Welcome to my 2020 Professional Reading list. This is a list of the top books, e-letters, and webinars that I have used this year to keep my finger on the pulse of the healthcare industry. Healthcare continues to be in a state of disruption. It has been this way for some time and unfortunately due to other challenges that have come up over the past few years, those in leadership positions have not put in the time to work through the challenges our country is facing. As a result gaps in care have widened, social determinants of health continue to wreak havoc in our communities and the cost of care continues to rise. On top of it all a pandemic that has killed over 100,000 people in just a few short months has strained resources around the world.

Continuous learning is something that helps us understand the challenges we face. Leaders who take the time to study trends and offer solutions give us hope. I have found hope in reading, writing and learning during these disruptive times as it reinforces the work that we are all doing is helping to make a difference during these challenging times.

I want to thank all who have contributed to this list and hope you find some inspiration in the resources offered. I look forward to hearing from you and if you have a book, podcast, or e-letter that you have found useful, please put a comment in the chat or email me so I can add to the list.

2020 Top Video on Demand Webinars on COVID 19

Several of my colleagues produced important videos to educate professionals and consumers about COVID 19. Here are a few of my favorites!

Care Management In a COVID 19 World produced by Athena Forum a leader in the area of continuing education for professional engaged in case/care management. This 4 part webinar series provides insights into various aspects of case/care management and how they are coping in a COVID 19 World. To view click here FREE 

World Summit: Reflecting on COVID-19 and Moving Beyond: COVID 19 has changed our world. It has brought us together, opened our eyes to many of the challenges we have in our world, our countries, our cities and our own lives. The World Health Summit brought together leaders from around the world to share information and tips on a variety of issues such as nutrition, the environment, wellness, and our health and health care.  I hope you will take time to review the website to learn about the topics and the speakers and spend some time listening to them. You can see the full lineup of speakers here. FREE

The links take you to the sessions so you can listen and learn.  

June 9, 2020 Day 1: 

June 10, 2020 Day 2:

June 11, 2020 Day 3: 

June 12, 2020 Day 4:

June 13, 2020 Day 5: 

Worksheet to take notes. Click here to access the worksheet to take note.

COVID-19 Advocacy: Responding to The Hot Spots by Grezone: An interesting webinar from leading health advocates who report in about how their communities and patients are coping with COVID 19. This is as an opportunity for colleagues to learn from experienced advocates in the field, across the United States:

• What is happening in patient advocacy practices across the United States during the time of the coronavirus?
• How are seasoned advocates responding to the needs in their communities?
• How do they adapt and serve their clients best?

GreyZone’s Chief Care Advocate, Io Dolka, moderated this panel of fellow-advocates. Get an update from Seattle, WA where the first COVID-19 case was reported, to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston, Texas. Click here to register and listen

COVID – 19 and Advocacy: Lessons Learned and Opportunities Ahead, by Greyzone

Learn from experienced professionals as we discuss the lessons learned so far during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what opportunities lie ahead for professional advocates in this field.

• What do we know now that we did not know a month ago?
• How is the healthcare landscape changing and how will those changes affect patient care and health advocacy?
• COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 case studies during the pandemic
• Insurance coverage, delayed care issues, mental health & substance abuse, advanced care planning, and many more

GreyZone’s Chief Care Advocate, Io Dolka, moderated this panel of fellow-advocates. Get an update from Seattle, WA where the first COVID-19 case was reported, to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston, Texas. To register and listen click here

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COVID-19 produced by Washington State Health Advocacy Association. Weekly Community Conversation with Dale Reisner, MD, Medical Director (OB/GYN Quality and Safety) at Swedish Health Services. We took questions, discussed concerns, and shared examples of positive advocacy adaptation due to COVID-19. This was our community’s opportunity to talk live, in a professional and safe environment about the pandemic.  To listen click here   FREE

TOC: Your Independent Advocacy or Care Management Practice in a Time of Coronavirus / COVID-19 produced by the Alliance for Professional Health Advocates. The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates developed a series of blog posts for professional advocates on a variety of topics that provide information on how to cope during the pandemic. To view them click here.  FREE

A Play

The Actual Dance: by Sam Simone. I was introduced to the Actual Dance a few years ago. It impacted me greatly as it was a reminder of what my husband went through when I was diagnosed with a central nervous system brain tumor. I have followed it over the years as it continues to evolve. If you are involved in cancer care, this would be a great show to bring to your annual meeting as it really captures the human side of cancer.

The Actual Dance is an award-winning play in the seventh year of production.  It has been performed internationally and now features two unique versions.  The Actual Dance transforms the audience as they laugh, cry and then cheer. It is a love story with a happy ending, The Actual Dance is told through the eyes and heart of a husband as he struggles with his worst fears in what everyone expects to be his wife’s losing battle to breast cancer. In the hour-long performance, and with original music, the story takes the audience on an emotional but uplifting journey that rewards them with an unexpected happy ending, and a universal, life-affirming lesson of hope and faith. Click here to learn visit the website and learn more.

Conferences

International Conference On Patient Advocacy (ICOPA) is the only National Conference for professional involved in Patient/Health Advocacy. The 2020 conference was scheduled for October 22-24, 2020 but had to be cancelled due to COVID 19. A virtual event is being planned.  So you can plan, we have released the 2021 dates! To learn more and sign up for updates, visit the website

Case Management Society of America 30th Annual Conference and Expo: The number one conference for professionals working in the area of case/care management was scheduled to be held June 28-July 2, 2020 in Boston MA, but due to the pandemic, the event is being moved to a virtual event. I you are involved in case management/care coordination plan to attend the virtual event. Here is the link to view the agenda and register.

Books

The Secret Language of Healthcare: How to Ask for the Care You Deserve by Robin Shapiro. The Secret Language of Healthcare is a book written for anyone who has ever navigated healthcare and wondered if there is a simpler way to get effective care. This book breaks down common, urgent health issues that any ordinary person should know about. Riveting, true stories highlight what can happen when you don’t know what to do in a health situation. The goal of this book is to help ordinary people understand what to say and do if they are confronted by a health issue in simple, understandable terms. To learn more and order, click here.

Healthcare Heroes: The Medical Careers Guide ” by Mary Choy, Michele B. Kaufman. Healthcare Heroes gives you the  unfiltered, unedited, no holds barred version of what it’s really like to be a healthcare professional in the 21st century. The book features some of the best and top healthcare jobs highlighted in the U.S. News & World Report. It serves as a useful resource for readers of all ages, whether they be in middle school, high school, college or already out in the workforce. The contributors are healthcare professionals who provide a personal touch and share their extensive knowledge and expertise through their journey into each of their professions. This is a great book for high school graduates as they begin their journey. I gave it to my niece when she graduated from high school this year. She loved it!  To learn more and purchase

Playbook for Life: The Fusion of Healthy Thoughts and Deep Emotion by Ann Mody Lewis, Ph.D. In Playbook for Life, Ann Mody Lewis, Ph.D., shares selected writings from her nine years of social media postings based on her work as an individual, couples, and family therapist. She writes about the gender beliefs that shape and disrupt our lives, especially as they pertain to masculine and feminine roles, relationships, health, and sexuality. The book is an informal guide for healthy living and better relationships with spouses, partners, and children. To learn more and purchase

Case Management: The Key to Patient Centered Care. Volume 2. Published by CMSA Chicago. This compilation of stories from the front lines of healthcare, told by the case/care managers themselves, helps to demonstrate the value and need for case management in all healthcare settings. A compelling collection of personal stories, memorable patient situations and best practices to apply to create the solutions that case managers are known for, Case Management: The Key to Patient Centered Care, is volume 2 of a new series that tells the story of “what happens after” in the healthcare experience. Understanding that true case management practice is the original patient centered care strategy, this collection strives to educate and every member of the care team, including the patient. To learn more and order this book click here.

Healthcare From The Trenches: An Insider Account of the Complex Barriers of U.S. Healthcare from the Providers and Patients’ Perspective” by Alejandro Badia, MD. This soon to be released book Healthcare from the Trenches details the system barriers that have led to “skyrocketing health costs, lack of patient access and inefficient delivery of care” and comes at a time when some national leaders are calling the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic a “chaotic catastrophe. To learn more click here.

Who Do We Choose To Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity by Margaret J. Wheatley. This book was born by the authors  desire to summon us to be leaders for this time as things fall apart, to reclaim leadership as a noble profession that creates possibility and humaneness in the midst of increasing fear and turmoil. To learn more, click here

The Value of Wrinkles:  Young Perspective on How Loving the Old Will Change Your Life by Isabel Tom. This book shows us how friendships dissolve the confines of loneliness and depression to brighten the lives of young and old alike.” “If you struggle with how to love the older person in your life, The Value of Wrinkles is the perfect place to start. The author’s words are fun, convicting, and practical all at the same time!  To lean more and purchase click here.

The Social Determinants of Health: Case Management’s Next Frontier by Ellen Fink Samnick. Ellen is a leader in the practice of case management and is sharing her knowledge, passion and insights to help the practice understand how to work in the disruptive environment we find ourselves in 2020. Her latest book, the Social Determinants of Health: Case Management’s Next Frontier is designed to help case managers develop strategies to manage and intervene with the populations predisposed to the risks associated with SDoHs. Not only does this new resource provide practical understanding and theory-based teaching around SDoHs, it also offers coding, assessment, and reimbursement tools for professionals in a clinical setting. SdoH is a hot topic that all members of the healthcare team need to learn more about. To purchase the book for your team, visit the website. You can use this code SocialHealth2019 to get 20% off your purchase.

Ellen made the 2019 list with her book The Essential Guide to Interprofessional Ethics in Healthcare Case Management. This book provides a way for case managers as well as other members of the healthcare team to gain the ethical skills necessary to respond to workplace bullying, treatment adherence, practice across state lines, and other ethical dilemmas. The book will help case managers navigate the ethical conundrums they face as they interact with one another, the healthcare team, and patients and families. Rather than providing a broad-strokes overview of ethics, author Ellen takes a focused approach and considers specific scenarios unique to healthcare and case management. The book covers industry disruptors, including technology and social media; workplace bullying; licensure across state lines; patient care considerations, such as end-of-life care, LGBT patients, and traumatic brain injury; and the impact of ethics on models of care, such as value-based care and population health. Click here to learn more and purchase the website. If you do decide to purchase, please feel free to enter this Discount Code: SAVE20

Nurses Moving Beyond the Bedside: There are No Limits, by ME! Opportunities abound for nurses as they advance in their careers! Nurses, Moving Beyond the Bedside; There are No Limits is a comprehensive report providing over 30 practice settings nurses can explore as they move forward. It is my hope that this report serves as a path to start your journey as YOU, Move Beyond The Bedside! To learn more and purchase click here.

2020 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey: by ME. The 2020 Case Management Salary & Trends Survey Special Report provides a visual snapshot of the practice of case management and the professionals who make up the practice. Case management professionals help patients and their caregivers better navigate the complex healthcare system. It is a recognized strategy utilized in every sector of the healthcare system to ensure healthcare is safe, effective, coordinated, and evidence-based, to meet the individual needs of the patient. Fill in the form below to download your special report. To download the report, click here. FREE with a sign up

E-letters:

5 Good Things: CNN’s newest e-letter. Every Saturday, the editorial team brings you the big headlines that make you smile, plus stories of fascinating discoveries, everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening right in your backyard. Click here to learn more and subscribe.  FREE

The Conversation: The Conversation US arose out of deep-seated concerns for the fading quality of our public discourse – and recognition of the vital role that academic experts can play in the public arena. The publication is independent and not-for-profit. It is part of a global network of newsrooms first launched in Australia in 2011. The Conversation began its US operations in 2014, and now also publishes in Canada, the UK, France, Indonesia, Africa, Spain as well as Australia. The mission is particularly resonant in the U.S., where people universally sense that the country’s social fabric is strained and the common ground people share is shrinking. Information always has been essential to democracy – a societal good, like clean water. But many now find it difficult to put their trust in the media. And with little consensus about what to believe, it only becomes harder to reach agreement with fellow citizens regarding what’s truthful. The Conversation US seeks to be part of the solution to this problem. To learn more and subscribe click here.  FREE

The Pause: The Pause is our Saturday morning newsletter, a gathering of threads from the far-flung, ongoing conversation that is The On Being Project. Step away from the week, and stay up to date with our latest podcasts, writings, live events, and more. We only ask for your email To learn more and subscribe: FREE

Healthassist: Navigating the Complexities of Healthcare. By Dianne Savastano. An important newsletter by a leader in the practice of Health Advocacy. Dianne covers issues that patients and their families can use to navigate the complex healthcare system. To learn more click here to visit the website. FREE

Nurse Advocate: A weekly e-letter from ME! I write this weekly post to share information for people (Patients, families and all members of the healthcare team) with the goal of helping to improve care and help all transition through the complex healthcare system. To learn more and subscribe click here  FREE

Podcasts:

The Stay at Home Nurse Podcast: by Deanna Cooper Gillingham, RN, CCM. Nurse and case management leader, Deanna Cooper Gillingham has been doing some really creative things to help nurses discover how they can create a nursing career that works for them so that they can have the time and freedom to do what you love. Whether it’s raising her family, traveling the world, or living comfortably at her condo on the Caribbean. Deanna has been using her RN license since 1994 to support her family and her lifestyle. From bedside nurse, home health nurse, travel nurse, procedure nurse, agency nurse, patient service rep, case manager, author, entrepreneur, and more, Deanna has done it all. She reveals her tips and tactics to discover which career move is the right next move for you, discover which job will meet you and your family’s needs, how to market yourself to potential employers, how to find the best employers to work for, as well as resume, LinkedIn, and interview tips so that you can get the job that works for you. If you are looking for a traditional bedside nursing job, non-bedside nursing job, work from home nursing job, flexible nursing job, high paying nursing job, remote nursing job, flexible part-time nursing job, nursing side gig, to become a freelance nurse or nurse entrepreneur or exploring the options of what you can do with your nursing credentials this podcast is for you. Nursing is a great career choice if you know how to use it to your advantage. The Stay At Home Nurse Podcast will inspire and equip you to do just that! It’s a mix of interviews, special co-hosts, and solo shows from Deanna that you’re not going to want to miss. To learn more and subscribe click here FREE

Patient’s Rising Podcast: For years, Patients Rising has given patients the information they need about health policy developments from Washington, all while giving them a voice in the nation’s capital. Now they are bringing the news to you in a format that’s easy to take with you wherever you go. Every week, Patients Rising Podcast will dig deep into the week’s healthcare policy issues that impact you. Each episode features the latest news, in-depth discussions with policymakers and patient advocates, and updates from patient correspondents around the country. To learn more and subscribe click here. FREE

To review my past Professional Reading list, click on the title

Continuous Learning, 2019

Continuous Professional Development: 2018

Inaugural Professional Reading List 2017