CW Hall Archives - Page 10 of 30

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia – Top Docs Radio

January 18, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia - Top Docs Radio

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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia

On this week’s episode with our partner, Medical Association of Georgia, MAG CEO, Donald Palmisano, Jr., joined me in studio. We hosted Jeff Fusile, the recently-appointed President for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia. Jeff joined the company in the lead role, coming over from Anthem in November of 2015.

Jeff Fusile is president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa), the state’s oldest and largest health insurance company. He oversees sales, account service, marketing, underwriting, and customer relationships. Jeff is involved in corporate strategy planning and execution, and he serves as the primary contact for state regulators to ensure compliance and manage any state-related matters.

Jeff previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Commercial & Specialty Business Division of Anthem, Inc., which is Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s parent company. He joined Anthem in 2011 after spending 22 years as a strategic management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Jeff is a licensed CPA. He has qualified as an expert witness in insurance and the broader health care industry. He is widely recognized as an industry leader in health care strategy, corporate governance, compliance, enterprise risk management, HIPAA, and ICD-10.

As the health care landscape undergoes an unprecedented transformation, the traditional relationships between providers and payers are also evolving. With the largest network of providers in the state, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) serves more than 3 million Georgians and is the only plan offered in all 159 counties. BCBSGa President Jeff Fusile will discuss how BCBSGa is developing programs to facilitate better collaboration with providers, make health care more affordable for consumers and simplify the access to care. Reaching out to rural communities and the impact of technology on delivering innovative solutions was also discussed.

Special Guest:

Jeff Fusile, CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia

BS, Accounting & Finance, Florida State University College of Business
Certified Public Accountant
Previous Managing Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Former Senior VP/CFO, Commercial & Specialty Business, Anthem

Mountain View Group and My Professional CFO

January 12, 2016 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Mountain View Group and My Professional CFO

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Mountain View Group and My Professional CFO

This week we continued our bi-weekly series with Life University’s Dr. Gilles LaMarche, focusing on business leaders who exemplify integrity, in a lead-up to Life University’s LIFEtalks World Congress, May 12-13, discussing integrity for life with a number of well-known speakers on the subject. We were joined in the studio by Thom Gonyeau and Alan Conner, of Mountain View Group and My Professional CFO, respectively.

I met Alan a few weeks ago in the hall of our office building. After learning about how he helps physicians, I knew we needed to have him stop by to talk about it. In addition to providing basic accounting/payroll functions, Alan also helps physicians develop effective, legal tax strategies, including self funded insurance plans to reduce their tax burden and risk at the same time.

Alan shared the story of a family member, an ER physician in Florida. He explained the fact that his family member, as do many physicians, work as 1099 contractors for the respective practice they serve. In this relationship, the doctor receives a gross paycheck with no tax withheld.

In this situation it is vital for the provider to plan for their tax obligation and pay it in a timely fashion (at least quarterly) or they face between 5-10% penalties, which can quickly add up to significant amounts, based on the numbers they’re working with.

Alan explained several options available to physicians that work as 1099 contractors, including self funded insurance plans, pension plans, SEP IRA’s, and others, that will help them preserve their hard-earned revenue for later while protecting them from risk such as loss of medical license should that occur.

It’s clear after speaking with him that it is advisable for our colleagues in the community to partner with experts such as Alan to develop a solid plan for managing their tax obligations as well as helping to secure their financial future.

I met Thom Gonyeau ~five years ago. Equal parts right-brain and left-brain, he’s an operational guru. He works with clients to solve their business needs. Thom is an avid photographer, tennis player, runner, and writer. H had his first brush with fame at age 8, when his poem “Things That Are Beautiful” was published in Highlights magazine.

We talked about the media production work he and his team execute to help their clients, which includes the likes of GE, Coca Cola, and numerous other well-known enterprises, tell the story of their brand both internally and externally. Thom draws on his love of writing and his curiosity to get to know his clients very well and then be able to craft engaging, award-winning media productions across a variety of platforms to share it with the target audience.

Special Guests:

Dr. Gilles LaMarche, DC, VP of Professional Relations at Life University

Doctor of Chiropractic, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Author, The ART of Responsibility, Insight Publishing 2012
Certified Six Advisors Coach, Six Advisors Coaching Academy
Previous Vice President, Parker College of Chiropractic

Alan Conner, CEO, My Professional CFO

MBA, Finance, Nova Southeastern University
Previous Investment Banker, Orosey & Pepe Capital Markets
Former Investment Manager, Arduus Asset Management

Thom Gonyeau, CEO, Mountain View Group

MA, Communications, The College of Saint Rose
Chair, Board of Trustees, Creative Education Foundation

Austin Clinical Research Professionals

January 6, 2016 by angishields

Health Connect South

Austin Clinical Research Professionals

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Austin Clinical Research Professionals

On this week’s episode I sat down with the founder and CEO of Austin Clinical Research Professionals, Dana Austin. This company provides clinical technologists and researchers to conduct or support clinical trials. With a background in cardiology nursing, Dana and her team have particular expertise in studies around hypertension and diabetes, both of which are significant risk factors for heart disease.

Austin Clinical Research Professionals also offers certified CEU training to meet credentialing needs of existing research scientists and staff. Additionally, Dana is certified to serve as a monitor for clinical trials to provide oversight and feedback to sponsors as well as being qualified to sit on ethics committees for studies.

Dana shared how individuals in the community can participate in available studies to get access to care that might not otherwise be available. We talked about some studies she had been able to be a part of that ultimately resulted in helpful medications being made available to the public.

Special Guest:

Dana Austin, CEO/Founder of Austin Clinical Research Professionals

MSA, International Development, Andrews University
BSN, Emory School of Nursing
Certified Clinical Research Professional, Society of Clinical Research Associates
Previous Senior Clinical Team Leader, PPD

Health Connect South Radio on Midtown Business RadioX Spotlights the Sharing Spaces Program – Business RadioX

December 28, 2015 by angishields

ATLANTA, GA–(Marketwired – December 28, 2015) – On December 16, 2015, Health Connect South Radio welcomed to the studio Wende Parker with the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health and Mark Anderson with the Cobb County School District. Host CW Hall sat down with these guests to learn more about Sharing Spaces and Power Up for 30, programs under the Cobb 2020 Initiative.

The Cobb 2020 initiative, created and implemented by the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health under the direction of Dr. Jack Kennedy, aims to address a number of public health concerns that erode level of health and quality of life for many of the over 850,000 resident who live there. The Sharing Spaces program and Power Up for 30 program both aim to facilitate more physical activity among student-aged populations.

Childhood obesity is rising among young people at alarming rates. According to the American Heart Association, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects: obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. And excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood.

Wende Parker serves as the District Director of Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention for the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health. Parker works closely with Mark Anderson, Supervisor, Health & Physical Education with the Cobb County School District, to manage the Sharing Spaces and Power Up for 30 programs.

“The Sharing Spaces program seeks to partner with community organizations that have playgrounds, gyms, tracks and trails, giving area residents access to these resources, particularly young people,” explained Parker. “In this way, the community will see declines in rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and others, and students enjoy academic performance upticks to boot.”

To learn more about these Cobb 2020 Initiative programs, listen to the entire interview on Health Connect South Radio.

About Health Connect South:

The mission of Health Connect South is to serve the health community as a sustainable platform for regional health collaborations. Through our collective work, we seek to broadly define and advance the Southeast’s role in the future of health. Serving as a gateway between health industry silos, we seek to provide unique and meaningful partnership opportunities in health. We will advance our mission by bringing together top-tier health leaders and innovators across disciplines to engage each other in collaborative conversations focused on meeting identified health needs through leveraging supporting ideas and institutions. Join host CW Hall every Tuesday at 9am Eastern to listen LIVE to Health Connect South RADIO.

About Business RadioX®:

Business RadioX® interviews dozens of innovative entrepreneurs and successful leaders each week. Its mission is to help local businesses Get the Word Out about the important work they’re doing for their market, their community, and their profession. With a pro-business slant and a long-form interview format, guests don’t have to worry about being ambushed or talking in “sound bites.” Guests have enough time to tell their whole story and to share their insights and experience without interruptions. Business RadioX® hosts are business professionals interviewing their peers, drilling down on the critical issues, and delivering practical information to an engaged business audience. Business topics that are frequently covered include: Law, Finance, Healthcare, Technology, Trade Shows, B2B Marketing, Venture Capital, Training and Development and other issues impacting the business community. For more information, visit: https://businessradiox.com.

Dental Deserts – Top Docs Radio

December 23, 2015 by angishields

GDHA — Misty Mattingly, Charlie Craig, and Sarah Smith explain GA HB 684

Dental Deserts

In the state of Georgia, 118 counties out of 159 have too few dentists to treat those residents. 16 Georgia counties have NO DENTIST at all. Clearly, this leaves a large, rural population in the state with limited or NO access to even basic, preventive dental care.

Today, there are only 5 states that do not allow hygienists to operate under a dentist’s supervision unless the dentist is physically on site where the dental hygiene care is provided. One of those is Georgia.

President of Georgia’s Dental Hygienist Association, Misty Mattingly, stopped by, along with Sarah Smith and Charlie Craig of Solution Road to talk about a measure before the Georgia House of Representatives that will address the lack of access to preventive screenings and treatments that are provided by hygienists.

Currently, Georgia law requires that a dentist is ON SITE while a hygienist administers care. Obviously, this is impossible in 16 counties without some sort of medical mission on the part of dentist and hygienist, and limited in 118 Georgia counties. Under HB 684, hygienists would be able to be supervised remotely by a dentist rather than requiring them to physically be on site. This would empower hygienists to provide diagnostic screening and preventive care in these areas with limited to no access.

When problems requiring restoration such as a filling or crown would be identified by the hygienist during these visits, they would be referred to a dentist for appropriate care. Without question this is a win for all parties, particularly the patients who today, have problems often going undiagnosed until serious, often resulting in an ER visit for evaluation.

https://soundcloud.com/cwhall333/ga-hb-684-and-hb-350

KSU BrainLab

December 22, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

KSU BrainLab

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KSU BrainLab

On this week’s episode we sat down with Steve Krontz, Director of Innovation at the KSU BrainLab, located in the Coles College of Business. They’re doing some remarkable work, using brain activity studies to analyze how individuals react to a logo, or a flavor, or a host of business-related stimuli. Additionally, Steve and his team have been developing technology that will enable thought-to-text and thought-to-command capabilities.

This means they will be able to empower individuals who have neurologic problems that inhibit muscular control/activity such that they are rendered unable to speak or communicate. With this soon-available technology, persons dealing with such problems will be able to interact with their environment and their caregivers.

Steve explained how the KSU BrainLab at Coles College of Business partners with businesses small and large to help them answer important questions that help them be more effective in their work. The college is actively seeking companies who are looking to address important questions with their help.

The KSU BrainLab at Coles College of Business website describes their work this way, “Part science lab and part technology incubator, at the BrainLab we work to align computer technology with the human neurological system. Through our research we create meaningful applications for brain-computer interfaces by studying how users respond to and control brain-based devices.”

It is rewarding to help bring awareness to innovative initiatives like the KSU BrainLab at Coles College of Business. I was surprised to learn that, as Steve explained, the ability to use thought to communicate as well as to interact with our environment is potentially less than 10 years away. Such technology could clearly have an extensive impact on a wide range of healthcare patients as well as business.

Special Guest:

Steve Krontz, Director Innovation, KSU BrainLab, Coles College of Business

BBA, Marketing, Kennesaw State University, Michael J. Coles College of Business
Founder, Krontz Media LLC
Executive Director/Solutions Architect, Big Eyed Fish Creative Consulting

Solution Road and Mosaic

December 22, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Solution Road and Mosaic

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Life University — Stu Sheldon and Gilles LaMarche talk integrity

Solution Road and Mosaic

This week marked the beginning of a bi-weekly series we’ll be hosting with Dr. Gilles LaMarche, VP of Professional Relations at Life University where we’ll be focusing on integrity in the business community and personal life. This series will be leading into the Life Talks World Congress event coming up May 12-13, 2016.

Life Talks is about empowering leaders to create social change, make a transformational impact on the world and remove the interference to maximize their perfection within. The event includes thought leadersin business and productivity, physical health, nutrition, compassion, forgiveness, vitalism, quantum healing, and more.

We will be featuring business leaders who are known to value integrity in their professional and personal lives, and we will introduce several high school students from the community who have also been recognized for exemplifying the trait in their personal and academic endeavors.

We were joined in studio by Sarah Smith and Stu Sheldon, of Solution Road and Mosaic, respectively. Sarah has spent numerous years helping non-profit and for-profit organizations raise funding and public awareness for their respective work. She draws on experience from healthcare as well as media and is very selective in the clients she and her team take on at Solution Road.

Stu is an expert in experiential marketing, in which brands look to engage a targeted subset of their customer base. Their goal is to create an immersive experience that has a measure of exclusivity and hands-on interaction with elements of the brand. In this way, the client company is able to leverage Earned Media to get people talking about their experience. I first met Stu on the Midtown Business show talking about Escalate, the experiential marketing company that was recently acquired by Mosaic.

Special Guests:

Dr. Gilles LaMarche, DC, VP of Professional Relations at Life University

Doctor of Chiropractic, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Author, The ART of Responsibility, Insight Publishing 2012
Certified Six Advisors Coach, Six Advisors Coaching Academy
Previous Vice President, Parker College of Chiropractic

Sarah K. Smith, CEO/Founder, of Solution Road

Masters Degree, English, University of Essex
Previous Director, Corporate Marketing, Emory University
Former Vice President, The Emmy Awards Foundation
Previous Director, Special Projects, TEDx Peachtree

Stuart Sheldon, Chief Advocacy Officer at Mosaic

BA, English and Journalism, Washington and Lee University
Former Senior Brand Manager, Coca Cola Company
Founder and Former Evangelist Prime, ConnectUs Marketing
2006 Coca-Cola North America Big, Bold & Inspiring Marketing award; Coca-Cola Worldwide Marketing Excellence award finalist

Top Docs Radio on Midtown Business RadioX Spotlights the Medical Association of Georgia – Business RadioX

December 17, 2015 by angishields

ATLANTA, GA–(Marketwired – December 17, 2015) – On November 16, 2015, Top Docs Radio welcomed to the studio Donald Palmisano with the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) and Dr. John Rogers with Coliseum Northside Hospital. Host CW Hall led this month’s MAG special to talk about the challenges and concerns arising from recently-proposed mergers between large health insurance companies that will significantly reduce the amount of competition in the space for Georgians to choose.

Donald Palmisano is the CEO and Executive Director of MAG. The Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) is the leading advocate for physicians in the state. MAG focuses on legislative, legal and third party payer issues. Serving as the Co-Medical Director of Coliseum Northside Hospital, Dr. John Rogers is also a MAG delegate from Bibb County. The studio discussion focused on the fact that Aetna/Humana and Anthem/Cigna are in the process of merging. At the same time, health insurers are offering insurance policies to the public that do not have adequate coverage, resulting in more out of network charges by physicians.

Aetna/Humana and Wellpoint/Cigna have proposed mergers in the health insurance market. If these inadequate policies are being offered in the current environment, MAG is concerned about how patients will be negatively impacted with a further narrowing of the networks and increased physician reliance on out of network charges.

MAG recently sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice to call for it to scrutinize the mergers for antitrust violations. According to Palmisano, “We believe the mergers would reduce competition and place physicians and their patients at an even greater disadvantage as a shrinking number of health insurance companies gain increasingly-dominant positions in the marketplace.”

“Physicians have little-to-no leverage to negotiate contract terms with these multi-billion dollar conglomerates,” explained Dr. Rogers, “which are imposing take-it-or-leave-it agreements and unilateral, mid-term amendments with growing impunity.”

Gone unchecked, a few insurers will be in a position to manipulate the marketplace to institute policies that will exacerbate the physician shortage and undermine the economic viability of the practice environment in the state, and limit the accessibility of care and individual patient choice.

To learn more about MAG’s position on healthcare mergers, listen to the entire interview onTop Docs Radio.

About Top Docs Radio:

Top Docs Radio is a forum for conversations with leading doctors and thought leaders. Discussions are about cutting edge trends and topics in health, wellness and lifestyle issues. Top Docs Radio is presented by Hyperbaric Physicians of Georgia and is hosted by Charles “CW” Hall. The program airs live every Thursday at Noon Eastern.

About Business RadioX®:

Sharing Spaces Program

December 16, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Sharing Spaces Program

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Cobb2020 — Wende Parker talks Sharing Spaces

Sharing Spaces Program

On this week’s episode we focused on how the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health is working to reduce rates of childhood obesity. The Sharing Spaces program and Power Up for 30 program both aim to facilitate more physical activity among our student-aged populations.

Childhood obesity is rising among our young people at alarming rates. The American Heart Association’s website explains: “Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects: Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. And excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood.”

On this week’s episode we focused on two more programs that are part of the Cobb 2020 initiative. Created and implemented by the Cobb Douglas Department of Public Health under the direction of Dr. Jack Kennedy, aims to address a number of public health concerns that erode level of health and quality of life for many of the over 850,000 resident who live there.

One key area of focus is childhood obesity among student aged residents of Cobb and Douglas Counties. Among the 29 public health programs that make up the Cobb2020 initiative are the Power Up for 30 and the Sharing Spaces programs. These are programs focused on getting young students moving more throughout their school day and beyond.

I sat down with District Director for Chronic Disease and Injury, Wende Parker, and Mark Anderson, Supervisor for Health and Phys Ed for the Cobb Co School District to learn more about how these programs work and the resources they’re hoping to identify in the community.

The sharing spaces program seeks to partner with community organizations that have playgrounds, gyms, tracks, and trails, giving area residents access to these resources, particularly young people.

In this way, the community will see declines in rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and others, and students enjoy academic performance upticks to boot.

Special Guests:

Wende Parker, District Director of Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention, Cobb-Douglas Dept. of Public Health

BS Exercise Science, Community Health, University of Southern Mississippi
Previous Program Manager, Child Fatality Review, Eastern GA, State of Georgia Office of the Child Advocate

Mark Anderson, Supervisor, Health & Physical Education, Cobb County School District