Healthcare Archives - Page 15 of 25

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

Georgia Dental Association

October 8, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Georgia Dental Association

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Oral Health — Becky Weinman, Evis Babo, and Tom Broderick talk oral health

Georgia Dental Association

On this week’s episode we featured president of the Georgia Dental Association and practicing Savannah orthodontist, Tom Broderick, along with members, Evis Babo and Becky Weinman, both Atlanta-based general dentists.

We discussed the mission of the Georgia Dental Association, along with various initiatives the association is working on to foster oral health for Georgians such as the Mission of Mercy. With this program, members of the association from around the state join forces to contribute their time and resources to provide free dental care to citizens who are economically-challenged but that are in need of dental care.

As our guests described, in many cases these patients are able to get smiles restored with dentures or other procedures that allow them to more successfully apply for jobs they might not have been able to before. We also talked about how the association members are engaging providers in elderly residential and care facilities to teach them how to better meet basic preventive care needs.

The panel explained the importance of each of us establishing a “dental home” where we go for regular preventive care and assessment (ideally 2x per year). The reason for this, as Becky described, is that cavities and some other problems can develop and progress a great deal in a year’s time. By identifying and treating developing problems quickly, the treatment needed to correct these issues is typically very easy and comparatively inexpensive compared to advanced measures such as crowns or extractions.

Weinman, Babo, and Broderick also shared information about the fact that dentists utilize these regular visits to assess the patient for problems such as oral cancer, diabetes, and other health problems that have signs that can be seen in the mouth. In this way, the patient gains another provider who can help catch serious developing health problems and seek treatment while there is an opportunity to reverse them or treat them more easily.

Special Guests:

Tom Broderick, DDS, President of Georgia Dental Association

Evis Babo, DMD, of Peachtree Smile Center

Becky Weinman, DDS, of Buckhead Dental Associates

Clostridium Difficile – Top Docs Radio

September 30, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Clostridium Difficile - Top Docs Radio

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Clostridium Difficile

On this week’s episode we talked about one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections: Clostridium Difficile, or “C. Diff.” I sat down with Dr. David Dickensheets, infectious disease specialist with Infectious Disease Services of Georgia in his Cumming, GA office.

According to the CDC nearly half a million persons experienced a Clostridium difficile infection last year. Their website explains:

“Approximately 29,000 patients died within 30 days of the initial diagnosis of C. difficile. Of those, about 15,000 deaths were estimated to be directly attributable to C. difficileinfections, making C. difficile a very important cause of infectious disease death in the United States. More than 80 percent of the deaths associated with C. difficile occurred among Americans aged 65 years or older. C. difficile causes an inflammation of the colon and deadly diarrhea.

Previous studies indicate that C. difficile has become the most common microbial cause of healthcare-associated infections in U.S. hospitals and costs up to $4.8 billion each year in excess health care costs for acute care facilities alone. The new study found that 1 out of every 5 patients with a healthcare-associated C. difficile infection experienced a recurrence of the infection and 1 out of every 9 patients aged 65 or older with a healthcare-associated C. difficile infection died within 30 days of diagnosis.”

Clearly it’s a big problem. Dr. Dickensheets shared some great information on how the infection is diagnosed and why it’s so hard to eradicate from a hospital environment. He also talked about an interesting treatment approach–the fecal transplant.

That’s right, in some instances, patients have been able to resolve the infection by having fecal material from a healthy human instilled into their bowel, allowing a repopulation of normal flora bacteria that compete with the C. Diff., helping to eliminate the infection.

Special Guest:

Dr. David Dickensheets, MD, of Infectious Disease Services of Georgia

Doctor of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University
Residency, Roger Williams Medical Center
Fellowshp, Brown University
Board Certified in Infectious Disease

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

Improving Patient Outcomes

September 16, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Improving Patient Outcomes

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Health Connect South Radio — Sara Bright, Gary Austin, and Jay Shaffer

Improving Patient Outcomes

On this episode we featured three organizations who are working on improving patient outcomes in several ways. We hosted Dr. Kim Dennis, CEO/Director for Timberline Knolls and her colleague, Sara Bright, Gary Austin, CEO of One Care, and Marc O’Connor of Curant Health came by to talk about their solutions.

Timberline Knolls is a residential treatment center for young and adult women (ages 12 to 65+) with eating disorders, substance abuse, trauma, mood and co-occurring disorders. Dr. Dennis joined us by phone and the center’s Atlanta-based outreach representative, Sara Bright joined us in studio to talk about how they help improve the outcomes for the women they treat.

Located in suburban Chicago, residents receive excellent clinical care from a highly trained professional staff on a picturesque 43-acre wooded campus. Women and families seeking Christian treatment can opt for specialized Christian-based therapy. For more information on Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, call them at 877.257.9611. They are also on Facebook – Timberline Knolls, LinkedIn – Timberline Knolls and Twitter – @TimberlineToday.

One Care is a form of social platform that is designed to help families who are trying to support loved ones who are dealing with a variety of health issues, particularly when there are a number of activities the patient needs to accomplish to optimize their outcomes by adhering closely to the care plan prescribed for them. This may include nutritional recommendations, exercise regimens, medication schedules, etc. The platform employs philosophies learned through Aubrey Daniels’ management and behavioral training philosophies.

Improving Patient Outcomes — Aubrey Daniels

The application interfaces with a variety of wearable technology such as the Fitbit, glucometers, and others. In this way, family members have the ability to coach and reward their loved ones when they complete the recommended actions, as well as check in when it’s seen they have missed a med or other action.

One Care has partnered with technology company, Curant Health. Marc O’Connor is Chief Operating Officer for Curant Health. Curant Health treats patients nationwide through its medication management protocols, including medication reconciliation and establishment of personalized medication regimens, and supports its provider partners and care coordination with its award-winning EHR, MedPlan™.

Curant’s healthcare professionals provide individualized care proven to improve the lives and reduce the overall healthcare costs of chronically ill patients.curanthealth.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurantHealth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/curant-health

Special Guests:

Dr. Kim Dennis, MD, CEO and Medical Director of Timberline Knolls

Doctor of Medicine, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
American Society for Addiction Medicine
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders

Sara Bright, MS, Professional Outreach Representative, Timberline Knolls

MS, Human Resources Counseling, Northeastern University
Integrative Health Coaching, Integrative Medicine, Duke University
Board Member and Founding Member, Friends of Camp Celo

Gary Austin, CEO of OneCare

Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Completed Advanced Performance Management Training Course, Aubrey Daniels International
Co-founder and past CEO, Clearwave

Marc O’Connor, COO of Curant Health

MBA, Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Member, Board of Directors, Atlanta Heart Ball, American Heart Association
Editorial Board Member, Specialty Pharmacy Times

Vitamin C and OBMedical Company

August 31, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Vitamin C and OBMedical Company

00:00 / 01:04:28

Vitamin C and OBMedical Company

On this episode of Health Connect South Radio we hosted the CEO and co-founder of Vitamin C and President/CEO of OB Medical Company. These two companies are creating technology innovations that help two distinct groups, physician practices and expectant mothers in the birthing process, respectively.

Vitamin C’s Osama Hashmi realized that increasing focus on population health management measures meant a need for greater engagement with particular patient groups. In order to effectively manage chronic diseases such as diabetes or even regular wellness follow up, practices often need to interact with patients to get these visits scheduled. In many cases, patients won’t take initiative to schedule them themselves.

Hashmi and his colleagues decided to create a platform that interfaces with existing EMR’s that allows providers to ID target populations and create a variety of pre-created content for distribution to patients. In some cases, it’s a pre-recorded automated phone call that can encourage the scheduling of a follow up visit. In others, it may be an automated call that queries the patient for particular data such as vitals or blood sugars, quantity of exercise, etc.

In still others, it may be a text or email generated that goes to the patient. In this way, the providers are able to more effectively “scale” their resources to be able to reach what is often hundreds or even thousands of patients with necessary contact to facilitate follow up. The end result is better patient outcomes as well as increased revenue for the practice due to scheduling of necessary, yet high-Revenue visits (based on time/acuity).

OBMedical Company saw an opportunity to improve upon monitoring technology used in the OB delivery room. As I spoke with President/CEO, Weaver Gaines, he explained the technology for the fetal heart rate, contraction frequency/intensity, etc. have not really changed in roughly 40 years.

Today, mothers are tethered to a monitor by wires leading to sensors that are held in place by elastic velcro straps that encircle the mother’s abdomen. They are challenging to keep in position and can provide limited accuracy in cases where the mother is particularly obese.

OBMedical Company has designed a monitoring device that uses wireless electrodes that measure electrical current through the patient’s skin rather than having to rely on skin tension. This allows the mother to be able to ambulate in the room during labor while continuing to be monitored. Additionally, it allows for greater accuracy when the mother is obese.

Osama Hashmi, CEO/Chief Product Officer, of VitaminC

Doctor of Medicine, College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University
Master of Public Health, University of Georgia
Previous Policy Director, Roosevelt Institute, University of Georgia
Former Research Assistant, Stanford University

Weaver Gaines, President/CEO of OBMedical Company

Juris Doctor, University of Virginia School of Law
Director and Treasurer, Dance Alive National Ballet
Chairman, Board of Directors, Florida Research Consortium
Adjunct Professor, University of Virginia School of Law

Radiation Oncology – Top Docs Radio

August 21, 2015 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Radiation Oncology - Top Docs Radio

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Radiation Oncology

On this week’s show I sat down with Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Chad Levitt. We talked about how he decided he wanted to go into radiation oncology as his chosen field of practice. He shared how he enjoyed the fact that the specialty allowed him to call on his liberal arts schooling, helping him to be able to be perceptive to his patients’ needs and concerns, and allowing him to communicate effectively with them in a period of significant stress.

Chad explained how important it is for oncology physicians to make time to insure their patients’ questions are answered and that their concerns have been addressed. He believes the patient needs to be well-informed so they can hopefully experience less anxiety and allow them to make educated choices about their care. He stated the patient should be the “Captain of the Ship” and the health team the crew that helps them get to where they want to go.

We talked about the importance of getting 2nd and even 3rd opinions when facing life-changing illnesses such as cancer. Chad shared that it is vital to do so before engaging in treatments that cannot be undone. Given the political and personal alliances that can be present in a given hospital ecosystem, it is wise to seek 2nd opinions in hospitals or systems that are outside that of the primary physician to allow for likelihood of a more objective opinion.

Special Guest:

Dr. Chad Levitt, MD, of Radiotherapy Associates of Forsyth

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

Self-funded Health Plans

August 15, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Self-funded Health Plans

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Self-funded Health Plans

On this episode of Midtown Business Radio I featured two Atlanta area companies that help business from a couple of directions. John Mamon, CEO of mPoweredIT, came by to talk about their outsourced IT solution. He introduced us to Brian Keen, President/CEO of Health Cooperative Strategies.

mPowered IT is an IT support services provider focused on delivering the entire IT value chain to small and medium medical practices and businesses. Offerings include fixed fee IT support, cloud services, backup and disaster recovery, and managed network security.

John shared how he came to starting his service company that enables medical practices and small to mid-sized businesses focus on their core functions rather than spending unproductive time trying to maintain and manage their IT hardware, software, and infrastructure.

We talked about the fact that for most small- to mid-sized businesses it makes sense to outsource the IT management function in order to maximize reliability of vital IT elements, their security, and compliance, while at the same time, spending less than would be required if they were to hire a skilled expert themselves.

Brian talked about how Health Cooperative Strategies collaborates with associations, chambers of commerce, and other large groups such as GPO’s to create self-funded health plans. In this way, these organizations are able to offer large-group-type health plans that in some cases, equals the benefits and member expense as a 10,000+ employee company.

We talked about how, before the ACA, health plans were able to offer discounted rates to organizations such as these for insuring large, mostly-healthy groups for inclusion in the plan. The recent level of implementation of the ACA changed that, making it impossible for companies participating in exchanges to offer such a discounted, minimal-risk group plan.

Health Cooperative Strategies fills that void. They are able to work with these organizations who seek to provide such benefits to help them create a self-funded plan and/or to combine with other similar groups to forge an even-larger group that helps them offer outstanding benefits for a comparatively low rate.

Special Guests

John Mamon, CEO/Founder, mPoweredIT