Ltc University Podcast

What if the most powerful thing you could do for your patients, your teammates, and your own career is simply to say: I made a mistake? In this episode of Your Health University, host Jamie Preston is joined by the Your Health Patient Experience Team — Jennifer Kistler, Kim Metz, Whitney Myers, Carlos Heyward, and Rebecca Dillard — for one of the most honest conversations in this Values Series yet: a deep dive into integrity. Not the word on the wall, but the daily practice of accountability, consistency, and courage that defines who we really are. What you'll hear in this episode: Why fear is the single biggest barrier to integrity in healthcare — and what leadership must do about it The real-time story of Rebecca owning a patient complaint oversight at 5:45 AM, and why it made all the difference Whitney's powerful reframe: integrity isn't just doing the right thing when no one's watching — it's consistency, whether it's easy or hard Jennifer's insight on how strong patient-provider relationships reduce

Most providers interrupt their patients within 18 seconds. What if the next few minutes of silence could tell you more than the next hour of testing? In Part 2 of the Your Health Values Series, Jamie  sits down again with members of the Your Health Experience Team — Rebecca, Jennifer, Whitney,  and Carlos — to go beneath the surface of "patient-centered care" and look at what empathy really demands in the pressured, everyday moments of healthcare. This isn't a conversation about being nice. It's a conversation about seeing people — patients, families, and colleagues — for everything they're carrying, even when they're hiding it behind a smile. In this episode: Why empathy is officially non-negotiable at Your Health — and what that looks like in practice The difference between emotional empathy and "empathetic sternness" (and why both save lives) How to recognize when a patient or colleague is carrying something deeper than their symptoms The real threat of empathy fatigue — and how to keep giving without

Most organizations put "Collaboration" on a wall. Few actually live it — and in healthcare, the cost of not living it isn't a missed deadline. It's a missed patient. In the first episode of Your Health University's brand-new Most organizations put "collaboration" on a wall. Few actually live it — and in healthcare, the cost of not living it isn't a missed deadline. It's a missed patient. In the first episode of Your Health University's brand-new Our Values Series, host Jamie Preston gathers four members of Your Health's patient experience team — Rebecca Dillard (VP of Organizational Experience), Jennifer Kessler (Division President of Product), Whitney Myers (Senior Solutions Advisor), and Carlos Hayward (Business Office Manager) — for an unfiltered conversation about what genuine collaboration looks like inside a fast-moving, mission-driven healthcare organization. No theory. No platitudes. Just the real, messy, mundane, and occasionally remarkable daily practice of people choosing to work together when it w

Fifty to sixty percent of women will get a urinary tract infection at least once in their lifetime — and for many, it won't stop there. So why does almost every conversation about UTIs still end with the same answer: another antibiotic? In this episode of the Your Health University Podcast, host Jamie Preston sits down with Madison Browning, Executive Director of Clinical Services in the Specialty Department at Your Health, to explore what's actually possible when we stop reacting and start preventing. Madison oversees the urology and nephrology divisions and brings the kind of front-line clinical perspective that turns confusing medical information into something anyone can act on. Together, they cover: Why repeated antibiotic use can actually make you more prone to future infections — and what antibiotic resistance really means for your body The honest truth about cranberry: there is science behind it, but probably not in the form you've been using What D-Mannose is, how it works, and why it practically

Anyone can hold a title. The leaders people actually follow — the ones people go to the wall for — earn something that no org chart can give them. In this second and final part of Jamie conversation with Matt Whitehead, Chief Ancillary Officer at Your Health, the discussion moves from the mechanics of leadership into its soul. What does it actually take to make someone trust you? How do you build other leaders without fearing they'll surpass you? And when the blame starts flying, what does a healthy culture do instead? In this episode: The hospice house story — what it means when your leader takes off their dress shirt and slings furniture alongside you in the South Carolina heat Why you should never want to be the smartest person in the room — and what it signals when a leader does How Matt builds future leaders by putting them in every room, every meeting, and every hard conversation — before they need to be there The critical difference between blame (which looks backward) and accountability (which lo

Most organizations take their best performer, hand them a title, and call it a promotion. What they don't tell that person is that everything that made them great at their job is now working against them. In this first installment of a two-part conversation, Jamie sits down with Matt Whitehead — Chief Ancillary Officer at Your Health — to explore one of the most overlooked transitions in healthcare leadership: the shift from being an exceptional doer to becoming a leader others will actually follow. In this episode: Why the moment Matt stepped into his first nursing home administrator role cracked the foundation of everything he thought he knew about leadership The dangerous myth that new leaders walk in as "instant experts" — and how that belief causes their teams to start managing them Why the dopamine hit of checking things off a to-do list disappears in leadership, and what you have to build to replace it How to delegate without losing your mind — and why being crystal clear on outcomes matters more

What if the most expensive healthcare decisions aren't made in the boardroom — but in the exam room, when the wrong infection gets treated with the wrong antibiotic? In this episode of the Your Health University, Podcast, Jamie sits down with Madison Browning, a registered nurse in urology at Your Health, to talk about what proper urological care actually looks like, why it matters far beyond the individual patient, and how a strong, collaborative provider team is the difference between a patient thriving and a patient stuck in a revolving door of emergency room visits. What you'll hear in this episode: Why getting a UTI diagnosis right the first time has massive implications for patient health and system costs The role nurse practitioners play in specialized urology care — and why their expertise is often underestimated How the team-based model at Your Health empowers every provider to collaborate and deliver better outcomes The direct connection between outpatient urology care and reduced hospital stay

In this Your Health University episode, Jamie sits down with Nurse Practitioner, Brooke Howard, President of Clinical Operations, to talk about Biote, wellness, and bioidentical hormone optimization—and why it has been life-changing for both of them. Brooke shares how a trusted colleague pushed her to look deeper when she was exhausted, gaining weight, and “holding it together by a thread.” Jamie opens up about anxiety, ADD medication, and how feeling hormonally balanced gave him the confidence to step into a new chapter. This conversation is for anyone who feels “off,” has been told their labs are “normal,” and wants to explore a more complete picture of wellness. www.YourHealth.Org

Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 ends—and goes deeper into what people are really wondering: What’s safe? What’s real? And who can I trust? Jamie and Jaclyn  talk about how misinformation spreads, why some people experience negative outcomes (often by skipping proper dosing, labs, and provider follow-ups), and why these wellness tools are most powerful when used with structure and medical guidance. You’ll also hear a transformation story that’s bigger than weight—one that changed energy, marriage, medications, and an entire family’s trajectory. This episode is a reminder that the first step isn’t dramatic… it’s brave. www.YourHealth.Org

In Part 1 of this conversation, Jamie sits down with nurse practitioner Jaclyn Taylor to pull wellness out of the “buzzword” category and into real life. They talk about why so many people feel stuck—fatigued, anxious, gaining weight, losing motivation—and why the first step isn’t a perfect plan…it’s being listened to. Jaclyn breaks down what the Your Health Wellness Program offers, how bioidentical hormone replacement therapy works, and why “normal labs” don’t always mean you’re actually okay. This episode is for anyone who’s been powering through, silently struggling, or wondering if feeling better is still possible. www.YourHealth.Org

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Colin Stevens to talk about the difference between communicating and actually connecting. They unpack why teams can look successful on the outside but be disconnected on the inside, how adversity reveals character, and why connection always carries risk. You’ll also learn the two types of respect, the quiet trust-killers that damage teams over time, and the three controllables—effort, attitude, and energy—that determine whether connection grows or dies. www.YourHealth.Org

In this Your Health University episode, Jamie sits down with Colin Stevens, Director of Engagement at Your Health, for a practical and honest conversation about communication—what it is, why it breaks down, and how leaders can immediately improve it. Colin reframes communication as understanding, not just delivery, explains why tone is the packaging that determines whether a message gets opened, and explores how ego blocks empathy in moments of conflict. The episode ends with a simple, powerful challenge: if you want to elevate your career and relationships, start by becoming a better listener. www.YourHealth.Org

In this episode of the Your Health University Podcast, Jamie sits down with Matt Whitehead, Chief Ancillary Officer at Your Health, to unpack one of leadership’s hardest realities: you rarely have all the information you want when decisions matter most.Drawing from decades of healthcare leadership experience, Matt explains how early decisions were driven almost entirely by gut, ethics, and urgency—long before real-time data existed. Together, they explore the balance between data and instinct, confidence and humility, decisiveness and recklessness.This conversation tackles real leadership tension: when waiting causes harm, when momentum matters more than perfection, and why doing nothing is often the most dangerous choice. Matt also shares a candid leadership failure, what it taught him, and how Your Health built a culture where mistakes are learning tools—not career-ending moments.If you lead people, teams, or systems—especially in healthcare—this episode reframes uncertainty not as a weakness, but as the pr

In this episode of Your Health University, Jamie sits down with Dr. Jimmie Williamson, Chief Behavioral Health Officer at Your Health, to break down why behavioral health belongs inside primary care—not outside it. Jimmie explains how telehealth lowered stigma, how mental health diagnoses (“F codes”) often correlate with frequent ER use, and why Your Health moved from intuition to data-driven referral models using tools like Power BI. They also map the full behavioral health ecosystem—from psych nurse practitioners to therapists to the psych pharmacist—and clarify when and how teams should refer patients for the right level of support. The takeaway is simple: earlier behavioral health intervention can improve lives, reduce hospital visits, and strengthen value-based care outcomes system-wide. www.YourHealth.Org

In the first episode of 2026, Jamie sits down with Colin Stevens, Director of Employee Performance and Engagement, to reframe the new year without falling into the resolution trap. Together they explore why mindset isn’t about ignoring pain—it’s about choosing perspective, focusing on what you can control, and attaching meaning to what you’re pursuing. Colin breaks down why motivation fades, what sustains long-term change, and how building the right environment—including the people around you—can make or break your progress. If you want 2026 to be different, this episode offers a grounded, inspiring blueprint: identify your “why,” embrace uncertainty, and become the kind of person who does the hard thing anyway. www.YourHealth.Org

Key TakeawaysEveryone can be an investigator: Observing subtle changes in behavior, sleep, decision-making, or life management can reveal early signs of behavioral health needs.Integration matters: Combining behavioral and physical health care improves outcomes, prevents avoidable hospital visits, and reduces overall healthcare costs.Impact beyond the patient: Supporting behavioral health has ripple effects on families, caregivers, and communities, improving overall system well-being.Life transitions are critical points: Changes in living situations, cognitive decline, or significant life events are opportunities for early intervention.Collaboration is key: Cognitive behavioral specialists, nurses, primary care providers, and facility staff must work together to ensure timely and effective care.Innovation brings hope: Emerging research, new care models, and broader conversations about mental health as part of overall wellness are reshaping healthcare for the better. www.YourHealth.Org

Key TakeawaysBehavioral health and physical health are inseparable and must be treated togetherChronic illness often worsens anxiety, depression, and isolation — especially in aging populationsFear and stigma continue to prevent many patients from seeking behavioral health supportIntegrated care teams reduce gaps, improve communication, and catch issues earlierAnxiety and depression can masquerade as “normal aging” but are highly treatableCareful psychiatric medication management improves both emotional and physical outcomesOver-communication across care teams prevents patients from falling through the cracksAddressing behavioral health empowers patients to actively engage in their treatment plansNormalizing behavioral health conversations is essential to long-term recovery and stability www.YourHealth.Org

Key Takeaways1. Hospice isn’t about giving up — it’s about shifting the goal from cure to comfort.Most misconceptions stem from fear or lack of education. Hospice focuses on maximizing quality of life, not accelerating end of life.2. Timing matters. Early conversations lead to better experiences.Families often wait until crisis mode. Subtle changes — fatigue, weight loss, repeated hospitalizations, shifting goals — are early signs to explore hospice.3. There is an entire team behind every patient and family.Chaplains, social workers, nurses, CNAs, and physicians work together to support medical, emotional, spiritual, and logistical needs.4. Quality of life is unique to each patient.It may mean one last trip, freedom from pain, or simply being able to rest without fear. Hospice focuses on what matters most.5. Families gain relief, clarity, and peace knowing they’re not alone.Hospice offers 24/7 support, education, and guidance — reducing anxiety and preventing unnecessary hospital visits.6. Eligibility is flex

 KEY TAKEAWAYSHospice isn’t a crisis response—it’s a planned, values-based care transition.Patients are guided into hospice through ongoing conversations with their care team, not sudden decisions.Your Health’s model is uniquely team-based.Clinical teams—NPs, nurses, social workers, CHWs, SSAs—collaborate long before a hospice referral happens.Eligibility is defined by Medicare, but the experience is defined by the patient.Patients choose what services they want: chaplaincy, volunteers, home aides, social work, and moreFamily support is a major part of the program.Hospice helps families avoid panic, emergency room visits, and uncertainty by educating them and offering 24/7 resources.Non-clinical roles are essential.Volunteers, chaplains, and social workers play major roles in emotional, logistical, and spiritual support.Respite care is a game-changer for caregiver burnout.Five-day facility stays covered under the hospice benefit help families regroup, rest, and sustain caregiving.Your Health provides continui

KEY POINTSYour Health is launching a new hospice program to complete the continuum of care.Hospice is not new to leadership—team members have decades of experience.Palliative care and hospice work together:Palliative can continue indefinitelyHospice begins when disease progression reaches an advanced stage and patients choose comfort over curative treatmentHospice helps patients avoid unnecessary ER visits, hospital stays, and stressful care transitions.The new program allows patients to stay with their same care team, maintaining continuity and trust.Eligibility begins with specific diagnoses and a provider’s order, supported by clinical and non-clinical indicators like frequent falls, increased symptoms, or significant weight loss.The “six-month rule” is based on normal disease progression, not an exact timeline.The new hospice service enhances value-based care, controlling costs while improving outcomes.Your Health staff play an important role in asking, “**What matters to you?**”The program ultimately exp