Health Connect South Archives - Page 2 of 5

Halyard Health Provides Alternative To Opioid Pain Meds

April 3, 2016 by angishields

Health Connect South

Halyard Health Provides Alternative To Opioid Pain Meds

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Halyard Health Provides Alternative To Opioid Pain Meds

The current opioid abuse epidemic has been called the worst drug crisis in American history. Death rates now

rival those of AIDS during the 1990s, with overdoses from heroin and other opioids now killing more

than 27,000 people a year. People across the country are asking themselves: why? What are the forces

causing this issue, and what can lawmakers and the healthcare community do to curb it? At the heart of

the epidemic is the shift in opioid prescribing practices: in 1991, doctors wrote 76 million prescriptions

for painkillers.

In 2012, that number tripled, with healthcare providers writing 259 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers – enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills.1 Most addicts aren’t introduced to opioids through the black market; they are far too often prescribed by their doctors as part of standard treatment protocols for treating postoperative and chronic pain.

On this episode we were joined in studio by Kevin Friedman, medical director at Alpharetta, Georgia-based Halyard Health. The company manufactures two non-narcotic alternatives – COOLIEF Cooled Radiofrequency and the ON-Q* Pain Relief System – for chronic and post-operative pain, respectively. Kevin shared actionable steps to address the opioid crisis and how patient/provider education, coupled with non-opioid therapies such as these for pain management, play a critical role in reducing the rate of occurrence of opioid addiction due to prescription use.

Halyard Health is a global medical technology company focused on preventing infection, eliminating pain and speeding

recovery. Just as a halyard fuels forward movement, Halyard Health’s clinically-superior products and remarkable

service help to advance health and healthcare worldwide. Halyard sells its recognized brands and products in more

than 100 countries, and holds leading market positions in multiple categories across the portfolio. Formerly part of

Kimberly-Clark, Halyard became an independent company on November 1, 2014.

For more information, visit

www.halyardhealth.com.

Special Guest:

Dr. Kevin Friedman, DO, Medical Director, Halyard Health

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, Nova Southeastern University
MBA, IU Kelley School of Business
Former Flight Surgeon, US Navy

Mercer University Health Services

March 18, 2016 by angishields

Health Connect South

Mercer University Health Services

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Dr. Ashish Advani and Dr. Ted Matthews of Mercer University

Mercer University Health Services

We sat down with Dean and SVP of Health Services, Dr. Ted Matthews, and Dr. Ashish Advani, Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy from Mercer University. Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top five pharmacy programs at private institutions in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. The College offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.). The College is one of four health sciences units within the Mercer Health Sciences Center, which also includes the School of Medicine, College of Nursing, and College of Health Professions.

With an enrollment of more than 650 students and a distinguished faculty of basic scientists and clinicians, the College of Pharmacy houses seven centers focusing on research, teaching and learning. The College’s motto, “A Tradition of Excellence – A Legacy of Caring,” frames its philosophy of providing excellent academic programs in an environment where every student matters and every person counts.

Mercer University is applying an approach to their health sciences programs called, “interprofessional education or IPE”. This approach brings students from the various health science programs together with those of the others to talk about their respective considerations when approaching certain care scenarios. This leads to a greater understanding of the other team members of the multidisciplinary team and ultimately, better patient outcomes.

The College of Pharmacy has also developed a technology platform aimed at putting pharmacologic study data and medicine information in the hands of clinicians to facilitate evidence-based decision making. Developed with support from Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy, InpharmD is a web-based drug information center. With an estimated 20 million pharmaceutical studies available, InpharmD offers access to the health information that healthcare providers and patients need to make informed and improved decisions.

InpharmD provides customized, evidence-based responses within a user-requested time period. By significantly increasing the credibility of the information and substantially decreasing the turnaround time, InpharmD has created a fundamental change in drug information delivery.

Special Guests:

Dr. Ted Matthews, Dean and SVP of Health Services, Mercer University

Dr. Ashish Advani, Associate Clinical Professor, College of Pharmacy, Mercer University

Radix Health

March 3, 2016 by angishields

Health Connect South

Radix Health

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Radix Health

Jay Shaffer and I sat down with co-founder of Radix Health, Dr. Arun Mohan. Radix Health uses technology to improve patient access. Radix’s flagship product, DASH, is a patent-pending, cloud-based software platform that optimizes ambulatory capacity utilization and reduces scheduling cost. DASH automates and optimizes much of the work currently done by schedulers.

DASH intelligently balances patient characteristics, patient and provider preferences, and appointment availability to match patients with the right provider at the right location for the right duration. The system supports all forms of scheduling including through an agent, provider-provider scheduling and patient self-scheduling. DASH easily integrates with existing practice management systems.

By leveraging predictive analytics, rules-based scheduling, automation, and user experience, DASH improves access, reduces scheduling costs, eliminates scheduling errors and ensures happier patients and providers.

Arun shared how his experience as a physician, coupled with many conversations over time with colleagues, revealed there is an opportunity to improve patient satisfaction and engagement, while at the same time optimizing the physicians’ utilization of their schedule time.

The Radix Health solution integrates and enhances the basic scheduling feature of existing EMR’s, bringing valuable analytics and algorithms designed to insure a patient is scheduled with the correct specialist, avoiding the need for rescheduling and loss of productivity.

Special Guest:

Dr. Arun Mohan, Co-founder, Radix Health

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

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

AirWatch by VM Ware

December 4, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

AirWatch by VM Ware

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AirWatch by VM Ware

On this week’s episode we sat down with Aamir Siddiqi, the Executive Director for Enterprise Sales, Healthcare, for AirWatch by VM Ware. AirWatch is known as an industry leader and innovator in the mobile enterprise security and services space.

The rise and evolution of mobile devices as business tools has been both a boon and a bane for enterprises. While on one hand, they serve as efficient tools that facilitate work flow, collaboration, and productivity, they also create significant security risks for the business.

When you add the additional layer of sensitivity and compliance requirements for handling patient health information, this risk is of high importance to address in the healthcare arena.

With their well-known expertise in mobile security coupled with their recent acquisition by VM Ware, AirWatch plays a large role in helping healthcare organizations, both acute and sub-acute, take advantage of mobile tech’s efficiencies while protecting data across all devices on the network.

Special Guest:

Aamir Siddiqi, Executive Director of Enterprise Sales, Healthcare at AirWatch by VM Ware

BA, Management and Economics, University of Toronto at Scarborough
Previous National Sales Manager, Ultrasound IT Americas, GE Healthcare
Former Senior Business Consultant, CDC Software
Previous Director, Sales Engineering, Raindance

Investment Capital, Hospice, and Legal Trends in Healthcare

November 10, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Investment Capital, Hospice, and Legal Trends in Healthcare

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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

Global Center for Medical Innovation and T3 Labs

November 2, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Global Center for Medical Innovation and T3 Labs

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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

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