MAG Archives - Business RadioX ®

Dr J Leonard Lichtenfeld of American Cancer Society Talks Cancer In 2017

August 11, 2017 by angishields

BRX National

Dr J Leonard Lichtenfeld of American Cancer Society Talks Cancer In 2017

00:00 /

Dr. J. Leonard Lichtenfeld

Dr J Leonard Lichtenfeld of American Cancer Society Talks Cancer In 2017

This week I hosted Dr. J. Leonard Licthenfeld, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, with the American Cancer Society (ACS).

We have made considerable progress over the past 25 years in the treatment of cancer. Unfortunately
we still are not able to help enough people survive. There are many elements that have made this success possible, including research, education, access
and advocacy.

However, we still have a long way to go. Prevention, screening, access to high quality
care, appropriate support through palliative care programs, and investing in research are all important
parts of the cancer continuum.
We have seen exciting advances in cancer treatment recently, with a better understanding of the
genomics of cancer leading to targeted therapies, the introduction of new immunotherapies which have
offered hope where little existed previously, and even newer treatments which have been effective in
treating patients who have failed all other available therapies (such as CAR T recently approved by the
FDA for the treatment of a specific form of leukemia).
All of this comes with a cost: research—including innovative, basic research—has to be supported. We
need to find ways to get more drugs more quickly from the laboratory to the bedside, we have to
wrestle with the cost of new drugs, which can sometimes be so prohibitive that patients and families
can’t afford them, and we have to recognize that not everyone has access to the best and most
appropriate care resulting in disparities throughout our state nation that must be addressed.

Find ACS on:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

MAG Hosts CareSource

July 29, 2017 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

MAG Hosts CareSource

00:00 /

MAG Hosts CareSource

This week, CW Hall sat down with Dr. Seema Csukas, and Bobby Jones, President of CareSource’s Georgia Market, to talk about how things are going since CareSource began providing healthcare coverage for Medicaid patients in Georgia.

CareSource is a nonprofit nationally recognized as an industry leader in providing member-centric health care coverage. Founded in 1989, CareSource administers one of the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care plans. This past July 1, CareSource began to serve Georgia Families^® members enrolled in Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids^® and women enrolled in the Planning for Healthy Babies^® program.

Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, CareSource serves more than 1.9 million members in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Georgia. CareSource understands the challenges consumers face navigating the health system and works to put health care in reach for those it serves.

Bobby Jones, President Georgia Market

Bobby Jones leads CareSource in Georgia as President, Georgia Market after serving as Chief Operating Officer at CareSource’s corporate headquarters for eight years. He has more than 30 years of experience in managed health care leadership.

Jones has assembled a leadership team that will partner with state and community leaders to foster relationships in support of the CareSource mission to improve the health and well-being of members. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Business Economics from Wayne State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Eastern Michigan University.

Seema Csukas, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Public Health

A licensed pediatrician, Dr. Csukas, has made extensive contributions in the field of neonatal, maternal, and infant health policy. She previously served as Medical Director for the Georgia Department of Public and as Medical Director for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Dr. Csukas earned both her M.D. and Ph. D in Anatomy from the Medical College of Georgia. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Emory University.

Physicians Combatting Opiod Abuse

July 11, 2017 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Physicians Combatting Opiod Abuse

00:00 /

Physicians Combatting Opiod Abuse

More than 90 people in the U.S. die from an opioid or heroin overdose every day. The AMA is committed to stopping the opioid abuse and misuse epidemic and preventing opioid-related deaths. AMA’s Opioid Task Force – which includes 25 national and state-level physicians’ organizations – has developed a number of recommendations to combat opioid abuse and misuse. This includes…

– Encouraging physicians to use state prescription drug monitoring programs
– Promoting effective, evidence-based prescribing and treatment
– Supporting access to comprehensive, affordable and compassionate treatment
– Ending the “stigma” – i.e., patients with chronic conditions deserve good care and compassion and shouldn’t be judged
– Expanding access to naloxone – which reverses the effects of drug overdoses – through co-prescribing
– Encouraging the safe storage and disposal of prescription medication
Thanks to the combined efforts of AMA’s task force and other leading health organizations and state-level advocacy organizations – including MAG and the MAG Foundation – progress is being made. For example, a 2015 AMA report found that, “Between 2012 and 2016, the number of opioid prescriptions [in the U.S.] decreased by more than 43 million – a 16.9 percent decrease. Every state saw a decrease in opioid prescriptions during this time period.” AMA also determined that, “Physicians and other health care professionals used state [prescription drug monitoring programs] more than 136.1 million times in 2016 – a 121 percent increase from 2014.” And the AMA report noted that “nearly all 50 states now have naloxone access laws.”

Resource: AMA’s ‘End the Epidemic’ website is @ www.end-opioid-epidemic.org

Dr Patrice Harris

Dr. Patrice Harris is the immediate past chair of the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees. She also serves as the chair of AMA’s Opioid Task Force, which was formed in 2014 to combat the nation’s opioid abuse epidemic. Dr. Harris is a psychiatrist from Atlanta. It is also worth noting that she served as the director of Health Services for Fulton County.

Talking Compliance – Top Docs Radio

July 15, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Talking Compliance - Top Docs Radio

00:00 /

Talking Compliance

On this week’s episode with Medical Association of Georgia, healthcare law expert, Liz Schoen stopped by to share information regarding compliance with current healthcare law and regulations on Top Docs Radio.

Liz Schoen has more than 25 years of experience in the health care field. She serves as a legal and business advisor for health care providers and businesses. Schoen began her legal career as an assistant regional counsel for the U.S. Department of Health, Human Services in Atlanta. Later, she served as the general counsel and chief compliance and privacy officer at the Harbin Clinic – a large multi-specialty, physician-owned medical practice in northwest Georgia.

While there, she was responsible for advising the executive team, board of managers, physicians, and staff on a variety of federal and state complex legal and regulatory matters related to health care and compliance. Schoen drafted, reviewed, and negotiated the majority of contracts for the organization as well as developing and enhancing its compliance and privacy programs and protocols.

She also worked as hospital counsel for the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, and she was the vice president of compliance and assistant general counsel for the Georgia Hospital Association. Schoen has a law degree from Emory University School of Law.

Complying with the staggering number of complex federal and state laws and regulations is a daunting task for physicians and their staff, regardless of the medical practice’s size. Distinguishing between marketing “hype” from outside consultants versus practical reality is another challenge faced when trying to allocate proper resources that don’t appear to directly impact patient care.

The first step for medical practices is understanding what compliance issues are and how they pose risk to their practice. The laws continuously change and the next step is understanding how and where to prioritize staff time and resources. Lastly, physicians and their staff need to understand what best practices are and compare such best practices to what is in their own shop and proactively develop solutions to fill-in any gaps.

Special Guest:

Liz Schoen, Attorney, E.S. Schoen & Affiliates

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

00:00 /

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

Manners Matter – Top Docs Radio

June 17, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Manners Matter - Top Docs Radio

00:00 / 00:41:22

Manners Matter

Dr. Silverman is a cardiologist with Northside Hospital. He also teaches at the cardiac clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital – where he has been a volunteer since 1973. Dr. Silverman received his medical degree from Ohio State University. He completed his internship and residency at Vanderbilt University, while he received his cardiology training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

He was an officer with the U.S. Public Health Service at the CDC. Dr. Silverman started the cardiology teaching program at Emory for Northside Hospital. He also developed Northside’s cardiology program. He served as the editor of Atlanta Medicine magazine for 15 years, and he is a long-time member of the MAG Journal editorial board.

After retiring as the founder of the pediatric ICU of the Scottish Rite Campus of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and founding and directing Atlanta’s busiest special care nursery, Dr. Saul Adler completed a Master of Arts degree in Professional Writing from Kennesaw State University. He currently writes short stories and novels and screenplays.

Dr. Barry Silverman and Dr. Saul Adler wrote the book ‘Your Doctor’s Manners Matter: Better Health Through Civility in the Doctor’s Office and in the Hospital.’ The book helps patients understand what qualities they should look for in their doctors. Good manners are about respect, communication, being dutiful, caring, benevolence, and understanding.

These are all critical values in an accomplished doctor. The book describes what common courtesies and manners patients should expect from their health care providers – and how failing to meet these expectations can result in lower quality and more costly care.

Their book addresses a number of important issues, including the origins of poor behavior in the medical office; why manners matter; how doctors communicate; how rude and uncivil behavior can lead to bad outcomes; what a patient should expect in terms of civility and good manners; how ordering a lots of tests does not necessarily

translate into quality care; what a patient should expect in the doctor’s office; how to navigate a hospital setting (emergency room, admitting office, surgical suite, and hospital ward); how to interact with multiple physicians at the same time; understanding who is in charge; and how to interact with the nurses, PAs, and consulting and attending physicians.

The book is available on Amazon.com.

Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) – Top Docs Radio

May 27, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Medicare's Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) - Top Docs Radio

00:00 /

Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)

On this week’s episode we continue our series with Medical Association of Georgia, talking about the changing reimbursement picture for physician practices by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicare’s new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) will change, yet again, physician reimbursement over the next couple of years and it is important for practice managers and physicians to make sure they understand all new requirements.

It is imperative for medical practices to make a successful transition to Medicare’s new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Instead of the EHR (Electronic Health Record) or the PQRS (Physician Quality Reporting System) or the Value-based Payment Modifier programs, the government will employ a single payment platform – which is the result of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) that was signed into law in 2015.

The new payment model will be based on a 100-point MIPS Composite Performance Score. That CPS will determine your Medicare payment adjustment – either up or down. This is scheduled to commence in 2019, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will use the 2017 calendar year as the basis for the initial reimbursement – keeping mind this is not an optional process.

Elizabeth Woodcock is one of the leading third party payer and medical practice management consultants in Georgia. She is a professional speaker, trainer and author. Woodcock has focused on medical practice operations for more than 20 years. She has delivered presentations at regional and national conferences to more than 200,000 physicians and managers.

In addition to her popular email newsletters, she has authored 15 best-selling practice management books and published dozens of articles in national health

care management journals. Woodcock is a fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives and a certified professional coder. In addition to a degree from Duke University, she has an MBA in health care management from The Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania.

Special Guest:

Elizabeth Woodcock, Principal, Woodcock & Associates

Zika Virus – Top Docs Radio

May 12, 2016 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Zika Virus - Top Docs Radio

00:00 /

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

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

00:00 /

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