Summer 2012Strengthening CQuence Benefitting You

page 84 employees

their everyday routinegive the scoop on

The E-patient

TODAYpage 3

STAY FIT AS A FIDDLE

ON THE GO page 10

Tips for Diet and Exercise on the Road

This month, CQuence Health Group’s Director of Human Resources Gina Spittler and Cassling’s Executive Vice President Tim Krzyzanowski are holding communication meetings for all CQuence Health Group employees. These meetings will mark the third session for ongoing Accountability education. With the main focus on Accountability, these meetings will also serve as an opportunity to communicate corporate updates and survey employees for the Accountability Key Result metric. Members.MD and Total Living Choices employees recently completed the first installment of their Accountability training and will receive additional training in the future.The four items of focus for this training will include focused recognition, focused feedback, storytelling and the results pyramid. We will discuss additional tools and resources based on the book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, by Patrick Lencioni.During the quarter one retreat, I asked our executive leaders to read “The Five

Dysfunctions of a Team”, which explores the fundamental causes of organizational politics and team failure. We all learned a great deal from the book, and I encouraged Gina and Tim to incorporate the learnings into their upcoming employee meetings. Are we being persistent with the Accountability tools? Are we working cohesively as a company to reach our Key Results? While we embrace change, we need to focus on those tools that will help us achieve our desired results. Whether during training, a weekly department meeting or a conversation with a peer, use each and every opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback and align together to reach our goals.Whatever the task, strive to do it with purpose.

Download This Issue Today!Impact issues can be downloaded on 360**360 access for all companies coming in Q2.

Questions or Suggestions? E-mail kfisher@cquencehealth.com

MESSAGEPURPOSE-DRIVEN MEETINGSM

IKE’

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Mike Cassling CEO

Stay up-to-date on CQuence Health Group happenings on the corporate intranet, 360*.

*360 access for all companies coming in Q2.

Did you know?Each of the CQuence companies has a social media presence. Find them online today!

Impact | Summer 2012

THE E-PATIENT

How the Internet is Used to Diagnose, Treat and Connect with the Medical Community

TODAYThink about the last time you were sick, had a strange pain, or when someone close to you was diagnosed with a disease.

What was the first thing you did?

Did you get in the car and drive to the hospital to speak with your doctor? Did you pick up a phone and call a nurse?

Or did you go online?

Health Information OnlineHealth consumers who use the Internet to gather information about a medical condition are called e-patients. E-patients use the Internet to research and respond to their health needs, find physician ratings and share their stories using social networking sites such as blogs and Twitter.

According to The Pew Research Center, 88 percent of the U.S. population uses the Internet to look for health information. Of those, 60 percent say the information they found affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition. Fifty-six percent say it changed their approach to maintaining their health or the health of someone they take care of.

The Patient Community Whether it’s a patient who shares a recent experience with a physician or an employee who posts an article on their personal blog, people are talking about health-care organizations online.

According to the latest survey from National Research, a health-care research firm, 96 percent of respondents said they used Facebook to gather information about health care, while 28 percent used YouTube and 22 percent used Twitter. With social media growing at a tremendous rate, these numbers will continue to increase.

Not only are people chatting about health topics, they are seeking out others who are dealing with the same issues, as well as trying to self diagnose their problem. Think about it as an online medical support group – open to everyone and anyone.

Searching Yahoo for “patient community sites” yields more than 112,000,000 results. Free sites like patientslikeme.com and curetogether.com allow you to identify your condition and connect with others who share them. You can browse health conditions, or receive suggested diagnoses by selecting your symptoms, age and gender.

The communities encourage users to share their experiences and learn from each other’s stories. Patientslikeme.com has a community of more than 135,000 people that are involved in discussions across disease-specific blogs.

The Stupid Cancer blog is an example of an independent blog, or one created by patients. CaringBridge and CarePages are private blogs that allow patients to connect with friends and family during extended health challenges.

Physicians and hospital executives have joined the blogging scene as well. Hospitals distribute news, share links to helpful resources, promote events and provide summaries of events such as CEO presentations and surgeries.

Although an e-patient has endless amounts of information at their fingertips, it is important to remember that not all information may be accurate. Be sure to visit certified websites and remember the best way to diagnose and treat a condition is to set up an appointment with your doctor.

Sources:• FindingAnswersOnlineinSicknessandinHealth,May2,2006,PewInternet•ThePewResearchCenter,TheRiseoftheePatient• Donna Fuscaldo, More Consumers Turn to Social Media for Health CareInformation,FoxBusiness,Aug.9,2011

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CQuence Health Group Leaders Chat Candidly With Employees

CQuence UniversityRoundtable

Each quarter, employees are given an opportunity to attend an informational question and answer session with company leadership. Employees are encouraged to submit questions prior to the event or during the live webinar presentation.

The first roundtable session was held in April and included the entire leadership team from CQuence Health Group. President and CEO Mike Cassling, Chief Financial Officer Steve Chambers, Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Cosimano, Managing Director Kyle Salem and Chief Information Officer Randy Wobig answered all participant questions, such as:

» Are we looking to further expand the support service areas (IT, HR, marketing and accounting) to meet the demands of current and future partners?

» In what areas can employees do better or improve? » As we look to grow, will there be opportunities for promotion between all partner companies?

Feedback Because employees were able to listen to the roundtable via webinar, we received participation from all companies, including TLC and Members.MD. Overall satisfaction for the course averaged a 4.6 rating on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being very satisfied. Below is some of the additional feedback on the course.

» “I appreciate the fact that CQuence management is reaching out to employees and providing these opportunities to answer questions that we may have.”

» “Great format, got a lot of good feedback from the audience and online.”

» “I appreciated the open discussion about where CQuence is headed!”

» “I look forward to future company-specific roundtables.” » “LOVED the openness of the discussion. Very informative!”

If you were unable to attend the informative session, you can listen to the presentation on 360 or contact Internal Communications Specialist Kylie Fisher at kfisher@cquencehealth.com to request the recording.

The next roundtable will include leaders from Total Living Choices and will be held on June 13 from 12 to 1 p.m. CDT. Members.MD and cassling will have roundtables in the fall. To register, please email Ashley Rogers at arogers@cquencehealth.com.

What is CQuence University?In 2006, Cassling developed Cassling University to provide educational courses to help employees grow personally and professionally. Cassling University was renamed to CQuence University (CQU) to incorporate and educate all CQuence Health Group partners.

With monthly events based on corporate understanding, industry awareness and personal and professional growth, CQU provides the essentials you need to succeed.

All CQU courses are offered via webinar and are open to employees and families. Live training is conducted in the CQuence Omaha, Neb., headquarters.

Foreground: President and CEO Mike Cassling. Background from upper left: Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Cosimano, Chief Information Officer Randy Wobig, Managing Director Kyle Salem and Chief Financial Officer Steve Chambers

university

Impact | Summer 20124

As one of the Key Results, Customer Service plays a fundamental role in the success of each CQuence partner company.

The ability to adapt to customers enables us to exceed expectations and create positive experiences. As a cultural belief, we define Customer Service as delivering world-class service to everyone, every day.

CQuence Health Group was established on the strong Cassling tradition of expanding excellence. When Bob Cassling founded Cassling Diagnostic Imaging in 1984, he knew he wanted to set the company apart from the competition, and could do so by providing superior service. Cassling’s employees have been dedicated to caring for customers for more than 25 years.

Each CQuence company has a unique opportunity to create meaningful connections with their customers every day. The challenge lies in embracing each individual customer and offering exceptional value at every interaction. Though we work with different audiences, the service we provide remains the same.

Creating consistent, positive experiences with each customer starts by empowering employees to take action and provide real value to the customer. Cassling’s Executive Vice President Tim Krzyzanowski often encourages employees in the field to become the CEO of their territory. “This enables employees to serve as a customer advocate who is accountable to help their customers see the bigger picture,” he said.

“I was first drawn to Cassling by the experience I had with them in regard to service,” Tim recalled. “When I started here, I quickly realized it’s in the culture.

Employees work creatively to help solve customer issues and often take the extra step to exceed expectations.”

Service Unmatched in the IndustryStatistics show that we provide exceptional service, and this summer we’re focusing on letting everyone else know, too. Our service-focused campaign will highlight our outstanding service statistics and feature testimonials from a variety of customers.

Service Stats to Brag About » 99.8% — The average percent of uptime our customers experienced in 2011

» 52 minutes — The average number of minutes in which customers received phone fixes or on-site support on a critical down system

» More than 75 — The number of field service engineers strategically placed throughout our Midwest territory

» 24/7 — The number of hours and days our Omaha-based call center is available for assistance

How We’re Promoting It » A new service-specific brochure, in a unique format with inserts about key service offerings

» Advertisements highlighting the Cassling service team members

» Customer case studies and videos, telling the story of how our service impacts the patient care they provide

» Special website pages dedicated to promoting our service

» Social media communication on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Do you have a story that illustrates superior service? E-mail your story to kfisher@cquencehealth.com.

IT STARTS WITH

SERVICECassling Field Service Engineer Sean Gillett

99.8%CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCE AN AVERAGE OF

uptime 52SUPPORT IN

minutes 75MORE THAN

engineers 24/7availability

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We sat down with Operations Director Julie Wurster and General Manager Michele Arndt from MMD Practice Services to discuss future opportunities for the newest division of Members.MD. In July 2011, Members.MD acquired AWS, a Lincoln, Neb., based medical billing and physician consulting firm. Since the expansion, MMD Practice Services has brought on several clients, from Bessmer PC in Omaha (the first affiliated practice of Members.MD) to Complete Family Footcare in Lincoln. The tight-knit and diverse team of 10 full-time employees, are passionate about providing the best service to each and every client regardless of size. With a strong work ethic, the team is passionate about growing the MMD Practice Services entity.

Tell us about the journey you have had in the past year with Practice Services.Julie: It’s been a really smooth transition from being our own entity and now being part of Members.MD and CQuence Health Group. Mike Cassling (President and CEO of CQuence Health Group) and Kyle Salem (President of Members.MD) have greatly supported us and our growth. Each one of us strives to work hard to provide exceptional support for them and for our clients.

Michele: I completely agree. They both provide input, but allow us to develop our business. It has been a very trusting and positive transition from being an independent organization. We each have a vested interest in making sure that we succeed.

What services do you provide?Michele: The core of what we do is medical billing. Also we provide individual services to the clinics and businesses. This can include HR support, fee scheduling analysis or basic accounting services.

Julie: Our goal is to take the administrative burden off of providers or businesses so they can focus on quality patient care.

What are you looking forward to?Michele: We definitely want to expand. We have very aggressive expansion ideas for the future and I think the outcome is going to be really good. It’s fun to look back and see how far we have come in just one year.

Julie: We like running a well-oiled machine and over the past year we have been able to grow and diversify. Everything is a process, every group is important. Service and dedication are the keys to our future success.

Transition, GrowthAnd Success MMD Practice Services Takes Care of the Details So Providers Can Care for Patients

on the HorizonFrom left to right: Front row – Jessica Allington, Mona Welsh, Cindy BeattyBack row – Rachel Murman, Faith Harwick, Amy Schofield, Julie Wurster, Kristy Crouch, Michele ArndtNot Pictured: Katie Sobota

Left: Members.MD Operations Director Julie Wurster Right: Members.MD General Manager Michele Arndt

Impact | Summer 20126

WHO WILL CAREFOR CLAIRE?Total Living Choices’ Online Services Help Families and Hospitals Improve Patient Care

At 84 years old, Claire has had multiple complications from a broken hip. After surgery and a two-week stay in the hospital, Claire is well enough to be discharged, but not well enough to return home. Her doctor suggests that she should be transferred to a skilled nursing facility, as she needs daily assistance and regular occupational therapy to heal.

Unfortunately Claire’s family lives across the country and will need to work as long-distance caregivers. They have 24 hours to figure out where to place her.

Who will care for Claire?

Luckily, the hospital’s discharge planner and Claire’s family can use TLC to find a transitional care solution.

Benefits for HospitalsHospital discharge is a very difficult process in today’s ever-changing health-care environment. Not only do discharge planners have a highly manual process for placing patients in post-acute care, but they deal with multiple parties (the patient, family, potential post-acute facilities, other hospital staff, etc.) to find a solution for patients with complex clinical needs and sometimes poor financial situations.

Care Finder-Pro® (CFP) is a transitional care program that connects hospitals, patients and families with a network of more than 70,000 licensed post-acute care providers across the nation.

Care Finder-Pro offers numerous operational and financial benefits, including:

Decreased length of stay » Unique “discharge at admissions” methodology means the patient’s length of stay can be significantly decreased

» Helps increase bed availability and hospital revenues

Reduced time per discharge » Discharge planners and hospital case management personnel use one source to locate, communicate and manage a patient’s post-acute and discharge information

» Simplified process makes discharge planning easier, less complicated and more effective

» TLC can help hospitals reduce time per discharge through our provider network’s average 30-minute response time (Often hospital employees tell the TLC sales team that it could take up to 48 hours for a provider response through their current manual system or with a competitor’s model).

Education for FamiliesTLC’s Family Portal to CFP provides patients and families with online resources for transitional care. The Family Portal components help patients and families make better-informed decisions about post-acute care options.

Care Interpreter® could assist Claire’s family in determining the appropriate type of care that she needs. Facility Finder™ could help them identify the facility that meets her quality of care “needs” and quality of life “wants.”

If Claire is able to move home but needs private home care assistance, her family could use Home Care Finder™ to identify those resources.

The Family Portal to CFP is part of the package that hospitals receive when they implement Care Finder-Pro. These tools can be embedded in hospital websites to help patients research post-acute care options at their convenience, 24/7, regardless of where they live.

The Future of Care Finder-ProCare Finder-Pro is constantly evolving. This year, TLC will deliver a single product – called Care Finder-Pro Mink – that will grow the patient/family education component and engage a broader scope of providers. Measurement tools will help hospitals reduce patient readmissions and decrease length of stay while maintaining the highest level of security.

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Four employees from each CQuence Health Group company were selected to talk about their “average” day. Although each role is different, they share a love for building relationships and providing superior service to our customers and fellow employees.

A Day In The Life...Four Employees Share Their Typical Workday Routine

Total Living Choices Director of Sales Luke Pitz CQuence Health Group MIS Administrator Nate Tippets

Describe your position: My role is to develop new business opportunities for Total Living Choices. I travel to hospitals and health systems and engage their interests to the solutions and the value that TLC can provide.

Describe an “average” day: An ideal day is getting on an airplane or in my car to travel to a client site. I set up short meetings with hospital executives, educating them about TLC’s benefits. My client meetings are conversational and highly interactive.

In addition to these meetings, I also give formal presentations to groups of case managers. My goal is to be in front of clients as much as possible and engage with them face-to-face.

What does your desk look like? My physical desk is in San Francisco, but usually it’s wherever there is a cup of coffee!

What is your favorite part of your day? Meeting clients one-on-one. Great things can happen when you get the opportunity to build a relationship with them.

Describe your position: I primarily handle the IT network infrastructure for all CQuence Health Group companies. I used to joke that if it were more complicated than a light switch or coffee pot, then the IT team would take care of it. But now we help out with the coffee - so I just say we take care of everything that has power.

Describe an “average” day: No matter what I am doing, if I get a call from an employee who needs urgent support, I need to be able to assist them. I constantly reprioritize my schedule to meet the needs of employees. I also have an ongoing list of IT projects that I work on. Also, the IT team has frequent impromptu meetings to discuss any issues that need more attention and detail.

What does your desk look like? I work in the Omaha office, and my cubicle is cluttered, but organized. I know where everything is!

What is your favorite part of your day? Anytime things go according to plan. Yet, I enjoy the problem-solving aspect of my job. Sometimes you don’t know if a problem is solved until you push a button.

Name: Nate TippetsCompany: CQuence Health GroupTitle: MIS Administrator

Name: Luke PitzCompany: Total Living ChoicesTitle: Director of Sales - West

8 Impact | Spring 2011

Cassling Support Engineer Kyle VanderheidenMembers.MD Corporate Sales Executive Pam Gunderson

Describe your position: Part of my role is devoted to assisting with corporate executive sales, but my main focus has developed into the role of a national physician recruiter. Physician recruitment is where I work to convert physicians to the Members.MD model.

Describe an average day. I start the day in my home office. I check my schedule, which is usually set a week in advance. Then I begin making follow-up phone calls with corporate accounts to set up appointments and send marketing materials. Corporate sales consists of reaching out to businesses and educating them on the benefits of an Executive Health membership. This Executive Health program allows businesses to provide employees with a corporate membership with Members.MD. This is a cost-effective way to provide convenient, preventive care, which ultimately improves employee performance and satisfaction.

In the afternoon, I have one-on-one phone calls or meetings. I love working with people and building relationships to bring on new physicians and members. In the last few months I have begun looking for new opportunities on a national level. I am really excited to capitalize on these new areas!

What does your desk look like? My desk is mainly at my home office or wherever I am on a sales visit.

What is your favorite part of your day? When I close a sale, which to me is when I get a commitment from a business or physician to move to the next step of our process.

Describe your position: My main focus is supporting customers in hospitals and clinics. I do planned maintenance, installations and integrations on equipment. I also have a supportive role with Members.MD.

Describe an “average” day: I can’t say that I have a typical day; each day varies. I could be in the office all day taking calls to fix customer issues, or I could be on the road supporting our customers. I strive to ensure that our equipment is working efficiently at all times.

Because issues are unplanned, I tend to have a flexible schedule so that I am ready whenever a customer needs help. For example, I received a call for a site in Lincoln late one night and left straight from my home in the morning to troubleshoot their equipment. They were up and running in a few hours, and I was back in the Omaha office working on other support issues by the afternoon.

What does your desk look like? Messy. What does Einstein say? “A cluttered desk shows a brilliant mind?” Just kidding. My desk is in the Omaha office, but I would say half of the time I am on the road supporting customers.

What is your favorite part of your day? The most enjoyable part of my day is once I get to a final solution on a system and can help the customer.

Name: Kyle VanderheidenCompany: CasslingTitle: Support Engineer

Name: Pam GundersonCompany: Members.MDTitle: Corporate Sales Executive

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Whether you are taking a weekend road trip, a family vacation or traveling for business, unhealthy habits on the road can be tough to overcome – no matter how balanced your diet or workout routine is.

According to results of a study by Columbia University, people who take more than 20 trips per month were more likely to suffer from obesity and other health-related issues.

But it’s not just frequent travelers who are challenged!

If you are getting ready for a trip, it’s vital to be prepared. With a little bit of effort and willpower, you can avoid temptation.

Tips for Diet and Exercise on the Road

STAYING HEALTHYWHILE YOU

TRAVEL

Impact | Summer 201210

A LITTLE DEDICATION AND PLANNING IS ALL IT TAKES TO STAY HEALTHY WHEN YOU’RE AWAY.

Making the Right ChoiceOn the road, there are tempting snacks at every town and at every exit. Thankfully, most convenience stores, airports and hotel rooms are stocking healthier options to make it easier. Keep these selections in mind:

At the Convenience Store: ✈ Fresh fruit ✈ Raw vegetables ✈ String cheese

✈ Energy bars ✈ Beef or turkey jerky

At a Fast Food Restaurant: ✈ Grilled chicken sandwich ✈ Fruit and yogurt ✈ Baked potato ✈ Salad with light dressing on the side ✈ Deli sandwich on a whole wheat roll or pita bread ✈ Single hamburger or child-size hamburger ✈ Grilled fish sandwich

Getting OrganizedBefore you travel, stock up on healthy snacks. Stash them in the glove compartment or in your carry-on luggage to keep close at hand.

Remember, the Transportation and Security Administration’s rules prohibit travelers from bringing gels and liquids though security; solid foods like nuts, fruits, energy bars and carrot and celery sticks should clear just fine. Once you pass the security, purchase bottled water to be prepared for the flight. Drinking water while you travel is essential for your health, mood and energy!

Other Healthy Diet Tips ✈ Find a local grocery store and buy fruit, nuts or

healthy choices from the salad bar. If the hotel has a microwave, pick up frozen dinners or soup.

✈ If your only choice for a snack is the hotel vending machine, skip the candy and chips and choose nuts or microwave popcorn.

✈ Some restaurants will deliver food to your hotel room and may have some healthy menu items available.

✈ Eating a continental breakfast at the hotel? Choose a whole grain cereal, yogurt or hard-boiled eggs.

Maintaining your FitnessA little dedication and planning is all it takes to stay in shape when you’re away. Use these simple tips to maintain your fitness program.

Pack for FitnessBefore your trip, look at the hotel’s website to research on-site or nearby fitness facilities and pack accordingly. Your travel workout essentials may include:

✈ Athletic shoes ✈ Exercise clothing ✈ Swimsuit ✈ Jump rope

✈ Resistance bands ✈ Music and headphones ✈ Exercise DVD ✈ Weight-lifting gloves

Start Right Away Wear comfortable shoes when you travel. If you’re driving, take frequent breaks to get out and stretch. Even a short walk around a rest area can boost your mood and energy level. Likewise, walk up and down the airport terminal during a layover.

Check Your SurroundingsWhen you arrive at your destination, check out the fitness room at your hotel or a nearby health club then schedule a time for a workout. If the options seem limited, get creative:

✈ Check out local parks and trails. Ask the hotel staff about safe routes for walking or running.

✈ Walk up and down the hotel halls. Better yet, climb the stairs between hallway laps.

✈ Swim laps in the hotel pool. ✈ Use a jump rope in your room or at the edge of the

parking area. ✈ Do jumping jacks right in your room. ✈ March in place, pumping your arms to increase your calorie-burning power.

✈ Follow an aerobics program online, or play an exercise DVD you brought from home.

✈ Use resistance bands. They offer weight-like resistance when you pull them to build strength in nearly any muscle group.

✈ Take advantage of your own body weight. Try push-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.

Stick to Your RoutineIf you’re used to early morning, noon or evening workouts, try to exercise at the same time when you travel. Maintaining your normal routine may help you adjust to time changes and the stress of business travel. If jet lag or extreme schedule changes leave you exhausted, make your travel workout shorter or lighter than usual. It’s OK to take it easy once in a while, but remember the energizing effect of regular exercise – it may be just what you need to make the most of your trip.

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PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDOMAHA, NE

PERMIT NO. 579

Did you know?Each of the CQuence companies has a social media presence. Find them online today!

13808 F STREET | OMAHA, NE 68137-1102

university

CQuence University Upcoming Courses12 to 1 p.m. CDTLeadership Roundtable: Total Living Choices

12 to 1 p.m. CDTManaging Life’s Competing DemandsPresented by Alegent Health Employee Assistance Program

12 to 1 p.m. CDTLeadership Roundtable: Members.MD

JUNE

13

JULY

11

SEPT.

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For more information, visit 360* or contact Kylie Fisher at kfisher@cquencehealth.com*360 access for all companies coming in Q2.

All courses are offered live at the Omaha office or via webinar.