Once you see people as teammates, it changes everything.
The system is broken. The people are not.
Despite decades of research and protocols, handoffs still cause 80% of preventable patient harm. Because we treat people as separate when they're actually teammates.
“Cheo is the face of what’s missing most in healthcare. He recognizes that handoffs are fundamentally about relationships, not just information transfer. Healthcare leaders need to hear this.”
MY BIG IDEA
Introducing the
Relay Race Methodology™
In a relay race, both runners care about one thing: getting the baton safely to their teammate.
Not because it's nice, but because when you cross the finish line, I cross the finish line.
Your success is my success.
The Teammate Principle
This teammate principle drives everything in the Relay Race Methodology™ – a framework identifying the 5 fundamental elements of successful handoffs: Identity, Status, Context, Requirements, and Verification.
Current solutions—EHRs, standardized forms, protocols—only address 2 of these elements.
That's why the 80% persists. We're solving less than half the problem.
Once you see people as teammates, it changes everything.
ABOUT
From failed handoff to category creator.
In 2022, a failed handoff between hospitals caused both my patellar tendons to re-rupture. I became part of the 80%—the statistic that haunts every patient safety officer.
But I didn't just experience it. I studied it.
My background in startups and strategy—including working with serial entrepreneur and mentor Peter Diamandis—taught me to see problems from first principles. As creator of the Relay Race Methodology™ and TEDx speaker (January 2026), I'm leading multi-stakeholder research examining inter-institutional handoffs across patients, providers, executives, and quality leaders through partnerships with Marshall University.
I know what it's like from every side: as a patient who lived the consequences, a researcher studying the patterns, and a legal plaintiff who understands the true costs.
SPEAKING
Transform how your teams see handoffs — and each other.
“Cheo joined my Health Information Technologies and Leadership course in April 2025 and led an engaging, practical discussion on patient handoffs and communication failures. His authenticity, resilience, and passion were evident as he shared a compelling story that strongly resonated with the students, providing insights they could immediately apply as healthcare leaders.”
I help healthcare leaders reimagine patient handoffs as relay races – so they can transform patients and providers into teammates, reduce preventable harm, avoid costly readmissions and malpractice claims, and deliver safer care.
Through talks and interactive sessions, I deliver frameworks, language, and questions that create irreversible perspective shifts: the kind that change how your teams see handoffs, each other, and what's possible.
Who it’s for
Leaders Tackling the 80%
(Patient Safety Officers, Chief Quality Officers, Risk Managers)
Executives Building Culture Change
(C-suite leaders, VPs of Operations, Clinical Directors)
Conference Organizers Delivering Transformation
(Meeting Planners, Association Leaders, Event Producers)
What they get
A Framework That Sticks
Your teams will see handoffs differently – not as checklists to complete, but as relay races where success depends on trained teammates. This mental model transforms every transition.
Language That Moves Leaders
Walk away with data, stories, and business case language you can use Monday morning to advocate for change, without repeating the same protocols that haven't worked for decades.
Questions That Shift Perspective
Diagnostic questions and the "2 of 5" insight that help you identify exactly where your handoff process is failing, and what to address first for quick wins that build momentum.
Ready to go deeper?
Organizations can participate in the complimentary Relay Race Readiness Assessment: a diagnostic identifying exactly where your inter-institutional handoff practices are strong and where critical gaps exist.