Laila Waggoner, founder of Strategy for Hire and SHSMD National Advisory Board member, has spent more than four decades moving between agency leadership and health system marketing — and she's put that experience to work helping organizations on both sides collaborate more effectively. In this episode, she and host Lauren Minors explore what makes partnerships actually function, why health systems were never quite built to work as systems, and what the entire healthcare marketing industry could learn from getting honest about shared purpose.

Join host Lauren Minors for a conversation with Austen Williams, Executive Director of The Medi, to discuss how community health needs to be community-led, with trust at the center.

Chronic illnesses are affecting an increasing portion of the population, with nearly 50% of Americans currently managing such conditions. Despite the growing number of patients requiring long-term care, the healthcare system is still designed around acute, short-term issues, leaving those with chronic diseases feeling lost in a complex maze of care. How can the healthcare system evolve to better support patients navigating these complex, long-term conditions?

With over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience, Kristy Dickinson, the Founder and CEO of Chronically Simple, is a patient advocate and digital health consultant passionate about reshaping the patient and caregiver experience. Drawing on her personal experience as a patient with a rare genetic disorder, she stresses the importance of integrating the patient's voice throughout the healthcare process. Kristy built a digital tool to replace cumbersome binders of medical records, showing the necessity of innovative, patient-centered solutions. She urges healthcare professionals to treat patients as key team members, integrating them into the design of systems and care plans to improve outcomes and reduce the overwhelming administrative burden on those managing chronic conditions.

In this episode of For the Better, Ben Cash welcomes Kristy Dickinson, the Founder and CEO of Chronically Simple, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in managing complex health conditions. Kristy shares her eye-opening experience with chronic illness, offers strategies for improving patient experiences, and highlights the value of digital tools in healthcare. Tune in for insights on prioritizing comprehensive care and the power of patient voices in driving healthcare efficiency and effectiveness.

Everything can change. Places that once held a dark history can turn into centers of education and inclusion — even a center of slave trade.

Shockoe Bottom is a neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. During the 1800s, it was the second-largest slave-trading corridor outside of New Orleans. But rather than focus on the dark side of its history, Ricky Parker set out to make "Shockoe" mean something celebratory — by starting a new brand of wine. Shockoe Wine is on a mission to educate people about African American History and bring them together through good wine. Plus, they support the community by raising money for scholarships to give to graduating high school seniors. So, how did it all get started?

In this episode of For the Better, host Ben Cash is joined by Ricky Parker, Co-founder of Shockoe Wine, to discuss how he is using wine to educate the community. Ricky talks about the mission of Shockoe Wine, how he found his way into the world of wine and spirits, and the partnerships that helped make his dream a reality.

Joel Sadler and Allyson Sutton are the Co-founders of Sightsee Global LLC. Through its coffee bar and retail shop, Sightsee creates a sense of fun, community, and social advocacy in Charleston, South Carolina.

Being a business owner comes with its perks, but it also comes with many challenges. You must work hard to promote your business and keep your loyal customers. What do you need to do to remain competitive in the modern business world? How can you keep your audience engaged with your brand? It's also hard to balance business life while being a force for positive social change.

In this episode of the For the Better podcast, Ben Cash sits down with Joel and Allyson to discuss valuable insights on running a business. They discuss building a solid connection with your customers and positioning your brand's value to the community. If you want to thrive as an entrepreneur, there are several things you can do to set yourself apart from the crowd. Discover strategies to keep your customers loyal today. Stay tuned!

With the healthcare industry becoming more consumer-centric, providers face the challenge of aligning their operations with patients' real needs. Addressing patient engagement requires a multifaceted approach that involves patients in their healthcare journey, fosters shared decision-making, and enhances the overall patient experience. How can organizations ensure that their digital solutions genuinely benefit those they aim to serve?

Adam Cherrington, Vice President of Digital Health and Patient Voice at KLAS Research, a healthcare IT research firm focused on improving healthcare technology and services by evaluating vendor performance. With over 12 years at KLAS, Adam has championed initiatives prioritizing patient engagement and alignment between healthcare providers and technology vendors. His work led to the development of the KLAS Patient Voice Collaborative, which amplifies patient perspectives to inform healthcare solutions. He illustrates the significant discrepancies between what healthcare providers and vendors offer versus what patients prioritize. By amplifying patient voices, KLAS Research helps healthcare organizations identify and bridge these gaps, ultimately enhancing patient-centered care.

In this episode of For the Better, Ben Cash interviews Adam Cherrington, Vice President of Digital Health and Patient Voice at KLAS Research, about fostering patient-centered healthcare technology. Adam highlights the importance and impact of genuinely listening to patients, the necessity of overcoming traditional silos, driving organizational change through data-informed decisions, and how to utilize technology effectively within a structured change management framework.

There's nothing as certain in life as change. Fight as you may, the waves of change will come to everyone regardless of age, circumstance, or readiness. What can you do when the changes seem to mount higher than you can handle?

Ben Cash recommends embracing the change. Or better yet — creating change. Ben is a Founding Partner of Reason One, a full-service digital agency. His team of change-makers helps those who do good, do better. Ben's 20-plus years of experience in the web services industry has given him a depth of knowledge that helps clients achieve measurable results. Now he helps healthcare, nonprofit, and other mission-driven organizations change the world — one web strategy at a time.

In this episode, Host Chad Franzen is joined by Ben Cash, Founding Partner of Reason One, to discuss how he learned to embrace — and create — change. Ben talks about the circumstances that led to his career change, how to handle multiple big changes simultaneously, and how Reason One is changing communities for the better.

A shortage in healthcare providers in an overcrowded pool of patients has created a gap in access, increasing the need for more convenient and accessible care options. To fill the void, healthcare organizations rely on a network of partnerships and the implementation of digital patient engagement tools. These engagement tools are convenient communication platforms that allow patients to manage their care using electronic devices. But how do digital engagement services compare to traditional service lines?

Richard Baldwin, a digital marketing veteran, uses his 14-plus years of experience to lead a team of digital engagement service professionals at Prisma Health, South Carolina's largest healthcare system. Under his tutelage, his team has created convenient and consumer-friendly tools, including the Care Finder. Using the Care Finder allows patients to enter their symptoms, answer a series of questions, and make a selection from a list of recommended care options. Consumer engagement services are more efficient, unlike multi-step service lines that require additional navigation that lead to patient frustration.

In this episode of For the Better, Ben Cash interviews Richard Baldwin, Manager of Digital Engagement Services at Prisma Health, to discuss digital engagement services and its impact on healthcare efficacy. Richard explains the shift towards consumerization in healthcare, how the pandemic impacted digital engagement services, and how AI and other innovative technologies can revolutionize the healthcare system.