Where Care Happens: Learning Alongside Our Frontline Teams
Featuring Michelle Hartman, RN Case Manager – The Denver Hospice
At Care Synergy, some of the most valuable insights into how we deliver care come from the people closest to it.
As part of an ongoing effort to better understand and support our frontline teams, Dr. Emily Guth, Chief Operating Officer, is spending time alongside team members in the field.
Through these experiences, she is learning more about what their days look like, what is working well, where they encounter barriers, and what we can learn from their experiences as we continue to strengthen our clinical operations.
Where Care Happens: Learning Alongside Our Frontline Teams is a series dedicated to recognizing the people who make compassionate, patient-centered care possible every day. The focus is not on the shadowing experience itself, but on the knowledge, perspective, dedication, and compassion our frontline teams bring to their work.
Each story offers a glimpse into the people and places behind the care we provide — and the lessons we can carry forward as an organization.
Because when we listen to the people closest to the work, we learn how to better support our teams, improve our processes, and ultimately serve our patients and families even better.
Learning from the people closest to the care we provide.
One of my priorities as Chief Operating Officer is to spend time alongside our frontline team members, gaining a deeper understanding of the work they do every day, celebrating what is working well, and identifying opportunities to better support them.
I recently had the opportunity to shadow Michelle Hartman, one of our RN Case Managers. Throughout our time together, I was struck by her genuine compassion, clinical expertise, and deep appreciation for the art of hospice nursing.
What stood out most was Michelle's ability to be fully present with her patients and their families. She has a remarkable way of slowing down, listening, and creating space for people to share their questions, concerns, and emotions. Her approach ensures those in her care feel heard, seen, and supported during some of life's most difficult moments.
Michelle's experience and tenure with the organization were also evident throughout the day. Colleagues regularly reached out to her for guidance, questions, and support. It was clear that she is not only a trusted resource for her patients and families but also for the team members working alongside her.
The “WHY” Behind the Work
Michelle shared that her nursing journey has included meaningful experiences in labor and delivery, oncology, and inpatient critical care. She considers midwifery her first calling, and the lessons from those years continue to shape the care she provides today.
When Michelle transitioned to hospice in 2016, she knew she wanted to move away from hospital-based nursing. Over time, she came to recognize hospice as her second calling and gained a deeper understanding of why some of her former midwifery colleagues had also found their way to hospice nursing.
For Michelle, the connection between these two callings is especially meaningful.
Michelle described birth and death as the “two ends of a rainbow,” a perspective that beautifully captures how she approaches her work. Both are profound transitions in life, deserving of dignity, compassion, and grace.
For Michelle, hospice provides an opportunity to bring that grace to patients and families, helping them navigate the end of life with comfort, understanding, and respect.
Learning from the Frontline
Beyond the exceptional care I observed, Michelle openly shared constructive feedback about the operational challenges she encounters throughout her day.
We discussed barriers within our current electronic medical record, along with the impact of drive time and how patient appointments are scheduled. These challenges can create inefficiencies, increase time spent traveling or completing administrative tasks, and ultimately reduce the time available for direct patient care.
Her feedback reinforced the importance of our upcoming myUnity implementation and the opportunities available through Care Router to improve geographic scheduling, optimize travel routes, and better coordinate patient visits.
By thoughtfully leveraging these tools, we have an opportunity to reduce unnecessary administrative work and travel time, improve scheduling efficiency, and give our clinicians more time to focus on their patients and families.
Technology should support the care we provide, not create barriers to it. As we prepare for myUnity, these firsthand conversations are essential to understanding what needs to improve and ensuring our future workflows reflect how care is actually delivered.
I am grateful to Michelle for welcoming me into her day, sharing her experiences, and demonstrating what it means to combine clinical expertise with genuine compassion.
Thank you, Michelle, for the grace, dedication, and care you bring to your patients, their families, and your colleagues every day.
Go Back As part of an ongoing effort to better understand and support our frontline teams, Dr. Emily Guth, Chief Operating Officer, is spending time alongside team members in the field.
Through these experiences, she is learning more about what their days look like, what is working well, where they encounter barriers, and what we can learn from their experiences as we continue to strengthen our clinical operations.
Where Care Happens: Learning Alongside Our Frontline Teams is a series dedicated to recognizing the people who make compassionate, patient-centered care possible every day. The focus is not on the shadowing experience itself, but on the knowledge, perspective, dedication, and compassion our frontline teams bring to their work.
Each story offers a glimpse into the people and places behind the care we provide — and the lessons we can carry forward as an organization.
Because when we listen to the people closest to the work, we learn how to better support our teams, improve our processes, and ultimately serve our patients and families even better.
Learning from the people closest to the care we provide.
One of my priorities as Chief Operating Officer is to spend time alongside our frontline team members, gaining a deeper understanding of the work they do every day, celebrating what is working well, and identifying opportunities to better support them.
I recently had the opportunity to shadow Michelle Hartman, one of our RN Case Managers. Throughout our time together, I was struck by her genuine compassion, clinical expertise, and deep appreciation for the art of hospice nursing.
What stood out most was Michelle's ability to be fully present with her patients and their families. She has a remarkable way of slowing down, listening, and creating space for people to share their questions, concerns, and emotions. Her approach ensures those in her care feel heard, seen, and supported during some of life's most difficult moments.
Michelle's experience and tenure with the organization were also evident throughout the day. Colleagues regularly reached out to her for guidance, questions, and support. It was clear that she is not only a trusted resource for her patients and families but also for the team members working alongside her.
The “WHY” Behind the Work
Michelle shared that her nursing journey has included meaningful experiences in labor and delivery, oncology, and inpatient critical care. She considers midwifery her first calling, and the lessons from those years continue to shape the care she provides today.
When Michelle transitioned to hospice in 2016, she knew she wanted to move away from hospital-based nursing. Over time, she came to recognize hospice as her second calling and gained a deeper understanding of why some of her former midwifery colleagues had also found their way to hospice nursing.
For Michelle, the connection between these two callings is especially meaningful.
Michelle described birth and death as the “two ends of a rainbow,” a perspective that beautifully captures how she approaches her work. Both are profound transitions in life, deserving of dignity, compassion, and grace.
For Michelle, hospice provides an opportunity to bring that grace to patients and families, helping them navigate the end of life with comfort, understanding, and respect.
Learning from the Frontline
Beyond the exceptional care I observed, Michelle openly shared constructive feedback about the operational challenges she encounters throughout her day.
We discussed barriers within our current electronic medical record, along with the impact of drive time and how patient appointments are scheduled. These challenges can create inefficiencies, increase time spent traveling or completing administrative tasks, and ultimately reduce the time available for direct patient care.
Her feedback reinforced the importance of our upcoming myUnity implementation and the opportunities available through Care Router to improve geographic scheduling, optimize travel routes, and better coordinate patient visits.
By thoughtfully leveraging these tools, we have an opportunity to reduce unnecessary administrative work and travel time, improve scheduling efficiency, and give our clinicians more time to focus on their patients and families.
Technology should support the care we provide, not create barriers to it. As we prepare for myUnity, these firsthand conversations are essential to understanding what needs to improve and ensuring our future workflows reflect how care is actually delivered.
I am grateful to Michelle for welcoming me into her day, sharing her experiences, and demonstrating what it means to combine clinical expertise with genuine compassion.
Thank you, Michelle, for the grace, dedication, and care you bring to your patients, their families, and your colleagues every day.