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Valerie Boelman is the Assistant Vice President of Process Improvement and Engineering at UnityPoint Health – Des Moines. Her responsibilities include managing a diverse team of clinicians, engineers, and business professionals to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of processes across a three-hospital system. She began as a Process Improvement Coordinator and transitioned to Process Improvement Engineer prior to leading the Process Improvement Department. Valerie is an active member of the Society for Health Systems, a professional organization within the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers to support the industrial engineering professionals involved in improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare.Prior to her experiences in healthcare, Valerie worked at Pella Corporation as a Continuous Improvement Engineer and Materials Scheduling Supervisor, and a Product and Process Engineer for Anderson Corporation.Valerie earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State in 2002. She also completed a graduate certificate in Health Systems Engineering from Texas Tech University in 2019. She is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and holds a Lean Bronze Certification.Here in Episode #86 Val starts our show with a quote encouraging us to KISS; Val shares how she transitioned from manufacturing and into healthcare as in industrial engineer; She gives us a great deep dive into her AVP functions; We all have a favorite "Bob" story, and Val shares how her “Bob” impacted her healthcare career for the better; Val highlights curiosity and humility as her best tools for team success; She shares an AHA moment that connects process variation, patient care, ethics, and standardization of physician practices; She calls on quality improvement professionals to guide healthcare teams through the best use of data; Val calls for quality people to brag more about their skills, and shares her best advice to ask for what you want• Connect with Valerie Boelman on LinkedIn• Access The Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group• Leaves Us a Rating• Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification

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Dr. Prerna S. Kahlon is a healthcare management professional with over 19 years of experience in applying improvement science to deliver high quality clinical and operational outcomes at the department, hospital, and system level. In her various roles, she has driven the creation of an effective multi-disciplinary infrastructure for quality management by leveraging her clinical knowledge and experience with diverse hospital cultures; and complex organizations.Presently, she is Vice President, Quality and Process Improvement at Grady Health System in Atlanta, Georgia. In this role, she is responsible for driving performance improvement initiatives and results across Grady’s extensive continuum comprised of hospitals, post-acute care, home care, palliative care, hospice, ambulatory care, occupational health, rehabilitation, behavioral health, ambulance/transport services, fitness and wellness, occupational health, primary care network, clinically integrated network, and others.Dr. Kahlon has a Dental Surgery degree from Bangalore University, India and a Master’s in Public Health Administration from the Sawyer School of Management, Suffolk University, Boston. She is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality®; a graduate of the yearlong Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Advanced Improvement Methods Course and is trained in Lean Six Sigma and High-Reliability methodologies. Previously, she served on the Board of Directors Quality Committee for Franciscan Children's Hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts. She is also a member of the Boston Women's Leadership Council. She served on the national Quality and Safety Leaders Committee for the Children’s Hospital Association and has served as a hospital judge for the Children's Hospital Association Pediatric Quality Award.Here in Episode #85, Dr. Kahlon starts our show inspiring us to be the change; Dr. Kahlon leads us through her amazing moving from a dental surgeon in India and into her current leadership role for one the busiest healthcare teams in the US; Dr. Kahlon walks up through a day in the life as a VP of Quality and Process Improvement; She shares a great reflection around checking our work, and who leaders can create environments to learn from mistakes; Dr. Kahlon shares great tips around giving and receiving team feedback; She introduces us to the Ladder of Inference; Dr. Kahlon shares how the adoption of Telehealth presents a HUGE opportunity for the healthcare industry and quality people alike, And Dr. Kahlon share a wealth of resources throughout the entire show, so be sure.• Connect with Dr. Kahlon on LinkedIn• Access The Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group• Leaves Us a Rating• Earn Your Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare Certification

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Amelie Karam provides Millennial insight on how organizations can better understand the Millennial generation to attract and retain top talent. Through her Millennial perspective, research, and entertaining presentation, Amelie will help leaders feel empowered to lead their newest employees to success. By better understanding the Millennial generation, leaders will feel well equipped to bridge generational gaps in their organization.Here in Episode #84 Amelie starts our show with a great mindset encouraging us to throw out our nets; Amelie highlights the path that led to her career in becoming a Millennial Expert; She provides a detailed overview of the five (5) unique generations working today; Amelie’s gives three (3) key tips for leaders managing multi-generational teams; She teaches us how she uses a “Core List” for team building; She highlights the most important challenge and opportunity for healthcare leaders; And shares one her best career moments…that I’m sharing a recording of below in the show notes. • Connect with Amelie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliekaram/ • Plug in with Amelie's Podcast on Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/connecting-generations/id1500038913?mt=2&ls=1• Check Out Amelie’s Work In Brazil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dQltYVdW3Y&t=2s • Access The Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12203005/   • Leaves Us a Rating: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-healthcare-qualitycast/id1456206515?ign-mpt=uo%3D4&mt=2• Join the Quality Impact Academy: https://theqiacademy.mykajabi.com/  

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Here in Episode #83, Frank opens our show with 3 classic quotes from 3 incredibly iconic figures; we take time to dig into Frank’s unique and non-traditional healthcare quality improvement career path; he shares the ins and outs of 3 professional certifications that we should all have on our radars; Frank tells a dark moment story teaching us to double down on networking and service, even during times of career transitions; he gives us an important tip for anyone facilitating teams; he shares a career AHA centered on impacting both the people and process side of change; Frank introduces us to the ADKAR change model; he highlights the rapid growth of the patient safety professional as a healthcare trend that he’s excited about; and calls for healthcare organization to give non-clinical team members a chance a shot at quality leadership positions. Connect with Frank on LinkedIn Great Example of Sutter Health’s Safety Video w/ Frank Access The Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group Leaves Us a Rating Learn More About Our Lean Six Sigma Training & Certification Programs

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Here in episode #82, Nicole walks us through her impressive career path going from call centers and hospitality, and into healthcare where an unfortunate care experience set the tone for her high-quality leadership focus; Nicole teaches us a great point about meeting both the expressed and unexpressed needs of our patients; She shares a dark moment story teaching us that we must fully understand our environment before we’re able to make changes; Nicole teaches us a service principle-centered around putting the employee first; She shares one her best strategies for empowering and engaging her team; Nicole gives us an aha moment that you all will absolutely want to consider using within your own organization; She spotlights on how COVID-19 has helped to dissolve many of our healthcare silos, And why quality and service is a marriage of necessity;Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolelcable/InnovaCare: https://innovacarehealth.com/Access The Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12203005/Join The Quality Impact Academy: https://theqiacademy.mykajabi.com/

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Here in episode #81, Michael starts our show highlighting the life lessons in what we do and learn as quality leaders; He walks us through his career journey as a healthcare professional, a physician executive, and a well tenured care provider within the hospice and palliative care space; Michael provides a great overview and introduction into the world of palliative care; and helps to define the standard of quality within this unique specialty; Dr. Lalor gives an insightful breakdown in what it takes to lead yourself versus leading others; He highlights a range of leaderships viewpoints for promoting provider wellness as a way to best serve and meet our patient needs; Michael tells us how he leverages a simple conversation for the success of both his patients and his team; He shares a great aha moment connecting leadership with the Pareto principle; how being a voracious learner supports his personal development process; and how COVID-19 is redefining healthcare in a way that quality people should be excited aboutConnect with Dr. Lalor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-lalor-md/Access The Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12203005/Join The Quality Impact Academy: https://lnkd.in/daFYqH3

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As a quality improvement professional and historian, Stephen starts our episode #80 with a quote from the Father of Scientific Management; Stephen shares with us his background going from manufacturing, and into lean operations coaching and consulting for operating rooms; Total side note, but Stephen has authored and co-authored several lean related manuscripts, but his latest book titled “The Progressive Machine” is an absolute must to add to your collection; Stephen shares an aha moment teaching us that you can’t be successful by yourself; Stephen highlights a great tip around not carrying the burden of an unsuccessful team and give a great overview of project team dynamics; Shares an aha moment taken from his project experience in reducing process variation in the operating room; Stephen shares why he’s excited about healthcare systems consolidating their EHRs into a single source; Stephen highlights a passion for healthcare improvement as a key trait for healthcare leaders; And Stephen introduces us to one of his most important healthcare mentors.Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-weller/Stephen’s Book on Amazon: The Progressive Machine: Before We Called It LeanAccess The Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12203005/Join The Quality Impact Academy: https://theqiacademy.mykajabi.com/qiaminiwebinar1optin

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Here in episode #79,  Gary starts our show with a leadership mindset set reminding us that every team member is valuable; He walks us through his career path going from a possible career in politics, then into healthcare, and even taking the stage as a TedX speaker; Gary shares his dark moment story centered on his internal conflicts while managing a team member out of the organization; Gary tells us how starting with Why and defining your objectives is a perfect way to center your project teams for better success; He gives us great lessons learned to dig deeper around the root causes of our project; He teaches us how his team keeps him inspired through the transformation work that he leads; His top career advice that inspires us as quality people to just keep going; And closes our show with a great overview of his approach to professional development.Connect with Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-williams-mpa-9074949/Beyond the Numbers|Gary Williams|TEDxSyracuse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsiXk2GmO1k&feature=youtu.beAccess Our Podcast LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12203005/Visit Us Online: https://the-qcc.com/

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Here in Episode #78 Sarah starts our show with a Deming classic, reminding us that a bad process will always beat a good person; Sarah takes us through her career journey moving from the lab and into her current quality improvement role; and gives us an impromptu podcast tour of South Dakota; Sarah shares a moment of failure connected with her earliest improvement project; She walks us through her best practice approaches for building trust on her project teams; She tells what her most value-added tactic is for going to where the work is; Sarah shares her AHA moment connected with determining the cost of quality in healthcare; Provides her vision around getting executive leaders more involved with quality improvement initiatives; And the successes that she’s had with reaching out and connecting with past guests of the show as a way of adding to her personal and professional development.Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-cook-459b07a9/Access Our Podcast LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12203005/Visit Us Online: https://the-qcc.com/

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Here in Episode #77 Beth starts our show with the mindset reminding us that every team member is a leader; Beth walks us through her unconventional career journey, going from healthcare sales and leadership, and into the world entrepreneurship as a successful executive coach and change management expert; Beth shares her best advice, encouraging us to buy the ticket and take the ride; When it comes to improving the healthcare industry, Beth calls out psychological safety, aligning personal values, and understanding the power of good questions as core elements that we should all have on our radars; She shares her both her biggest success and failure as a healthcare leader; Beth delivers an impressive overview of ethical leadership; Beth spotlights an impressive industry leader that ignited her passion for healthcare improvement; She highlights career burnout as a potentially critical focus for the future of healthcare leadership; And lists systems thinking as 1 of 3 core traits of a well-rounded quality person…and, you’ll just have to stay plugged in to the end of the show to learn what the other two are.Connect with Beth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-guyton-cphq-1a066423/Access Our Podcast LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12203005/Visit Us Online: https://the-qcc.com/

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