The true cost of workplace violence, with Andrea Greco of CENTEGIX

Workplace violence in health care settings isn't just a safety issue — it's a financial and operational one.

In this episode, Andrea Greco, SVP of healthcare safety at CENTEGIX, breaks down key findings from the company's 2026 Healthcare Trends Report, including why duress alerts now spike nearly 300% during morning hours, why hallways and exam rooms remain the most dangerous spaces in a practice, and what a realistic ROI looks like when evaluating safety technology. She also addresses staff resistance to real-time location tracking, how to build an effective internal response protocol, and the federal and state legislation that could soon raise the accountability stakes for practice leaders.

Register now for Physicians Practice's Practice Academy event: Practice Management Track, on March 19, 2026, from 1:00 PM-5:00 PM EDT: https://registration.physicianspractice.com

Music Credits:
Her Name by Cephas - stock.adobe.com
A Textbook Example by Skip Peck - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

0:00 – 0:37 | Cold open Andrea Greco previews the episode's core argument: that the cost of inaction on workplace violence is starting to outweigh the cost of hoping things improve.

0:37 – 1:58 | Introduction Austin Littrell introduces the episode, plugs the Practice Academy Practice Management track on March 19, and previews the conversation with Greco.

1:58 – 2:37 | Setting the stage Littrell introduces Greco.

2:37 – 3:45 | Violence as a business risk Greco explains why practice leaders need to see workplace violence as a financial and operational issue — not just a security one — and why a comprehensive, executable safety strategy beats siloed solutions.

3:45 – 4:33 | Shifting alert patterns across the week Greco reacts to a key finding: duress alerts, which previously spiked on certain days, have leveled out across all seven days — reinforcing that risk is present every day.

4:33 – 5:35 | The morning spike Discussion of the nearly 300% surge in duress alerts between 8:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., and the clinical workflows — morning rounds, discharge planning, shift changes — that drive it.

5:35 – 7:27 | Structuring an internal response Greco outlines what effective response looks like: immediate, discrete notification delivered to the right responders, customized to each organization's available resources.

7:27 – 8:34 | Where and how incidents escalate Greco describes where altercations most commonly occur — hallways and away from patient rooms — and notes a rise in staff-on-staff tensions since COVID-19.

8:34 – 9:25 | P2 Management Minute Keith Reynolds shares practice management tips and invites listeners to submit their own workflow ideas.

9:25 – 10:25 | Protecting high-risk areas Greco addresses whether practices can redesign vulnerable spaces, arguing that precise location data during an alert is often more practical than physical redesign.

10:25 – 12:00 | Privacy concerns and wearable adoption Greco discusses staff resistance to real-time location tracking, and how CENTEGIX's approach — only activating location when an alert is triggered — addresses those concerns and improves adoption.

12:00 – 14:43 | Building the ROI case Greco walks through CENTEGIX's new ROI calculator, covering incident costs, backup staffing, workers' compensation, nurse replacement costs (over $60,000 per nurse), and potential insurance savings.

14:43 – 17:22 | Three themes for 2026 Greco closes with three priorities for safety planning: a workforce-centric approach, a demand for measurable ROI, and greater accountability — including the federal SAVE Act and Illinois SB 1435.

17:22 – 17:41 | Closing remarks Littrell thanks Greco and wraps the interview.

17:41 – 19:00 | Outro Littrell thanks listeners, plugs the March 19 Practice Academy event, and reminds the audience to subscribe and visit MedicalEconomics.com and PhysiciansPractice.com.