We make lives better.
911勛圖 takes the pain out of the healthcare experience
for those providing, receiving, and paying for medical care.

Though there was nothing wrong with our previous mission statement, it was a little hard to remember and did not seem to inspire people the way we wanted.

Revising 911勛圖’s original mission statement was an exhaustive process. We considered hundreds of versions and modifications. We wanted to get it right.

I even tried Chat GPT once. I asked for a mission statement about a company that provides the services 911勛圖 does and takes the pain out of the healthcare process. It came up with:

“Our mission is to empower patients and simplify healthcare by reducing complexity and eliminating unnecessary pain points in the healthcare process, ensuring accessible, efficient, and compassionate healthcare for all.”

While it’s unlikely I’d ever remember a mission statement that long, for a first pass by an AI computer, I have to say I was impressed.

Still, the challenge persisted. To follow best practices, a company’s mission statement needs to concisely encapsulate its focus and value. For 911勛圖, that meant accomplishing three goals with our new mission statement:

1. Inspire employees and clients alike with a shared sense of purpose.
2. Incorporate the word “better” to align with our tagline, A Better Way.
3. Demonstrate that we “take the pain out of the process” for all stakeholders – employees, payers, providers, and patients.

With these four words – We make lives better – I believe we’ve hit the mark.

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However, sometimes organizations can get bogged down with too many key performance indicators (KPIs), copious desirable employee traits and overly complex review processes, so it���s nice to have a quick, ���back-of-the-napkin��� measure of employee value.

According to businessman Mark Cuban, the secret to career longevity in his billion-dollar empire is the ability to lower his stress level.

In a recent with Money magazine, Cuban shared, ������Anybody who reduces my stress becomes invaluable to me.�� I never want to get rid of them.������

Cuban���s approach really resonated with me. It���s a seemingly simple litmus test that easily encapsulates so many desirable workplace traits:

• Reliability
• Accountability
• Resourcefulness
• Team Player
• Skilled Communicator
• Solution-Oriented
• Conflict Resolver

As any manager can attest, leading teams and organizational functions is often stressful. With so many responsibilities to juggle, it makes perfect sense that an employee who minimizes disruption and spares you headaches is an invaluable asset.

So, the next time I���m considering an employee for a promotion, conducting a review or assessing performance coaching opportunities, I���ll be keeping Cuban���s insight in mind. Asking myself, ���Does this person reduce my stress?��� is a wise way to gauge an employee���s current worth and potential coaching needs.

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Many of us at 911勛圖 and throughout the workers��� compensation community worked with Jamey over the years. Anyone who had the opportunity will surely remember his quick wit and his contagious, often mischievous, smile.�� It was nearly impossible to be in a bad mood around Jamey.

His leadership style, with his peers, team and partners, was amazing.�� He had this ability to see and inspire the best in people.�� He was always fair and even keeled, rarely sweating the small stuff. As a leader, Jamey would set the overall objectives and consistently expect and encourage people to achieve more than they thought they ever could.�� More often than not, they achieved those goals.�� I’ve personally watched so many people who���ve worked with Jamey blossom over the years.

We accomplished a lot professionally together, and had a ton of fun doing it. More than that, he became a friend. Some of my favorite memories in life will involve Jamey in some way.

He leaves behind an amazing family that he was very proud of and in love with. His devoted wife, who also became a dear friend, his daughter who attends law school in DC, and his son who is entering college this fall. I cannot imagine what they are going through, but they are all very fortunate to have had each other for the time they did.

Jamey left this world the way he would have wanted to, surrounded by family and friends in a beautiful Caribbean location.

He was one of the good ones. The world is a little less bright without him.

May you rest in peace, Jamey Masingill. You will be missed more than you know.

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This article forced me to rethink my definition of authenticity.

The concept is pretty simple; the advice to “just be yourself” isn���t always the most beneficial. Being your true “inner self” implies that who you are is static or “fixed” and cannot be evolved. ��This is never true; we are all learning and constantly evolving as time goes on. ��Authenticity is created by trying to evolve your inner self to be more like the image of yourself in which you try to project. ��Rather than changing from the inside out, you bring the outside in.

Imagine the opposite; if we were all perfectly honest about our inner-most thoughts.

A decade ago, the author A. J. Jacobs spent a few weeks trying to be totally authentic and transparent. He informed a friend���s 5-year-old daughter that the beetle in her hands was not napping but dead. He told his in-laws that their conversation was boring.

It is safe to say that we shouldn���t always share exactly what is on our minds all the time.

The concept of self-monitoring��is what drives behavior. If you’re a high self-monitor then you���re constantly scanning your environment for social cues and adjusting accordingly. A high self-monitor tends to hate social awkwardness and desperately wants to avoid offending anyone. ��On the other hand, if you���re a low self-monitor then you���re guided more by your inner states, regardless of your circumstances.

Low self-monitoring people think high self-monitors are phonies, and high self-monitoring people tend to think low self-monitors are jerks.

There is a time and a place for more inner openness. ��Research suggests that low self-monitors have happier marriages and a lower rate of divorce; trust and a genuine connection are needed.

Both in work and in the rest of our lives, it is usually the opposite. ��High self-monitors advance faster and earn higher status, in part because they���re more concerned about their reputations. These high self-monitors spend more time finding out what others need and helping them than low self-monitors, therefore, their actions are not phony or fraudulent to others.

The next time someone says, ���just be yourself,��� feel free to��be cautious. Not everyone wants to hear everything that���s in your head; they just want you to live up to what comes out of your mouth.

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Lessons from Tim Minchin���s Speech:

1. You do NOT have to have a giant DREAM. Instead, have passionate dedication to short-term goals. If you focus too far ahead, you won’t see the shiny thing out of the side of your eye.
2. Do NOT seek happiness. If you think about it too much, it goes away. Keep busy and aim to make someone else happy.
3. It’s ALL luck. You are lucky to be here, to have your background, your DNA, etc.�� Don’t take yourself too seriously.
4. Exercise. Take care of your body. We are living longer.�� You are going to need it.
5. Be HARD on YOUR OWN opinions and beliefs. Be intellectually rigorous.
6. Be an AMAZING TEACHER in all aspect of your life. Share your ideas, rejoice in what you love, and SPRAY IT.
7. Define yourself by what you LOVE, and not what you dislike.
8. RESPECT people with less power than you.
9. DON’T RUSH. Don’t PANIC. You do not need to know what you are going to do with your life yet.

Finally, leave it to humans to think that life has a purpose. There is one sensible thing to do with this empty existence: FILL IT. LEARN as much as you can about as much as you can. Take PRIDE in whatever you are doing. SHARE ideas. BE enthusiastic, “It’s an incredibly exciting, wonderfully meaningless life of yours.”

The summary loses a lot of the finer points of his message, so enjoy his sometime.

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My mother was a college professor. I would listen to her colleagues talk about how they had a “research grant” and then they used this time off from teaching to take another job, write a book, etc. instead of conducting said ���research.��� So I also developed a cynical view of the ability to waste money on “research.”

The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association now finds itself at a crossroads, with unprecedented donations and the influx of funds to make real headway with a fatal disease that is still largely a mystery.

ALS is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It is a horrible disease that slowly kills the body���s ability to use muscles. First the conscious muscle use goes (walking, lifting), then the sub-conscious (breathing, swallowing) and, finally, the eyes tend to go last. Imagine, your mind is fully sharp, but your body no longer listens or responds. It is like living in reverse of what you did as a baby. Nobody should have to endure this disease if we can solve it.

his diagnosis July 4, 1939. In the 75 years since, little attention has been paid to the disease, and little progress has been made. Sadly, even the root cause is not really known.

A very good friend of mine has been stricken by this terrible disease. I am blown away by how, in just this year of his diagnosis, it���s a cause that has for the first time come to the forefront of society’s attention with the . It feels like fate.

The amount of money raised by this challenge has been staggering. At the time I am writing this, the total raised for the ALS Association has been about 80 million, vs. 2.5 million at the same time last year. That is a 32 fold increase. This is amazing.

The ALS Association appears to be based on the percentage of money received that actually goes into programs. In 2013, 72.3% of the funds raised went to the programs they support. This has nothing to do with how effective they are at running their programs or the quality of the research, but it is a start.

When I did , I challenged the association and researchers to use these funds wisely. The association has NEVER seen money like this. The research teams and association cannot be equippedto deploy it all right away, and in some ways, that is good. This windfall cannot be counted on every year, so it needs to be spent effectively.

We need to use this opportunity to start making progress on fighting this disease. There should be no big increases in salaries or overhead for the association. The association needs to make sure the researchers being funded are making progress or, if not, stop wasting money on the bad research paths and move it towards more promising paths.

Really, any disease has only a certain number of possible root causes ��� genetic, environmental, viral, bacterial, nutritional, or physical damage (or some combination).

This disease needs passionate researchers to attack the search for answers head on ��� perhaps people who have lost someone to ALS or people who may have a family risk.  We need researchers who are dedicated to finding a cure today, not tomorrow. It’s a very worthy cause, but I don’t want to see the fight to cure ALS become people’s life-long careers. We do not need more experts at “knowing the most about nothing.” Let’s work on it, solve it, and move on to fight other diseases. Or, at the very least, let’s use this money to find root cause(s) so we can attack something specific.

This is an opportunity to change lives for the better. Let’s make the most of it!

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Watching the joy he brings to serving his customers is an inspiration.

He is not staying in business by serving amazing food.  As he says it, “food is food.”  It is all about the hugs, smiles and joy he gives to those that visit Tim’s Place.

It is sometimes hard to keep in mind that the “personal” touch and joy we can give to our friends, co-workers, and customers is every bit as important as our “food.”

Now��多ug them and make great food, and you have something truly special.

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When I read it, I was touched in many ways.  As a father, I was torchered by the pain and loss of the family of this amazing young woman.  As a human, I was moved by the words and how many of them put texture and shape to what I want to accomplish at 911勛圖. I hope you take the time to read it.  It is inspiration for our life and a tribute to her life.

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There has been a lot of focus on artificial and robotic hands and legs that move via brain waves. The costs are astronomical and the success rates only minimal.�� It’s always a custom job with a very long rehab to retrain someone’s brain to use it.

This is a game changer because it can be mass produced and does not need the same level of training or expense long term. It just goes to show that if we can think outside the normal boundaries defined by society and our preconceived notions, there’s always a better solution waiting for us.

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A friend of mine had something horrible happen last week.  His wife and two year old daughter were running an errand at noon on Friday when some guy on drugs slammed them from behind at a stop light.  The jaws of life were needed to cut out the child.  She was taken by air ambulance to Johns Hopkins where she���s fighting for life now after multiple brain surgeries.  It looks like even if she survives, there may be permanent brain damage (all my love and prayers to little Ava and her family).  This person made a selfish choice and a child will never be the same.  Her sister, mom and dad will never enjoy life the same way.  Another childhood friend of mine happened to be an EMT in the same area as the accident.  I called him to see if he knew any details and he was a mess.  He was with Ava in the air ambulance.  He was already in counseling for the nightmares from another horrible child incident and seeing another baby this injured was tearing him apart.  Ripple further out to me, and I���m having a hard time dealing with this.  I keep picturing the pain of my friend, feeling completely helpless, and picturing what I would be like if it were my own little girl.

on Ava’s condition, plus more details on the man charged in the crash who was driving while impaired. The accused has driven under the influence numerous times. Police found drugs on him at the accident scene and back at his house. Yet still he remains a free man.

Then, I look at Bernie Fine’s accusers (the assistant coach of Syracuse who has been accused of abuse by multiple people).  One of his accusers to abusing a child.  If the Fine accusation is true, here is a terrible ripple again.  Does anyone believe this would have happened if the young man was not abused himself as a child?  Another generation damaged by someone’s selfish and malicious choices.

I have no tolerance left for people who intentionally put bad or evil ripples into the world.  Some bad ripples are accidental.  There are car accidents that are not malicious, but horrible things do happen ��� that���s just part of life. Intentional ripples are different; they are a purposeful choice.  Intentional ripples could be as simple as throwing trash on the ground.  It is a choice, and NOTHING good can come from it.  It only makes the world a worse place.  Why do it?

The good news is you can choose to send out good ripples.  I love seeing the good in people.  Things like the sweeping the country this holiday season, paying for toys for families that cannot afford them.  The people doing it get no credit, no glory.  All they get are good ripples spreading out into the world.  You can do it too, and it does not take money.  It can be as simple as saying something nice to your spouse or co-worker.

A perfect example: I was about to post this blog and the doorbell rang.  I answered the door and it was two little kids maybe six and seven with huge grins on their faces.  They yelled “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.”  I asked them if they were just going around spreading holiday cheer trying to make everyone’s day a little brighter, and they said “Yes!” and ran off to the next door.  It���s that simple.

So have a joyful holiday season and in this time of reflection, try to find a way to spread some good ripples in your own lives and the lives of those you love.

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