Nurse Executive Podcast

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Garrett Hartinger,  DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, emergency department clinical nurse specialist at Henry Ford Warren Hospital in Warren, Michigan. They discuss improving sepsis outcomes, as sepsis is the leading cause of death in American hospitals. Dr. Hartinger explains that verifying the completion of SCP1 standards of care—the comprehensive approach to the management of sepsis—is an important initial step.

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski speaks with Bryan Cote, a managing director on BRG's Healthcare Transactions & Strategy team. They discuss market trends and factors affecting mental health, including cost, treatment, models, and developments over the years.

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski welcomes back James Ballinghoff DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, chief nurse executive (CNE) of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and assistant dean for Clinical Practice at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. They discuss leadership development strategies for the middle manager, including attending conferences, enrolling in online courses, earning advanced degrees, and mentorship.

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski speaks with Ernest J. Grant, PhD, DSc(h), RN, FADLN, FAAN, vice dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Duke University School of Nursing. He is a past president—and the first male to serve in this position—of the American Nurses Association. They discuss Ernest's personal perspective and the impact of being a male nurse, who make up about 12 percent of the nursing population.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Alan Vierling, DNP, RN, CENP, a former administrator at Alaska Native Medical Center, the referral center for Alaska Native and American Indian people living in Alaska. They discuss leadership approaches when working with vulnerable patient populations, including listening to patients and understanding environmental impacts—in this case, food insecurity.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Kory Scheideman, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, FAEN, clinical nurse manager of UCHealth's Harmony Freestanding Emergency Department. They discuss the incidence and prevalence of opiate use disorder, as well as key attributes of successful medication-assisted treatment programs.

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski speaks with Jeff Leibach, a managing director and leader of BRG's Revenue Strategy Services team. They dive into the fundamentals of managed care, including revenue strategy, charge capture, volume and patient mix, and questions to consider when evaluating your facility departments.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Jennifer Johnson, BSCN, RN, author of books including Nursing Intuition: How to Trust Your Gut, Save Your Sanity, and Survive Your Career. They discuss the importance of nurses connecting with their intuition—an essential tool for managing the high stress of the job, protecting mental health, and enhancing patient care.

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski speaks with David Wildebrandt, a partner and managing director at BRG. They discuss key findings from BRG's recent 2025 US Healthcare & Life Sciences Transactions Outlook report, including transactional evolution and industry disruptors.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Caroline Segovia-Marquez, MBA, BSN, RN, ACM, CMAC, a managing consultant on BRG's Care Transitions team. They discuss how targeting lower case mix index (CMI) diagnostic-related groups (DRGs) can be effective to improve length of stay. Prior to admission, the team must manage all points of entry to ensure that patients are admitted appropriately and assigned the correct status.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with Kamela Kolander, LMSW, CCM, a consultant on BRG's Care Transitions team. They discuss how targeting specific care units prior to providing care can be an effective strategy to reduce length of stay by considering patient data, facility and patient demographics, payer and provider mix, and potential unit barriers.

Nick Chmielewski speaks with David Broussard, MBA, BSN, RN, a managing consultant on BRG's Care Transitions team. They discuss how targeting provider variation can effectively improve length of stay (LOS). They review how analyzing provider variation begins with establishing trustworthy, transparent data and understanding LOS metrics, order entries, and more across service lines, providers, and physician groups.

In this episode, Nick Chmielewski speaks with Amy Brown, MSN, RN, NE-BC, chief nursing officer at the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. They discuss association executive nursing and the benefits of professional association involvement, including fostering a sense of belonging, expanding professional networks, and developing leadership skills.