TCN Talks

What is CMS really signaling about the future of hospice? In Part Two, Chris Comeaux continues his conversation with hospice experts Annette Kiser and Judi Lund Person about the Hospice Wage Index, the Final Rule, and what leaders should be preparing for now. They explore the larger shift toward increased CMS oversight, data-driven accountability, stronger documentation, scrutiny of non-hospice sp...

What is CMS really signaling through the 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Final Rule—and what should hospice leaders be doing now? In Part One, host Chris Comeaux is joined by hospice regulatory experts Annette Kiser and Judi Lund Person to unpack the 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Final Rule and look beyond reimbursement to what CMS may be signaling about the future of hospice regulation, compliance, pay...

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 cr...

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...

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...

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 groundbreak...

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. Snide...

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...

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...

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 mor...

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. Lea...

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...

Why does the United States spend more on healthcare than any other nation—yet often achieve worse outcomes?  In Part Two of this thought-provoking conversation, Dr. Don Berwick—former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), internationally recognized healthcare quality expert, and founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)—joins Chris Comeaux to expl...

Is American healthcare truly serving patients—or has the system lost sight of its purpose? In this powerful episode of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership , host Chris Comeaux welcomes Dr. Don Berwick , former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), President Emeritus and co-founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and one of the world’s foremost exp...

AI is transforming healthcare. Medicare policy is evolving. Regulatory scrutiny is intensifying. What do these changes mean for healthcare leaders, hospice executives, nonprofit organizations, and healthcare professionals? In Part Two of this quarterly healthcare leadership update, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner examine the biggest healthcare trends of 2026, exploring how artificial intelligence...

AI is changing healthcare faster than ever.  Medicare is under increasing pressure.  Hospice fraud is driving unprecedented regulatory action. The question isn’t whether healthcare is changing—it’s whether leaders are prepared for what’s next. In Part One of this quarterly TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership special, host Chris Comeaux welcomes healthcare strategist Cordt Kassner to break down the bi...

Your greatest leadership challenge may not be staffing shortages or AI—it may be leading a multigenerational workforce with vastly different communication styles, expectations, and values.  In Part 2 of Why Generations Clash at Work—And How Great Leaders Fix It, host Chris Comeaux welcomes nationally recognized generational leadership expert Karen McCullough for a practical conversation on multige...

Why do generations often clash at work—and what can leaders do to bridge the divide?  In this insightful first installment, Chris Comeaux sits down with nationally recognized generational expert Karen McCullough to explore the perspectives, experiences, and workplace expectations that shape Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z.  Drawing from more than two decades of research a...

Can healthcare remain compassionate in an age of private equity, artificial intelligence, and growing financial pressures? In this part two episode, Chris Comeaux continues conversation with Lauren Kaufmann, Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and Stephen Maiden, Managing Director of Case Writing Research Group, to discuss t...

Few topics spark more debate in healthcare than the intersection of compassionate care, ethical responsibility, and financial sustainability. Can mission-driven hospice organizations survive—and thrive—in a healthcare landscape increasingly dominated by for-profit providers? In Part One of this compelling conversation, TCNtalks/Anatomy of Leadership host Chris Comeaux welcomes Lauren Kaufmann , As...

What if the most important care doesn’t happen in a hospital, hospice, or clinic—but in the moments in between? In Part Two of The Missing Middle in Healthcare—And Why It Matters , Chris Comeaux continues his conversation with Bridget Sumser and Sonya Dolan of Mettle Health to explore the often-overlooked gap between medical treatment and the lived human experience of illness. Together, they unpac...

What happens after a serious diagnosis—but before hospice care begins? In this compelling conversation, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Sonya Dolan, Co-Founder of Mettle Health, and Bridget Sumser, Director of Counseling & Programs, to explore one of healthcare’s most overlooked challenges: the “missing middle.” Drawing from decades of experience in hospice, palliative care, caregiving, and...

Can consumers really trust hospice quality ratings? In Part Two of this powerful TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership conversation, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner continue their discussion with nationally recognized hospice researcher and policy expert Dr. Joan Teno . Building on Part One, Dr. Teno explores how patients and families can make better-informed hospice decisions, why current quality repo...

Are hospice quality ratings really measuring what matters most? In this powerful episode of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner sit down with nationally recognized hospice researcher Dr. Joan Teno to uncover the hidden problems behind hospice ratings, quality scores, and public reporting systems. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience shaping hospice and palliati...

Most leadership advice sounds inspiring until you have to practice it with real pressure, real people, and real consequences. Our host, Chris Comeaux sits down with Mark Miller,   former Vice President of High Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A and bestselling co-author of The Secret and Lead Every Day , to get brutally practical about servant leadership, ego, and why the best leaders stop aski...