Here at Essential Healthcare Management, we value relationships.  To EHM, trusted partners and productive partnerships are not just a priority – they are a privilege.  We would like you to meet one of our people who is a proven expert at building and maintaining those types of relationships in healthcare. Executive Director, Espen Kateraas.

Espen has a broad managerial and operational background in the pharmaceutical, medical technology, imaging, health and wellness spaces. He is a business administration graduate of both Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and Drottnignborg Videregående Skole in his native Norway. He also studied at the National University of Singapore and at the Institute of European Studies in Vienna, Austria. Espen is a veteran of the Norwegian Air Force and is multilingual – which is often helpful when working with companies based outside the U.S.

Recently, Espen has assisted European healthcare companies in their attempts to successfully enter the US market place. His current focus is on helping companies leverage more efficient and affordable healthcare solutions grounded in prevention and positive patient outcomes.

Espen’s areas of expertise include;

* US & Int'l Business Relations
* Supply Chain Mgmt.
* Strategic Planning Processes
* Relentless Execution of Growth Initiatives 
* Global Market Leadership & Strategy Development
* Team Leadership 
* P&L Control
* Manufacturing & Operations Management
* Turnaround / Business Refocus
* New Business Development and Launch
* Due Diligence / M&A / Global Integrations
* Coaching and motivation      

The Movie of Your LIfe - Uplifting or Sad?

By: Stan Schroeder, Managing Partner, EHM

What story do you tell yourself?  It has been said that “Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself”.  How does this happen?  Sure, the huge broad strokes and grand events of a life add up and matter.  Big risks often dictate our direction and destination.  But what about the other 99.9% of the time?

The day-to-day life we live – the minute tasks, details, and movements – are when our internal dialogue takes over and effects us.  Sort of like the narrator of the movie version of our lives.  (I just had the thought that Morgan Freeman’s internal dialogue is probably fantastic!).

Is your narration: Positive or Negative? Guilty or Proud? Angry or Content?  This 99% of our time can control as much, or more, of our path in life as the big decisions do.  In fact, I would submit to you that without the right type of internal story guiding them, people who have reached high levels of success would not have possessed the confidence to take the big (and ultimately profitable) risks!

I myself have made a habit of making career decisions that are 180 degrees from conventional.  I know that deep down there is a storyteller laying down a positive soundtrack that gives me the boost required to do the scary things, and take big risks.

I always tell my sons that part of being a good person is doing the RIGHT thing even when it is the more difficult choice.  So….if you know what needs to be done – if you have an idea or dream or grand vision: 

First, take steps to ensure that your internal narration is positive and affirming.  (This may require some “re-writes”)

Remember to engage in positive “self-talk” when you start to hear internal negatives about yourself or your future. 

Create Positive Triggers and Anchors (reminders) such as music, pictures, or verses that snap you back to positive.

Create reminders of your past successes and keep them close by to re-affirm your capabilities when you feel down.

Share in positive communication with friends, associates, mentors and/or loved ones.  ( Frank usually cheers me up when I call him).  Increasing your positive/negative thought ratio will undoubtedly help you to feel happier and to enjoy more success.  It will also help you to GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION to make the hard decisions required to reach more success (regardless of how you define it).

And don’t forget that no matter how positive you are there is still a high level of work required.  I don’t know anyone who ever lazied their way to the top.  To quote Tony Robbins, “No one every ambled their way to success.”  Success requires action – and action requires internal encouragement.

A Tribute

By: Rob Bahna, Vice President of Sales, Resuscitation International

The world lost a very good man yesterday. My uncle, Don Bahna, my father’s only sibling/older brother by 7 years or so passed away.
 
Don was one of the most well read, intelligent, and kindest men I have ever known. He was largely responsible for starting and then being the Principal at both high schools in Sylvania, Ohio and touched thousands of lives in his roles there.
 
To me he was the uncle who was the “CLAW”. I am sure you had one of those, who were seemingly always ready to play and have fun when you were little. He would be relentless in his pursuit of making us laugh and torturing us by tickling.
 

To my Uncle Don’s wife of 50+ years, my Aunt Kay and his 4 children and grandchildren, he was obviously much more, for many years. I could write a lot more about his accomplishments in many areas.
 
However, I want to focus on just one of the many ways he was so instrumental in my dad’s life, future, and inevitably that of my whole family. You see, my father grew up on the Hungarian side of Toledo, Ohio, not very far from the famous Tony Paco’s restaurant that the character Klinger made famous on M*A*S*H. There was a lot of love, hard work and happiness in this neighborhood. But, money was earned through long days of hard blue-collar work.
 
Since my father was so much younger than Don, when he used to tag along every day to the baseball field because Don had no choice, my father had to play against kids much older than he was. This forced him to develop much faster than the other kids his age or he would have to sit out – because they did not let him play until he was good enough. Inevitably, that and considerable talent lead him to be a great high school pitcher (he was just elected in his high school athletic hall of fame this fall) and earning the first full baseball scholarship to Bowling Green State University.
 
My father would not have been able to afford to go to college without that baseball scholarship. Without that scholarship and his ability to get a job that required a degree, who knows what would have happened. My Uncle Don went to school on academic scholarships.
 
You see in the sandlots of life, there were no rules saying everyone has to play a certain number of innings, or that we are not going to keep score, or that there are no winners and losers, and not everyone gets a trophy.
 
There are hundreds if not thousands of people:
 
-Competing for the top class ranks
-Taking college entrance exams
-Trying to get into the same schools and post-graduate schools
-Applying for the available jobs
-Working towards the available promotions
-Doing their best to hit their objectives and set themselves apart from the crowd
-Working on being the top performer at what they do
 
My dad also tells the story of how my Uncle Don through him out of the boat in the middle of the lake and told him to “sink or swim”. Although we know he would not have let him drown, we need to be careful how much we insulate and protect the people around us because that is not always what is best for them (even if it is what makes us the most comfortable).
 
God Speed Uncle Don. You made a lot of lives better by the man you were. And it is a great lesson for all of us. We usually don’t realize the full influence we have, or could possibly have on people.

EHM Client News

In the last six months EHM has helped the following clients to gain agreements with all the major GPO's and several IDN's and RPC's:

Compression Therapy Concepts
Statlab Medical
Advanced Circulatory Systems, Inc.
RF Technologies, Inc.
Uresil, LLC
U.S. Arthroplasty
Emerge Medical
DM Systems

Instant Recognition

Cynthia Baker, Accolades Public Relations

EHM Upcoming Conference Schedule

• Spring 2012 IDN Summit "Change Brings Opportunity" April 23rd - April 25th Orlando, FL
• Premier's 2012 Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition June 5th - June 8th Nashville, TN
• CTC National Sales Meeting, May 1st - 5th in New Jersey
• Amerinet 2012 Member Conference, May 15th - 18th in Las Vegas, NV
• 2012 VHA Leadership Conference, May 20th - 22nd in Denver, CO

We hope to see you soon!

You can always find us at www.essentialhm.net

In 2011, Essential Healthcare Management tripled in size.  Frank Ripullo and Stan Schroeder, EHM founders and managing partners, increased EHM’s strength with a team of healthcare experts who have over 100 years of experience in the healthcare world. We would like to enthusiastically introduce Daren Kneeland, Espen Kateraas, Michael Pola, Nancy Kailas, and Jeff Hayes.

EHM 2011 Recap

2011 was a breakthrough year for Essential Healthcare Management.  We expanded our team from two people to nine.  Frank and I are so proud to have such quality individuals join our team and bring their enviable skills, experience and network with them.  Our team is now comprised of people with experience across industries, various disciplines of the healthcare field, sales, product development, management, and corporate accounts  - among others.

In addition EHM also added services to our offering that are very timely in today’s healthcare market.  We now provide the following for suppliers: GPO fee, Commission, and On-Demand Reporting; Rebate/Chargeback Processing; and Sales Data Collection.

We also are able to help hospitals and IDN’s with Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Human Capital Optimization and Revenue Cycle Management, through our partnership with The Optime Group.

I’m also proud to report that for a third straight year we enjoy a strategic partnership with MDSI.  This allows us to offer the MAX database, Online Education Modules, and other tools as part of our EHM plan.

In 2011 EHM garnered 27 national GPO contracts on behalf of 14 different clients.  We took our original client  (yes, they still like us) to their fifth national contract and helped them to reach a revenue level that is 25 times what it was four years ago.

We implemented our clients’ GPO agreements to the tune of 38 IDN enhancements/standardization agreements, set up five strategic partnerships, and helped to create over $43 million in new year over year revenue! 

2012 promises to be another year of expansion and excitement!  With all of the uncertainty in the economy, the medical industry, and the future – we have taken it upon ourselves at EHM to become (or align ourselves with) experts in the ever-changing world of healthcare.  Our goal is the same as it was on our first day:

To help suppliers reach new levels of success via smart contracting, strong implementation and honest hard work – helping improve the lives of patients and caregivers in the process.

Thanks to all of our clients, partners, friends, associates and families for such a fantastic year!  We look forward to continued success in 2012 and beyond! 

Foundations

By: Stan Schroeder, Managing Partner, EHM

What is your foundation?  Throughout my young life I spent a lot of time at the home of my grandparents in my small hometown in rural South Dakota.  I remember their home as a place of security and serenity.  I look back and appreciate the sanctuary this provided.  I think of that house as my starting point.  My foundation.

Everyone needs a strong foundation, or platform, from which to launch and lead their life.  Modern life and the mobility (of jobs, houses, and locations) that comes with it leads many of us to operate from a more theoretical, less tangible foundation.

For many it is their faith.  For others their fidelity to spouse and family.  We in the healthcare industry are lucky to have as a an additional foundation for our lives the steadfast focus on improving patients’ lives and making it easier for caregivers to do their jobs.

I always say that it makes it easier to get up in the morning and go to work knowing that I can positively effect the life of someone or family that is in the midst of a medical issue.  The companies and people we represent provide services, products and equipment that accomplish that goal everyday. 

As we grow older and become reflective about purpose, legacy and giving back we also often are in the midst of the most hectic, pressure filled years of our careers.  For those of us in the healthcare industry it is fantastic to have a job and purpose in life that are in sync.

On days when I find myself consumed with growing our business and making things happen, whether that day is filled with good or bad news, I remind myself of how fortunate I am to be able to give back through helping in healthcare.

As we forge ahead in healthcare in 2012 and determine how to overcome massive obstacles that have evolved over decades but must be fixed soon, let us not forget how lucky we are to have the ability to improve people’s lives everyday through our work.

My grandmother no longer lives in that house I loved.  My grandfather is no longer with us.  We have lived in five houses and three different cities in the last ten years.

My foundation now is my family.  But so too is my chosen vocation.  What is yours?

Motivation

By: Rob Bahna, Vice President of Sales, Resuscitation International

The first month of 2012 is under our belt.
 
What have you accomplished towards your personal and professional goals so far in 2012? Before you know it, it will be the end of the 1st quarter, with the end of the 2nd quarter not far behind. Get started now.

I don't believe you can make someone "motivated" unless they are self-motivated, and have a drive to succeed and win. However - I do believe we all can benefit from reading motivational sayings, books or hearing motivational stories.
 
On a recent flight, I had the opportunity to watch the movie, A Dolphin Tale. The film was inspired by a true story. When the dolphin was only three months old, she was found tangled in a crab trap line off Florida’s East Coast. She was rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), where she faced a long road to recovery. Her injuries were so serious that she lost her tail and two vertebrae. The odds were against her, but she survived thanks to her energetic spirit and ability to adapt.

In the movie she inspires others with disabilities to press forward. If you have not seen the movie it is worth seeing. She plays herself in the movie and it is a nice change of pace in the cynical world we live in.

I thought I would share a few motivational quotes as we start the month.
 
 “People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents..”
- Andrew Carnegie
 
“Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we have sufficient will, we should always have sufficient means. It is often, merely for an excuse, that we say things are impossible.”
-Francois La Rochefoucauld
 

“You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. With it, there is accomplishment. Without it, there are only alibis.”
- Henry Ford
 
“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”
- Stephen A. Brennan
 
 “I learned that if you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can make it.”
- Gale Sayers
 
“It doesn't matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.“
- Brian Tracy
 
“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.”
- Denis Watley
 
“Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin. “

- Hansen, Grace
 
“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.”
- Tehyi, Hsieh
 
“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.”
- William Jennings Bryan 

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all. “
- Dale Carnegie
 
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”
- John Quincy Adams
 
“How long should you try? Until.”
- Jim Rohn

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
- John Wooden
 
“What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail? “
- Robert Schuller
 
“Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can. “
- Lowell Thomas
 
“You can’t build a reputation on what you're going to do. “
- Henry Ford
 
“I think there is something, more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision. “
- W. Clement Stone
 
“There are costs and risks to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”
- John F. Kennedy
 
 “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do. “
- Andrew Carnegie
 
“Character isn't inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action.”
- Helen Gahagan Douglas
 

Choose to have a great month, and then make it happen; because simply visualizing success and hoping for it -- won't make it happen. 

The Healthcare Market Litmus Test

Published By: Accolades PR

At EHM we understand the need for dynamic, effective P.R. and Marketing. Here is some valuable information from our partner, Accolades PR :

It's a new year, filled with new resolutions, new ventures, and new ways of doing business. Do you know what the biggest change in modern business has been? It has been the meteoric rise of online marketing.

A recent Hubspot research study revealed some staggering results. They found that the average budget spent on social media has doubled in the last two years. Impressive, no? But that’s not the hook. Here’s the real take-away:

Sales leads gained from these web-based inbound marketing campaigns cost 62% less than traditional outbound marketing!

What does this mean for you and your business? It means you can revolutionize your marketing, generate far more leads, and provide more stability for your company… for far less. To learn more...

Upcoming Conference Schedule

• 2012 FAH Public Policy Conference and Business Exposition March 4th - March 6th Washington, DC
• AORN 59th Congress March 24th - March 29th New Orleans, LA
• MedAssets Healthcare Business Summit April 10th - April 12th Las Vegas
• Spring 2012 IDN Summit "Change Brings Opportunity" April 23rd - April 25th Orlando, FL
• Premier's 2012 Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition June 5th - June 8th Nashville, TN

We hope to see you soon!

You can always find us at www.essentialhm.net