Pensacola Business Radio: Giving Back-Virginia College Business Class Joins us for little Knowledge Drop!!
MAG Mutual Patient Safety Institute
MAG Mutual Patient Safety Institute
The MagMutual Patient Safety Institute is comprised of physician consultants, nurse consultants, loss control consultants, attorneys, and other specialists who are diligently working to identify the risks that today’s physicians and hospitals face,” says Dr. Bohlke, who is a member of MAG Mutual Insurance Company’s Board of Directors. “Their goal is to provide those physicians and hospitals with guidance and advice on how to minimize or eliminate these risks so they can focus on providing quality patient care.”
Dr. Bohlke has a family practice in Brooklet, which is about 50 miles northwest of Savannah, and he served as MAG’s president in 2012-2013.
MAG sponsors the ‘Top Docs’ program at 12 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Between downloads and live listeners, MAG’s ‘Top Docs’ show has reached more than 8,000 listeners – which includes people in all 50 states and 84 countries.
MAG’s ‘Top Docs Radio’ show is supported with a grant from Health Care Research, a subsidiary of Alliant Health Solutions.
MagMutual provides medical professional liability (malpractice) insurance in Georgia and other states in the Southeast U.S. It is one of the largest medical liability insurers in the U.S. The company is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best.
National Prematurity Awareness Month
Tanya Mack and Danielle Brown
National Prematurity Awareness Month
The CDC website explains the reason behind National Prematurity Awareness Month this way, “In 2015, about 1 out of 10 babies was born too early in the United States. Learn about the problem, risk factors, and what we can do to reduce premature birth.
About Premature Birth
Important growth and development occur throughout pregnancy—including in the final months and weeks. Premature (also known as preterm) birth is when a baby is born too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy have been completed. The earlier a baby is born, the higher the risk of death or serious disability. In 2013, about one-third (36%) of infant deaths were due to preterm-related causes. Babies who survive can have breathing issues, intestinal (digestive) problems, and bleeding in their brains. Long-term problems may include developmental delay (not meeting the developmental milestones for his or her age) and lower performance in school.”
Womens Telehealth’s Tanya Mack sat down with March of Dimes’ State Program Manager, Danielle Brown. Brown explained the extent of occurrence of premature births among Georgia women and how it ranks nationally on the low end of the scale.
We explored some of the reasons behind these troubling numbers, research underway to address it, and strategies being employed around the state to bring needed screening and pre-natal care to expectant mothers.
Danielle talked about why we need to have a National Prematurity Awareness Month and some of the ways it is making a difference.
As Tanya explains, for the first time in eight years, the premature birth rate in the United States increased. Nov. 17 th was World Prematurity Day and this is Prematurity month. Approx. 15 M babies are born annually prematurely and about 1M of these/yr die before their 5 th birthday. Premature birth affects about 1:10 babies in the United States and it remains the leading cause of death in babies in the US.
World wide, it remains the number one reason for infant death as well. Premature birth is defined as a baby born before 37 weeks gestation. Babies born early can not only be at high risk on delivery, but can have health issues such as vision and hearing issues, lung problems and intellectual delays that remain long term problems. Many premature births can be prevented. Join us today as we listen to March of Dimes representatives discuss prematurity and it’s prevention and treatment.
Infectious Disease
Infectious Disease
Medicine is becoming increasingly fragmented and complex. The infectious diseases specialty has become especially pivotal in our health care system when it comes to clarifying diagnoses, preserving our antibiotic armamentarium with cautious use of this limited resource, and protecting patients from complications that are associated with these complex treatments.
Unfortunately, the number of young physicians who are going into the infectious diseases specialty is declining. Two years ago, more than 40 percent of infectious diseases training programs (slots?) went
unfilled (i.e., a program seeking three new trainees might only get two and some smaller programs might not get any) – while last year more than 60 percent of infectious disease training programs were short of fellowship trainees.
It is essential to convince more young physicians to go into the infectious disease specialty if we hope to
ensure that patients have access to the care they need.
After Dr. Dretler graduated from Tufts University Medical School in Boston in 1978, he trained in internal medicine at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of Tufts University. He completed his infectious disease training at Emory University in Atlanta in 1981. He then started his Infectious Disease Specialists of Atlanta practice at DeKalb Medical where his group is now based.
He has served as president of the Infectious Disease Society of Georgia, as the president of the DeKalb Medical Society, and as both the chief of medicine and the chief of staff at DeKalb Medical. Dr. Dretler also served as the medical chairman of the DeKalb Medical Foundation. He has been heavily involved in medical research and has been a principal investigator for 25 years on more than 100 NIH studies, including clinical research in AIDS, Hepatitis C, Pseudomembranous colitis, and influenza. Dr. Dretler has published more than 25 articles and posters.
Talking Allergies With Dr. David Redding
Tanya Mack and Dr. David Redding
Talking Allergies with Dr. David Redding
Spring and summer blooms are over so why are you still sneezing? Pollen doesn’t stop at Labor Day! The culprit may be fall and winter allergens such as ragweed, mold and dust. The CDC reports that over 50 million Americans suffer annually from allergies. Almost 75% of people that have reactions to allergens in the spring, also have a reaction in the fall and winter.
There are 17 species of ragweed in the US (and pollen can travel hundreds of miles) and one plant can release 1 billion grains of pollen. Recent studies have shown that increased temperatures have extended the fall allergy season. It may not seem that allergies are not that serious at first blush, but allergy problems can greatly affect the quality of life in terms of sleep, work and school productivity.
Colds are also common during fall and winter months, but many people do not know how to distinguish between a cold and allergies. Dr. David Redding, a board-certified allergist, who has been featured on the Weather Channel and TLC joins us to discuss the triggers and treatments of fall and winter allergies.
Special Guest:
Dr. David Redding, MD, Redding Allergy Center
Dr. David Redding
Skyland Trail
Beth Finnerty
Skyland Trail
A recent guest of mine on the Top Docs Radio show told me I needed to get to know about Skyland Trail, an Atlanta area inpatient/outpatient behavioral medicine center, well-known for its outcomes such that patients travel from across the US and abroad to receive care there.
I had the opportunity to sit down with President of Skyland Trail, Beth Finnerty, to learn about how their care professionals both rely upon evidence, as well as contributing to science, to guide their care. I was pleased to receive an invitation to tour the beautiful facilities, which includes a newly-opened 30 bed residence and care center for young adults.
The Skyland trail website describes the facility this way, “Few things can be as overwhelming and frustrating as mental illness – or finding effective treatments. At Skyland Trail, we get it. Which is why we take a different approach to helping adults with mental health issues.
Located in Atlanta, Skyland Trail is a nationally recognized nonprofit mental health treatment organization serving adults ages 18 and older.
We’re not a hospital or lock-down institution, we’re one of the nation’s top mental health treatment centers – a voluntary treatment community of clients finding new ways to overcome the limitations of their illness and reclaim their lives.
But success is built on a two-way commitment – we’re committed to our patients and we ask our patients to commit to our approach. Each client has to put in the time and effort needed to make real and sustainable progress.
As a long-term residential treatment facility, we’re serious about healing and we’re passionate about the community we serve.
As one of the best mental health treatment centers in the country, we’re focused on people with complex mental health issues, helping them understand that they are more than their diagnoses dictate – helping them grow, recover and reclaim their lives.
We treat adults ages 18 and older with a primary psychiatric diagnosis – a mood or thought disorder like bipolar illness, major depression, or schizophrenia, or an anxiety disorder. Most clients have co-occurring diagnoses including alcohol or substance abuse, borderline personality disorder, or secondary anxiety disorders.
Because of our onsite primary care clinic, we can support those who have medical health needs in addition to psychiatric needs.
While our clients are largely from Georgia and the southeast we have many clients from across the U.S. and a few from around the world.
We treat each individual, individually, tailoring an approach that includes a broad mix of evidence-based one-on-one and group therapies that help prepare our clients for reintegration into their lives.
Our holistic treatment model integrates strategies to help clients improve mental health, physical wellness, and relationships with family and friends.
- In addition to helping our clients through effective medications and evidence-based psychotherapy, we offer art, music, horticultural and recreation therapies; pastoral counseling; and family therapy.
- In classroom-like settings, we educate clients about their mental illness and teach strategies they can use to cope with stress and prevent relapse.
- Our vocational services program helps clients prepare to return to school or enter the workforce.
- We are one of only a few programs in the country to integrate medical care and mental health treatment.”
Pharmacogenetic Testing
Pharmacogenetic Testing
This week I spoke with founder and CEO of Genelex, Howard Coleman to learn about pharmacogenetic testing, and the role it plays in patient outcomes and overall healthcare spend. Pharmacogenetic testing involves obtaining a sample of DNA from the patient via a cheek swab or blood test and examining the genes associated with metabolizing medications.
With this information, a prescribing physician can know in advance that, “This patient is a poor metabolizer for Plavix, meaning they won’t activate the drug. I need to order a different anticoagulant,” for example. While there are numerous factors that come into play to determine how an individual’s body responds to a medication, or combination of medications, this data can help prescribing providers avoid readily-identifiable adverse drug events.
Adverse drug events occur in over 100,000 persons per year, with an average cost of ~$20,000+ per event per patient, with many resulting in serious illness, injury, or death. The data obtained by this one-time test is valid for the life of the patient, allowing physicians and other providers the ability to incorporate the data into medication prescription decisions for the rest of their lives.
Recent changes in the law have placed requirements on advancing technologies that will enable more personalized delivery of healthcare to patients, going so far as to include outcomes in calculating rates of reimbursement. Additionally, greater emphasis is being placed on “wellness” and prevention of illness/injury and moving away from a model aimed at “treating illness”, which created more of a “volume-based” focus.
Howard shared how Genelex evolved from a genetics lab providing forensic DNA testing to a precision medicine technology company in the early 2000’s. Since then the company has been working to contribute to the body of evidence that continues to support the fact that certain groups of individuals are genetically inclined to respond in a fashion that is counter to what is desired and thus, at risk for a drug-related event.
Special Guest:
Howard Coleman, Founder/CEO, Genelex
Medtrade
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Kevin Gaffney
Medtrade
I caught up with Kevin Gaffney, Show Director for the Medtrade trade show and conference held fall and spring here in Atlanta at Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC). He also serves as Group Show Director for Emerald Expositions LLC, overseeing several of the trade show/conference events in addition to the Medtrade show.
Medtrade serves the home DME community, providing a large vendor exhibition, along with numerous educational offerings designed to help retailers, and other members of the home DME business community better manage their businesses in line with the current regulatory and reimbursement climates.
Medtrade’s website describes the event this way, “Medtrade brings the home medical equipment community together under one roof, providing attendees and exhibitors with opportunities to build successful business relationships. Hundreds of HME manufacturers and thousands of HME providers join us each year for the largest annual sourcing opportunity for durable medical equipment and find the HME products to satisfy today’s growing demand in an ever-changing environment.”
Medtrade Spring is coming February 28-March 1, 2017 and early registration is available HERE.
Special Guest:
Kevin Gaffney, Show Director, Medtrade and Group Show Director, Emerald Expositions 
Randy Satterlee of VanRan Communications and Lauren Satterlee and Sarah Simmons of IsoKlean
Randy Satterlee / VanRan Communications
With a passion for creating customer-focused solutions with paradigm-shifting business impact, Randy Satterlee is a telecommunications pioneer and the Co-Founder of VanRan. Her unique customer service model providing individualized solutions, best in class technology and services tailored to each customer’s specific requirements continues to be a central theme within the VanRan organization.
Prior to starting VanRan, Randy was in the Executive Development Program for AT&T. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Iverson Genetics as well as the Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Randy has a Master’s Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio State University. She has been a guest speaker at local colleges and high schools on entrepreneurship and previously served on the Telecommunications Committee for Gwinnett Technical College. She is also a member of Global Executive Women and the Woman’s President’s Organization.
Lauren Satterlee / IsoKlean
Sarah Simmons / IsoKlean
