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Pensacola Business Radio: Guests-Alan Roberts, TripShock / Stacy Robello, Home Instead Senior Care

July 14, 2017 by angishields

Pensacola Business Radio

Pensacola Business Radio: Guests-Alan Roberts, TripShock / Stacy Robello, Home Instead Senior Care

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Stacy Robello recently became one of the new owners at Home Instead Senior Care of Pensacola. She was a founding member of the franchise in 1999 until late 2001. After receiving her BA in Elementary Education from the University of West Florida, she left to pursue her career as an educator in one of Florida’s top ranked systems; Santa Rosa County School District. But when the Home Instead office was granted their Home Health Agency license from the State of Florida in 2006, Stacy was inspired to return; this time as a Community Educator addressing issues specific to the aging population and as a promoter of the many home care services offered by Home Instead. Even now as an owner, Stacy still helps drive referrals and builds relationships within the provider network which includes but is not limited to: hospitals, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, rehab facilities and hospice, etc. In addition, she also manages the web marketing in the Pensacola office which includes updating the company’s local website, email marketing and daily posts on their social media pages. Some of Stacy’s affiliations are with the Baptist Women’s Board, Escarosa Senior Alliance, Santa Rosa Healthcare Advocates and the Healthcare Professionals Association of Northwest Florida.

Stacy is more enthusiastic than ever about being an owner of the Home Instead Senior Care team and watching the company expand to meet the needs of the community she serves. When the opportunity arose to take ownership of the office, she didn’t hesitate. She’s excited to continue the tradition of bringing exceptional home care to the Pensacola community.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-robello-49595227/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/homeinsteadpensacola

Website: www.HomeInstead.com/PensacolaFL

Twitter:@HISCPensacola

LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hearmuff/

A native Central Floridian, after his sophomore year at the University of Florida, Alan Roberts moved to New York City to work in radio and film. He returned to Florida in 2013, moving to the Santa Rosa Beach/30A area to work for a friend’s business. Seeing the exponential growth of TripShock.com in the Destin market, he moved to Pensacola in early 2016 to open the market for the company. He has since signed over 30 Navarre, Pensacola Beach, Orange Beach, and Gulf Shores businesses for the site. He currently resides in Perdido, where he enjoys golf, cycling, and the occasional jet ski dolphin tour.

www.tripshock.com

Legal Considerations in Telemedicine – Top Docs Radio

July 8, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Legal Considerations in Telemedicine - Top Docs Radio

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Legal Considerations in Telemedicine

This week, Tanya hosted healthcare and telemedicine legal experts, Bill Boling and Mason Reid, of Boling and Company, to talk about legal considerations in telemedicine.

Affordable, quality telemedicine is on almost everyone’s mind! Telemedicine is a tool that is being used more frequently to provide access when and where needed and to decrease costs. One analyst recently predicted that 2020, the telemedicine market would be worth $36B dollars.

Although technology improvements have enable a new generation of telemedicine services, policy makers have been slower to adopt telemedicine. Recently, however, a number of telemedicine related bills have been introduced that could fuel escalated telemedicine adoption by patients, payers and providers.

Bill and Mason discussed such topics as parity law, telemedicine informed consent, provider licensure requirements, telepresenter regulations, provider-patient encounter requirements, security and telemedicine clinical standards of care.

Special Guests:

Bill Boling, Founder, Boling and Company

Mason Reid, Associate, Boling and Company

AMA Talks Opioid Abuse and MACRA – Top Docs Radio

June 30, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

AMA Talks Opioid Abuse and MACRA - Top Docs Radio

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AMA Talks Opioid Abuse and MACRA

Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A., is a psychiatrist from Atlanta. She is the chair of the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees (BOT), and she is the chair of AMA’s Task Force to Reduce Opioid Abuse. Dr. Harris has been the president of the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association, and she has served on the Medical Association of Georgia’s Council on Legislation.

In 2001, Dr. Harris was honored as the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association’s

Psychiatrist of the Year. After she earned her medical degree at West Virginia University, she did her residency in psychiatry and fellowships in child psychiatry and forensics at Emory.

She was also a Barton senior policy fellow at the Emory University School of Law. Dr. Harris was the director of Health Services for Fulton County, and she served as the medical director for the Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Opioid abuse is a crisis in America. More than 40 people in the U.S. die from an opioid overdose every day, while many more are becoming addicted. The American Medical Association (AMA) Task Force to Reduce Opioid Abuse – which is comprised of 27 physician organizations and the American Dental Association – has announced several recommendations to address this epidemic.

It is urging physicians to register for and use state-based prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) as part of the decision-making process when they consider treatment options. When fully-funded and available at the point of care, PDMPs are an effective tool for physicians to identify patients who may be misusing opioids and can be used to implement treatment strategies, including referral for those in need of further care.

AMA will also continue to work with the administration and Congress to develop balanced approaches to end prescription opioid misuse, as well as supporting congressional and state efforts to modernize and fund PDMPs. Finally, AMA has initiated an educational effort and communications campaign to promote safe,

effective and evidence-based prescribing within the medical profession.

Georgia PDMP registration: www.hidesigns.com/gapdmp

MACRA

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) changed how Medicare health care providers will be paid in several important ways. MACRA

1) eliminated the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and 2) created a new framework to “reward health care providers for giving better and not just more care” and 3) combined the existing quality reporting programs (EHR, PQRS) into one new system. According to CMS, this new “Quality Payment Program (QPP)” will replace “a patchwork system of Medicare reporting programs with a flexible system that allows you to choose from two paths that link quality to payments: the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models.”

Special Guest:

Dr. Patrice Harris, Chairman, Board of Trustees, American Medical Association

Zika Virus – Top Docs Radio

May 12, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Zika Virus - Top Docs Radio

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Zika Virus

The Zika virus has been making news over the past year as we approach the coming Olympics in Brazil, a known location heavily populated by the species of mosquito known to carry the virus. I sat down with Dr. Patrick O’Neal of the Georgia’s Department of Public Health, and Dr. Cherie Drenzek, Epidemiologist for the State of Georgia to talk about what we need to be thinking about here in Georgia.

Dr. Cherie Drenzek grew up in Detroit and received her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and her Master’s degree in Food Microbiology from Wayne State University. She attended Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine and received her DVM in 1995. She then entered the Epidemic Intelligence Service program at CDC and was stationed in the Rabies Section. Following EIS, Dr. Drenzek was employed as an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Drenzek has been employed at the Georgia Department of Public Health since 1999 and has served in a variety of roles, including infectious disease medical epidemiologist and State Public Health Veterinarian. She served as Director of the Acute Disease Epidemiology Section and Deputy State Epidemiologist since October 2005 and was named State Epidemiologist and Director of the Epidemiology Program in 2011.

Dr. Patrick O’Neal is the Director of Health Protection for the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), where he has oversight responsibility for Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Trauma, Emergency Preparedness, Epidemiology, Infectious Disease, Immunizations, and Environmental Health. For 29 years prior, he practiced

emergency medicine at DeKalb Medical Center in Decatur. He received his medical education at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.

Zika virus (pronunciation: zee-kah) is a viral disease that is primarily transmitted to people by infected Aedes species mosquitoes. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

However, there can be more severe clinical outcomes, and Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, as well as other severe fetal brain defects. Prior to 2015, outbreaks have occurred in Africa, Southeast Asia, and islands in the Pacific Ocean. In May 2015, Zika virus transmission was confirmed in Brazil and outbreaks are currently occurring in many countries in the Americas and worldwide.

No local mosquito-borne Zika virus disease cases have been reported in the continental U.S., but there have been travel-associated cases, as well as cases associated with sexual transmission from travelers to affected areas. These imported cases could result in local spread of the virus in areas of the United States where the Aedes mosquito vectors are found. A list of countries where Zika virus is currently being spread can be found at the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/index.html. Zika is an unprecedented public health emergency that poses significant risks to pregnant women.

This is the first time in more than 50 years that a virus has been linked to serious birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes (and the first-ever mosquito-borne cause!). Georgia has not documented any local transmission of Zika virus, but as of the end of April 2016, has confirmed more than a dozen travel-associated Zika infections.

For general information about Zika virus and surveillance for mosquito‐borne diseases in Georgia, call your District or County Health Department or the Georgia Department of Public Health at 404‐657‐2588. You may also visit the Georgia Department of Public Health website at dph.georgia.gov. Also go to the CDC website at cdc.gov/zika/index.html.

Special Guests:

Dr. Cherie Drenzek, Epidemiologist, Georgia Department of Public Health

Dr. Patrick O’Neal, MD, Director of Health Protection, Georgia Department of Public Health

Cyber Security

May 9, 2016 by angishields

Health Connect South

Cyber Security

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Cyber Security

Jay and I hosted Steve Robb, SVP of Security Marketing & Product Strategy of ControlScan, a firm that specializes in information and network security for enterprises, including healthcare organizations. With the rise of “smart” devices of all kinds that have sensors that communicate with applications via networks and/or internet, there are now a myriad of entry-points for persons intent on nefarious activity to access a company’s network.

We’ve all heard the news stories about major firms, including the US government, who have had their networks and data compromised by hackers, causing millions of people to be exposed to identity and financial theft. As technology has continued to evolve rapidly, it is difficult for enterprises to be able to afford to recruit and retain security experts with sufficient breadth of knowledge to truly secure a business’s information as well as it could be.

Atlanta-based ControlScan brings a unified approach to security and compliance solutions, enabling organizations

to better protect sensitive data while making compliance easier to achieve and maintain. ControlScan’s combination of professional services and Managed Security Services delivers a full security lifecycle – from Security Risk Assessments to identify gaps, through HIPAA and PCI compliance analysis, to ongoing management and monitoring of security measures.

Steve shared some great information about some of the various sources of risk to networks that exist today, along with things the enterprise should be considering regarding how secure their information actually is. The ControlScan team can provide thorough evaluations of security protocols and measures and identify weaknesses that can be shored up. Additionally, the company provides outsourced security managed services that gives the client access to a high-level security team for less than it costs to employ one outright.

Special Guest:

Steve Robb, SVP Security Marketing & Product Strategy, ControlScan

Georgia’s Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine – Top Docs Radio

April 15, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Georgia's Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Top Docs Radio

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Georgia’s Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

I hosted Dr. Bill Craver to talk about the Georgia campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Craver is the dean and chief academic officer of the osteopathic medical program at the Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, which is also known as GA-PCOM, in Suwanee.

Dr. Craver is a professor of surgery, is board certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery, and is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons. Dr. Craver earned a degree in physical therapy from the University of Delaware. He worked in the areas of physical therapy and sports medicine at the Hershey Medical Center before enrolling at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he earned a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree with honors.

Dr. Craver completed a residency in general surgery at the Osteopathic Medical Center of Philadelphia. He cared for patients in Jasper, Georgia and Hardinsburg, Kentucky before coming to GA-PCOM. GA-PCOM is a private, not-for-profit branch of the fully accredited Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has a 117-year tradition of excellence. Located in Suwanee, GA-PCOM was established in 2005.

It offers a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree, a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences, and a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. The campus also includes the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, which is an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic that is open to the public by appointment.

What is osteopathic medicine and what does it mean to be a D.O.? Andrew T. Still, M.D., was dissatisfied with the effectiveness of 19th century medicine. He was one of the pioneers of osteopathic medicine – and he was one of the first of his time to study the attributes of good health to better understand disease. Dr. Still’s philosophy is based on the unity of all body parts and views the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health.

Dr. Still introduced the idea of returning the body to health through manipulation based on a thorough understanding of the body’s systems. Along with M.D.s, today’s D.O.s are licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery in all 50 states. Osteopathic physicians practice a “whole person” approach to medicine, treating the entire person rather than just the symptoms.

With a focus on preventive health care, D.O.s help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don’t just fight illness but help prevent it as well. D.O.s are trained to be doctors first and specialists second. The majority of D.O.s are family-oriented primary care physicians. Many D.O.s practice in small towns and rural areas,

where they often care for entire families and communities.

Special Guest:

Dr. Bill Craver, Dean and Professor of Surgery, Georgia campus, Philadelphia College of Medicine

Surviving With Incurable Breast Cancer – Top Docs Radio

April 9, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Surviving With Incurable Breast Cancer - Top Docs Radio

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Surviving With Incurable Breast Cancer

This week I sat down with breast cancer specialist, Dr. Amelia Zelnak, of Atlanta Cancer Care. We talked about patients dealing with incurable breast cancer or they have a malignant recurrence. Pfizer, maker of several medications used to treat various cancers, have launched an initiative, “Breast Cancer: A Story Half Told”.

This effort aims to expand the breast cancer conversation on multiple fronts. As the website states, “Earlier this year, Pfizer unveiled the results of two complementary studies that uncovered gaps in the breast cancer conversation within society at large and between patients and physicians in the doctor’s office, and along with leaders in the breast cancer community issued a public call-to-action to expand the breast cancer dialogue to include metastatic disease. Breast Cancer: A Story Half Told – Supporting Workplace Conversations aims to identify gaps in the current conversation about breast cancer and the workplace, and encourage healthcare professionals and employers to join together with women with breast cancer to better address their unique workplace needs.”

We talk about this and more. Check back soon for more info!

WellCare of Georgia and Diabetes – Top Docs Radio

March 28, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

WellCare of Georgia and Diabetes - Top Docs Radio

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Dr. John Johnson of WellCare of Georgia talks diabetes

WellCare of Georgia and Diabetes

Dr. John Johnson is the Senior Medical Director at WellCare Health Plans, Inc. – which is one of the Medicaid CMOs in Georgia. His areas of responsibility include utilization review, care management, quality improvement and clinical outcomes. Dr. Johnson graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Rutgers. He completed his residency at Emory University Hospital. Dr. Johnson is Board Certified in internal medicine.

He also has an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business. Dr. Johnson owned and operated a practice in Douglasville that cares for patients with acute and chronic medical conditions for more than 13 years. Before joining WellCare in 2014, Dr. Johnson was the medical director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia. While there, he oversaw utilization review and case management for more than 600,000 State Health Benefit Plan patients. Dr. Johnson is a member of MAG, the AMA, and the American College of Physicians. He is a also colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Corps.

Diabetes is becoming more common in the United States. It afflicts more than 29 million Americans, including more than one million Georgians. One quarter of the people who are affected by it aren’t aware that they have the disease. An additional 86 million people have pre-diabetes, which means that their blood glucose (sugar) is higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetic. Estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes by 2050.

In addition to its detrimental health effects, the American Diabetes Association reports that the U.S. spends $174 billion a year to treat the disease. The primary risk factors for diabetes include being overweight; sedentary; over the age of 45; and having a family history of diabetes. African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are at an increased risk for developing the disease.

Diabetes is the nation’s seventh-leading cause of death. It is also a leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic lower-limb amputations, new cases of blindness, heart disease, and stroke. A significant number of Georgians who are struggling with diabetes, particularly those in low-income and medically underserved populations, do not fully understand how to manage diabetes on a day-to-day basis.

WellCare is working to address the needs the diabetic population by collaborating with patients, providers, family members, and the community using a variety of mechanisms, including value-based care, telemedicine, field-based case management, the patient-centered medical home, and advocacy.

Special Guests:

Dr. John Johnson, MD, Senior Medical Director, WellCare of Georgia

Doctor of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Board Certified, Internal Medicine
MBA, Goizueta Business School, Emory University
Colonel, US Army

Donald Palmisano, CEO, Executive Director of Medical Association of Georgia

JD Law, Loyola School of Law
Board of Directors, Physician Advocacy Institute
Medical Payment Subcommitte Member, State Board of Workers’ Compensation
Treasurer, Board of Directors, Physicians’ Institute for Excellence in Medicine
Former Director, Government Relations/General Counsel/Director, GAMPAC

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