Frontline LLC was born during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the shared experiences of its founders, Jeff McCarter and Kelly Watson. Jeff had a unique perspective as he was running a COVID-19 hotel in the heart of New York, witnessing firsthand the selfless efforts and sacrifices made by nurses in the face of the pandemic’s hardships.
Simultaneously, Kelly Watson was educating nurses in an RN to BSN program, many of the cohort in leadership and management positions within local hospitals. These nurses were confronting not only the overwhelming challenges brought on by the pandemic but also the heart-wrenching reality of burnout, and even nurse suicides. These nursing leaders felt trapped in a seemingly hopeless situation, unable to support their fellow nurses on their units. They communicated a significant gap in communication, between nursing leadership and hospital administration. These nursing leaders described a disregard and neglect to resolve problems that had been communicated with the administration as well as a lack of realistic answers to deal with the growing challenges.
It was the collective experiences of witnessing these struggles that motivated both Jeff and Kelly to take action. They recognized the vital role that nurses play in healthcare and the need to support our frontline providers. The mission became clear: to bridge the gap between nurses and hospital administration, to foster better communication, to support and value frontline providers. The vision of supporting these very valuable providers held a multitude of benefits. They include better health of the provider, financial benefits of the organization from increased retention, and better patient outcomes as a result. With the shared vision of the Quadruple Aim, Frontline Optimization intentionally answers the call to optimize resources. From healthcare resources to government contracting, one thing is crystal clear post-pandemic, optimization is the way that our country wins the next fight against competitors by bringing the most value out of everything we do.