MorseLife chief Keith Myers oversees expansion of elder care [The Palm Beach Post, Fla.]

Nov. 19--Keith A. Myers has directed MorseLife elder care center since 2007.

As president and CEO of the organization founded in 1983, Myers is overseeing the organization's expansion into serving every need of Palm Beach County's growing elder population.

Name: Keith A. Myers

Age: 47

Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.

Education: Master's degree in health service administration, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. ; bachelor's in health care management -- magna cum laude, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Va.

About your company: MorseLife, Inc., based in West Palm Beach, is a charitable center devoted to meeting the needs of older adults in Palm Beach County. MorseLife provides short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, independent and assisted living, home care, geriatric care management, adult day care, meals on wheels and research and education.

MorseLife holds a five-star quality ranking, and the Gold Seal Award from the Governor's Panel on Excellence in Long Term Care. It is designated by the Florida Legislature as one of only two teaching nursing homes in the state. MorseLife is a $61 million organization, with more than 1,000 employees and 500 volunteers.

Your first paying job: My first paying job was cutting grass at age 13. The same time, I also began volunteering at local nursing homes, which launched my interest in long-term care, and health care overall.

Your first break in the business: My first big break in business was in serving as an administrative resident under the CEO of Prince William Hospital in Manassas, Va. My responsibility spanned the entire continuum of care -- from acute care to long-term care to home care. It was a tremendous opportunity to discover the multiple facets of health care.

How your business has changed: In line with expectations of the federal health care reform, the senior care field continues to experience a national paradigm shift -- from caring for seniors in institutional settings to home and other community settings. The majority of hospital stays today are also far shorter today than years ago.

The rate of costly hospital readmissions -- nationally, 20 percent -- is a critical focus of health reform, and MorseLife is addressing it. Our newest program, NP2U (Nurse Practitioner To You), brings nurse practitioners into the homes of patients within seven days of their discharge from our Short-Term Rehabilitation Center to provide follow-up and oversight. They can determine whether patients are following their post-discharge instructions, evaluate their medical stability and identify any potential risks at home. Through the NP2U program, we are already seeing our patients making better progress, and, of course, avoiding a preventable return to the hospital.

In November 2012, MorseLife will break ground on a new 120-bed Short-Term Rehabilitation Center on our campus. Our existing short-term center now has an average daily census of 80. It has seen significant growth over the past seven years in caring for patients with cardiac, neurologic and orthopedic conditions. So, this new rehabilitation center project is timed in line with increased demand for our services.

Additionally, we continue to expand our home and community services. MorseLife has been offering private services, such as companion and personal care, meal preparation and meals on wheels (nearly 50,000 meals per year) for nearly 20 years. In 2009, we established our Medicare skilled home care agency to provide nursing and rehabilitation for people discharged from the hospital or a rehabilitation center. For patients who choose MorseLife Home Care after discharge from our Short-Term Rehabilitation Center, the therapist who cared for them at Morse can follow them in the home.

MorseLife has also acquired an outpatient rehabilitation facility in the Boynton Beach area.

We are reaching out to the professional and lay community with educational programs, such as our "Shades of Gray: A Symposium on Wellness and Aging." Further, through our online learning platform, MorseLife Learning Institute, we are providing programs for clinicians and management professionals in our field -- today focusing on our own employees, but soon to bring to professionals throughout the region.

Best business book you've read: From Good to Great by Jim Collins

Best business advice you ever received: One of my mentors told me to always be ethical, upfront, and honest, and ensure that business practices are transparent.

What you tell young people about your business: I tell young people that if you are going into the field of elder care, you must have a passion for caring. In the case of seniors and families, it should be easy to be passionate about them -- we look at their faces and we see our own parents, our grandparents -- even ourselves in the future.

Power lunch spot: Palm Beach Yacht Club.

Favorite Smartphone App: Keynote presentation app.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started your career? The importance of customer perceptions, and that perception is reality. Additionally, I know today that my focus is 24/7 -- I just cannot turn it off.

Every successful person grows from failure. Is there a failure you can share and what did you learn from it? Years ago, the one mistake I made was to not embrace the culture of innovation. I clearly have changed my attitude about innovation.

What is the most important trait you look for when hiring? Energy and honesty.

-Carolyn DiPaolo

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