Nick Chmielewski speaks with Caroline Segovia-Marquez, MBA, BSN, RN, ACM, CMAC, a managing consultant on BRG’s Care Transitions team. They discuss how targeting lower case mix index (CMI) diagnostic-related groups (DRGs) can be effective to improve length of stay. Prior to admission, the team must manage all points of entry to ensure that patients are admitted appropriately and assigned the correct status.

In this Nurse’s Week episode, Nick Chmielewski welcomes back Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, senior vice president of Equity and Engagement at the American Nurses Association (ANA). They discuss ANA’s recently released document regarding the principles of virtual nursing—meaning leveraging technology and tools, including artificial intelligence, to deliver quality care through communication and collaboration across the continuum of care.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Kamela Kolander, LMSW, CCM, a consultant on BRG’s Care Transitions team. They discuss how targeting specific care units prior to providing care can be an effective strategy to reduce length of stay by considering patient data, facility and patient demographics, payer and provider mix, and potential unit barriers.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Amanda Kirkpatrick, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate dean for Research and Innovation and a Criss and Beirne Endowed Professor of Nursing, a joint appointment by Creighton University College of Nursing and CHI Health. They discuss ways to bridge gaps between universities and health systems, including building connections between faculty and nurse leaders, developing formal education and workshops for professionals, and accessing research and expertise.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with David Broussard, MBA, BSN, RN, a managing consultant on BRG’s Care Transitions team. They discuss how targeting provider variation can effectively improve length of stay (LOS). They review how analyzing provider variation begins with establishing trustworthy, transparent data and understanding LOS metrics, order entries, and more across service lines, providers, and physician groups.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Lisa Wolf, PhD, RN, CEN, FAEN, FAAN, director of the Emergency Nurses Association’s Institute for Emergency Nursing Research. They discuss a 2024 study she coauthored, “Moral courage of emergency nurses in care-limited environments: A mixed-methods study,” which concluded that its subjects did not identify adherence to professional codes of ethics as the primary driver of moral courage. This episode examines the study’s findings and potential implications for nurse leaders.

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski speaks with Amy Brown, MSN, RN, NE-BC, chief nursing officer at the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. They discuss association executive nursing and the benefits of professional association involvement, including fostering a sense of belonging, expanding professional networks, and developing leadership skills.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Bryan Cote, a managing director in BRG’s Healthcare Transactions & Strategy team. They discuss Bryan’s white paper The Menopausal Care Market, released in September 2024. In the paper, Bryan analyzes potential health issues experienced by menopausal women and explores solutions to improve women’s health and quality of life during this transitional period.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Audrey McCollough, BSN, RN, a pediatric critical care nurse by background, entrepreneur, small business owner, and founder of PivotPath, a business that introduces nurses to career opportunities beyond bedside nursing. Audrey describes her experiences and her steps in becoming an entrepreneur, including research, leveraging resources and soft skills, and ambition. She also discusses strategies for preventing burnout and retaining bedside nurses.

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski speaks with Lowell Hardin, MSN, RN, NRP, NHDP-BC, a masters-prepared registered nurse and managing consultant on BRG’s Clinical Transformation team. They discuss preparing front-line nurse leaders for success, based on Lowell’s recent training of over one hundred leaders in an academic medical center. Through the training, he highlighted that in order to succeed, leaders must be aware of their actions and behavior in the workplace, take accountability (delegate and follow up on tasks), and have crucial conversations with team members.