January 15, 2024

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, CHALLENGES, AND FOCUS AREAS

 Last Week’s Accomplishments:

  • Operations
    • Helped advance the delivery of life-altering care for ~8,000 people last week!
    • Held successful listening sessions in the Hyderabad office with Dan, Sanket and Sanjeev
    • Extended offer for open mailroom position
  • Customer Success
    • Held onsite go live with UCSD Anesthesia
    • Onsite workflow planning with UVA Primary Care (phase 3), wave 1 cutover to clinic leaders, Cardiology training.
    • Held remote quarterly business review with UC Health Transplant
    • Held Henry Ford Vascular Surgery kick-off call.
    • Received patient volume forecast for 2024 from City of Hope
  • Technology
    • On-site visit to India – meeting with team members.
    • Overall system uptime came in at 99.995% against a plan of 99.995% with no major outages or downtime
  • Product Management
    • On-site visit to India – meeting with team members.
    • Progressed expedited records with networks:
      • Prep for Carequality stories
        • SWAG/T Shirt sizing for initial Carequality stories
        • Grooming for Carequality stories
      • Updated Carequality business case with feedback from kick-off meeting
      • Defined Kno2 portal workflow for regroup meeting
      • Provided example stylesheets for most common types of requested records
    • Progressed expedited records with copy services
      • Determined next steps on how to implement copy service portals into Operations workflows
  • Sales
    • Progressed Frenova Renal Research forward towards closure – Provided Final Red Lines to Frenova Leadership / shared agreement with investor Nephronomics.  Signature expected 1/16.
    • Confirmed onsite visit with Tampa General IT and Oncology Leadership 1/19
    • Closed / Won Weil Cornell Transplant Expansion
  • Human Resources
    • Held Hyderabad Town Hall led by Dan & Sean

 Last Week’s Challenges:

  • Operations
    • Backlog increased to 4,000 cases as City of Hope continues to submit more than forecasted
    • Turnaround time remained consistent at 7.2 days, we expect this to continue to decrease as backlog decreases
    • Closed locations / person / day came in at 9.2 compared to a forecast of 9.4
    • Patient volume came in 6% above plan
    • Patients helped came in 2% below plan
  • Sales
    • Did not close Frenova Renal Research as expected
  • Technology
    • SalesForce sync with Operations Intake experienced instability. Working with vendors to ensure that systems are stable and reliable.

This Week’s Focus:

  • Operations
    • Continue to keep urgency up on closing cases to decrease excess backlog and get turnaround time down.
    • Continue to meet Team based CLPDPP goals each day
    • Create 2024 Imaging Roadmap plan
    • Release Training Calendar
  • Sales
    • Receive Frenova Renal Research Agreement
    • Receive Stanford “Referral Number” SOW
    • Finalize Sales Meeting Agenda
  • Customer Success Management
    • Remote go-live training with Northwestern Orthopedics
    • Remote Quarterly Business Reviews with Emory Transplant, UC Health Oncology, Duke Transplant and Carrum Health
    • Onsite Quarterly Business Review with MUSC Health
  • Technology
    • On-site visit to India – complete trip.
    • Focus and accelerate technical aspects of the Carequality and MRO pilots, and RMS to cloud project
  • Product Management
    • On-site visit to India – complete trip.
    • Continue to focus on and progress expedited records projects (with networks and with copy services)
  • Human Resources
    • Interviewing workshop scheduled for Friday, 1/19.
    • Continue to update job descriptions for all roles across the organization
    • Learning Management System reviews
    • India and & US Handbook reviews by HR team
    • Dan to visit Aurangabad and Pune offices

THIS WEEK’S OBSERVANCES

January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

This year, the federal holiday falls on the actual birthday of the celebrated civil rights leader who Was assassinated more than a half-century ago. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later on January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

January 15: Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is a festival celebrated across India and it marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Capricorn (that is ‘Makar’ in Hindi). The festival of Sankranti has its roots in Hindu traditions and is celebrated across India with different names. But the similarity lies in its historical roots, cultural importance, and how important it is to agriculture. Makar Sankranti is celebrated on 14th January every year but this year it will be celebrated on January 15, 2024, because it is a leap year. The festival is dedicated to the solar deity, Surya, and is observed to mark a new beginning. Many native multi-day festivals are organized on this occasion all over India.

January 18 – Bodhi Day (Lunar)

For Mahayana Buddhists, this holiday celebrates the attainment of the truth of existence by Buddha. This allows him to find happiness and to be free from suffering.

THE IMPORTANCE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN VIRTUAL MEETINGS

As we discussed in the recent Town Hall, we believe that having cameras on during virtual meetings is instrumental in ensuring successful communications.  This article, adapted from Training Magazine, helps to further explain why having your camera on is important.

When participating in any virtual meeting, the way you present is important. While we often think it is what we say that carries the most weight in our meetings, it’s more often what we don’t say. Thinking that the majority of your communication is verbal can cause a severe disconnect with the people you are meeting with.

Relaying information in real-time is not limited to verbal interchanges or the use of language. Nonverbal communication is extraordinarily powerful and has been the subject of study by many social scientists, philosophers, and psychologists. Nonverbal communication is defined as all wordless interactions, including hand gestures, posture, facial expressions, and eye contact. In addition to this, vocal intonation, speaking style, speed, and tone all affect how you converse with others.

Nonverbal communication is much more subconscious than verbal communication. While you have to think about language before using words, a smile, laugh, facial expression or hand movement can go largely unplanned.

While vocabularies and languages are considerably different across cultures, nonverbal communication remains universal and understood globally. People from Massachusetts to Morocco understand a smile or a frown.

In both your personal and professional life, your posture is evaluated by how relaxed you seem, as well as your body’s orientation, leaning, and the position of your arms. Gestures are defined as any movements and signals you use, such as waving, winking, rolling the eyes, nodding, and pointing. When you communicate, it’s vital to understand not just the meaning of the words you speak, but the overall presentation. Exploring the many functions of nonverbal communication will make your meetings more collaborative and more productive.

Functions of Nonverbal Communication

  • Repetition. Gestures, such as nodding, serve to reinforce what’s being said. A nod of the head is, in fact, one of the most universal gestures, understood across many cultures. It is widely accepted as an agreement or understanding between people.
  • Substitution involves replacing a spoken word with a nonverbal cue. You can nod your head without saying a word or wave your hand instead of saying goodbye. You haven’t uttered a word, yet you have communicated effectively.
  • Compliment. A smile can complement words of enthusiasm or praise.
  • Accenting. You may accent a particular word in a sentence, such as, “I am very disappointed in you!” A strong tone of voice dramatizes the message.
  • Misleading or deceiving. Can you tell when someone is lying? Detecting deception usually is based on nonverbal cues. In criminal investigations, for instance, facial expressions, body movements, and tone of voice can expose the truth versus a lie.

Improving Nonverbal Communication

Communication, whether verbal or nonverbal, drives all activity between you and others. So how do you improve yours as you listen to and speak with others in virtual meetings?

Step 1: Watch yourself…and others. When communicating, focus on what your body is doing. The goal is to increase the expressive nature of your body, when appropriate, without coming across as overdramatic. Be aware that gestures are often useful in a group setting, such as in meetings and presentations. If a person’s words fail to match his or her nonverbal cues, it’s best to trust the nonverbal messages. Listen with your eyes. In most cases, the nonverbal message is much more accurate.

Step 2: Maintain eye contact. Eye contact is crucial when speaking with anyone, particularly coworkers, superiors, or direct reports, as it promotes trust and understanding. Try to increase eye contact when speaking with others and see if they’re making and maintaining eye contact with you. If someone avoids eye contact, you’ll likely sense the person’s discomfort or dishonesty. You can ease another’s discomfort by asking questions that enhance communication.

Step 3: Work on your posture. Your mother likely emphasized the need to stand up straight and avoid slouching in your chair. As it turns out, Mom gave you your first lesson in nonverbal communication. Posture is a nonverbal indicator of confidence.

A gesture conveys a message by using one part of the body, whereas a postural shift involves the movement of the body as a whole. A closed posture (folded arms and crossed legs) indicates a closed personality and a lack of confidence. Open posture (arms spread in a relaxed manner) is a much more confident pose. Your posture also should be in sync with your message, so you avoid sending mixed messages. When you’re sitting, sit up straight. Slumping conveys disinterest and inattention. Leaning back, or rocking back and forth in your chair, tells others you’re bored. In contrast, leaning forward in your chair when listening to someone speak demonstrates an active interest in both the person and the conversation.

Step 4: Set the stage. A sloppy environment sends the message that you’re disorganized and careless. Messy areas may be a symptom of a larger problem, such as inefficiency, which stems from an inability to find files or other important papers. Disorganization creates stress and limits productivity. Instead of creating vertical piles on your desk, rely on to-do files that can be stored inside a drawer.

Step 5: Read your audience. If you’re making a presentation, be aware of your audience’s nonverbal communication. As your presentation progresses, watch for signs of slouching, yawning, or dozing off—this means you’ve lost their attention. If, on the other hand, the group is energized and interested, participants’ body language may convey that they want you to ask for their thoughts and input. Learning to read a group’s mood enhances your abilities as a speaker.

Step 6: Listen to your voice. Paralanguage, or paralinguistics, involves various fluctuations in one’s voice, such as tone, pitch, rhythm, inflections, and volume. These cues can have a powerful effect on communication. A loud or forceful tone, for example, may convey a stronger and more serious message compared to softer tones. Sarcasm also can cause problems—a manager’s sarcastic tone creates stress because his or her tone (joking) is meant to contradict his or her words (hurtful or biting).

Step 7: Question yourself. Throughout the day, monitor your progress. Ask yourself the following questions about your performance:

  • How was I perceived at the meeting?
  • Could I have done something differently?
  • Were people interested and paying attention to what I was saying?
  • Did I listen well to others?

As you answer these questions, your self-awareness will increase.

Every January, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) promotes Thyroid Awareness Month. Routine testing can help you catch thyroid issues early. Your healthcare provider may order tests to check your thyroid as part of your yearly checkup.

Thyroid facts:

  • The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of your neck. Its primary job is to produce hormones that keep your metabolism running smoothly. It plays a big role in your daily energy levels.
  • You may develop problems when your thyroid produces too much or too little thyroid hormone. If your thyroid makes too much hormone, you may have hyperthyroidism. If your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones, you may have hypothyroidism.
  • There are a few other thyroid conditions that you should be familiar with:
    • Graves’ disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism.
    • Hashimoto’s thyroiditis — an autoimmune disorder — is the most common form of hypothyroidism.
    • Your thyroid gland may swell to a larger size, which is called a goiter.
    • A thyroid nodule is an unhealthy growth in thyroid cells, which then forms a lump within the gland.

Hypothyroidism vs. hyperthyroidism symptoms

Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can cause a wide range of symptoms and health problems. If you’re having any of the following symptoms, schedule a visit with your provider. They can request some simple blood tests to check your thyroid hormones.

Signs of hyperthyroidism — when your body produces too much hormone — include:

  • Nervousness
  • Irritability
  • Increased sweating
  • Racing heart
  • Hand tremors
  • Anxiety
  • Sleep problems
  • Thinning skin
  • Fine or brittle hair
  • Muscle weakness, most often in your upper arms or thighs
  • Frequent bowel movements
  • Weight loss
  • Light or less frequent menstrual cycles

When your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormone, you may have symptoms of hypothyroidism. Symptoms can include:

  • Feeling cold
  • Fatigue
  • Dry skin
  • Forgetfulness
  • Depression
  • Constipation

Thyroid cancer

  • Thyroid cancer is a rare but highly treatable cancer. About 1% of people in the U.S. are diagnosed with thyroid cancer in their lifetimes. There are several types of thyroid cancer, and all are treatable, even in advanced stages.