Testimonials

Dick Courcelle, MPA; Chief Executive Officer;
Community Care Partners, Rutland Vermont

Christian was instrumental in helping us establish a solid foundation for our emerging behavioral health telehealth services just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When the pandemic forced providers to quickly pivot to virtual care, we were well-prepared while many others in our industry struggled and experienced poor results and provider/client dissatisfaction. Since then, Christian has assisted us to develop on an evaluative process to select and adopt evidence-based digital behavioral health technologies.

Dick’s organization has worked with Christian since April 2020 to advise on telehealth
and digital health strategy and implementation.

Scott Louiselle, MS; Process Improvement Manager; Community Care Partners, Rutland Vermont

This year (2023) marks a three-year partnership between Community Care Network (CCN) and Ingenium Digital Health Advisors. As the lead for CCN’s Digital Health Initiative, I have had the opportunity to work directly with Christian Milaster during that term. Christian’s contributions and expertise have been instrumental in shaping an organizational culture of innovation. This includes guidance in the development and implementation of a Digital Health Strategy which has paved the way for significant improvements in service delivery, leveraging digital health tools and expertise.

Throughout the duration of the project, Christian’s deep understanding of the healthcare industry and digital solutions truly impressed us. Working from a foundational framework in clinical management, I especially appreciate Christian’s ability to balance the experience of staff and consumers, ensuring a holistic approach to meeting needs. Christian is always responsive and approachable making it a pleasure to collaborate.

During the project, Christian was able to guide our organization to transformative Digital Health maturity. This guidance included leadership in optimizing telehealth services and unifying Digital Health practices. Christian provided one-on-one support to analyze complex challenges and reinforce comprehensive change management strategies to accelerate our strategic progress. This empowerment supported the Digital Health Steering Committee in bringing ideas to implementation.

Through a customized approach to consultation, training and steering committee support, Christian was able to provide versatile reinforcement that followed the rapidly changing landscape of our healthcare organization. This investment in our journey resulted in workforce outcomes such as telehealth processes and standardization, improved virtual session engagement, and an expertise in screening digital health strategies to address organizational pain points. Christian’s support has also resulted in improved care delivery outcomes for individuals served. These include support protocols such as tech checks when establishing care, expanded delivery of hybrid care, and strategies for boosting consumer satisfaction.

Most recently Christian has supported our early stage transformation to a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). This includes proposed workforce outcomes targeting satisfaction and efficiency for staff, enabling measurement-informed care and transforming our collaborative documentation solutions at the organization. As a result of work with Christian, Community Care Network has a strategy to guide the future of technology-related healthcare services at the organization.

Scott’s organization has worked with Christian since April 2020 to advise on telehealth
and digital health strategy and implementation.

Loren Miller, Senior VP, Behavioral Health and Telehealth, ARcare

Christian’s knowledge and expertise surrounding all things telehealth and the systems needed to support it becomes apparent very quickly when talking with him.

What sets Christian apart from others I have worked with in the past, is the way he goes about working with others to effect the change necessary to have success in telehealth and optimize those systems.

In observing his work, what impressed me more than anything else is how he was able to have an awareness and control of his own emotions and presentation while adeptly handling the various personalities and interpersonal relationships professionally and empathetically, all the while maintaining a command of the goals of those meetings and moving them forward.

I guess another way of expressing that is that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone “read the room” while accomplishing goals quite so effectively as what I saw the first week I met Christian.

The high level of Emotional Intelligence that I witnessed from Christian in the beginning has continued to evidence itself over the following weeks and months as he guided us through identifying common goals with partners that have at times, dissimilar motivations, and have created space to accomplish the goals of the grant in a way that benefits all.

I firmly believe that without the approach he used, those goals would be much further out from being attained.

Even though I’m leaving my current position, I will be forever grateful for the guidance Christian has provided me and his sincere willingness to share his knowledge in the way he has to ensure not only the success of this project, but my personal success as well.

I hope to keep in contact with him and hope our paths continue to professionally cross!

Loren’s organization engaged Ingenium to manage their HRSA TeleEMS Grant in 2022

Diane Ferran, MD, MPH – VP Clinical Excellence & Innovation – CHCANYS

What results or outcomes were achieved by working with Christian and his team? How do you know?

Multiple health centers reported (in post-event surveys and further programming) finding Christian’s webinar series helpful in identifying priorities for hybrid care programs, internally assessing needs, and managing change within the organization. Numerous participants commented during or immediately after sessions that the content covered was relevant and presented in a useful way.

What contribution did Christian provide in achieving those results or outcomes?

Christian generated and presented the specific content, and was responsive with both CHCANYS and member health centers throughout the five-webinar series in making changes as necessary. For example, in response to participant comments, Christian collaborated with two different health centers to provide a live mini-coaching session regarding their virtual care offerings in lieu of a more traditional didactic presentation.

What did you enjoy about working with Christian?

Christian and his team were consistently professional and responsive to our programmatic needs. Communication was prompt and straightforward. The webinars themselves were engaging and informative, and the Ingenium team made it very easy to manage technical matters, such as rehosting the recorded webinars on our site.

Dr. Ferran’s organization engaged Christian in 2023 for a webinar series on
optimizing hypertension management with virtual care.

Molly Jones, Health Information and Quality Director, WPHCA

The Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association (WPHCA) engaged Ingenium Digital Health Advisors to provide a four-part webinar series and telehealth deep dives for FQHCs.

Through both of these opportunities, Christian prompted Health Centers to think strategically about their use of telehealth, design telehealth workflows and policies around patient and provider experience, identify actionable data sources to drive telehealth optimization, and provided the tools and guidance Health Centers needed to advance their use of telehealth tools. In individualized Health Center meetings, Christian provided just-in-time consulting support to meet the Health Center’s needs – Christian’s approach has a way of getting health care organizations “unstuck” from perceived barriers to telehealth implementation.

In the FQHC world, there is a saying, “When you’ve seen one Health Center, you’ve seen one Health Center.” Christian mirrors this concept in his consulting style. Christian is acutely aware that a one-size-all approach to telehealth adoption is insufficient. Each organization needs to develop their own telehealth vision that meets their unique community and patient needs and advances an organization’s strategic priorities. Christian encouraged Health Centers to leverage their internal expertise and knowledge in the development of their telehealth strategy, while providing tools, guidance, and just-in-time feedback along the way.

Christian has a knack for breaking down big-picture and complex concepts into realistic, action-oriented next steps. I appreciate Christian’s friendly disposition, passion for patient-centered healthcare design, and his highly responsive approach to client needs. I hope to work with Christian again on future telehealth projects. 😊

Molly hired Christian in 2021 to provide training and advisory services to Wisconsin’s FQHCs.

Alexander Tuschel, Orthopaedic & Spine Surgeon

What results or outcomes were achieved by working with Christian?

I engaged Christian when I was in the middle of creating a digital health workflow and online services for my existing private practice. During this process I wasn’t sure if I was on the right track; I had lost focus and didn’t have a clear picture of how the specific steps and workflow pieces should look and in which way they should be put together.

Christian helped me clarify the vision, developed a very logical, simple and efficient pathway and stressed the importance of iterative improvements and some manual/human control-steps at least at the beginning of the project.

I completed the last consultation with Christian with a good feeling and with confidence. I had a much clearer picture of how to continue and a concrete and very specific masterplan of the workflows and the next steps to take.

What contribution did Christian have in achieving those results or outcomes?

Everything 😉 Sorting the chaotic status-quo. Creating structure and order.

What did you enjoy about working with Christian?

I enjoyed Christian’s very personal and professional approach and the very easy and uncomplicated way to handle my chaotic schedule. I also appreciated the opportunity to just „dump“ any ideas and questions directly on him between our weekly calls. Lastly, Christian left me with the peace of mind to know I am able to ask some more questions that are „on topic“ even after the official consultation ended.

Dr. Tuschel, a spine surgeon in Vienna, Austria, engaged Christian as a telehealth service design advisor in 2021.

Mark Maloney, CEO, Venops

What results or outcomes were achieved by working with Christian?

Working with Christian I learned how to create more influence and to use that influence in a positive way without working more hours. As a hard worker, I did not want to work more, only to gain more pleasure from it.

How do you know?

My work/life balance is better according to the feedback I have gotten from friends and family.

What contribution did Christian have in achieving those results or outcomes?

Regular contact with Christian is an uplifting experience. He is dedicated to his area of expertise and it shows. I learned something new from every conversation with Christian. He will never waste your time.

What did you enjoy about working with Christian?

I love working with smart and positive people. He is a wonderful example of this combination. And he shares good ideas freely. He consciously practices the Law
of Reciprocity.

Mark hired Christian as his productivity advisor in 2021.

Dr. John Guha, Founder & CEO US Doctor Consult & LGBTQ.clinic

What results or outcomes were achieved by working with Christian? How do you know?

I consulted Christian regarding my new telemedicine company. He was instrumental in giving valuable advice on our basic business model, recommending that we narrow our focus rather than try to “be everything to everybody”. He recommended marketing strategies so we could develop more targeted and cost-efficient allocation of our resources.

What contribution did Christian have in achieving those results or outcomes?

Christian was also a great referral source, introducing us to multiple other telemedicine resources.

What did you enjoy about working with Christian?

Christian was efficient and made the most of our time, and of course he was pleasant and amicable while still maintaining high professionalism and integrity. He was prompt and thorough and knowledgeable in the entire telemedicine sphere.

Dr. Guha hired Christian as a startup strategy and business development advisor in 2020.

Jennifer NeSmith, MBA CEO, Kentucky Health Center Network

What results or outcomes were achieved by working with Christian? How do you know?

Our network has 25 member organizations with over 350 sites in four states. Telehealth is one of our 20 grant initiatives and with a small staff, we don’t have the expertise in many of those areas. Our network finds experts to provide education and training and technical assistance to our member organizations in the areas that are needed.

Christian and his team filled that void for us in telehealth. He came highly recommended and I had heard him on a webinar he and his team did for the MGMA.

As a former health center CEO, I want to connect our member organizations with experts who can provide real practical help to the situations that they’re facing. After the webinar I knew that Christian could provide that practical advice and he and his team did and I really appreciate that.

Almost everybody of the 50% of attendees who responded to the survey identified at least one actionable take away to improve their telemedicine service.

What contribution did Christian have in achieving those results or outcomes?

Christian expertly prepared and led two 90-minute webinars two days apart, with a rich set of slides. He and his colleague Kathy delivered engaging, informative and highly pragmatic content and answered all of the 60 participants questions.

After the two webinars, Christian and Kathy led five 1-hour individual consulting sessions with some of our member organizations that were very well received.

What did you enjoy about working with Christian?

Christian is very pleasant and got things set up very quickly, which was really needed. Everything was professional and he was just easy to work with.

Jennifer hired Christian as a Telehealth Expert and Advisor in 2020.

Trent Wilson, MD Orthopedic Surgeon | Albert Jay Savage IV, MD Orthopaedic Surgeon

What results or outcomes were achieved by working with Christian? How do you know?

As practicing surgeons with no telehealth experience but big vision, engaging Christian was invaluable in helping our team clearly define our goals, understand the roadmap to success and plan appropriately to take the first steps towards formalizing our business model.

 

What contribution did Christian have in achieving those results or outcomes?

Christian has incredible insight into the world of telehealth and a great business acumen which were both critical to get our idea off the ground.

What did you enjoy about working with Christian?

Christian embodies the “3 As” that make working with anyone more enjoyable and productive: Available, Affable, Able.

His personality is very warm and engaging and makes collaboration easy and fun. Working with Christian has been one of the most enjoyable interactions I have had in the business world.

Drs. Wilson and Savage hired Christian as a startup strategy and business development advisor.

Lisa Thompson, MD Emergency Medicine Hospice & Palliative Care

What results or outcomes were achieved by working with Christian? How do you know?

I was able to get my company’s budget back on track by following his recommendation about looking elsewhere for a telemedicine platform. I was able to make a deal with my previous platform company for free!

I have also spent more time and attention revamping my business goals/plan.

Even though this is still work in progress, I am able to approach this more intelligently and efficiently thanks to the advice of the healthcare lawyer who works with Christian.

What contribution did Christian have in achieving those results or outcomes?

He gave me a bird’s eye view of my company and my concerns about some issues with it ‐ in other words, he gave me a fresh, more objective perspective which I really needed.

The “mind‐mapping” he went through with me helped me to look at things differently, see the bigger picture and it also inspired me to use a similar technique to help me brainstorm and think through problems on my own.

Christian also has an excellent network of consultants and associates and just making that connection for me was very helpful.

What did you enjoy about working with Christian?

Christian is honest, straightforward and efficient. He does not waste time. I feel like I can trust his feedback.

I also feel that Christian genuinely wants me and my company to succeed.

Dr. Thompson hired Christian as a startup business advisor.

Jon Tammela, MD Gynecologic Oncology & Karen Tammela, MD Obstetrician‐Gynecologist

What results or outcomes were achieved by working with Christian? How do you know?

Our telehealth project involved testing multiple hypotheses including feasibility, logistics, start up costs, operational costs, quantifying market interest, legal considerations, telehealth platforms and HIPAA compliance.

Each of these avenues was ultimately successfully systematically analyzed and results were available for discussion and to help plan moving the project forward, or pausing portions when deemed appropriate.

What contribution did Christian have in achieving those results or outcomes?

As physicians, we felt that we had a good handle on patient and physician expectations and needs but the additional perspective that Christian brought to the table was invaluable.

Not only does Christian have years of experience working with physicians and therefore able to appreciate how our experiences mold our viewpoint, but he is able to also bring a business and technical operational savvy outlook to the project thus dovetailing and complementing the background of all parties.

His varied background in business startups, the technical and marketing aspects in telehealth as well as working within the medical field at the administrative level is all that one can ask for in a consultant within this complex field.

What did you enjoy about working with Christian?

Christian has an easygoing, pleasant yet determined personality making all encounters positive and productive. He was always available within a short time of any request. He made us feel like he was part of our team.

We particularly were impressed with his ability to identify opportunities to spend less money on aspects of our project that didn’t require a substantial level of investment until certain predetermined intermediate hypo‐ theses had been proven. This concept is very important, especially for physicians, who have a tendency ‐‐ as they strive for excellence ‐‐ to throw everything, including money, all at once into a project before it is even clear if that project ultimately can work, without revisions along the way.

Drs. Jon and Karen Tammela hired Christian as a startup business advisor.

Tim Weir, CEO, Olmsted Medical Center

Christian brings a number of different aptitudes and skills to the organization. He is a very technically savvy person with good organizational skills that allows him to coordinate a lot of disparate groups and information and bring them into a cohesive message.

Christian has the technical expertise and the understanding of the healthcare delivery system to appreciate what the expectations would be for the patients and for the governance of an organization.

Christian is a very reliable, conscientious, dependable individual and has proven to be very attentive to our needs.

The world of telehealth and telemedicine is going to continually evolve. What every healthcare organization should look for is someone who brings not only a technical but a compassionate understanding of how that care needs to be delivered. And Christian marries those together very well.

We are fortunate that Christian spent some time with us and wish him good luck. Any organization that has a contract with Christian in the future will find that their needs are well served.

Tim engaged Christian as their Telehealth Advisor and Consultant in 2012-2014.

Linda Williams, M.D., CMIO, Olmsted Medical Center

Christian brings an enthusiasm for telemedicine and telehealth and he really wants to see this work for patients. Having a consultant who really has a passion for what it is you’re doing, makes all the difference. By bringing telemedicine back to focusing on the patient Christian really helps everybody stay on the same page.

The hard part about telehealth is understanding what should happen when a patient walks into one of our satellite clinics, which is a small clinic with limited staffing and limited space. Christian was very good at connecting the right people and asking the right questions, designing pilots so we could see how this could work. The secret sauce is in the process and in the communication and Christian is really good at both of those.

From the point of view of telemedicine and patient care Christian has a way of making it easy. And that has really been a gift to getting this going.

I think what I like most about Christian is, first of all he is very organized, which means he doesn’t waste anybody’s time. But he is not stuffy, he has a great sense of humor, he is just a nice person, and he always shows an interest in the people that he is working with. It makes it fun to be around him.

Dr. Williams engaged Christian as their Telehealth Advisor and Consultant in 2012-2014.

Sue Schuett, CIO, Olmsted Medical Center

Christian has a way of understanding physicians, nurses, and patients that have really helped us implement this type of technology in a way that is very easily adapted by our clinician staff.

It’s been really amazing to see Christian come in to our environment and very quickly establish credibility. He has a level of understanding of clinical practices and healthcare workflows that gave him credibility pretty quickly with our clinicians and our nursing staff. And once that credibility was established, it was easy for him to guide the way and they were very open to change. That doesn’t happen easily. But it really was something that I was very pleased to see.

One of Christian’s greatest skills is his ability to really listen and understand. He continually questions and has a thought-provoking style. When you have a conversation with Christian over half of that time you spend with him is Christian asking questions to understand.

Because of the plan and the road map that Christian has helped us establish, we’ll be able to take off and expand our use of telemedicine in a good way for our organization and our patients.

Christian has the skill set, the capabilities and abilities to successfully work in any healthcare organization to develop a telemedicine program. If an organization is looking at establishing a telemedicine program, it would be well worth their time to have a conversation with Christian about their project and about the results that they are hoping for.

Sue engaged Christian as their Telehealth Advisor and Consultant in 2012-2014.

Edward C. Rosenow III, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic

Christian is one of the most organized persons I have ever met. If he has an assignment due in one week, it will probably be done in less than two days. On things he hasn’t been trained in, he reads intensively on the subject. He isn’t afraid of admitting what he doesn’t know, but he will probably know about it within a few days.

His skills in computer science add a tremendous advantage to his expertise. In some ways he is a polymath of information and he likes nothing better than the challenge of something that hasn’t been done before. He then constantly thinks about the challenge in his off hours.

Christian’s business acumen is very impressive, again mostly self taught. He has built a house that is energy saving; his monthly utility bill is about $10. He designed almost everything in the house. His combination of engineering and business, to me, are unique.

Integrity, diligence, respect for people are superb in Christian’s character. He relates well with people. I would trust him with anything.

In summary, if I had a problem, including especially in the area of medical application, and didn’t know where to start, I would want someone like Christian to advise me.

Dr. Rosenow was a mentor to Christian at the Mayo Clinic.

Mark Wehde, Unit Head, Mayo Clinic Division of Engineering

There are very few people I recommend without reservation.

Christian Milaster is one of those people.

Christian is a problem solver who approaches problems the right way, by first asking what the problem really is. Too often engineers get wrapped up in the “how” and not the “what” and Christian never makes that mistake.

His abilities as a business analyst are without peer. Not only is he highly skilled at identifying needs and requirements, he is also exceptional (at least in my case) at teaching others how to follow a systematic process that leads to invention, innovation and a successful project conclusion. I follow the process Christian taught me on every project I work on.

As a business analyst, he is extremely effective leading process improvement efforts. One of the most telling examples was his work facilitating our last major strategic planning process. His carefully applied skills allowed a large and diverse group to identify dozens of improvement activities and more importantly, his abilities as a facilitator ensured that everyone felt valued and appreciated for their contributions.

Christian is also an exceptional project manager. He moves easily between project phases and project development methodologies. And he knows the deliverables that ensure a quality product.

Christian has many years of experience in the healthcare field and it shows in his insightful understanding of the challenges faced by the healthcare industry, in his intuitive understanding of the challenges faced by healthcare staff as they try to care for their patients each day, and in his ability to understand and clarify issues and then quickly move to effective solutions. This has allowed him to be successful in a number of significant initiatives that have improved clinical practice, including those in the fields of telemedicine and remote health monitoring.

Finally, no summary of Christian would be complete without mentioning his friendly and positive personality, his organization and attention to detail, and his commitment to his customers.

Christian is an exceptional individual.

Mark was Christian’s manager at the Mayo Clinic Division of Engineering.

April Horne, Director Product Development

I’ve worked with Christian for nine years and have found him to be positive, hard-working, and insightful.

He brings tremendous focus and clarity to any work activity that he is associated with, engaging the team and customers fully to deliver solutions that meet the needs of the user. He immerses himself fully in any new endeavor, utilizing all resources to come up to speed quickly, frequently becoming the expert on any topic within weeks of getting a new assignment…

Few people in the organization had a clear vision of what a telemedicine unit should look like when Christian took over the team. His research included both a survey of the market landscape and a thorough analysis of internal usage scenarios, both current and potential. The flawless implementation and high user satisfaction is a testament to his skills at both planning and execution.

I’m confident that Christian would be equally successful in any environment.

April was Christian’s manager at the Mayo Clinic Division of Engineering.

Peg Sherman, Telehealth Outreach Coordinator, Mayo Clinic

In his role as Engineering Telemedicine Project Manager at the Mayo Clinic Christian has provided an amazing overview of all of Mayo’s telemedicine systems used for teleconsultations between patient and physician, list of stakeholders and interrelationships, taxonomy of terms, technical support strategies and much more.

He has organized meetings and provided follow up with appropriate team members to accomplish team goals and to implement smooth functioning systems/processes for our providers and patients. His computer and organizational skills are excellent in setting up systems to track data, issues, etc. He has provided colorful charts, graphs and diagrams that are easy to follow and eye catching. His work with Mayo IT and Media Video support teams as been instrumental in advancing reliable, efficient, low cost telemedicine systems used for live video consultations.

Christian seems driven by a desire to do what’s best for the patient and providers sharing his unique, creative approach with those who are open it. He is articulate, respectful and fun to work with.”

Peg was a colleague of Christian’s at the Mayo Clinic.