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Azalea Health – Top Docs Radio

May 6, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Azalea Health - Top Docs Radio

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Azalea Health

This week we started our twice-monthly series with Tanya Mack, CEO of Women’s Telehealth. Her first guest was CEO and Co-founder of Azalea Health, Baha Zeidan. Azalea Health is an EMR company that launched in 2008 in Valdosta, GA. Since then the company has enjoyed steady growth and has been recognized as one of Inc. 500 Nation’s fastest growing private companies, Georgia Top 40 Innovator, and 2014 Emerging Company of the Year Phoenix Award Winner.

Healthcare IT is at the forefront of revolutionizing trends that will change the way healthcare is delivered and patients’ health and wellness outcomes. Healthcare providers and patients who are resistant to technology may be left behind. Today- EMR’s, patient portals, mobile health apps and wearables, cloud computing, and interoperability are not fringe applications but active advances that allow the patients to become more a part of the healthcare team.

Technology makes that possible. Currently, the global EMR market is $11 Billion and the US remains dominant in EMR adoption. As we move to electronic medical records, EMR’s hold a lifetime of health data and can be used to predict our individual health future through modeling.

Today’s guest, Baha Zeidan, CEO of Azalea Health will be discussing his company’s

EMR and Practice management platform and how it is evolving to incorporate these new technology advances.

Special Guests:

Baha Zeidan, CEO of Azalea Health

Tanya Mack, President, Women’s Telehealth

Telemedicine – Top Docs Radio

April 3, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Telemedicine - Top Docs Radio

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Telemedicine

Today’s technology, particularly internet, communications, and mobile platforms, is empowering disruption in the traditional healthcare delivery model. Telemedicine is an emerging trend that shows no sign of slowing and my guests on this episode focus on this platform for delivering high quality care.

In some ways, mobile technology is bringing us full circle. The “House Call” is back and being seen by a physician and/or other health professional in our home or other location outside of a doctor’s office, urgent care, or ER will likely be as common as it was decades ago, if not even more so.

Telemedicine is taking advantage of these technology capabilities to put patients together with healthcare professionals virtually and in some cases, through a combination of someone sitting with the patient facilitating an exam while another provider is connected to the interaction via video/telephony.

TeleHealth Solutions is a consultancy that works with healthcare organizations and practices seeking to add telemedicine to their delivery model. The company is able to evaluate the client’s goals and determine (hopefully prior to any expenditures on equipment/platforms) the best platform for achieving those objectives.

In some cases they may even advise the client to hold off on adding such a platform, depending on what they were expecting it to do, avoiding large costs for something that will ultimately not be used. Turner Smith explained how there are often unseen pitfalls around launching such a delivery model, so working with experts such as himself and his team can insure desired patient outcomes are achieved while making financial investments in the right technology/service.

Glenn Pearson spent nearly 20 years leading the Georgia Hospital Association. As such, he’s well-versed in the in’s and out’s of how hospitals do business, make decisions regarding technologies they will deploy (or NOT deploy), and factors that can make what seems to be a great idea for a solution that will ultimately fail to be adopted.

He’s leveraging that experience at Pearson Health Tech Insights, providing consulting services for tech companies who are developing (or plan to develop) technology solutions that will serve the hospital/health system space. He and his team can help the tech developer potentially pivot their solution if needed, or in some cases do some redesign before going to market. In this way, just as Turner’s firm helps tech buyers purchase wisely, Glenn’s company helps the developer have greater probability of success in getting their technology adopted.

I met Tanya Mack a couple of years ago on her show Doctors Roundtable here on Business Radio X. She is now leading a company called, Women’s Telehealth, a virtual physician practice comprised of maternal-fetal specialists and high-risk pregnancy OB’s.

These healthcare experts are able to link up with a hospital or group’s existing telehealth technology to provide the medical expertise needed by moms in high-risk pregnancies. With value to both urban and rural areas, Women’s Telehealth is allowing organizations that do not have high-risk OB specialists on staff, to be able to handle many of these patient needs, allowing the organization to simultaneously meet a patient need, while keeping them in their delivery system rather than losing them to a competing hospital.

Special Guests:

Tanya Mack, President, Women’s Telehealth

Turner Smith, VP of Business Development, TeleHealth Solutions

Glenn Pearson, Principal, Pearson Health Tech Insights

Telemedicine – Top Docs Radio

October 16, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Telemedicine - Top Docs Radio

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Telemedicine

We sat down with legal expert on healthcare matters, attorney, Sidney Welch, of the Polsinelli law firm on our monthly episode with Medical Association of Georgia. What is it? How is it utilized? And, what are the licensing, regulatory, and legal concerns around it?

Georgia Composite Medical Board (GCMB) has stressed that it is essential for telemedicine patients in the state to receive the same high standard of care they would in a traditional office setting. GCMB adopted a number of telemedicine rules in 2014 that “allow the Composite Board to take disciplinary action against licensed physicians and allied health professionals who practice telemedicine if they do not provide the minimum standard of care.”

Georgia’s rules require physicians and other allied health care professionals who deliver care by way of telemedicine to…

Be the ones who provide all of the treatment and/or consultations via telehealth.
Have access to the patient’s medical history if they are providing the services.
Have personally seen and examined the patient if they are referring the patient to a telehealth provider.
Maintain records on the patient’s evaluation and treatment if they are providing a service via telehealth and to provide a copy of those records to the referring physician.
Provide telehealth services only within their specialty.
Give their name, credentials and emergency contact information to the patient when they provide a telehealth treatment or consultation.
Provide the patient with “clear, appropriate, accurate instructions” on follow-up care.

Controlled substances for pain or chronic pain treatment cannot be prescribed through telehealth – but a physician or a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant can order appropriate labs or other diagnostic tests.

The physician who provides the care via telemedicine must make a “diligent” effort to ensure that the patient is seen and examined in person at least once a year by a Georgia-licensed physician or other appropriate health care professional.

Special Guest:

Sidney Welch, JD, of Polsinelli

Pet Health – Top Docs Radio

October 9, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Pet Health - Top Docs Radio

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Apex Animal Hospital

On this episode I sat down with Dr. Kimberly Cary and her office manager, Jamie Cary. We talked about their rapidly-growing Austell animal hospital that has seen rapid expansion of their patient base due to referrals from happy clients.

Kimberly explained there are numerous health issues that can be transmitted between humans and their pets or that both humans and our pets can suffer from that we can benefit from being aware about. Examples are ringworm, Lyme disease, giardiasis, rabies, and others.

The Carys talked about measures we can take to reduce the risk of our pets contracting these illnesses as well as how we can limit the risk of being affected ourselves. In many cases, simple preventive measures are very effective at protecting both pet and owner. These include annual exams and keeping vaccinations up to date.

Problems related to tick- and flea-borne diseases can easily be prevented by a regular dose of topical or edible medications. And in areas of high likelihood of ticks, there is a vaccination available for dogs to prevent Lyme disease.

The practice offers a full array of pet services and has been specially designed to accommodate both dogs and cats to minimize the stress they experience when they have to be seen or stay in the animal hospital. The office is located on East-West Connector in Austell, GA near Floyd Road.

Special Guests:

Dr. Kimberly Carey, DVM of Apex Animal Hospital

Doctorate Veterinary Medicine (with honors), Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine
Values educating pet owners who are her clients to help them best care for their pets
President, Cobb County Veterinary Medical Association
Owner of 2 cats and a dog of her own

Pre-diabetes – Top Docs Radio

September 22, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Pre-diabetes - Top Docs Radio

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Pre-diabetes

This week I featured a long-time friend of the show, Dr. Ellie Campbell, of Campbell Family Medicine, located in Cumming, GA. We talked about a topic I am hopeful many of our followers will both listen to and share: Pre-diabetes.

How many times have you gone for your annual check-up and been told, “Your labs are normal,” when your fasting blood glucose is >80mg/dl? Those “normal” results could actually be a red flag that you have Pre-diabetes.

During this phase it’s actually possible to reverse the condition through diet and exercise. But, as Ellie described, many physicians haven’t yet been educated that they need to be concerned with glucose levels that don’t exceed “normal” limits. This means that we, as patients, need to be advocates for ourselves and our loved ones.

It is well-known that diabetes leads to a range of chronic and often, deadly, diseases such as heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, stroke, and more. While we also know it is often challenging to make life-style changes, when you are aware of the risks, it can become more easy to do so.

I am pleased Ellie sat down with us to talk about pre-diabetes, a problem many people can actually do something about if they’re willing to make some of the simple changes she recommends.

Special guest:

Dr. Ellie Campbell, DO, Family Practice & Integrative Medicine at Campbell Family Medicine

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Family Medicine Residency, Medical College of Georgia
Board Certified Family Medicine

Cobb2020

September 9, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Cobb2020

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Cobb2020

A few months ago, I learned about a health initiative coordinated through the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health. This far-reaching effort aims to improve the health of this region that hosts over 800,000 residents across a number of health and lifestyle markers such as smoking, obesity, access to primary care, and many more.

Established in 1920, Cobb & Douglas Public Health’s (CDPH’s) mission is, “with our partners, to promote

and protect the health and safety of the residents of Cobb and Douglas counties.” CDPH serves over

800,000 residents. Many of its 30-plus health programs are population-based, although some cater

specifically to particularly vulnerable populations.

Services are delivered through diverse programs provided at several public health clinical locations as well as through several additional partnership sites. One of 18 public health districts in the State of Georgia, CDPH is comprised of two distinct boards of health—the Cobb County Board of Health and the Douglas County Board of Health. Cobb2020, The Partnership for a Healthier Cobb County and Live Healthy Douglas facilitated by Cobb and Douglas Public Health (CDPH), continues to make steady progress on the priorities established in the 2012 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).

Both Cobb and Douglas Partnerships were established in April 2011 and utilizing the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership (MAPP) process, the coalitions conducted a thorough Community Health Assessment. The two Steering Committees, made up of diverse community members, outlined the top health priorities for the counties which included improvement of health lifestyles and access to health services. The teams helped to draft the

CHIP in December 2012 which outlined the MAPP process including the structure for the partnership, Community Health Assessments, Strategic Issues and Community Balanced Scorecards for evaluation.

Using the CHIP, The Cobb2020 and Live Healthy Douglas Implementation Teams (I-Teams) working on Healthy Lifestyles and Access to Health Services selected evidenced based strategies and developed detailed action plans which were published in June 2013. The I-Teams continue to review and revise strategies (with oversight from the Steering Committee) based on evaluation data. An overall assessment and update of I-Team plans was completed in December 2014. The I-Team plans were updated for 2015 to focus on initiatives which have been truly successful, impactful and sustainable.

Since the I-Team plans were completed in 2012, much progress has occurred. Listed below are a few highlights of successful activities from 2014.

Three new Farm Fresh Markets opened in the Spring of 2014 in a food dessert in Austell, GA. An existing Farmer’s Market in Mabelton, GA completed certification to accept SNAP (i.e., food stamps) for produce. Several Cobb2020 partners established regular mini-markets onsite for their employees and clients.

A no-smoking ordinance for parks and cemeteries in the City of Kennesaw passed in June 2014. A new Childhood Obesity Grant was obtained from Healthcare Georgia to support work on joint use agreements and work with school wellness councils. A Cobb2020 partner, Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb was approved as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) bringing more resources to improve access to health services.

Special Guests:

Dr. Jack Kennedy, District Director, Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health/Cobb2020

Lisa Crossman, Deputy Director, Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health

Becky Shipley, MS, of YMCA of Metro Atlanta

Dr. Priyah Rudolph – Top Docs Radio

August 30, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Dr. Priyah Rudolph - Top Docs Radio

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Dr. Priyah Rudolph

On this episode of Top Docs Radio I hosted Dr. Priyah Rudolph, medical oncologist with Georgia Cancer Specialists. Dr. Rudolph practices in the Athens, GA office for the group and has expertise with several forms of cancer. She shared her poignant story about how she came to choose oncology as her specialty of practice.

Dr. Rudolph described how several members of her family experienced cancer in their lives, including her mother. In speaking with her it’s clear she has a very personal connection with patients she sees in her practice and clearly understands the stress and concern they feel.

For this conversation, we focused on breast cancer. According to breastcancer.org, in the US, roughly 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Nearly 300,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year.

Priya shared the importance self-breast exams, conducted at least monthly, paired with annual mammograms annually after the age of 40 or sooner if direct descendants of breast cancer patients. Early detection helps give the patient more options for treatment, as well as the likelihood of successful treatment.

She talked about various treatments available and what to expect should the troubling news come that a finding is indeed cancer. On a positive note, we talked about the fact that breast cancer is very survivable with today’s technology and medical advancements.

Special Guest:

Dr. Priyah Rudolph, MD, of Georgia Cancer Specialists

Doctor of Medicine, Coimbatore Medical College
Residency, Yale University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Yale University School of Medicine
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Society of Hematology
PhD in Physiology at The Ohio State University

Innovative Health Technology

August 17, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Innovative Health Technology

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Bailey Ernstes, Jake Kazlow, and Jim Sullivan talk innovative health technologies

Innovative Health Technology

On this episode of Health Connect South Radio we featured two Atlanta companies developing innovative health technology. We hosted Monitor Med Solutions and HealPros to learn about the respective problems their solutions solve.

Monitor Med Solutions was founded by several Georgia Tech students to create a device that would use bluetooth technology to give hydrocephalus patients real-time monitoring data regarding their intracranial pressure via their mobile devices. Bailey Ernstes and Jake Kazlow, two of the co-founders, joined us to talk about their project.

As Bailey shared, as many as 1:500 babies are born with hydrocephalus, an abnormally-high intracranial pressure caused by a disruption in the normal flow of cerebral spinal fluid. These patients require that a shunt be implanted that will facilitate modulation of the intracranial pressure and prevent the numerous neurological problems and even death that can occur when pressure rises or falls beyond certain limits.

The challenge for these patients and their families is that the shunt technology itself has not evolved much since its inception. And, the shunts fail at a rate of roughly 40% of the time, typically due to occlusion. In most cases, the only way the patients discover there is a problem is when they begin to show symptoms of increased pressure.

Monitor Med Solutions, an Atlanta-based start-up has developed a device that interfaces with the intracranial shunt and contains a bluetooth transmitter. This enables the user to get pressure readings via an app on their mobile device, potentially allowing them to seek care before neurologic symptoms occur and/or preventing unnecessary ER admissions to seek care.

Jim Sullivan is CEO of HealPros. This company saw a need for closing the gap in preventive care for patients with diabetes. The diabetic population is at risk for blindness due to retinal damage that is caused by chronically-elevated glucose levels. It can take years of asymptomatic progression of the retinal damage for visual changes to occur. Because of this, many patients do not bother to seek out the recommended annual exams that could identify problematic changes early enough to do something about it.

HealPros utilizes teleimaging capabilities coupled with on-site technologists who can do exams in a physician’s office or even a patient’s home. The company partners with health plans and physician offices to coordinate visits with patients and conduct the necessary eye exam.

They then communicate results to patient, doctor, and health plan company and can help facilitate getting access to appropriate advanced care if an abnormality is found.

Special Guests

Bailey Ernstes, CEO of Monitor Med Solutions

BS Biomedical/Medical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
National Merit Scholar
Campoamor Study Abroad Scholarship Recipient
Previous Research Assistant, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Jake Kaslow, Co-founder and CTO of Monitor Med Solutions

BS Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Jim Sullivan, CEO of HealPros

BA, MA, Economics & Finance, State University of New York at Binghamton
Business Professionals Course, Linguistics and Business Philosophy, The Aji Network
Former Analyst, Goldman Sachs
Previous Owner, Medical Imaging Specialists

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits – Top Docs Radio

August 15, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits - Top Docs Radio

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Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

The phrase medical malpractice causes most people’s pulse to quicken. For a physician being named in a medical malpractice case is one of the worst events in their life. This week we discussed medical malpractice in Georgia and how physicians can avoid it.

For the past 23 years, Dan has specialized in representing physicians and hospitals in medical malpractice lawsuits. As one of the founding partners in the Atlanta law firm of Huff, Powell & Bailey, LLC, he has represented defendants in more than 90 jury trials.

Dan has defended and successfully tried cases for every specialty of medicine and numerous hospitals throughout Georgia. His trial record would be a proud career for any defense lawyer and is remarkable because Dan has tried and won this many cases before turning 50. Many of those cases have been against the best plaintiffs’ attorneys in the state. Dan is also a regular contributor to MAG’s quarterly Journal.

Huff shared what malpractice is, and why he chose this area of focus for his legal career. He offered some advice on how healthcare practitioners can avoid a malpractice lawsuit. We discussed his professional advice for how to handle conversations with patient and/or family after a sentinel event has occurred. And we talked about how health professionals need to handle patient records and what to do if served with a lawsuit.

Dan explained how defendants in a suit should behave during the proceedings of the case to reduce the likelihood a jury will rule against them.

Special Guest:

Dan Huff, JD, and co-founder, Huff, Powell, and Bailey