CW Hall Archives - Page 12 of 30

Investment Capital, Hospice, and Legal Trends in Healthcare

November 10, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Investment Capital, Hospice, and Legal Trends in Healthcare

00:00 / 00:58:07

Investment Capital, Hospice, and Legal Trends in Healthcare

Over the course of the show we have often heard our guests expressing the fact that access to investment capital is one of their biggest needs. On our previous episode we talked with Tif Walker from Georgia Center for Medical Innovation about the fact that in spite of having a rapidly-growing technology ecosystem full of promising technology solutions led by excellent leadership, Atlanta lags behind the traditionally-recognized centers for investment resources.

On this week’s show we hosted Jack Draughon and Matt Brohm to talk about investment capital, hospice, and legal trends in healthcare. Jack’s early years in his career were spent in investment banking, private equity, and mergers/acquisitions in the healthcare arena. After spending several years in the investment world and overseeing a larger merger with a hospice company, he began to become interested in forming a hospice care company that would both provide a high level of care and compassion, as well as have sound leadership and marketing strategy and resources.

He co-founded the hospice company Halcyon, which he and his colleagues were able to see fulfill its potential, ultimately selling the company recently in a successful merger. Jack shared his personal story of how he had experienced hospice care as the parent of his daughter who was found to have a congenital disorder incompatible with life upon birth. This experience, coupled with working on the hospice merger in his work combined to inspire him to focus his career on this important healthcare specialty.

Matt Brohm, an attorney with Arnall, Golden, & Gregory, talked about trends in healthcare and explained how recent changes in the law have created a trend toward consolidation between hospitals and systems. Many physician practices are also being purchased and becoming part of hospital groups. Matt and his colleagues in the healthcare practice for AGG provide expertise and guidance to navigate these often complicated transactions.

Additionally, Matt shared how compliance with new laws and regulations mean that having access to legal experts who are fully versed in these matters can save their clients a great deal of risk and cost associated with making missteps in the process.

Special Guests:

Jack Draughon, Co-Founder of Halcyon Hospice

BBA, Economics, University of Georgia Terry College of Business
Previous Director, Arcapita Inc

Matt Brohm, Attorney, Arnall, Golden, Gregory

Doctor of Law, Syracuse University College of Law
BBA Business, University of Georgia

Q & A Events

November 10, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Q & A Events

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Q & A Events

A few weeks ago I hosted my friend, Liz Covin, founder of Vivid Salon. As we talked after the show she told me I needed to meet Colleen Wogan and Suzanne Baugh, of Q & A Events. On this week’s episode I had the chance to sit down with Q & Q Events’ CEO, Suzanne Baugh.

Suzanne shared how at 14 years old, she went to an Amy Grant concert and, looking around the venue at the set, the crowd, and the excitement that erupted with the launch of the show, that she knew event planning was what she wanted to do. At the age of 17, she decided to throw her own concert so she booked one of Amy Grant’s back-up singers, secured a sponsor, sold tickets, and put on her first event (and even made a profit).

We talked about the fact that the Q & A Events team views itself as a member of their client’s team, seeking to learn as much as possible about what the goal of the event is, the culture of the client, allowing them to more effectively reflect those details in the execution of the event.

In addition to her work with Q & A Events, Suzanne has also served as president of the Atlanta Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC). We talked about how the organization seeks to serve the LGBT community by providing mentoring, educational offerings, a platform through which to network, and an opportunity to be certified as an LGBT-owned business enterprise. This certification can open doors to serve as a supplier for numerous government and private enterprises.

Special Guest:

Suzanne Baugh, CEO, Q & A Events

BBA, Music, Belmont University
Tuck Executive Education, Dartmouth College The Tuck School of Business
Previous VP Administration & Events, TBA Entertainment

Self Funded Insurance Plans – Top Docs Radio

November 9, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Self Funded Insurance Plans - Top Docs Radio

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Self Funded Insurance Plans

On this week’s episode I sat down with Alan Conner, of Your Professional CFO. Alan is a tax and accounting expert who works with a wide range of companies and professionals, including physicians.

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 his older brother, an ER physician in Florida. He explained the fact that his brother, 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.

Special Guest:

Alan Conner, CEO, My Professional CFO

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

Global Center for Medical Innovation and T3 Labs

November 2, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Global Center for Medical Innovation and T3 Labs

00:00 / 01:02:00

Global Center for Medical Innovation and T3 Labs

This week we hosted experts from the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) and T3 Labs. These two non-profit organizations are dedicated to providing an ecosystem and an environment that start-up healthcare technology companies can use to develop prototypes for new devices, as well as early stage production for them as they build toward commercialization.

Executive Director for GCMI, Tif Wilson, and Executive Director for T3 Labs, Andrew Stevenson, came by to talk about how their organizations are working to expand and improve the ecosystem for emerging healthcare technology cmopanies.

The Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) is the Southeast’s first and only comprehensive medical device innovation center, dedicated to accelerating development, building businesses and improving health. GCMI opened its doors in April 2012 and to date has worked with over 40 different startups, clinician innovators, university tech transfer offices and academic researchers to design, engineer, prototype, and facilitate commercialization of a broad range of innovative medical devices.

GCMI’s core team of designers and engineers collaborate closely with startups, clinicians, researchers, new product development teams and medtech entrepreneurs to accelerate time to market while reducing costs. The independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization has a robust and ever-growing network of experts, including intellectual property, regulatory, quality systems and investors, to help bring ideas from concept to market. In addition, through a close collaboration with our development partner, T3 Labs, medical device entrepreneurs and new product development teams have all of the critical resources they need to efficiently bring new products from an idea through GLP preclinical studies, all in Midtown Atlanta.

With 15 years of experience, T3’s mission remains – to provide high-value pre-clinical GLP (Good Lab Practices) compliant testing and training services to medical device, biologics, and pharmaceutical developers and manufacturers. We work with industry and academic sponsors to improve patient care by more effectively and efficiently developing and commercializing their devices and products. Contact them at (404) 251-0600.

T3 Labs is an independently-operated, privately-held, AAALAC accredited, GLP-compliant non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. In 2012, T3 became a wholly-owned subsidiary of a joint-operating company formed by Saint Joseph’s Health System and Emory Healthcare. Emory is recognized internationally as a leading academic medical center. By serving our industry and academic collaborators, T3 Labs is committed to supporting Emory/Saint Joseph’s tripartite mission: enabling discovery and innovation – via Testing; facilitating healthcare provider education – via Training; and enhancing patient-care – via medical product Translation.

Special Guests:

Tif Wilson, Executive Director of Global Center for Medical Innovation

MBA, Management & Strategy, Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Previous VP, Business Development & Strategy, ACell, Inc
2012 HBA Women in Healthcare Leadership Award Nominee

Andrew Stevenson, Executive Director of T3 Labs

MBA, International Business, University of Delaware, Lerner College of Business and Economics
Previous Research Scientist, University of Pennsylvania, Departments of Pharmacology & Radiology
Former Senior Scientist, Bristol-Meyers, Squibb
Previous Project Leader/Director, Abbott

Woman Owned Business

October 27, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Woman Owned Business

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business radio — Marie Hunter and Kenzie Biggens join CW Hall on Midtown Business Radio

Woman Owned Business

On this week’s episode I continued my monthly series with NOWaccount. CFO Archie Jones stopped by to talk about woman owned business. He introduced us to two female entrepreneurs who are working on disrupting their respective industries.

KRG Oil Company is a family and female owned fuel and petroleum products business. The company has positioned itself to serve the needs of small to mid-sized clients that require quantities of fuel and petroleum products that are below what larger fuel companies are willing or able to fulfill. Marie described how she and her father, who had spent numerous years in the fuel business, decided to start their own company together after Marie was laid off from a previous job.

They determined their mission is to provide excellent customer service that goes above and beyond their competitors. Marie shared how KRG’s corporate philosophy is to treat all of their customers with professionalism and respect, no matter how big or small the client company. KRG Oil was started because its founders felt that the fueling industry was missing good and old fashioned “customer service.”

We talked about how Marie and her team want the success of this business to be used as a platform to encourage others to “think outside of the box” and to give back to our community.

Kenzie Biggens explained how her earlier work in the social media arena opened the door to an unexpected opportunity to launch her virtual assistant business, Uniquely Virtual. She explained how an executive she had been working with on social media services was retiring and suggested she start the business she had been contemplating for some time.

Kenzie got her business started and began to see a true niche and need for virtual assistants, particularly for executives who are serving in a contractor/consultant role. Eventually, she designed an effective database and client management platform that has empowered her to allow her production partners to work remotely, helping to accelerate scaling and growing the company.

The Uniquely Virtual solution allows executives to gain access to professional assistant services while saving many of the employee expenses that come with employing workers.

My guests shared strategies they have used to help them get a toe hold in their markets and how they chose to distinguish themselves from their competitors, particularly with strict focus on customer service.

Special Guests:

Marie Hunter, President/CEO of KRG Oil Company

BA, Journalism and Telecommunication Arts, University of Georgia
Previous Internet Sales Manager, Lewis & Sheron Textile Company

Kenzie Biggens, CEO/Founder of Uniquely Virtual

MFA, Luxury and Fashion Management, Savannah College of Art and Design
Committee Member, Atlanta Regional Commission, Strategic Implementation Innovation Subcommittee
Member, Board of Directors, ArtsATL

Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

October 26, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

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Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

We sat down with medical oncologist/hematologist, Dr. Brion Randolph, of Cancer Treatment Centers of America stopped by to talk about the impacts of genomics, precision medicine, and big data in oncology. Dr. Randolph serves as the Chief Hematologist for the Cancer Treatment Centers facility located in Newnan, GA.

Randolph explained how genomics, or the study of DNA material of cancer cells to identify mutations that serve as “drivers” for their tumor cells. The information gained is used to find the genetic information that turns these cancer cells on and off. In some cases this data can reveal factors about the tumor cells that can be used when deciding what medication the physician should prescribe. Often, this genetic data can indicate that another medicine that was originally used to treat another form of cancer in another region of the body could be effective for this particular patient’s case.

We also discussed how oncology is advancing in its use of big data, enabling multiple centers and research studies to leverage results from around the community to advance their work and/or discover trends or commonalities. Dr. Randolph also explained how we still have a distance to go before we have a broad acceptance and participation in big data as organizations seek to protect and leverage their discoveries and results.

Special Guest:

Dr. Brion Randolph, Chief Medical Hematologist, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, GA

MS, Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee
Doctor of Medicine, University of South Carolina College of Medicine
Residency, Baylor University College of Medicine
Fellowship, Baylor University College of Medicine
Board Certified, Internal Medicine and Hematology and Oncology

Interventional Radiology – Top Docs Radio

October 23, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Interventional Radiology - Top Docs Radio

00:00 / 00:24:00

Interventional Radiology

We talked interventional radiology with Dr. John Lipman of Atlanta Interventional Institute on this week’s show. Interventional radiologists are radiologists who are trained to perform a wide array of procedures using various radiologic images to guide their work.

In fact, as Dr. Lipman explained, it was interventional radiologists who invented the technology to perform procedures such as balloon angioplasty that was later used to open blocked arteries in the heart.

We talked about uterine fibroid embolization, a minimally-invasive procedure where a catheter is passed into the femoral artery and maneuvered to the arteries feeding uterine fibroids, where a chemical is instilled, caused the vessel to occlude. This blocks bloodflow to the fibroid, causing it to shrink and die, allowing for easy removal.

The alternative for these women is hysterectomy, which is the surgical removal of the uterus, after which, the woman will need to take hormones to compensate for its loss. Additionally, it takes days longer to recover from the surgery and bears the risk of anesthesia and post-surgical infection.

Dr. Lipman talked about other procedures interventional radiologists are able to perform such as treatment of migraine headaches, and reversing infertility related to blocked fallopian tubes.

It is important for patients and their loved ones to be sure to ask lots of questions and to inquire about other available treatment options when surgery is recommended, particularly when it involves removal of an organ or amputation.

In this way, patients can limit risk associated with surgery in many cases, and save cost and time away from work. Dr. Lipman offered a number of questions patients and loved ones can ask to determine if an interventional radiologist is the one they should choose.

Special Guest:

Dr. John Lipman, MD, FSIR, Atlanta Interventional Institute

Doctorate of Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine
Radiology Residency, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Fellowship, Vascular & Interventional Radiology, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine
Board Certified, Radiology, Vascular & Interventional Radiology
Fellow, Society of Interventional Radiology

Midtown Alliance and Blue Goblin

October 20, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Midtown Alliance and Blue Goblin

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Midtown Alliance and Blue Goblin

I hosted Shannon Powell and Ben Hirokawa of Midtown Alliance and Blue Goblin, respectively. Shannon Powell is the COO for Midtown Alliance and Ben Hirokawa is founder and President of Blue Goblin, a plastic foam recycling company.

Created in 1978, Midtown Alliance has been a significant force in the revitalization of Midtown Atlanta, a district that runs from ~Pine St. on the south end to the Peachtree Bridge over I-75 entering Buckhead on the north end, and east-west from I-75 to ~Piedmont Ave.

Midtown Alliance is a not-for-profit membership organization and consists of a coalition of local business and community leaders. Each member is committed to establishing Midtown as a leading destination for commerce, culture, education and living.

Midtown Alliance is led by a 71-member board of the district’s leading private sector executives and their mission is to improve and sustain the quality of life for those who live, work and play in this thriving business and residential district. The Alliance fulfills is mission through a comprehensive approach to planning and development, including numerous initiatives to enhance public safety, improve the physical environment, and strengthen the urban amenities giving the area its distinctive character.

Guided by a visionary master plan – Blueprint Midtown – and in partnership with the Midtown Improvement District, Midtown has become a national model for urban excellence.

Ben Hirokawa has been a leader in three different start-ups, including a recent one in South Carolina focused on recycling a variety of household appliances. That enterprise developed technology that would allow them to dispense with the noxious coolant materials and associated fumes/gases safely, allowing them to reclaim the metals and plastics.

Founded in 2014, Blue Goblin is an innovative, environmentally-sound solution for disposal of plastic foams. These versatile foams – found in products ranging from commercial roofing and wall insulation, to refrigerated transport units, to mattresses and other furniture, to many types of packaging – pose significant challenges at end-of-life: they are bulky and difficult to transport and compact, and they can emit significant greenhouse gasses.

Both the U.S. EPA and the California Air Resources Board have recognized emissions from PUR, XPS, and ISO foams

as significant environmental challenges, but currently virtually all of these foams are landfilled. Blue Goblin offers a solution:

• Mobile Service: Blue Goblin brings its processing unit directly to its customers, and begins the process of compacting and recycling these foams on-site, significantly reducing transportation and waste disposal costs

• Environmental Responsibility: Greenhouse gasses are captured and properly disposed

• Convenience and Customer Service: Blue Goblin works with each customer to define the scope of the job and maximize convenience and value

Special Guests:

Shannon Powell, COO, of Midtown Alliance

BA, Urban Studies/Affairs, College of Charlston
Master of City Planning, City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology

Ben Hirokawa, President/founder of Blue Goblin

ME, Engineering Management, Dartmouth College-Thayer School of Engineering
Former President/CEO, Reclaim
Co-founder/Previous VP of New Business Development, MicroPore Plastics

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

October 16, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

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healthcare technology — Lou Malice, Sam Zamarippa, Jay Shaffer, Tommy Cunningham

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

We sat down with experts from two Atlanta area health technology companies, Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs. Joining us in studio were Lou Malice, Sam Zamarippa, and Tommy Cunningham. Intent Solutions is a start-up that is developing a device aimed at improving compliance with prescribed medication regimens, as well as helping to improve likelihood the intended person has access to the medicine.

In its early phase of development, Intent Solutions has positioned itself to be an effective tool for pharmaceutical research studies. In these studies, it is vital that participants adhere to the prescribed medication regimen in order to obtain the most effective and accurate test results.

The Intent Solutions device has a secure chamber that contains the pills for the particular prescription. Called “TAD” (standing for “take as directed”), the device utilizes fingerprint technology to identify the user before dispensing medication. Additionally, the TAD device is able to connect with the patient’s mobile device (and the prescribing entity) to share updates on efforts to access medication by unauthorized users, whether medication was dispensed, and it can send the patient reminders, prompting them to take their medication.

In this way, the TAD device facilitates medication research by improving compliance with the schedule the medication was intended to be taken on.

NFANT Labs has developed a device that uses sensors that can give a care giver visual feedback on a monitor regarding a NICU baby’s sucking patterns while feeding, a task that for many premies is challenging. Until now, the only way a practitioner could assess the sucking strength and patterns was to literally use a finger in the infant’s mouth.

The difficulty these young babies face is often related to a weak tongue, ineffective tongue movements, and uncoordinated swallowing timing. This predisposes them to consuming inadequate calories as well as creating the risk for aspiration pneumonia, both of which can lead to additional length of stay and even mortality.

The NFANT Labs monitor fits between the nipple and the bottle used to feed the child. It has a sensor that detects the up and down motion of the tongue, as well as negative pressure being generated by the suckling infant. It converts the data to wave forms on a monitor that the care giver can follow, allowing them to slow or pause feeding to allow the child to “catch up” with dispensed milk or to re-position them them to assess whether it leads to a more effective sucking pattern.

Special Guests:

Lou Malice, CEO of Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs