By Lee Ann Liska

“Can you set up the Zoom for this weekend?” “Let’s do a Teams meet.” “Should I call you on Google Hangout or should we have a Google Meeting?” “Mute yourself!” “You have to mute your computer so there’s no echo.” “You’re breaking up – move to the other side of the closet for a stronger connection.” “You should probably turn off your video.” “Where are you this week?”

By Lee Ann Liska

It has been a hectic month, watching the traverse of the coronavirus across the globe, and it‘s migration to North America. Many of us worried that the impact of the virus was overblown, especially with the “run” on toilet paper.

By Lee Ann Liska

I just spent the weekend retreating with a group of executives, the top females in their respective companies. We have strict rules for our group – we cannot solicit business from each other and we cannot share our member information. Even though many of us have business relationships with each other, the purpose of our forum is to share camaraderie and friendship. We have retreated together for years, locally and across the country.

By Lee Ann Liska

Just before the holidays, I read a great article in the New York Times, “When the Surgeon Is a Mom.” I found it even more relevant on my second reading after the new year.

The article speaks to the tough choices female physicians make when they choose the field of surgery. All medical students have an opportunity to rotate through surgical specialties. When one chooses surgery for their career, they have made a decision that others may find tough to support.

By Lee Ann Liska

I’ve read a number of articles on the Iceberg of Ignorance, originally published in 1989 by Sidney Yoshida, reporting that top leaders only understand about 4% of what is going on in their companies. Does this sound right to you? If you are a CEO, you may not believe it, but do we really know? If you are a manager or supervisor, you may believe this about your bosses, but not yourselves. If you aren’t a manager or supervisor, but report to one, you may completely agree with this statistic!

by Lee Ann Liska

I was honored as a Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Woman of Distinction a few years ago, and I was asked to share some of the lessons or “words of wisdom” that I’ve learned through my own experiences and through others.  As I reflect, the five key ways that Girl Scouts help young adults thrive, are applicable and transferrable to every rising leader in general.

Girl Scouts is proven to help girls thrive in five key ways as they:

1. Develop a strong sense of self. 

2. Seek challenges and learn from setbacks. 

3. Display positive values. 

4. Form and maintain healthy relationships.

5. Identify and solve problems in the community.

(Read the Girl Scout Difference here.)

The lessons I have learned throughout my career fit these key areas:

DEVELOP A STRONG SENSE OF SELF. 

Maintain your financial independence so that you can make the best choices for you or your family. Invest in your own credit and savings accounts.  Unexpected events in life happen and having choices about where you live and how you support your loved ones is essential.

Do something you are passionate about and believe in.  We spend too much time at work to be unhappy in a role or to work for something we don’t believe in ourselves.

Pick great role models and mentors. Ask others to guide or sponsor your career. Mentors will evolve over time and will fulfill different work and personal needs.  

By Lee Ann Liska

This article published recently in the The Atlantic points out that unexpected, large hospital bills can happen to anyone.  This caregiver was hounded by collectors, one even inviting them to connect on LinkedIn!  As healthcare administrators, we have a good understanding of our average reimbursement and collection rates, as a percentage of the gross, billed charges.  But do we really know what happens when the uncollected charges are turned over to collection agencies?  Are we aware when and if they are then turned over or “sold” to other debt buyers?  To me, poor treatment by collection agencies and debt buyers is still a reflection on the health system where the patient received their care.  Can health systems and doctors afford this type of reputational risk?

I turned to a colleague, a revenue cycle professional and expert - the best I’ve ever worked with in the business.  They provided a more balanced perspective:

There are two sides to this dilemma depending whether you are a patient or provider.  From the patient perspective, medical debt is increasing and in too many cases crippling, often leading to financial ruin, depression and shattered lives.  Statistics show the percent of total bankruptcy, because of medical debt, at over 50% and employers shifting costs through deductibles, now on average over $1,300 and growing, according to the Kaiser Foundation.  On top of that, healthcare spending as a percent of GDP is approaching 20%; an unsustainable trajectory.  Bottom line, patients and families are harmed by unaffordable medical debt and there is no solution in sight.