What if one of the most powerful partnerships in serious illness care is one healthcare leaders have largely overlooked?

In Part Two of The Healthcare Partnership Nobody Is Talking About: Hospice + FQHCs, Chris Comeaux continues his conversation with Kyle Ahlenstorf about the opportunity for hospice and palliative care organizations to partner with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to create a stronger continuum of care.

FQHCs bring primary and preventive care, behavioral health, care coordination, community health workers, telehealth capabilities, and deep connections within their communities.  Hospice and palliative care organizations bring expertise in serious illness and the ability to extend specialized care directly into the home. Chris and Kyle explore what could become possible when these strengths are intentionally connected. 

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• How hospice, palliative care, and FQHCs can collaborate beyond traditional referral relationships
• Opportunities to extend palliative and serious illness care into the home
• The role of care coordinators, referral specialists, and community health workers
• How FQHCs integrate behavioral health, substance use disorder services, and telehealth
• What hospice leaders should understand about FQHC operations, federal funding, and the 340B Drug Pricing Program
• The importance of EMR data sharing, quality reporting, and value-based care
• How FQHCs participate in ACOs and shared-savings models
• Potential opportunities involving rural healthcare transformation grants and service co-location
• Why these partnerships could become increasingly important to the future of community-based healthcare

Kyle's message to hospice and palliative care leaders is simple: “Think of us as partners.”  Stronger community connections can help organizations better coordinate resources and serve patients across the continuum. 

If you're a hospice leader, palliative care professional, FQHC executive, healthcare executive, nonprofit leader, or anyone working in value-based and community-based care, this conversation offers a different way to think about partnership, access, and healthcare innovation.

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Episode Topics: Hospice care, palliative care, Federally Qualified Health Centers, FQHCs, serious illness care, community health centers, healthcare partnerships, value-based care, behavioral health, 340B Drug Pricing Program, ACOs, rural healthcare, community health workers, care coordination, telehealth, preventive care, population health, healthcare leadership

Guest:
Kyle Ahlenstorf, CEO of Infinity Health

Host:
Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TELEIOS, author of The Anatomy of Leadership

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

What if one of the biggest untapped opportunities for hospice growth, access, and community impact is a partnership most healthcare leaders aren’t even considering?

In Part One of The Healthcare Partnership Nobody Is Talking About: Hospice + FQHCs, Chris Comeaux sits down with Kyle Ahlenstorf, CEO of Infinity Health, to explore the powerful potential of partnerships between hospice and palliative care organizations and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

FQHCs are built around access, equity, and serving communities where barriers to healthcare are often greatest.  Kyle explains how these community health centers work, how they’re reimbursed, the populations they serve, and why their mission has so much in common with hospice and palliative care. 

The conversation also explores integrated medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services—and how FQHCs can function as an important hub for coordinated, patient-centered care. 

For hospice leaders, the opportunity goes far beyond generating another referral. Kyle and Chris discuss how trusted relationships, provider education, care coordination, and warm handoffs can create a stronger continuum of care for people facing serious illness.  Kyle also offers a highly practical starting point: find out who manages referrals at your local FQHC and begin building the relationship there. 

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• What an FQHC is and why it matters to the healthcare safety net
• Why hospice and FQHC missions may be more closely aligned than leaders realize
• How FQHC reimbursement and payer mix work
• How FQHCs integrate medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services
• Why care coordination and warm handoffs matter for serious illness
• Common misconceptions hospice leaders may have about FQHC patients
• How hospice organizations can begin building relationships with local FQHCs
• Why behavioral health may represent another major area for collaboration

If you lead a hospice, palliative care organization, FQHC, community health center, nonprofit, or rural healthcare organization, this is a conversation worth bringing back to your leadership team.

👉 Your next step: Find the FQHCs serving your community.  Identify their referral or care coordination leader. Start a conversation about where your missions—and your patients—intersect.

Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss Part Two of this important conversation.

Guest:
Kyle Ahlenstorf, CEO of Infinity Health

Host:
Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TELEIOS, author of The Anatomy of Leadership

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

What if the biggest breakthrough in hospice care isn't a new technology—but a better way of focusing on what matters most?

In Part Two of this special conversation, host Chris Comeaux continues his discussion with Kelly McCutcheon Adams and Margherita Labson about how the Four M's Framework—What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility—is transforming hospice and palliative care into a more reliable, person-centered model. 

Together, they explore why exceptional hospice care goes far beyond symptom management to preserve dignity, independence, emotional well-being, and meaningful moments for patients and families. 

The conversation dives into practical questions every hospice leader and clinician should be asking:

How can we better address delirium, depression, and cognition at the end of life?

Why should mobility be viewed as preserving independence instead of simply preventing falls?

Is it time to add a fifth "M" to the framework?

What would healthcare look like if every decision truly began with what matters most?

Kelly and Margherita also paint a compelling vision for the future of hospice—one where earlier conversations, better continuity of care, and reliable systems lead to fewer late hospice admissions, better patient experiences, and stronger healthcare organizations. 

Their message to leaders is both practical and inspiring: hospice is not something to apologize for—it's one of healthcare's greatest expressions of compassion. 

Whether you're a hospice executive, palliative care professional, healthcare leader, clinician, nonprofit executive, or someone passionate about improving the patient experience, this episode offers actionable insights that can reshape the way you think about quality care.

In This Episode:

✅ Why Mentation deserves greater attention in hospice care
✅ Looking beyond fall prevention to meaningful Mobility
✅ The debate over adding a Fifth M to Age-Friendly Care
✅ Why earlier hospice conversations improve patient outcomes
✅ Practical leadership advice for creating reliable, person-centered care systems
✅ Resources available through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)


Guest: 

Kelly McCutcheon Adams, Senior Director at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)

Margherita Labson, President and CEO, MCLabson Consultation and Education Services

Host:

Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TELEIOS, author of The Anatomy of Leadership

Learn More

➡️ Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): https://www.ihi.org
➡️ Learn more about Teleios Collaborative Network: https://www.teleioscn.org

🎙️ Subscribe to TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership for conversations with healthcare innovators, nonprofit leaders, and industry experts who are shaping the future of leadership and care.

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Share it with your colleagues—Leave a comment: How can healthcare better focus on what matters most?

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

How can hospice and palliative care become more person-centered while also becoming more reliable?

In Part One of this Anatomy of Leadership conversation, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Kelly McCutcheon Adams, Senior Director at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and Margherita Labson, President and CEO of McLabson Consultation & Education Services, to explore the groundbreaking 4 M's Framework and its growing impact on hospice and palliative care. 

Originally developed through the Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative, the 4 M's—What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility—provide a practical, evidence-based framework for helping healthcare teams consistently deliver individualized care that aligns with each patient's goals while improving reliability across the care continuum. 

During this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why the 4 M's are a framework—not another quality measure
• How "What Matters" transforms goal-concordant hospice care
• Why reliability and individualized care are not mutually exclusive
• How medication decisions should be guided by patient goals—not habits
• What hospice leaders can learn from the science of quality improvement

Whether you're a hospice executive, palliative care clinician, healthcare leader, or quality improvement professional, this episode offers practical insights for building care systems that are both compassionate and consistently excellent. 

Don't miss Part Two, where we continue the discussion by exploring the remaining 4Ms and practical strategies for implementing this framework within hospice organizations.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
00:22 Meet Kelly McCutcheon Adams & Margherita Labson
04:14 What is the 4Ms Framework?
06:58 How IHI is Bringing the 4Ms to Hospice Care
09:43 The Mission of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
11:46 Why the 4Ms Work Across Every Care Setting
15:17 Framework vs. Traditional Quality Measures
17:24 What "What Matters" Really Means in Hospice
21:08 Reliable Systems for Individualized Care
26:57 Medication Decisions Guided by Patient Goals
32:12 Hospice, Opioids, and Changing the Conversation
34:37 Coming Up in Part Two

🎙️ Learn more about TCNtalks /Anatomy of Leadership and by subscribing and following Teleios Collaborative Network (www.teleioscn.org) for more conversations on leadership, hospice, healthcare innovation, and purpose-driven organizations.

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

Can hospice organizations remain relevant if they only engage patients during the final months of life?

In Part Two of this thought-provoking conversation, host Chris Comeaux continues his discussion with Dr. Bethany Snider, exploring why traditional primary care often falls short for frail elders and why nonprofit healthcare organizations must rethink the future of serious illness care.

Dr. Snider explains how frail elder practices, value-based care, advanced primary care, palliative care, and hospice can work together as one seamless continuum to improve patient outcomes, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, and help older adults age safely in place. She also shares practical insights on reimbursement strategies, accountable care, leadership, emotional intelligence, organizational innovation, and building sustainable care models that preserve the hospice mission for decades to come.

Whether you lead a hospice organization, health system, nonprofit, accountable care organization, or healthcare practice, this episode provides actionable leadership insights on preparing for the next generation of healthcare delivery.

Episode Highlights

- Why traditional primary care often fails frail elders
- The business case for upstream serious illness care
- Building sustainable value-based care models
- Measuring outcomes beyond traditional healthcare metrics
- The future of integrated primary care, palliative care, and hospice
- Leadership lessons on innovation, emotional intelligence, and failing fast
- Why partnerships will shape the future of nonprofit healthcare

Guest:

Dr. Bethany Snider, CMO of Everent Health

Host:

Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TELEIOS, author of The Anatomy of Leadership

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

Is traditional primary care failing America's frail elders? As our aging population grows, healthcare leaders face an urgent challenge: today's healthcare system was never designed to meet the complex, long-term needs of frail older adults.

In Part One of this compelling conversation, Chris Comeaux welcomes Dr. Bethany Snider, Chief Medical Officer of Everent Health, to explore why the future of healthcare requires a new model of care. 

Together, they examine the emerging concept of the frail elder practice—an interdisciplinary, relationship-centered approach that goes far beyond traditional primary care by integrating home-based care, caregiver support, palliative care principles, and longitudinal care management.

Dr. Snider explains why traditional primary care, built around brief office visits and volume-driven reimbursement, is increasingly inadequate for patients living with serious illness, multiple chronic conditions, functional decline, and caregiver challenges. 

She also discusses why hospice organizations must begin moving upstream as value-based healthcare, accountable care organizations (ACOs), and population health models reshape access to patients and redefine the future of serious illness care.

Whether you lead a health system, hospice, physician practice, nonprofit, or healthcare organization, this episode offers strategic insights into where healthcare is headed—and why organizations that adapt early will be best positioned to improve patient outcomes while advancing their mission.

In this episode, you'll learn:

•Why traditional primary care often falls short for frail elders
•What defines a successful frail elder practice model
•How interdisciplinary, home-based care improves quality of life
•Why hospice leaders must rethink their role in value-based healthcare
•How palliative care should be integrated throughout the patient journey
•What healthcare leaders should be doing today to prepare for tomorrow


🎧 Don't miss Part Two, where Dr. Snider shares how healthcare organizations can successfully build, scale, and sustain frail elder practice models.

About TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership
TCNtalks and Anatomy of Leadership feature conversations with today's most respected healthcare executives, physicians, researchers, and business leaders exploring leadership, innovation, hospice, palliative care, serious illness care, nonprofit management, and the future of healthcare.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations designed to help you lead with greater purpose, compassion, and impact.

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

What can America learn from healthcare systems around the world?  In Part Two of this thought-provoking conversation, host Chris Comeaux continues his discussion with Dr. Mark Stoltenberg, a global palliative care physician and educator, exploring how lessons from countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe could reshape the future of American healthcare, hospice, and serious illness care.

From community-based palliative care models in India, Uruguay, and Costa Rica to powerful stories from Rwanda, Kenya, Colombia, Brazil, and Jamaica, Dr. Stoltenberg reveals why the greatest healthcare innovations aren't always technological—they're deeply human.

Together, Chris and Mark discuss trust in healthcare, integrated serious illness care, hospice reform, healthcare leadership, population health strategies, and compassionate care, offering practical lessons every healthcare leader can apply.

The conversation also tackles some of the biggest questions facing the future of American healthcare:

• Should hospice evolve beyond the traditional carve-out model?
• Why is trust one of healthcare's most overlooked leadership challenges?
• What can global partnerships teach us about serving patients with dignity?
• How can nonprofit organizations and healthcare systems better collaborate to meet the needs of an aging population?

Whether you're a healthcare executive, hospice leader, physician, nurse, nonprofit executive, policymaker, or business leader, this episode offers a compelling vision for creating more compassionate, equitable, and patient-centered care.

Episode Highlights

• Why global healthcare offers valuable lessons for the U.S.
• Community-based palliative care models improving access and quality
• The critical role of trust in patient care and leadership
• Leadership lessons from international healthcare partnerships
• The future of hospice, concurrent care, and serious illness care
• Why responding to suffering is the true purpose of palliative care

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe for more interviews with healthcare innovators and leadership experts.  Like, comment, and share this episode with colleagues who are passionate about improving hospice, palliative care, healthcare leadership, and the future of serious illness care.

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

What can American healthcare learn from global healthcare?  In our latest episode, Dr. Mark Stoltenberg, Harvard Medical School professor and Massachusetts General Hospital physician, joins Chris Comeaux to explore global healthcare, palliative care, hospice leadership, healthcare innovation, and the future of serious illness care in America.


Healthcare leaders often assume innovation requires more money, more technology, or more specialists.  Dr. Stoltenberg argues the opposite, drawing from his work leading global palliative care programs throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and other underserved regions.  He shares how resource-limited healthcare systems are pioneering solutions that can improve American healthcare, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and restore compassionate, person-centered care.


Together, Chris and Dr. Stoltenberg discuss workforce shortages, Project ECHO, community-based care, volunteerism, family-centered decision-making, healthcare leadership, and why hospice and palliative care must preserve their founding values while continuing to innovate.


Through moving patient stories—including a remarkable experience in Belize—they reveal why dignity, compassion, community, and purpose remain healthcare's greatest innovations.
If you're a healthcare executive, hospice leader, physician, nonprofit executive, nurse, or business leader, this episode offers practical strategies for improving leadership, building stronger organizations, and delivering more compassionate care.

In this episode you'll learn:

✔ What America can learn from global healthcare systems
✔ Why palliative care is rooted in social justice
✔ How healthcare workforce shortages can be addressed creatively
✔ Why Project ECHO is transforming healthcare education
✔ How community-based care improves patient outcomes
✔ Why family and spirituality remain essential to serious illness care
✔ How great organizations preserve their mission while scaling innovation


👍 If you enjoy conversations about healthcare leadership, hospice, palliative care, leadership development, healthcare innovation, and serious illness care, subscribe to TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership for weekly conversations with today's leading healthcare experts.


Guest:
Dr. Mark Stoltenberg
Attending Physician in the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School

Host:
Chris Comeaux
President / CEO of TELEIOS, author of The Anatomy of Leadership

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

What separates great leaders from those who simply manage people? It starts with presence.

In Part Two of Leadership Starts With Presence | The Art of Showing Up, host Chris Comeaux continues his conversation with executive leadership coach David Sachsenmaier to explore how leadership presence, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and authentic leadership shape thriving organizations.

Leaders don't just influence strategy—they shape culture. David explains how unresolved personal patterns affect trust, communication, decision-making, and team performance, and offers practical insights for building healthier, high-performing organizations. Learn why vulnerability is a leadership strength, how to create a culture where people feel both safe and challenged, and why the most effective leaders lead from a place of self-awareness rather than reactivity.

Whether you lead a healthcare organization, hospice, nonprofit, or business, this conversation delivers practical leadership wisdom you can apply immediately to build stronger teams, healthier cultures, and more resilient organizations.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why leaders transfer their inner world into organizational culture
• How psychological safety improves performance without sacrificing accountability
• Why vulnerability increases—not decreases—leadership credibility
• The difference between executive coaching and therapy
• How self-awareness creates calmer, more effective leadership
• Why authentic leadership builds trust and engagement
• How presence transforms organizational culture and team performance

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership for more conversations with today's leading thinkers in healthcare, leadership, and organizational excellence.


💬 Share your biggest leadership takeaway in the comments.

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Highlights

✔ How your inner life becomes your organizational culture
✔ The hidden cost of reactive leadership
✔ Why vulnerability is one of a leader's greatest strengths
✔ Creating psychological safety without lowering expectations
✔ Coaching high performers versus therapy
✔ Leading from identity instead of performance
✔ David's powerful leadership blessing for work

Blog: https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast/part-2-leadership-starts-with-presence-the-art-of-showing-up-with-david-sachsenmaier

Guest: David Sachsenmaier, Corporate Executive Coach

Host: Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TELEIOS, author of The Anatomy of Leadership

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast

Great leaders don't just show up—they create the kind of presence that changes people.

What separates truly exceptional leaders from those who simply manage? In Part One of this thought-provoking conversation, Chris Comeaux sits down with executive coach David Sachsenmaier, whose 30 years of leadership experience and more than 4,000 hours of executive coaching have helped leaders uncover one of leadership's most overlooked truths: the quality of your leadership is shaped by the quality of your inner life. 

Together, they explore why presence, self-awareness, and emotional grounding are essential to building healthy teams, resilient organizations, and cultures where people thrive. 

David shares powerful insights on why many high-performing leaders unknowingly operate from a place of constant reactivity, how unresolved pain influences decision-making, and why treating people like machines ultimately destroys engagement and innovation.  Through memorable illustrations—including his "mason jar" metaphor—he explains why slowing down, becoming more self-aware, and leading from a place of wholeness creates organizations marked by trust, creativity, and lasting impact. 

The conversation also explores the unique challenges facing healthcare and hospice leaders who spend their lives caring for others while often neglecting themselves. Transcript- Leadership Starts W…

Whether you lead a healthcare organization, hospice, nonprofit, or business, this episode will challenge you to look beyond leadership techniques and consider the deeper work of becoming the kind of leader people genuinely want to follow.

Key Takeaways

• Leadership begins with presence. The healthiest leaders create calm, clarity, and trust instead of spreading chaos and reactivity.
• Self-awareness fuels better leadership. Understanding your own "limps," triggers, and unresolved pain enables you to lead others with greater empathy and wisdom.
• People are not machines. Organizations thrive when leaders recognize the humanity of their teams and create psychologically safe cultures.
• Wholeness precedes performance. Sustainable leadership comes from finding your identity and worth beyond titles, achievements, and external success.
• Healthy leaders multiply healthy cultures. Grounded, emotionally present leadership is contagious, improving engagement, creativity, collaboration, and organizational resilience.

Guest: David Sachsenmaier, Corporate Executive Coach

Host: Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TELEIOS, author of The Anatomy of Leadership

Teleios Collaborative Network   /   https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspodcast