changing environment.

Quint and Leonard highlight the need for healthcare leaders to embrace open-mindedness, introspection, and collaborative approaches to break down departmental silos and improve patient outcomes.

About Leonard H. Friedman, Ph.D., M.P.H., FACHE

Leonard Friedman is a Professor of Health Policy and Management and is director of the Executive Master of Health Administration degree at the George Washington University. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, School of Public Administration in 1991 where his dissertation examined technology acquisition in hospitals in Southern California. Dr. Friedman’s scholarly work has concentrated on the mechanisms of organizational change and strategic decision-making in health service organizations. Dr. Friedman has been the chair of the Health Care Management Division of the Academy of Management and Association of University Programs in Health Administration. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a past-president of the National Capital Healthcare Executives Chapter of ACHE. In 2015, Dr. Friedman was inducted into the Studer Group Fire Starter Hall of Fame. Dr. Friedman is the editor of the Journal of Health Administration Education.