TCN Talks
The Debate: Vertical Integration, Payvider, or World-Class Care—Which Path Forward? | Part Two
Can vertical integration help hospice organizations deliver better care earlier—and sustain the investment required?
In Part Two of “The Debate: Vertical Integration, Payvider or World-Class Care—Which Path Forward?”, Chris Comeaux examines the case for extending hospice expertise into palliative care and home-based primary care for frail elders.
Paul presents a vision of care built around lasting relationships, interdisciplinary teams, and support that follows patients as their needs change. Chris tests that vision against the realities of capital, reimbursement, workforce shortages, organizational culture, rural access, and patient...
The Debate: Vertical Integration, Payvider, or World-Class Care—Which Path Forward? | Part One
What if hospice succeeds at the wrong strategy? Chris Comeaux explores three paths for the future of hospice and palliative care: vertical integration, the payvider model, and world-class specialty care.
In Part One of THE Debate: Vertical Integration, Payvider or World-Class Care—Which Path Forward?, Chris sets the stage for an unusual conversation—playing three characters, Paul, Christopher and Comeaux, who represent competing visions for serious illness care.
Should organizations build a coordinated continuum of hospice, palliative care, and home-based primary care? Should they also participate in healthcare financing and risk? Or shou...
The Workforce Crisis Healthcare Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore | Part Two
What happens when the demand for care grows faster than the workforce available to provide it?
Ron Hetrick joins host Chris Comeaux on TCNTalks / Anatomy of Leadership to explore the healthcare workforce crisis—and the decisions leaders can make today to prepare for tomorrow’s staffing challenges.
In Part Two, the conversation moves into practical workforce planning: improving care jobs, developing talent pipelines, strengthening employee retention, and understanding how an aging population could reshape competition for caregivers.
They also examine AI in healthcare, the limits of robotics, and why tech...
The Workforce Crisis Healthcare Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore | Part One
The healthcare workforce crisis is bigger than unfilled jobs. What happens when demand for care keeps growing while the pool of available workers shrinks?
In “The Workforce Crisis Healthcare Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore | Part One,” Chris Comeaux welcomes Ron Hetrick, principal economist at Lightcast, to TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership for a candid conversation about healthcare staffing shortages, demographic change, and the future of work.
Hetrick explains how baby boomer retirement, smaller younger generations, and an aging population are reshaping the labor supply—and why he expects the pressure...
Hospice at a Crossroads: The Top News Stories Leaders Can’t Ignore | Part Two
Hospice’s future is being shaped by the headlines leaders cannot afford to overlook.
In Hospice at a Crossroads: The Top News Stories Leaders Can’t Ignore | Part Two, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner examine the hospice news and healthcare leadership questions that deserve your attention—from fraud and public trust to caregiver support, workforce sustainability, and AI in healthcare.
Drawing on articles featured in Hospice and Palliative Care Today, they explore what these developments could mean for hospice and palliative care organizations, nonprofit executives, and th...
Hospice at a Crossroads: The Top News Stories Leaders Can’t Ignore | Part One
Hospice leaders face a defining question: How do we protect trust and deliver exceptional care as the field changes around us?
In Hospice at a Crossroads: The Top News Stories Leaders Can’t Ignore | Part One, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner unpack hospice and palliative care news from July–September 2026. Using Dr. Ira Byock’s framework and readership insights from Hospice and Palliative Care Today, they connect the quarter’s headlines to the decisions facing healthcare leaders, nonprofit executives, and hospice professionals.
The conversation explores CMS hospice updates and the Service and Spending Variation...
The Future of Palliative Care: Who Will Lead, Who Will Pay, and What Comes Next? | Part Two
Who will lead community-based palliative care—and how will they pay for care that meets patients’ needs?
In Part Two of The Future of Palliative Care: Who Will Lead, Who Will Pay, and What Comes Next?, Chris Comeaux joins CAPC CEO Brynn Bowman to explore palliative care reimbursement, hospice leadership, and the choices shaping serious illness care.
Bowman makes a clear distinction: many organizations can deliver palliative care, but the field must lead on quality. New payment opportunities offer reasons for optimism. Turning those opportunities into sustainable care requires stronger operations, adequate contracts, and...
The Future of Palliative Care: Who Will Lead, Who Will Pay, and What Comes Next? | Part One
What will it take for palliative care to reach every patient who needs it—and who will ultimately pay for that care?
In Part One of “The Future of Palliative Care: Who Will Lead, Who Will Pay, and What Comes Next?”, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Brynn Bowman, CEO of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), for a forward-looking conversation about the forces reshaping palliative care—and what healthcare leaders need to be watching now.
As palliative care principles spread across oncology, home health, Medicare Advantag...
AI Can’t Replace This: The Leadership Advantage That’s More Human Than Ever | Part Two
What if the greatest leadership advantage in the age of AI is something technology can never truly replicate?
As artificial intelligence transforms how we work, lead, and communicate, the temptation is to use technology to accomplish more—and move even faster. But what if the real opportunity is to use AI to create more margin for the human work of leadership?
In Part Two of “AI Can’t Replace This: The Leadership Advantage That’s More Human Than Ever,” Chris Comeaux continues his conversation with Dr. Andrea Hollingsworth, author of...
AI Can’t Replace This: The Leadership Advantage That’s More Human Than Ever | Part One
What if the greatest leadership advantage in the age of AI is something artificial intelligence can never truly replicate?
As AI becomes smarter, faster, and more embedded in the workplace, Dr. Andrea Hollingsworth believes the qualities that make us distinctly human—compassion, connection, vulnerability, and the ability to care—are becoming more valuable, not less.
In Part One of “AI Can’t Replace This: The Leadership Advantage That’s More Human Than Ever,” host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Hollingsworth, founder and CEO of Hollingsworth Consulting and author o...
The Critical Competencies Hospice Leaders Must Build for Value-Based Care Success | Part Two
Hospice is changing—and the leaders who prepare now will be positioned to shape what comes next.
In Part Two of The Critical Competencies Hospice Leaders Must Build for Value-Based Care Success, host Chris Comeaux continues his conversation with Dr. Jessica Hubbs about what hospice and palliative care organizations need to succeed as healthcare moves toward more integrated, value-based models.
What capabilities should hospice organizations build internally—and when should they partner? Dr. Hubbs explores the growing convergence of home-based primary care, palliative care, and hospice, and why a more seamless continuum could give seriously ill...
The Critical Competencies Hospice Leaders Must Build for Value-Based Care Success | Part One
The future of hospice is being rewritten—and the organizations that prepare now may be the ones best positioned to serve patients in a value-based world.
Healthcare is rapidly moving beyond traditional fee-for-service toward models focused on outcomes, total cost of care, and coordinated care delivery. In Part One of The Critical Competencies Hospice Leaders Must Build for Value-Based Care Success, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jessica Hubbs, Internist and Chief Clinical Officer at Advanced Care Innovations, to explore what this transformation means for hospice and...
Your Culture Isn't What You Say—It's What You Tolerate | Part Two
Your culture isn’t defined by what your organization says it values—it’s revealed by the behaviors it allows, rewards, and repeats.
In Part Two of Your Culture Isn't What You Say—It's What You Tolerate, host Chris Comeaux continues his conversation with author and leadership expert Tom Foster about what it takes to intentionally build a strong organizational culture.
Tom challenges leaders to look beyond KPIs and productivity metrics and examine whether the behaviors being measured actually support the organization’s mission and purpose. Using examples f...
Your Culture Isn't What You Say—It's What You Tolerate | Part One
Your culture isn’t what your organization says it values—it’s what your leaders are willing to tolerate.
In Part One of Your Culture Isn't What You Say—It's What You Tolerate, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Tom Foster, President of Foster Learning Corporation and author of Premeditated Culture: The Consequences of What We Tolerate, to explore how leaders intentionally—or unintentionally—shape organizational culture.
Tom challenges leaders to look beyond mission statements, values on the wall, and aspirational language. Instead, he introduces the Cultu...
The Hospice Moratorium: What CMS Is Really Signaling About the Future | Part Two
The hospice moratorium may eventually end—but CMS scrutiny of hospice is likely here to stay.
In Part Two of The Hospice Moratorium: What CMS Is Really Signaling About the Future, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner continue their conversation with Dr. Jennifer Kennedy, Vice President for Quality, Standards and Compliance at CHAP, about what hospice leaders should expect when the moratorium is lifted—and how organizations should prepare now.
The conversation explores increased CMS enrollment scrutiny, changes of ownership, audits, SSVI, compliance programs, and...
The Hospice Moratorium: What CMS Is Really Signaling About the Future | Part One
The hospice moratorium may be temporary—but the changes it signals for hospice oversight could be permanent.
In Part One of The Hospice Moratorium: What CMS Is Really Signaling About the Future, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner, PhD, are joined by Dr. Jennifer Kennedy, Vice President for Quality, Standards and Compliance at CHAP, to unpack why CMS implemented the hospice moratorium and what it could mean for the future of the Medicare hospice benefit.
The conversation explores the growing federal focus on fraud and abuse, rapid hospice market ex...
Part Two | From Zombies to Zealots: Cultivating Passion and Purpose in Healthcare Leadership
What if the frustration, anger, and resistance showing up in your organization aren't signs of disengagement—but signals that your people still deeply care?
In Part Two of From Zombies to Zealots: Cultivating Passion and Purpose in Healthcare Leadership, host Chris Comeaux continues his thought-provoking conversation with DJ Mitsch, author, master coach, and founder of the Healthcare Coaching Institute, and Tasha Walsh, CEO and Executive Director of ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice.
Healthcare and hospice professionals often enter the fi...
From Zombies to Zealots: Cultivating Passion and Purpose in Healthcare Leadership | Part One
What turns a passionate healthcare professional into a “zombie” at work—and what can leaders do to help reignite that sense of purpose?
In Part One of From Zombies to Zealots: Cultivating Passion and Purpose in Healthcare Leadership, host Chris Comeaux is joined by DJ Mitsch, author, master coach, and founder of the Healthcare Coaching Institute, and Tasha Walsh, CEO and Executive Director of ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice, for a thought-provoking conversation about burnout, workplace culture, leadership energy, and reconnecting healthcare professionals to the...
Part Two | Hospice Wage Index, the Final Rule, and the Signals CMS Is Sending - FY 2027
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 spending, and greater expectations around quality and value. From SSVI and PEPPER data to the mandatory hospice addendum, claims, and cost reports, the message is clear: hospice organizations...
Hospice Wage Index, the Final Rule, and the Signals CMS Is Sending | Part One
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, payment, and oversight.
They explore the Hospice Election Statement Addendum, the Service and Spending Variation Index (SSVI)...
Part Two | The Healthcare Partnership Nobody Is Talking About: Hospice + FQHCs
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...
The Healthcare Partnership Nobody Is Talking About: Hospice + FQHCs | Part One
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 hea...
Part Two | Embracing the Four M's—A Path to Person-Centered, Reliable Hospice and Palliative Care
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 in...
Embracing the Four M's—A Path to Person-Centered, Reliable Hospice and Palliative Care | Part One
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, Med...
Part 2 - Why Traditional Primary Care Fails Frail Elders and the Future Need for Specialized Models
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...
Why Traditional Primary Care Fails Frail Elders and the Future Need for Specialized Models | Part One
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 pri...
Part Two | This Global Healthcare Lesson Could Change America
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.
This Global Healthcare Lesson Could Change America | Part One
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 hea...
Part 2 - Leadership Starts With Presence—The Art of Showing Up with David Sachsenmaier
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 le...
Leadership Starts With Presence—The Art of Showing Up with David Sachsenmaier | Part One
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 gro...
Part Two | What’s Broken in American Healthcare—and How to Fix It with Dr. Don Berwick
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 explore the systemic challenges facing American healthcare and the leadership required to create meaningful reform.
From the evolution of Medicare Advantage to the financial incentives shaping healthcare delivery, Dr. Berwick explains why administrative complexity, payment models, and profit-driven incentives continue...
What’s Broken in American Healthcare—and How to Fix It | Part One
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 experts in healthcare quality improvement.
Together, they explore what’s broken in American healthcare, why healthcare reform is urgently needed, and how leaders can build a system that delivers better patien...
Part Two | AI, Hospice Fraud Crackdown & Medicare’s Future—The Biggest Healthcare Stories of 2026
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 in healthcare, Medicare policy, healthcare affordability, hospice fraud enforcement, regulatory compliance, and healthcare innovation are reshaping hospice and the broader healthcare industry.
They discuss how AI is changing the healthcare workforce, why quality and transparency matter more than ever, and what healthcare executives should...
AI, Hospice Fraud Crackdown & Medicare’s Future—The Biggest Healthcare Stories of 2026
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 biggest healthcare stories shaping 2026. Together, they examine the trends every healthcare executive, hospice leader, nonprofit executive, and business leader should be watching.
Using Dr. Ira Byock’s strategic framework as their guide, Chris and Cordt explore the r...
Part 2 | Why Generations Clash at Work—And How Great Leaders Fix It
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 multigenerational leadership, workplace culture, leadership communication, employee engagement, burnout prevention, organizational leadership, healthcare leadership, hospice leadership, nonprofit leadership, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
Discover why Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z often appro...
Why Generations Clash at Work—And How Great Leaders Fix It | Part One
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 and real-world consulting, Karen unpacks why many workplace conflicts are not personal attacks, but differences in generational perspective.
Together, they examine how communication styles, views on commitment, work-life balance, feed...
Part Two | Hospice, Ethics & Capitalism—A Powerful Conversation with UVA Darden School of Business
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 the future of healthcare, hospice, private equity, artificial intelligence, ethical leadership, and organizational mission.
Drawing from their groundbreaking hospice case study, they explore why private equity has become one of the most controversial forces in healthcare, how...
Hospice, Ethics & Capitalism—A Powerful Conversation with UVA Darden School of Business | Part One
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, Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and Stephen Maiden, Managing Director of the Darden Case Writing Research Group.
Together, they discuss the groundbreaking business case...
Part Two | The Missing Middle in Healthcare—And Why It Matters
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 unpack the role of grief, community, language, and connection in supporting people facing serious illness, caregiving responsibilities, and end-of-life challenges.
This episode challenges traditional health...
The Missing Middle in Healthcare—And Why It Matters | Part One
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 serious illness support, Sonya and Bridget discuss the critical gaps patients and families face as they navigate life-altering diagnoses, caregiving responsibilities, grief, and uncertainty. Together, they unpack why traditional healthcare systems often struggle to address the emotional, relational, practica...
