In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, host Dan Collard continues a special conference preview series for Rewiring Healthcare: Foundation to Future (April 28–29, Atlanta) with longtime HPSG colleague and nurse coach Lisa Reich. 

With nearly four decades in healthcare and more than 15 years of coaching experience across hospitals, clinics, critical access facilities, and behavioral health settings, Reich brings a grounded perspective on what truly transcends care environments: human connection. While technology, workflows, and roles continue to evolve, the moments that matter most for patients and for teams are still deeply human.Reich reflects on the concept of “rewiring” and why small, intentional shifts often produce better outcomes than wholesale change. Drawing from her work on patient rounding in Rewiring Excellence, she explains why practices that once worked may need adjustment, not abandonment, and how focusing on outcomes instead of habits leads to more meaningful interactions.

The conversation previews Reich’s upcoming conference session, Caring Connection, which explores how empathy, compassion, and kindness move from words on a slide to behaviors people can feel. She outlines the specific “message makers” and connection points that create memorable moments, whether delivered by a nurse, environmental services team member, food service staff, or leader. 

Listeners will learn:

• Why human connection still differentiates care in a technology-driven world
• How small rewires improve outcomes without adding burden
• What makes compassion visible and felt, not just stated
• Why caring connection applies to every role, not just clinical staff
• How leaders can design environments where connection can thrive

 This episode sets the stage for a session focused on the human moments that patients and teams remember long after the task is complete.

Learn more about the conference at www.rewiringhealthcare.com

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, host Dan Collard sits down with Quint Studer to launch a new short series previewing the upcoming conference, Rewiring Healthcare: Foundation to Future (April 28–29, Atlanta), and to explore why healthcare must rethink how leaders are developed in today’s environment.

After years of workforce disruption, turnover, and rapid change, healthcare organizations are operating with thinner experience pipelines and leaders who are being promoted into complexity they were never trained for. Studer and Collard make the case for rewiring—not abandoning what worked in the past, but giving leaders permission to change how leadership development, training, and learning actually happen.

At the center of the conversation is Precision Leader Development™, a personalized approach inspired by precision medicine. Rather than one-size-fits-all leadership training, leaders are developed based on how they learn, what skills they need now, and the realities of their role, experience level, and environment—making development more usable, focused, and sustainable.

The conversation also explores why in-person connection still matters, the “magic in the hallways” that virtual platforms can’t replace, and how the conference is designed to be accessible, practical, and immediately applicable—including hands-on post-conference working sessions that help teams turn learning into action.

Listeners will learn:

• Why traditional leadership development models no longer work
• How Precision Leader Development personalizes growth instead of overwhelming leaders
• Why rewiring is about permission, not replacement
• How connection and community drive resilience and performance
• What makes Rewiring Healthcare: Foundation to Future different from typical conferences

This episode sets the foundation for a conference built around real-world leadership, practical learning, and sustainable change.

For conference information and registration: https://rewiringhealthcare.com

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, host Dan Collard sits down with Regina Shupe, a veteran emergency department nurse leader and author of Rewiring the Emergency Department: Innovative Solutions for Modern Emergency Medicine, to explore what emergency care needs now: steadier leadership, redesigned systems, and cultures where caregivers can truly thrive.

With nearly four decades in emergency medicine—as a frontline nurse, ED leader, national coach, and now author—Shupe brings a hard-earned perspective on why many traditional fixes no longer work. Today’s EDs face unprecedented clinical, operational, and emotional strain, often with less experienced teams and leaders who were never trained for the complexity they’ve inherited.  

Shupe makes a strong case for rewiring—redesigning leadership behaviors, flow, and culture so reliability and compassion can coexist. She reframes burnout as a system alarm, not a personal failure, and introduces “love leadership” as a practical strategy for building trust, psychological safety, and sustainable performance in high-pressure environments.

Listeners will learn:

• How to diagnose whether ED systems are helping or hindering team success
• Why leadership redesign must come before operational fixes
• How to improve flow without sacrificing compassion or safety
• What leaders get wrong about burnout and how to address it systemically
• Why consistent leader presence is one of the most powerful tools in the ED

This conversation offers grounded, real-world guidance for ED leaders who want to create environments where caregivers feel supported and patients receive the care they deserve.

About Regina Shupe, DNP, RN

Regina serves as an advisor, speaker, author, and thought leader for Healthcare Plus Solutions Group®. She brings greater than 30 years of nursing leadership and healthcare operational leadership with expertise in emergency services. She is an innovative healthcare leader driven by the correlation between positive team culture and improved patient outcomes. She leads transformative organizational change by leveraging proven clinical, operational, and leadership development. 

She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International and the Emergency Nurses Association. She holds a certification in LEAN for Healthcare. Regina is the author of Rewiring the Emergency Department: Innovative Solutions for Modern Emergency Care, Advance Your Emergency Department: Leading in a New Era, and multiple articles. 

From candy striper to healthcare executive, she has dedicated her life to caring for patients, families, team members, and physicians. As a nurse, she enjoyed the intersection between the heart and science, healing patients from the inside out. As a leader, she is able to see the positive correlation between the experience of team members and the experience of patients. She believes when we intentionally design meaningful and memorable experiences for team members, physicians, and patients, we are able to heal as well as truly transform healthcare.

Healthcare leadership is louder and faster than ever—visibility is constant, pressure is high, and turnover is reshaping teams. This episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast focuses on why Tom McDougal’s book, Karma Doesn’t Need My Help:11 Weekly Lessons to Leadership Success and Peace, matters right now: it gives leaders a simple operating system to make better decisions under pressure without burning out.

McDougal distills eleven short lessons leaders can put to work immediately: begin with the outcome you want and choose the response that gets you there (E+R=O); stop spending energy on things you don’t control; and redirect attention from rumination and score-settling to actions that move results. It’s a tool kit built for real-life conditions—night meetings, public scrutiny, and competing stakeholders—so you can show up steadier for your team and your patients. 

What you’ll learn:

• A clear framework for Outcome → Response decision-making—E+R=O—that you can use in tense conversations, crises, and daily ops.
• How to conserve attention by dropping “karmic bookkeeping” and reinvesting time/energy where it affects outcomes.
• Weekly practices that turn highlights into habits (brief reflection prompts, one behavior to ship each week).
• Ways to coach your team to respond, not react. Building calmer huddles, cleaner escalations, and better handoffs.
• How these skills help with today’s realities: turnover, rapid change, and high-visibility roles. 

If you’re navigating competing demands and want steadier execution, this conversation delivers practical moves you can start on Monday.

About the Author:

Dr. Tom McDougal, author of Karma Doesn’t Need My Help: 11 Weekly Lessons to Leadership Success and Peace, retired in 2024 after operating hospitals for 23 years over a 33-year career. He conceptualized this book more than a decade ago but had to wait for early retirement to publish it to assure its honesty and authenticity. Dr. McDougal holds a doctorate in healthcare leadership, a master’s of science in healthcare administration, a master’s of business administration, and a bachelor’s in business management. He is also a life fellow of ACHE. Tom and his wife, Wendy, just celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary and are the proud parents of Mary Ann and Madden.

Margins are tight, workforce stress is real, and AI has moved from buzzword to daily ops. ACHE Congress 2026 (March 2–4 in Houston, TX) is designed for this exact moment—with all-new content, a “Purpose in Motion” theme, and a program that promises up-to-the-minute insights and actionable takeaways you can put into practice right away. On this week’s podcast, David Bartholomew, FACHE, previews ACHE Congress 2026, discusses why this year’s Congress is one you can’t miss, and what attendees can look forward to. For example:

• Get a grasp on the big picture. Speakers like Cristian deRitis help CEOs cut through the noise, explore the economic context, and make smart strategic choices.
• See the future first. Listen to keynotes and futurist insights (Amy Webb) on the next 10–20 years—and what to do Monday. 
• Make AI practical. Attend sessions by experts like Cheryl Pegus and Shiv Rao that delve into workflow, safety, and patient-experience impact (including ambient documentation at scale). 
• Level up your leadership. Explore a deep bench of sessions on change, culture, and multigenerational teams (Adam Grant, Patrick Lencioni, Anne Morriss, Scott Hamilton, and more). 
• Advance your career—at any stage. Check out an expanded Career Hub, plus larger applied workshops and a student administrative fellowship fair. 
• Network with intent. Make designed connections by role and career stage; ~40% first-time attendees each year means fresh perspectives and new collaborators. 
• Explore the Innovation Hub. It’s new this year and built with industry partners to tackle real operational problems together. 

This podcast makes it clear: if you need a reset, a roadmap, and a sense of connection to a that’s community moving the work forward, this is the room to be in. 

 The HPSG team looks forward to seeing you at  ACHE Congress 2026. 

• Quint Studer: Leadership Insights: Rewiring Leader Development—The Right Plan for the Right Person at the Right Time
  Tuesday, March 3, 2026 • 9:30am - 10:30am CT
• Dan Collard: Genfluence: How to Lead a Multigenerational Workforce
  Tuesday, March 3, 2026 • 3:15pm - 4:15pm CT

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, Dan Collard sits down with Dr. Katherine Meese to unpack their new book, Genfluence: How to Lead a Multigenerational Workforce, new from ACHE Learn, a practical, research-grounded guide to leading across generations in healthcare. Rather than leaning on clichés, they explore how technology has reshaped expectations at work, why younger clinicians experience the environment differently, and what leaders can do right now to retain and develop talent at every level. 

They move quickly from origin story to business case, connecting multigenerational leadership to retention, safety, and engagement. You’ll hear how disrespect drives toxic culture (and turnover), why communication gaps sit behind many sentinel events, and how reframing PTO and well-being improves team performance. They also preview the book’s myth-busting chapter (data that challenges doom-driven narratives) and explain why the patient belongs at the center of any workforce conversation.

The episode introduces Control+Alt+Lead, a leadership “reboot” framework that starts with self-reflection, builds psychological safety for new clinicians to speak up, and shifts from succession planning to success planning so people can thrive. 

What you’ll learn:

• A clear business case for multigenerational leadership (retention, safety, engagement)
• Why technology (not stereotypes) drives many generational differences
• Practical ways to reduce disrespect and strengthen communication
• How to apply the Control+Alt+Lead framework 
• Where Genfluence fits into ACHE Congress and your leadership development roadmap

Smart, usable, and grounded in real fieldwork, this conversation offers leaders a path to keep great people longer and take better care of patients in the process.

About Dr. Katherine A. Meese and Dan Collard

Dr. Katherine A. Meese and Dan Collard are co-authors of Genfluence: How to Lead a Multigenerational Workforce (ACHE Learn 2026).

Dr. Meese has fifteen years of experience in healthcare management, leadership and research, and is an award-winning scholar and author in organizational behavior, well-being and leadership. Most importantly, she is on a mission to use science to help healthcare leaders keep their people and keep them well. She is the author of five books including The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust with Quint Studer.

Dan Collard’s thirty-one years in the industry include hospital and health system operations, technology start-up transactions and consulting. He has been described as a “change agent, builder, mentor and developer of others.” His lens-of-the-operator view continues to guide his leadership practice. Dan is the cofounder of Healthcare Plus Solutions Group and the coauthor of Rewiring Excellence: Hardwired to Rewired and Rewiring Leadership in Post-Acute Healthcare.

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, Quint Studer talks with Christine Schuster, Craig Nesta, and Michael Tracy from Emerson Health about a simple idea with big impact: build your own leadership pipeline and protect it, even in lean years.

They walk through Emerson’s end-to-end approach: paid summer internships embedded in real operating units, a structured mentoring lattice (direct manager, peer “buddy,” senior leader), and a one-year administrative fellowship that moves emerging leaders from classroom theory to hands-on management and, often, into first-role leadership. You’ll also hear how partnerships and a clear values stance keep the organization nimble while developing people who share its mission.

What you’ll learn:

• How Emerson structures paid internships (mid-May to mid-August), embeds students in practices, and supports them with a manager + buddy + senior mentor model.
• What its one-year administrative fellowship includes (early operational ownership, standards and accountability, and coached “reps” before promotion). 
• Why Emerson protects development dollars during budget pressure and how that stance ties directly to performance and culture.
• Practical tactics for recruiting nationally and creating visible on-ramps from intern, to fellow, to first leadership role.
• How partnerships (e.g., regional systems and specialty providers) complement the internal pipeline to keep the organization agile.

Smart, repeatable, and ROI-minded, this conversation is a playbook for any system serious about growing leaders who fit the culture and stay.

Christine Schuster, RN, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Emerson Health
Christine (Chris) Schuster has served as Emerson Health’s president and CEO for two decades, following CEO roles at Quincy Medical Center and Athol Memorial Hospital and earlier service as COO for Tenet’s Saint Vincent Healthcare (Extended Care Division). She serves on multiple regional health and business boards and advisory groups and has been recognized by Boston Magazine among the “Most Influential Bostonians,” along with honors from the Boston Chamber, Massachusetts Health Council, and ACHE. Chris holds an MBA (with honors) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Nursing from Boston University.

Craig Nesta, JD, MBA, MS, Vice President, Emerson Practice Associates; Administrative Fellowship Director

Craig Nesta oversees Emerson Health’s physician practice enterprise and directs the system’s Administrative Fellowship Program, leading national recruitment, placement, and mentoring. He brings 25+ years in healthcare administration, with prior faculty roles at Boston University School of Public Health and Stonehill College. A longtime accreditation leader, he served the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education—including as chair of the Accreditation Council—and is a past board member of AUPHA. Craig is a fellow of ACHE, HFMA, and MGMA.

Michael (Mike) Tracy, Administrative Director, Emerson Health
Mike Tracy leads multi-service-line operations at Emerson Health. A Boston College graduate with an MHA from Virginia Commonwealth University, he began at Emerson as a summer intern, returned for a yearlong Administrative Fellowship, and advanced through roles including Practice Manager and Senior Practice Manager to his current post. An active member of HFMA’s MA/RI Chapter, Mike serves on the chapter’s board and has chaired the New to Healthcare Leadership Conference planning committee. 

In this special episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, hosts Dan Collard and Quint Studer welcome the founders of uLeadership—Kay Kennedy, Lucy Leclerc, and Susan Campis—to announce uLeadership’s addition to the HPSG family of companies and to unpack the research and practice behind human-centered leadership.

Kay, Lucy, and Susan share uLeadership’s origin story: three experienced nurse leaders who met in 2019, burned out by overachieving, work-all-day-and-night leadership, decided to study the kind of leader nurses would follow to the ends of the earth. Their IRB-approved research validated a framework that puts connection, well-being, trust, and excellence at the core—and gave rise to Human-Centered Leadership in Healthcare.

They discuss real-world results from early client partners—higher engagement participation and scores, improved leader and staff retention, gains in patient experience (especially communication and teamwork), and even quality improvements—along with powerful moments from the road (a keynote that convinced a leader on the verge of quitting to stay, and a team that turned the framework into an award-winning poster). The team also talks about sustaining the gains (not “one and done”), building belonging as a strategic outcome, and how their book, Human-Centered Leadership in Healthcare: Evolution of a Revolution, helps leaders operationalize the behaviors, not just admire the ideas.

Finally, the group looks ahead at what the HPSG + uLeadership partnership makes possible. Scaling a movement that helps leaders feel replenished, not overwhelmed, and equips them to create teams people want to join and stay on.

About Kay Kennedy, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, FAAN

Dr. Kay Kennedy is a nurse executive, educator, and entrepreneur. By combining a love for nurses, patients, and quality improvement, she has led large nursing teams to create healthy work environments; satisfied patients; and consistent, high-quality care. Kay has held multiple leadership roles, from the bedside to chief nursing officer. She holds an adjunct associate professor role at Emory University School of Nursing along with other adjunct appointments at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions and Case Western Reserve University. Her goal as a leader is to ignite innovative problem-solving, develop others to be their best, and lead by serving others.

About Lucy Leclerc, PhD, RN, NPD-BC

Dr. Lucy Leclerc is a dedicated nurse leader, nurse scientist, entrepreneur, and professor with over 30 years of diverse nursing experience. Early in her career, she spent time as a bedside nurse in high-risk labor and delivery before falling in love with nursing leadership as an officer and flight nurse in the United States Air Force Reserve. She is a lifelong learner and received her PhD from Medical University of South Carolina in 2010. She teaches all levels of nursing students, from undergraduates to DNP students. Her research focuses on generation of contemporary nursing-specific leadership models. 

About Susan Campis, MSN, RN, NE-BC, NBC-HWC

Susan Campis is a nurse executive, health and wellness coach, and entrepreneur. Susan is a nurse leader whose passion for coaching and mentoring others helped produce successful and engaged nursing teams throughout her career. As a nurse leader, Susan understands the importance of a safe and healthy work environment and worked to create a culture of excellence, trust and caring where her team could perform at their best, ensuring quality care and patient safety. Susan cares deeply for the health and well-being of healthcare professionals, and, as a health and wellness coach, her goal is to work with others to help them reach their full potential.  

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, Quint Studer is joined by two visionary nurse leaders from Georgetown University: Dr. Roberta Waite, inaugural dean of the relaunched independent Berkley School of Nursing (BSON), and Dr. Stephan Davis, the inaugural executive director of leadership, policy, and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) education and an associate professor at the Berkley School of Nursing.  

Together, they explore what the future of nursing looks like and why leadership built on humanity is the most powerful tool we have. Dean Waite and Dr. Davis discuss the qualities that define great nurse leaders today, from courage and compassion to vulnerability and clarity of purpose. They explain why passion for the profession matters, because when leaders love nursing out loud, they inspire others to do the same. They share how empathy remains essential even in the most complex clinical situations and why centering the full humanity of every patient is nonnegotiable.

Listeners will hear:

• Why the three Cs—courage, compassion, and clarity—are foundational to nurse leadership
• How empathy helps nurses provide care without judgment, even when behavior is challenging
• Why AI should be viewed as augmented intelligence: a tool that frees nurses to focus more on patients
• How technology and robotics can reduce administrative and physical burdens, making leadership roles more sustainable
• Why advocacy skills are becoming just as critical as clinical skills, and how nurses can use their voice to influence policy and protect vulnerable populations
• How nursing must shift from using technology to building it, ensuring nurses are shaping the tools that will shape care

This episode is a powerful reminder that while technology may transform how nursing is delivered, it will never replace the human connection that defines the profession. It’s a must-listen for any current or future nurse leader who wants to influence how care evolves and ensure compassion stays at the center of it all.

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, Quint Studer talks to Dr. Heather Resseger and Jonna Taylor, two powerhouse leaders at NorthBay Health, a  health system in Solano County, California.

Dr. Heather Resseger, senior VP, chief hospital operations officer, and chief nursing officer, and Jonna Taylor, recently promoted to director of acute care services, walk listeners through the systemwide cultural transformation that’s rewiring leadership, restoring joy to the front lines, and reconnecting teams to their purpose. Together, they’ve built a workplace characterized by trust, ownership, and relationship-building. Best of all, it’s producing measurable gains in employee engagement, patient experience, and safety.

Jonna shares how one powerful reframe (asking patients, “What is your biggest worry or concern right now?”) led to a 70-point leap in patient experience scores within one month. She also explains how her team drove down patient-handling injuries to zero. 

From skill-building rounds to a peer-led safety culture to values-based mentoring to a bold approach to performance accountability, this conversation offers practical takeaways for any leader working to create a culture of excellence. It’s a glimpse at what’s possible when you truly invest in your people and trust them to do their work well.

Bios

Heather Resseger, DNP, RN, CNL, CPHQ, NEA-BC, is a strategic and results-driven healthcare executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience in hospital operations, nursing, and quality improvement.

As senior vice president, chief hospital operations officer, and chief nursing officer at NorthBay Health, Dr. Resseger leads transformative initiatives focused on acute care strategy, patient experience, and operational excellence. She is widely recognized for her role in achieving Magnet designation with distinction and for consistently delivering high-quality clinical outcomes. 

Dr. Resseger brings deep expertise in high-reliability practices, employee engagement, and cost reduction. Her leadership has also been instrumental in advancing infection prevention protocols, behavioral health planning, and crisis response during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She holds a doctor of nursing practice in executive leadership and is deeply committed to fostering strong, values-based healthcare cultures. Her approach is grounded in real-world experience navigating complex health systems and a steadfast dedication to improving patient care.

Jonna Taylor, RN, BSN, MS-HCA, NE-BC, is the director of acute care services at NorthBay Health. 

Jonna-Lynn Taylor began a dedicated career in oncology nursing, serving patients and supporting care teams from 2004 to 2013. In 2013, she transitioned into a nurse leadership role, bringing a passion for clinical excellence and team development to the forefront. In 2017, Jonna advanced to a Nurse management position, where she led initiatives to improve patient outcomes and staff engagement. She assumed the role as Nurse manager at NorthBay in 2023.  Most recently, in June 2025, Jonna was appointed Director of Acute Care Services, where she continues to drive high-quality, patient-centered care across acute care settings.