TCN Talks

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...

What does it take to build a leadership culture that scales across generations, industries, and millions of customer interactions? In this powerful conversation, Chris Comeaux sits down with Mark Miller — former Vice President of High Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A and bestselling author of The Secret — to explore the principles behind extraordinary leadership.   From his humble beginnings...

Hospice has always been about people, but the future of hospice will increasingly be shaped by data—and that shift is both exciting and unsettling. In Part Two of The Future of Hospice: How HOPE Will Transform Reimbursement & Care , Raianne Melton and Andrea Hale unpack how the HOPE tool could redefine hospice reimbursement, value-based care, and quality measurement across CMS, Medicare Advant...

The future of hospice care is changing—and the HOPE assessment tool may redefine how providers deliver care, document outcomes, and receive reimbursement. Healthcare is entering a new era where quality outcomes, patient data, and accountability are driving the future of care delivery.  In this episode, we’re joined by Andrea Hale, CEO of Valley Hospice, and Raianne Melton, Director of Clinical Ser...

In Part Two of this powerful TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership conversation, Kim Brandt, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Administrator at CMS joins Chris Comeaux to discuss hospice fraud, Medicare risk, AI-driven fraud detection, and the future of healthcare policy.  Kim provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at how CMS is fighting organized healthcare fraud, protecting Medicare beneficiaries, a...

In this compelling first installment, CMS Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Administrator Kim Brandt joins Chris Comeaux for a candid conversation about the growing hospice fraud crisis, the financial future of Medicare, and the urgent transformation happening across American healthcare.  Drawing from her leadership role at CMS and firsthand experiences with hospice care in her own family, Brandt...

What does the future of hospice care really look like—and who’s shaping it? In Part Two of this compelling conversation, healthcare leaders Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder & CEO of NPHI and Carole Fisher, President of NPHI, join Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner to discuss the future of hospice reform, Medicare modernization, quality care standards, and the challenges facing nonprofit hospice providers...

In Part One of Healthcare Leaders Break Down Hospice Reform, Medicare & Quality Care , Chris Comeaux sits down with nationally respected healthcare leaders Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder & CEO of NPHI  and Carole Fisher, President of NPHI to explore the evolving future of hospice, palliative care, Medicare oversight, and the growing demand for quality-driven, compassionate healthcare leadership....

Virtual reality can feel like a toy until you hear what it does for pain, fear, and the kind of suffering that medication cannot touch. In this Part Two episode of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership , Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Kathleen Benton, CEO of Hospice of Savannah, and VR healthcare pioneer Teri Yarbrow, Founder & CEO of Magika VRx, to explore how virtual reality in healthcare, hosp...

What if some of the most meaningful moments at the end of life could still be experienced—no matter the physical limitations? In this episode, Kathleen Benton and VR innovator Teri Yarbrow reveal how virtual reality is reshaping hospice and palliative care by restoring something often lost in modern medicine—human experience. As care becomes increasingly clinical and documentation-driven, VR creat...

In Part Two of Future-Proofing Care: The Challenges We Face in Hospice and Palliative Care , Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner explore the accelerating forces reshaping hospice and palliative care—from shifting patient demographics to the rapid rise of AI and regulatory complexity.  As the industry transitions to serving a more diverse, resource-variable baby boomer population, leaders are challenge...

In Part One of this forward-looking series, Chris Comeaux unpacks the foundational challenges shaping the future of hospice and palliative care. Drawing from nearly a decade of strategic research and collaboration with healthcare leaders, he introduces a powerful framework built around eight core challenges that every organization must navigate.  From intensifying competition to shifting reimburse...

In Part Two of this thought-provoking conversation, Chris Comeaux and Robin Heffernan unpack the complex realities shaping the future of hospice under Medicare Advantage.  From the lessons learned in the VBID demonstration to the growing momentum behind “carve-in” models, this episode explores the tension between cost, quality, and patient experience—and what it will take to align all three.  At t...