Culture Change RX

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In this episode of Culture Change RX, I speak with Christina Hazekamp, Vice President of Client Operations at the I-PASS Institute, about one of the most mission-critical aspects of healthcare delivery: safe and effective handoff communication.

Christina shares why structured communication matters now more than ever, how the I-PASS mnemonic reduces cognitive load for clinicians, and how standardizing communication fosters teamwork, trust, and patient safety. The conversation also explores common barriers to change, how to engage front-line clinicians, and the reality that culture change doesn’t happen overnight—but with leadership, alignment, and systems, it does happen.

Whether you’re working to improve teamwork, strengthen your patient safety culture, or create greater consistency across caregivers, this episode provides both encouragement and actionable insights.

Learn more about I-PASS: https://www.ipassinstitute.com/

Connect with Christina:
[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-hazekamp-mph-3a247350/

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this celebratory 100th episode of Culture Change RX, I reflect on the journey of the podcast since its inception in early 2024. The episode highlights key themes and subcategories discussed in previous episodes, focusing on improving the employee and patient experience in healthcare organizations. I emphasize the importance of organizational culture, employee engagement, leadership effectiveness, and communication in fostering a positive healthcare environment. 

Download (and  share!) this helpful index of prior podcast episodes.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, I discuss the importance of setting challenging goals within organizations. Soft goals do not lead to significant improvements and that setting hard goals can spark creativity, increase engagement, and surface underlying issues that need to be addressed. By aiming for ambitious targets, organizations can achieve more in less time and foster a culture of motivation and collaboration. I encourage you to embrace the challenge of setting big goals for the upcoming year, particularly in the healthcare sector, where the stakes are high.

Key Takeaways

• “Soft (easy) goals,” leading to slow incremental improvement or growth, just don't serve us.
• “Less is more” when it comes to the quantity of goals, this allows for each goal to be more challenging.
• Setting hard goals sparks creativity.
• We can't ignore certain challenges any longer if they interfere with achieving a big goal.
• High engagement is prompted by a big goal that requires an “all in effort” to win.
• Difficult goals lead to making more progress in less time.
• We should win at providing safe and satisfying care and creating a best-place-to-work organization.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff, cofounder of Capstone Leadership Solutions, engages in conversation with one of Capstone’s transformational experts, Julie Coneset. They discuss the transformational assessment, planning, and coaching process at Capstone Leadership that makes up the early weeks of Phase One activities for healthcare organizations that are engaged in a Capstone partnership. They explore the importance of establishing a strong foundation for this transformation through this strong start. The conversation emphasizes the need for tailored team structures and action plans that respect past efforts while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth.

Julie  joined me on a previous episode, The Art of Meaningful Employee Evaluations. If developing leaders through thoughtful, human-centered processes matters to you, that episode is worth a listen as well.

Key Takeaways

• Phase I activities are crucial for setting the foundation for long-term change.
• Deliverables include team and leadership action plans.
• The initiative champion plays a key role in leading change.
• Data collection is essential for assessing organizational needs.
• Plans are tailored to meet specific organizational goals.
• Past experiences with large-scale change initiatives help to inform future strategies.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff, cofounder of Capstone Leadership Solutions, discusses the emotional toll on healthcare workers due to staffing losses and the systemic issues affecting the workforce. Sue emphasizes the importance of the 'people pillar' in healthcare, arguing that without strong support for staff, healthcare systems cannot thrive. Sue calls for healthcare leaders to prioritize their people, rebuild trust, and create systems that support engagement and culture. 

Key Takeaways:

• Staffing losses are a significant concern for caregivers.
• Leadership challenges often stem from systemic issues.
• Healthcare cannot thrive without strong support for its people.
• Engagement systems are crucial for healthcare success.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff, cofounder of Capstone Leadership Solutions, discusses the unique advantages of small and rural healthcare organizations. She emphasizes the strengths of relationships, agility, and community loyalty, arguing that these factors contribute to a strategic advantage in the healthcare sector. Sue shares insights on how small organizations can leverage their size to foster deeper connections, adapt quickly to changes, and ultimately provide better care for their communities - making the preferred choice, the better choice. The episode concludes with a call to action for small healthcare organizations to embrace their strengths and challenge the notion that bigger is better.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff, cofounder of Capstone Leadership Solutions, explores the significant benefits of setting a master calendar of key activities and events for the year ahead, highlighting how it improves culture and trust, momentum, efficiency, strategic clarity, and better results (e.g., improvement, growth). The discussion emphasizes the importance of pro-actively determining how best to spend your time, aligned with top strategic priorities and the key activities that support the successful execution of those strategies.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff explores the role of the medical staff in becoming the provider of choice through cultural transformation. She emphasizes that while medical staff engagement is crucial, the primary focus should be on creating systems that enhance the providers, staff, and patient experiences. By addressing workplace culture and improving communication, hospitals can create a positive environment that benefits both providers and patients. Sue outlines Capstone's approach to guiding hospitals through this transformation, highlighting the need for a structured framework that allows providers to focus on patient care without the burden of systemic dysfunction.

• Cultural transformation enhances the provider experience.
• Providers and patients benefit significantly from cultural changes.
• A positive work environment leads to better patient care.
• Retention rates improve with a positive culture.
• Word of mouth among providers can attract talent.
• Capstone provides a structured approach to transformation.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff and Doug Morse discuss the complexities and challenges faced by rural healthcare organizations. They explore the importance of strategic planning, optimizing existing services, and making informed decisions to drive growth and improve patient care. The conversation emphasizes the need for clarity in strategy and the effective use of existing resources. Doug shares actionable insights for healthcare leaders to navigate uncertainty and enhance their operational effectiveness.

• Optimizing existing services is crucial for success.
• Deciding on strategic initiatives requires careful consideration.
• Focused improvements can lead to a ripple effect in performance.
• Existing resources can be harnessed for better outcomes.
• Healthcare organizations benefit from prioritizing high-impact activities.

Connect with Doug Morse on LinkedIn

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff interviews Stephanie Senger, founder of Rural Staffing Services, who shares her journey in healthcare recruitment for rural hospitals. The conversation explores the importance of building relationships with clients and candidates, innovative staffing solutions, and the significance of community support in rural healthcare. Stephanie discusses the Good Neighbor Project, mental health awareness in recruitment, and her aspirations for future community engagement. The episode emphasizes the need for personalized recruitment processes and the challenges faced in rural staffing.

• Building relationships with clients and candidates is crucial for successful placements.
• The Good Neighbor Pledge aims to support healthcare professionals in rural areas.
• Candidates often relocate for positions, making the recruitment process emotionally charged.
• Rural Staffing Services aims to centralize recruitment efforts for rural hospitals.
• The future of rural staffing includes more collaborative initiatives and support systems.

Connect with Stephanie Senger - 

[email protected]

509-508-3597

Rural Staffing Services

Episode mentions - Noah Kahan: Busyhead Project 

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.