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May 27, 2025 21 mins

In this episode of Home is Where the HEALTH is, Andy Pate, COO and President, East, at Compassus shares what makes the organization a destination for health system partners and mission-driven leaders. His reflections on military service and its influence on his leadership are powerful reminders of how personal purpose fuels professional impact. 

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Ashton Jones (00:03):
Ashton, Hi everyone. I'm Ashton Jones, and
this is home. Is where thehealth is. This podcast brings
you the latest news on progressand innovation in the homebase
healthcare space, in associationwith compasses. At the end of
the day, every person deservesto be cared for with compassion,
whether they're dealing with aserious illness, recovering from

(00:25):
an injury, or nearing the end oflife, and in the place they call
home, no less. That's why thispodcast features different
subject matter experts as we doa deep dive into how their work
is improving home based healthcare for patients. In today's
episode, we're talking with AndyPate, newly appointed Chief
Operating Officer and presidentof the East Division at

(00:47):
compasses. We'll discussleadership and what it means to
build a culture rooted incompassion. We'll also hear
about Andy's military backgroundand his personal motivation for
joining compasses. There's allthat and more coming up on Home
is where the health is. Hieveryone, welcome back to Home

(01:10):
is where the health is. We're soexcited to have you back again
as we explore new topics,products, partnerships and more
in upcoming episodes. So today,I'm grateful to welcome our
guest, Andy Pate, ChiefOperating Officer and president
of the east at compasses. Andy,thank you so much for being
here. Thanks,

Unknown (01:30):
Ashton, it's a pleasure being here. Thanks for having
me, of course. So

Ashton Jones (01:33):
I know that many people are eager to learn a
little bit more about you,including myself. So first, can
you share a little bit aboutyour background and what led you
to compasses? Yeah, sure.

Unknown (01:44):
So I started off my career as a as an environmental
engineer by degree, and I becamean army officer right after
college, kind of the crossbetween environmental
engineering and public health.
So that kind of really startedme off in healthcare, and then
as I progressed through thearmy, you know, I decided to get
out of the Army. I was deployeda lot, and decided to try my

(02:07):
hand at things in the civiliansector. So I was given an
opportunity to lead a largeservice team at General Electric
medical systems at the time now,GE Healthcare, where my team
installed and maintained highend imaging equipment. I then
really wanted to see kind ofwhat it was like to be in
patient care, so I joinedFresenius medical care, and

(02:29):
ultimately led Fresenius kidneycare for a little bit and then,
and then came to compass us atthe beginning of this year.

Ashton Jones (02:38):
Yeah, that's even more than I had known about you
before. I did a little bit ofdigging on your LinkedIn, but I
hadn't heard about all thosedifferent areas that you've been
involved in. So I do think youhave a very unique career path,
and especially, I would say themilitary experience. Can you
tell us a little bit more abouthow you got involved with the
military? Yeah,

Unknown (02:58):
you know, it was interesting. I always wanted to
serve. You know, I went off tocollege, and I didn't have a
military scholarship at thetime, and I competed for one
very early on in my I think itwas my sophomore year, and
ultimately was awarded ascholarship. It turned out to be
a four year scholarship forengineering. And that's really

(03:18):
kind of how I began my career inthe military,

Ashton Jones (03:22):
I feel like you must have had a lot of life
lessons that you took from thatexperience and then maybe
applied to your currentleadership. Do you have any
specific examples that you couldtalk about? Well, there's a

Unknown (03:31):
lot of things about the military that kind of shape your
style. You know, just to name afew. I mean, first and foremost,
the discipline, which I think isan obvious one people think
about when they think about whenthey think about the military,
but attention to detail andcommitment and kind of, you
know, never say quit. I thinkthat has shaped my style, for

(03:52):
sure, things like adaptability.
You know, in healthcare inparticular, we're always
challenged. There's a lot ofthings evolving every day around
healthcare. I think leaders haveto be very adaptable. And
course, in the military, it'svery much that way. You know,
you really have to be a servingleader and keep, always in mind
the physical, mental andemotional wellbeing of your of

(04:14):
your troops. And that has shapedmy style as I've moved off off
into healthcare organizations.
I'd

Ashton Jones (04:22):
love to learn a little bit more about you
personally. Can you tell usabout your your personal life,
some of your interests? Are youa dog or a cat person? Yeah,

Unknown (04:30):
well, first of all, I'll answer that first, I'm a
dog person, awesome. Yeah, kindof allergic to cats, but in
terms of my personal life, so Ihave been married to my wife,
Michelle, for 35 years. We gotmarried very, very early while
we were just fresh, just afterour freshman year in college,
and have been married for again,35 years. We have two grown

(04:52):
children, and as a matter offact, my daughter has three kids
of her own, so I have threegrandkids. That's great. We live
in. A suburb of Dallas, Texas,as we have for the last 17
years. And that's reallyunusual, because I moved around
a lot in my early adulthood. Soafter college, we were moving
every three to four years, andso we've been in one place for

(05:13):
17 years. And so that's prettyspecial.

Ashton Jones (05:19):
Well, now I'd like to shift our conversation a bit
to our next topic and ask youwhy you've decided to step into
this role at compasses. I'veseen your background and your
experience, and you've told us alittle bit about it, and I do
think you would have had yourpick of going wherever you'd
like to go. So can you tell uswhat about the organization
stood out to you?

Unknown (05:39):
That's a great question. First, you know, I was
really focused on on my nextmove, being in a mission driven
organization. So, you know,compass is absolutely mission
driven. Yeah, the caregiversjust are so passionate about
everything that they do, youknow. And I think we, as an
organization too, are verynimble. So we're very nimble and

(06:02):
agile in the way that weapproach growth and that we
approach problem solving andcare for patients. The other
thing too, that I think isreally great is that we're
willing to invest in technologythat improves the patient
experience, improves theprovider experience, and
launches, you know, launches uson a growth trajectory. So the

(06:23):
innovations that that I see incompasses have been tremendous.
And so those are the things thatreally drew me originally to to
compass us. And I'll tell youthat everything that was kind of
told to me before I got here, Ihave found to be true. And then
some, it's

Ashton Jones (06:38):
awesome. And that kind of leads into my next
question that I had writtendown, which was around the
innovation. So I do think thatcan pass. This is doing a lot
with home based care, and wehave these joint ventures going
on at the same time as AI pilotsthat we have underway. So what
role did innovation play in yourdecision and then in the success

(07:00):
of the organization that you'rehoping to see,

Unknown (07:02):
healthcare is changing very rapidly, and the challenges
associated with healthcare arebecoming more prevalent every
single day. And so you know,organizations have to innovate
in order not just to keep upwith those changes, but to get
ahead of the changes that arehappening. And if you really
want to build a company for thelong term, you have to make

(07:26):
those investments. And so whenwe think about AI pilots that
are improving the providerexperience, so literally taking
tasks that take our providershours to do on a weekly basis,
and shrinking those down to lessthan a minute? Yeah. I mean, you
got to think about that and howmuch that that enables the

(07:49):
success of those providers to dowhat they want to do and need to
do anyway, which is work at thetop of their license and create
better outcomes for patients. SoI think that's part of
innovation. The The other thing,these joint ventures have been
just tremendous in the way thatwe can bring a continuity and a
continuum of care to thepatients, and how we work

(08:11):
together to really make surethat patients get the right care
that they need at the right timein the right place, has been
great as well. And so I thinkany organization who wants to
stay ahead of the change ashealthcare evolves, has to be
willing to invest in innovation,or you're gonna find yourself
quickly behind.

Ashton Jones (08:28):
So you came to compass us from Fresenius, which
is a really large organization,and that's something I wanted to
bring up, because I do feel likewe have a lot of really talented
leaders at compasses who arefrom large health systems or
payers. So in your view, comingfrom another really large
organization, what do you thinkis driving that momentum, and

(08:49):
why do you think people arechoosing to build their careers
here? There's

Unknown (08:52):
a lot of reasons why professionals that would come
from a large system would cometo a place like compass one, the
purpose so really a sense ofpurpose number two, being nimble
and agile and willing to kind ofshift as we see the environment
shift, so that we can servepatients better and continue to
grow the willingness, like Isaid before, to invest in

(09:14):
technologies and tools andsupport for our providers and
our patients. You know, it's notall that common. I mean, we do
see innovation, and we do seeinvestment in other parts of
healthcare, but the largercompanies get, the more the more
difficult it is, and of course,the more expensive it is to
continue to want to invest inthose types of support tools and

(09:34):
technological advances. And soat a place like compasses that
is more than willing to not onlyinvest but building that roadmap
for the future is, you know, isvery attractive to people who
want to continue to evolvehealthcare.

Ashton Jones (09:50):
So speaking of changing healthcare and having
these new innovative projects,what does this mean for our
joint venture partners? For

Unknown (09:58):
our joint venture partners, you know, the. Large
systems. They got a lot ofthings going on, very complex
organizations, and they'retrying to treat a variety of
patients across an entirecontinuum, from, you know, very
simple to very complex acuities,I think, for our joint venture
partners, if they're looking forthe expert in home based care,

(10:24):
than coming to a place likecompasses and choosing a partner
like compasses that gives theability to continue to improve
the patient experience, keeppatients out of the hospital,
lower lengths of stays, reallycreate better outcomes for
patients, then compass is theplace to be. Now we're

Ashton Jones (10:46):
going to take a quick break from our main
discussion to share a story withyou. And the reason why we want
to spend time on a single storyis because when you're looking
at the big picture, you canforget about all the lives that
are impacted by this work, andat the end of the day, that's
what it's all about. So I didask Andy to come prepared with
his story, to share with all ofyou something that has really

(11:09):
impacted him, both personallyand professionally. And so Andy,
as I understand it, your storyis about finding purpose. Can
you tell us a little bit more?

Unknown (11:18):
Yeah, thank you.
Ashton. You know, I thought alot about this, and as I thought
about it, I just reflected on acouple of different moments in
my professional life, and thatreally kind of impacted me and
probably set me on a trajectorythat's represented where I am
today in healthcare. So my storyis about a deployment that I had
to Bosnia Herzegovina in veryearly 1996 you know, I was

(11:41):
deployed. And when you're asoldier and you're you're called
to go, you go and you hope that,that there's a purpose, there's
a why behind that. And I went,you know, with all of the
hardships of deployment, beingaway from family, being in
austere environment, you know,you were you really kind of look
for the why? Why am I here? Whyam I enduring this? And so one

(12:03):
afternoon, I was on a longconvoy between base camps, and I
think there was an accidentahead, and we all stopped. The
convoy stopped, and we weregoing to experience a pretty
significant delay. And I lookedover at these houses that were
right across the street from myvehicle. And these houses had
been damaged by, you know, thewar. They had been shelled.

(12:26):
There was bullet holes in thehouses. There were parts of the
roof that were missing. Yet theywere these kids. They were
playing in the front yard, andthese kids lived in these
houses. And so as the kids wereplaying, you know, after a
little bit, we started tointeract with them, and they
were asking for candy and thingslike that. So we were giving
them candy and just interactingwith them on the street, but it
dawned on me that just months,many months before that they

(12:50):
weren't able to play in themiddle of the street or in the
yard because of the war, and soin that moment, you start to
think, this is why I'm here. I'mhere because I'm the only thing
standing in the way of thesekids being able to play in their
yard. So, you know, just thinkabout basic things like that.
And so in an almost an instant,I got purpose. So it all the the

(13:14):
hardships of deployment, beingaway from family, you know, the
austere environment, all thesethings just kind of melted away.
And so one of the kids, rightbefore we were leaving, so
everybody was called to get backin the vehicles, one of the kids
came up and said, thank you inEnglish, which was, you know,
just kind of really changes yourwhole mindset. And so from

(13:36):
there, it really becameimportant to me that as I
continued my military service,and then, of course, after my
military service, that I reallyfocused on the things that would
give me purpose. And so as Ilooked for jobs in the civilian
sector, you know, I hadopportunities in a lot of
different industries, you know,agriculture, of course,

(13:57):
engineering consulting and a lotof other things, but I chose
healthcare because it gave me asense of purpose. I had no idea
where my career would lead, butI knew I wanted to do that
because it helps people. And Ireally kind of want my life and
my career to be made up ofthings that help others. And so
that's that's why I chosehealthcare and why I continued

(14:20):
to to pursue my career inhealthcare and will from here on
out.

Ashton Jones (14:29):
For our second and final topic of today's episode,
I want to talk about leadershipthrough growth. Since joining
you've stepped into a reallycritical role, especially as
compass this grows, and thereare all these joint ventures
welcoming 1000s of newteammates. And so what has your
experience been like leading theEast Division, and how are you

(14:50):
working with your teams toprepare for the future in

Unknown (14:53):
just a very, very short time as the leader of the East
Division? You know, I have notedthat. So, you know, we have an
incredibly talented team, just ateam of incredibly talented
operators who care deeply aboutwhat they do and the caregivers
that they're privileged to lead.
We're very, very focused on kindof a holistic experience for the

(15:14):
organization, one very focusedon on our provider experience,
so making sure that ourclinicians in the field have the
support and the tools that theyneed in order to provide the
care that they're licensed to.
Care, I think number two, youknow, we are all about the
patient experience, making surethat our patients really

(15:36):
experience compass us in ameaningful way and at a very
vulnerable time in their livesthat that they and their
families really receive thatcare, not only the quality of
care, but but the experiencethat goes along with it. And
then that leads to growth. Andso that leads to more patients
and more providers wanting tosend their patients to to

(15:59):
compass us. And so that's kindof how we're focused. So really
looking to make the most out ofevery opportunity that we see.

Ashton Jones (16:06):
How are you and your leaders within the East
Division supporting all of thesenew teammates who are coming
into the fold, especially withsome of the large integrations
like the Providence and compassjoint venture?

Unknown (16:18):
You know, as new members come into the fold,
whether they be from from jointventures or or otherwise. You
know, I think making sure thatwe're really over indexing on
those team members having areally good onboarding
experience is is reallyimportant. And so, you know, we
have a number of teammates fromacross the country that have

(16:39):
kind of deployed to, to makesure that we're integrating
those new teammates into oursystems, that we're that we're
educating them on our system,that we're bringing them on and
helping them to to integrate, toevery extent possible into
compass, and that, you know,quite frankly, they're coming in

(17:01):
with a lot of great practices oftheir own. They're coming in
with a lot of great ideas oftheir own, and making sure that
that we as an organization learnfrom them just as much as as as
we help them integrate into intoour organization.

Ashton Jones (17:17):
What are some of the most important things that
you look for when you'rebuilding a strong regional
leadership team.

Unknown (17:24):
As I think about what really makes a strong leader,
particularly at a field level, Ithink first and foremost, you
have to be a serving leader. Youhave to lead the right way,
making sure that that we're thatwe're taking care of our
teammates, physically, mentally,emotionally, and that we're

(17:45):
providing the support that theyneed to be their very best self
at work. I think that's reallyimportant. Number two, making
sure that we have clearexpectations, and that they are
setting clear expectations fortheir organizations, and that
we're holding each otheraccountable for what we commit
to do. And I think those aresome very clear attributes of

(18:07):
good leaders. But I will say onething that I think, you know,
good leaders have isadaptability. So I'm looking for
leaders who can be nimble andwho can adapt to change. You
know, healthcare is changing.
Compass is changing as we growand as we scale, and having
leaders that can adapt to thatchange is incredibly important

(18:27):
if we're going to continue tostay ahead of the curve.

Ashton Jones (18:31):
What sort of feedback do you hear from the
field, maybe clinicians orpatients, that really helps
guide your decisions as aleader, I

Unknown (18:40):
hear things from the field. You know when, when they
talk a little bit about whatwould be useful in helping them
to deliver better care or bemore productive or have better
work life balance. And we hear alot of those types of comments
and ideas all over theorganization, and it really
shapes our decision making as anorganization, because you start

(19:03):
to think, well, how can Isupport them better? What are
the tools that I can bring? Youknow, I'm not a I'm not a
clinician, so I don't, I don'ttouch patient care in, you know,
hands on. But what I can do is Ican bring decisions. I can bring
support tools, I can bringinvestments to the organization

(19:25):
to help those caregivers deliverbetter care and create better
outcomes for patients. If

Ashton Jones (19:30):
you could leave our audience with one big
takeaway from our conversationtoday, and I know we had a lot
of topics to go through andsummarize, but what would be the
most important thing for them toknow,

Unknown (19:41):
if there's one takeaway, I would say that
compass us is an organization ofmission driven caregivers that
is continually looking to evolvethe way we deliver home based
care for patients, providers andpatients families, in my
opinion, the best days. Forcompasses are ahead of us.

Ashton Jones (20:05):
Well, that brings us to the end of this episode of
Home is where the health istoday. We had the pleasure of
hearing from Andy pate about hisjourney from military service to
health care leadership. Wetalked about what drew him to
compass us, and how he's helpinglead through an exciting chapter
of growth. We also heard apowerful personal story that

(20:25):
reminded us of why this work isso important. Andy, thank you
again for joining us and sharingyour insights and your heart
with our listeners. To everyonetuning in, we hope today's
episode gave you a closer lookat the kind of Compassionate
Leadership and forward thinkinginnovation that defines
compasses. If you liked today'sepisode and you're listening on

(20:48):
a streaming service, go aheadand give us a like and a follow,
and be sure to tune in next timefor another in depth discussion
on progress and innovation inthe home based healthcare space.
Until then, this is AshtonJones, with Home is where the
health is. Thanks for listening.
You.
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