Lone Star Acquires CareSight to Expand Alarm Management Services for Hospital Decision-Makers

Lone Star Communications’ acquisition of CareSight will make it the only automated, multi- source solution as a service on the market that can deliver actionable data to nursing managers, patient quality officers, and hospital executives.

Lone Star Communications, Inc. (LSC), a recognized leader in life and safety solutions in the healthcare industry, is excited to announce the acquisition of CareSight, LLC, a powerful alarm analytics-as-a-service company that delivers the information required to help hospitals manage their alarm, alert, and notification environments. Effective immediately, CareSight, LLC will operate as a majority-owned division of Lone Star Communications Companies.

“I am excited about the powerful synergies between Lone Star and CareSight. The strength of LSC combined with the unparalleled capabilities of CareSight will make it significantly easier for hospital decision-makers to improve safety and operational efficiencies,” says Ray Bailey, Lone Star founder and president. “Emboldened with the right information, hospital management can confidently execute data-driven improvements and accelerate strategic programs.”

CareSight Founder Kenny Schiff says, “Our team brings over a decade of experience to LSC in the secure extraction of data from various sources, and experience transforming, normalizing, and correlating said data into usable information for different roles. In most environments, 99% of clinically relevant data is thrown away. Our solution leverages this data to support everything from staff planning to forensic research.”

Lone Star CareSight Press Release

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Talent Management Updates

Friends, Arkansans, Louisianans, and Texans, lend me your ears – err, eyes:

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had an opportunity to update everyone on what’s going on at Lone Star Communications regarding employee development and company culture, so you may want to pour a cup of hot chocolate, grab your favorite Snuggie, and get comfortable because there’s a lot!

Intro to Career Ladders 101

In January 2021, the company COOs and myself started an ambitious quest to design a program that increases the skillset and knowledgebase of every install tech in the company. This wasn’t a random strategic pursuit on leadership’s behalf; it was because of your feedback through Emplify in 2020. Through the surveys, it became very evident that our employees yearned for opportunities to grow with our company and have more control over their income potential.

Hold up! Did he say, “income potential”?

I did, and that’s right. As an employee goes through the newly established LSC Career Ladder program, they receive financial compensation that matches the degree of difficulty and importance to their position and the future of Lone Star Communications.

But wait… you said technicians! I’m a healthcare programmer! What about me?

Hold on, hold on. Put the pitchforks down and douse the torches. I think the following chart will be of interest to a lot of employees at Lone Star Communications. If you don’t see your department, don’t fret. I promise I haven’t forgotten about you.

Welcome to the LSC Leadership Academy

Okay. I must provide a full disclaimer here. I have a Master’s in Educational Leadership and although my degree focused on the specifics of leadership on a K-12 campus, I spent a large portion of time studying the fundamentals and philosophies of authentic leadership.

Y’all. Listen close. This. is. my. passion. I am very excited about this.

From day one of my tenure at Lone Star Communications, I wanted to construct a leadership training program that not only molds and reinforces LSC’s local and executive leadership with best practices but also prepares the next generation of Lone Star leadership through thoughtful and purposeful training opportunities that fit LSC’s core values and 1-3-5-10 year business goals.

Unfortunately, as of right now, I do not have an official target for company-wide implementation yet, but my Q4 2021 goal is to have the framework in place by the end of this year. At that point, I’ll start working with local and executive leadership to ensure successful implementation, buy-in, and identify the perfect roll-out opportunity in 2022. Stay tuned. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

LSC Rising Star Culture Club Committee

In May of 2021, we established the LSC Rising Star Culture Committee. The creation of the committee was also in response to Emplify engagement scores, trends, and feedback.

See? I told you that we’re listening!

The purpose of the committee is for all four regions (LSCI, LSCH, LSAR, and LSCT) to share employee intelligence, best practices, and provide a human voice to anonymous survey data while equipping every member of the committee with the information to be company culture “evangelists” at each of the main branches. On a talent management front, this allows me to pivot and address challenges instead of waiting every three to four months for new employee engagement survey data.

The committee is comprised of a cross-functional team of eight members plus me. There are two representatives from each region from all facets of the company: technicians, superintendents, administration, accounting, warehouse, sales, leadership, non-leadership, etc.

LSC is #Blessed!

In Q3, I inherited a new strategic push initiated by LSCH’s very own, Marquis Woodward. The purpose of the LSC Social Media Committee is to establish an internet footprint appropriate for a quickly growing and highly successful tech company. The benefit of this push is multi-faceted:

1. Sales. We know that our internet presence will not drive sales, but it will allow potential customers to vet our company and history while allowing LSC to showcase case studies and connect future customers with our current healthcare, education, and commercial partners in life safety and threat management.

2. Recruiting. I have facilitated many interviews over the past couple of years and identified a startling trend. Unless a candidate has a personal connection to the company, not many people know who we are and what we do. In the world of recruiting and talent acquisition, this is a major challenge in attracting the top talent in our country.

3. Employees. We want to celebrate you. We are extremely proud of the talent at LSC, but we do not have appropriate avenues to celebrate your successes and growth to the public other than word-of-mouth. By developing and aligning our social media presence, we can showcase our employees and prove to our partners and competitors that we have the best talent in our industry and communities.

I encourage every single employee to interact with our accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to help us increase our internet footprint and to show off that you’re a part of the Lone Star family.

Rising Star Hiring Process & Philosophy

I know there are some questions about new hires, lateral and vertical employee moves, and the philosophy that drives personnel decisions. A couple of years ago, Lone Star Communications adopted the “A Player” or Topgrading philosophy. This philosophy is focused on identifying internal and external candidates that exude our core values while demonstrating a technical skillset that is beneficial to the role that is being filled, but what does that look like?

External Hires: As we identify potential candidates, we (recruiting, hiring managers, and myself) are in constant conversation and utilizing customized tools to discern whether an individual is a true “Rising Star” (culture + performance) or not. Unfortunately, this process is not an exact science and mistakes do happen. The good news there is a system of checks and balances to ensure all available data including co-worker feedback is utilized in the decision-making process. In the event of a hire, the scorecard is utilized to ensure that all new employees are measured by expectations set by the hiring manager. This allows the organization to make tough personnel decisions quickly based on quantitative performance data and qualitative culture fit feedback.

Internal Moves: At Lone Star Communications, we have the best talent in our industry. Period. This is evident in our success over the past 30 years. Like external hires, we utilize our Rising Star resources and tools, but with one difference: we already know the candidate. It’s a wonderful opportunity for management and employees, but it does have its challenges and sometimes it’s much more complicated than just hiring an external candidate. When an employee applies for a position or requests an interview, the hiring manager must evaluate past and current performance, transferable skillsets, and departmental and company needs. There must also be coordination and conversations between the employee’s current supervisor and hiring manager. If the employee’s current department can’t afford to lose a Rising Star employee, it will never be a firm “no”, but it may be a “not yet.” As a company, we cannot “rob Peter to pay Paul.” Our employees are valuable, so we must be much more intentional in these decisions.

This intentionality is the reason all employees should take advantage of the educational and training resources provided by the company. If you have a professional goal, don’t wait until there is an opening. Let me know. If you’re missing a certain skillset required by your dream position, I can help you identify proper training and growth opportunities. I also engage leaders within your department or the department you’d like to move to, so they’re aware and we can put into place transition plans for when the time comes.

-Submitted by Trey Meador, Manager of Talent Development

Since You Mentioned It…

So many great comments, concepts, and constructive thoughts have been shared in our EMPLIFY SURVEYS. We hope you always make it a point to share those thoughts with your supervisor… or your supervisor’s supervisor… We want every issue you raise to be addressed, and since we have no idea who says what, speaking with your supervisor is the very best way for you to get the most current info and direct feedback.

Though you may not always see immediate results, ALL your comments are reviewed, discussed, and when actions seem prudent, actions are taken. When comments are personnel-related (such as “My co-worker does not work as hard as I do”, or “Some people are repeatedly acknowledged while others are overlooked”)… please speak up to your supervisor or to HR! If you say NOTHING, then NOTHING can be done… and all of us truly want to improve any area in which we can make a difference.

So, with that, here are comments taken directly from the Feedback section of our recent surveys. Minor editing may have been done to enhance the grammar and clarity of the statement. [Disclaimer: The thoughts expressed below are 100% the responses by Patt Bowles. No other LSC personnel have been consulted nor have any animals been harmed in the process.]

Statement: “I feel communication of some leadership could be better.”

Response: LSC has implemented 1:1’s for all employees, regular newsletters, informational emails from COOs and Ray, virtual Company meetings, display boards, and more for that exact reason: improve communication, find the best way to get the information you should have delivered in a way you will read it / hear it. Also, hopefully you know that all LSC personnel in leadership positions have a 100% Open Door Policy. This means, if you reach out to anyone on our leadership team, we will make time to visit with you and listen.

Action: In last week’s Strategic Planning Meeting, the SPC named LSC Internal Communication Plan as one of our TOP 3 PRIORITIES for Q4! You will see that posted around your office on the Vision Summary Poster very soon.

Statement: “Start implementing a standard companywide response for inclement weather.”

Response: Each LSC Region has unique weather circumstances. There can be a hurricane going on in south Texas, while Springdale is covered in ice, and Grand Prairie is basking in the sunshine. [You know I’m right 😊] For that reason, each Region’s COO makes the call for the actions to be taken when these events occur and they communicate them to all personnel via emails, TEAMS, through supervisors, using whichever methods work most effectively in that moment.

Action: If you have recommendations, please share those with your supervisor.

Statement: “A way to implement certain tech training (certification) during work hours.”

Response: Many of the most required skills and certification trainings are currently scheduled during work hours. These include Responder 5 Hardware, Telecenter U, Troubleshooting 101, and many more. A host of other offerings you can explore are available via our LMS within Paycom.

Action: If you have recommendations for additions to our tech training and certification classes, or any classes you think could benefit LSC employees, please submit those to your supervisor or email them to: Trey.Meador@lonestarcom.com

Statement: “Start giving feedback on where LSC sees the person in 1, 2, 5 years (growing within the Company).”

Response: If you are not getting this particular feedback as part of your 1:1 or during your scorecarding / Rising Star review, remind your supervisor this is important to you. You can also reach out to Trey Meador, Talent Development, to get more input on opportunities for growth within LSC and your role in creating your own Career Ladder.

Action: Trey.Meador@lonestarcom.com or TEAMS Trey or phone Trey @ (972) 595-3932

Statement: “We should try to do school systems here in Houston.”

Response: Boy! Do we wish we could! As a Rauland distributor, we have exclusive rights to territories as granted by Rauland. This means the only Rauland product that can be sold within a particular area is product sold by that area’s designated Rauland distributor. Territories are divided by Healthcare and Education, so there are many instances in which one distributor holds the Healthcare line and a different distributor carries the Education line. So long as the distributor meets quota expectations and quality standards and wishes to maintain the Rauland product line, the distributor will retain that product line in their territory. An education distributor cannot suddenly decide to sell Healthcare in a territory where a designated Healthcare distributor already exists… and visa versa. This is the case with our Houston education market. There exists a longtime, designated Rauland distributor in the Houston education market that has been consistently successful and continues to be so.

Action: Until the existing education distributor decides to give that up, our hands are tied. At least we have that GREAT Houston Healthcare market! (And phenomenal Healthcare salespeople working it!)

Statement: “I feel there should be an overall review/evaluation on a tech’s work/jobsites to determine a pay rise or not.”

Response: Funny you should mention that. Scorecarding / Rising Star conversations are now implemented for almost every person in the company. Using metrics to identify areas in which employees excel, areas for improvement, areas for recognition, opportunities for training and career development, supervisors have an objective way to provide feedback, open channels of communication, and determine adjustments in compensation. These reviews are not just about money. It is about job satisfaction, competency, discovering training gaps, and providing true Rising Stars with the tools and support to succeed.

Action: Speak to your supervisor about scheduling your next scorecarding / Rising Star discussion.

Statement: “Make sure that employees are given the proper training of any new task that they are given.”

Response: I have referenced training a good bit in above responses, but I want to emphasize that we want you to feel fully confident in the tasks you perform. There are times that because of recent coworker promotions, team member illnesses, contractor deadlines, etc. we may be placed in a position to jump in to assist without all the formal education that would normally be provided. Hopefully, these instances are not the norm. When a new task is introduced, there should be training, demonstration, observation, and recognition that competency is achieved.

Action: If you find yourself in a situation in which you are unable to comfortably perform to a high level of quality, STOP. Contact your supervisor and voice your concern and clearly state what you need to be successful in that situation. If at any time you do not feel supported after voicing concerns, CONTACT SOMEONE in Executive Leadership OR our HR Director, Ramona Rook. Ramona.Rook@lonestarcom.com (501) 404-6246.

I hope this has provided you with some answers. Remember, you can always reach out to me with questions. If I don’t have the answer, I will find another resource for you and I am happy to do so.

If you liked this column, LET ME KNOW… I will look into some of our earlier surveys for more comments to answer for you. Blessings! Patt

-Submitted by Patt Bowles, ESVP | Chief Operating Officer Corporate Services