Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carrie Kass. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Carrie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

Healthcare Management is not an area that I had ever considered. I had graduated with a business degree and was living the “corporate life”.

In my mid 20’s I was t-boned in a motor vehicle collision. Fortunately, I was not seriously injured but suffered severe whiplash along with a few other musculoskeletal injuries. I sought treatment from a chiropractic clinic and experienced amazing results. Throughout my treatment, I got to know the doctor, and he asked me if I had ever considered running a clinic. My initial answer was a resounding “no way”, but I was presented with an offer I couldn’t walk away from.

After a couple of years in that role, I was recruited and hired by one of the most successful chiropractic rehab clinics in Greater Cleveland, and I remained in that role of Practice Manager/Administrator for over ten years until I moved to Austin.

Carrie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Once settled in Austin, I partnered with Dr. David and Michele Harris, PT, in early 2011 to help build out their vision of Center for Healing and Regenerative Medicine (CHARM). My husband John was seeing Dr. Harris for PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) treatment on his knee when Dr. Harris started sharing his vision of the multi-specialty medical practice he was launching with his wife. Later that same day I reached out to Dr. Harris expressing my interest in joining his team. Soon after, I met Dr. Harris and Michele, and an instant bond was formed.

I immediately went to work, at first behind the scenes to oversee construction and build-out, create the aesthetics and flow, manage contracts, compliance, credentialing, and vendor relationships. I then set out to build the team that would open the doors in August 2011. Since then, CHARM has grown from 7 members to 22 members that includes four clinical practitioners, three physical therapists, a medspa and increased front office and clinical support staff. We also had the fortunate hurdle of having to find a larger space after only a couple of years. In 2015 we moved to our current location at Riverplace/Four Points which is over the double the size of our original building!

With an extensive background in the clinical and administrative roles for integrative and allopathic medical practices, I have a well-balanced knowledge of both the practical and management sides of operations that I effectively translate into efficient clinical operations and fiscally responsible management practices. I have a strong belief in team building and employee development. This allows for active company growth through positive employee environments and morale, which in turn promotes an unparalleled providing of exceptional care for the patients of CHARM. I am honored to share that CHARM was a 2017 finalist for a Greater Austin Business Award in the category of Customer Service and was nominated again in 2018 and 2019.

Beyond the operations and management requirements of my job, I have taken the lead on all business development, marketing and advertising, branding, website management and social media platforms. I have built and maintained a strong SEO for our organization and have developed an effective campaign and promotional strategy to keep our brand fresh and relevant.

Event planning plays a huge role in my job. I have actualized multiple educational, networking and multi-vendor “shopping” events. In addition, I have spearheaded numerous med spa events with one of our most successful being a new laser treatment launch. With the help of multiple team players, we generated over $50,000 in revenue in one evening.

At The Center For Healing And Regenerative Medicine, we provide comprehensive and integrated non-surgical solutions to promote tissue repair and recovery of function for individuals with musculoskeletal pain, orthopedic injuries, and degenerative joint conditions. Our focus is not simply to relieve your pain but to resolve it. CHARM combines decades of experience and state of the art techniques to unleash the power of your own platelets and stem cells to repair injury, strengthen joint integrity, increase mobility, and decrease pain with little to no downtime.

Optimizing recovery and function requires identifying the root cause of a problem, applying solutions to release, balance, and build proper movement patterns, and providing tools you can use for a lifetime. Helping unlock the ability to return to living at your highest potential is our commitment to our patients.

I believe not only in the science behind regenerative medicine and the therapies offered but I believe in the mission and principles of CHARM. I refer to what we do as “happy medicine” that produces results and helps patients recover or rehab from chronic pain or injury. I also believe in not just hiring staff but building a team who is as passionate and excited as I am. My personal mission is to empower the team around me to be forward thinkers, problem solvers and compassionate caregivers. Because of this, we serve not only the greater Austin area, but we attract patients from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico as well as other countries across the globe.

I was given such a unique opportunity to bring to life the feel and look of the office, to create and encourage a special type of culture, and to introduce a special brand awareness to the public. Most healthcare clinics do not put thought or care into creating a welcoming, calming and healing environment. From the clinic layout to the decor and furniture to the color scheme to all of the “extras” and concierge perks given to patients, I’ve been sure to have my hand on every one of them. I want patients to feel like they are receiving the red carpet treatment and I want the staff to know they are valued and appreciated.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Trying to do it alone rather than utilizing all the talents of your group rarely results in growth. Managing a team is tough and requires strong leadership through communication management, goal setting, delegation, team performance management and conflict resolution. Effective team management brings your team together, keeps them motivated and propels them to perform at their best.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships” – Michael Jordan

Open communication and transparency are key. Create an environment in which your team can feel comfortable voicing concerns, sharing ideas, and communicating with you and with one another.

Providing constructive feedback is one of the best ways you can help them develop. Check in regularly. Be consistent with annual or special timeline reviews. Ask your team what is going well, what is not. Are they finding any challenges or roadblocks that are preventing them from doing the job as expected? They WANT to know that you care and that they are heard.

I cannot excel in my roles unless I have trust in my team and am able to delegate. Effective team management does NOT EQUAL micromanagement. I hired every person for their specific skill set(s), and I give them autonomy over their day and duties. They know I’m always here to answer questions and offer support when needed.

Finally, I set positive boundaries to ensure a good work-life balance for our team and helping to prevent burnout. As a manager you have to understand that life happens – kids get sick, cars break down, dentist appointments are needed, etc., even after some are completely out of PTO to use. I allow for some flexibility to take care of these life needs when it does not disrupt the rest of the team or clinic. Do I have boundaries? Yes. Am I a compassionate and caring leader that always tries to provider for her team? Also yes.

In addition to that flexibility, I also offer fun and recognition. Everyone’s birthday is celebrated. Staff are recognized if they are mentioned in an online review. We celebrate our team success with happy hours, staff outings, a blow out holiday party and food….lots of food! Show your team you love them, value them, respect them, and appreciate them.

One of my favorite quotes is by Richard Branson: “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients“.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Compassion. With compassion, we have a good understanding of what the other person is experiencing and a willingness to act. Compassion occurs when we take a step away from showing solely sympathy or empathy and ask ourselves what we can do to support the person who is suffering. You do have to be careful to not get emotionally hijacked, and overcoming this is a critical skill for any manager or leader. However, if you go the extra step to take action that’s meaningful to the person in distress, that’s compassion – and your team will remember that.

Compassion also has more impact on creating a culture of trust when there’s shared adversity and teams have experienced something difficult together. That’s because it helps create relatedness, synchronicity, and connections—a particularly powerful tool for leaders who are scrambling these days to retain employees.

Take, for instance, navigating through COVID as a Director of a medical practice. I remember March of 2020 when everyone was asking questions about what to do, are we going to have to shut down, am I going to lose my job. I’m used to being the person with answers and the best I could come up with at that moment was, “I don’t know. Trust me and I will get us through this.” It was tough because I did have to furlough some staff. I had to figure out how to still see our patients but keep everyone safe and calm. I recognized what different people were going through with home schooling, family members being sick, etc. I just continued to reassure everyone that I had their best interest at heart and that I was here to help them navigate this difficult time. As a result, I was able to bring everyone back after only 4 weeks and return to full clinic operation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.charmaustin.com
• Instagram: @charmaustin (professional) @thecarriekass (personal)
• Facebook: facebook.com/CHARMcenterforhealingandregenerativemedicine
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-healing-and-regenerative-medicine-charm-/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM1v90dsXpWvQXo78YblQaw
• Other: I have recently started a side venture,Ladies Lifestyle Network ATX, where we aim to inspire and empower women of all walks of life and at any stage of business. We are building a community to lift up and celebrate all women in the Greater Austin area. Social and Experience events will be starting soon, but for now anyone can join our social pages @ladieslifestylenetworkatx (IG) or Ladies Lifestyle Network ATX on Facebook.

Image Credits
All personal or company photos with my permission