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Month: July 2015

Health IT and Accelerating Innovation

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Healthcare technology

Harvey Shuster, Osama Hashmi

mPoweredIT

John Mamon talks mPowered IT

Health IT and Accelerating Innovation

This week I sat down with experts from the healthcare IT sector.  John Mamon is the CEO of mPoweredIT, an outsourced IT company that devotes expertise to the small to mid-sized medical practice, helping them manage their computer hardware, infrastructure, and software needs for far less than it typically costs to employ someone dedicated to these functions within the practice.

John talked about how often, in an effort to save money, small practices place responsibility for managing these facets on a practice manager, a clinician within the office, or even the doctors themselves.  Clearly this can take away from the core function of the office—taking care of more patients.

He shared a number of important concerns that can expose these offices to risk such as HIPAA requirements, downtime of equipment, ACA compliance, and others.  Each of these can create significant cost or loss of productivity when small offices attempt to handle things on their own.

mPoweredIT is able to scale their services to the needs of the practice, providing the full suite of IT management or taking over particular elements on behalf of the practice.  The company also partners with several other health experts who can provide additional support in areas such as billing/revenue cycle management, EMR selection, and others, to allow their clients to maximize productivity and profitability at the same time.

John introduced us to Harvey Shuster, of Emergence, a Georgia Medical Accelerator.  Harvey, a multiple-time entrepreneur, was one of the founders of Peachtree Software among others.  He and his team work with emerging healthcare technology companies, helping them to commercialize and bring to market their devices/technologies more quickly.

Harvey brought along Osama Hashmi, CEO/Founder of VitaminC.  This company adds an additional layer of automation and engagement to EMR systems.  Their software allows providers to contact patients and encourage follow-up visits where appropriate to facilitate care/outcomes while at the same time helping the practice to maximize its potential for seeing patients in need.

VitaminC integrates well with numerous EMR systems and has proven valuable to primary care doctors and specialists such as dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and others.

Special Guests:

John Mamon, CEO/Founder, mPoweredIT  linkedin_small1  google-plus-logo-red-265px

mPoweredIT

  • Associates Degree, Information Technology, Bryant and Stratton College
  • Previous VP, Professional Services, BMC Solutions
  • Former Executive VP, CDI Managed Services

Harvey Shuster, COO, of Emergence Georgia Medical Accelerator  twitter_logo_small-e1403698475314  facebook_logo_small3

Emergence

  • MBA, Finance, Drexell University LeBow College of Business
  • Bronze Star Recipient, US Army
  • Published Author
  • Co-founder, Southeast Medical Device Association

Osama Hashmi, CEO/Chief Product Officer, of VitaminC  github  linkedin_small1  twitter_logo_small-e1403698475314  facebook_logo_small3

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

 

GA SB 158

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GA SB 158

Cindy Zeldin and Donald Palmisano, Jr talk GA SB 158

GA SB 158

This week we continue our monthly series with Medical Association of Georgia.  I hosted MAG CEO/Executive Director, Donald J. Palmisano, Jr., and Cindy Zeldin, Executive Director for Georgians for a Healthy Future.  We talked about the challenges Georgians face regarding the lack of information available to them about how inclusive health plans are regarding what physicians, hospitals, etc., are included in the plans.

Donald talked about how on the healthcare exchanges, patients must review every plan one at a time, checking the physician directories for each one to see if the physician(s) they need are there.  In many cases, this means going through as many as 30-80 unique plans.

This is complicated by the fact that in many cases, the listed physician directories are incorrect, or change frequently, leading patients to make their choices based on outdated/inaccurate information.

In the Georgia legislature, the senate is considering SB 158, aimed at addressing the issue of transparency in the health insurance space so patients and physicians can make sense out of this important part of how we access healthcare today.

Cindy joined Donald to talk about how Georgians for a Healthy Future has been advocating on behalf of the state’s citizens to help them get signed up for the newly-available health plans on the exchange.  She shared how last year, over 500,000 people gained access to new health plans.

We discussed the need for these patients to get educated about how to

Special Guestsplan for the financial obligations they will face regarding co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, etc.  Folks need to learn what each of these are and have a plan for how to handle them.  One such strategy is having a health savings account, which allows them to pay for their healthcare costs with pre-tax dollars out of an account that will grow over time.

We also talked about how important it is for physicians and citizens to engage with their state legislators to talk about how these issues affect them in their daily lives.  SB 158 is still in the early stages, with decisions being made on it coming next spring.

Special Guests:

Donald Palmisano, CEO, Executive Director of Medical Association of Georgia  twitter_logo_small  linkedin_small1  facebook_logo_small3

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

Cindy Zeldin, Executive Director, Georgians for a Healthy Future  linkedin_small1  twitter_logo_small-e1403698475314

Georgians for a Healthy Future

  • Master of Arts, Public Policy with focus on Women’s Studies, The George Washington University
  • Master of Public Health, Public Policy, Emory University
  • Previous Principal Management Analyst, Healthcare Div., Dept. of Audits, State of Georgia
  • Former Senior Program Associate, Health Policy Program, New America Foundation

Pain Management

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Physicians Spine and Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia

Dr. Randy Rizor, Dr. John Porter, and Dr. Charles MacNeill of Physicians Spine and Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia

Pain Management

This week I sat down with 3 of the physicians from The Physicians Spine & Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia, Dr. Randy Rizor, Dr. John Porter, and Dr. Charlie MacNeill.  Since 1995, The Physicians Spine & Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia has provided innovative, effective, and comprehensive treatment of pain with special emphasis on spinal pain and care of the injured worker.

The practice has offices and surgery centers at convenient locations around the Atlanta metro area in Sandy Springs, Marietta, and Rome, as well as an office in Calhoun.  Their eight physicians have all earned additional qualifications in pain management, the only pain management certification recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

We talked about a number of the advances in technology and technique such as Tenex TX and Platelet Rich Plasma that allow these pain specialists to more effectively reduce or in some cases, eliminate pain for their patients.  This gives their patients the ability to rehabilitate and return to levels of activity and function at or near pre-injury levels.  The physicians shared how they had previously been practicing anesthesiologists who were frequently called upon to help relieve intractable pain for their patients, ultimately inspiring them to launch a stand alone practice aimed at helping pain patients.

The doctors explained the difference between simply medicating patients with opioid medications versus recognized pain interventions coupled with rehabilitation measures to achieve pain relief and return of quality of life.  This approach helps avoid the pitfalls of using opioid meds, particularly when they would be taken over an extended period of time.   The Physicians Spine & Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia operate under the philosophy of: Diagnose, Treat, Rehabilitate.

Special Guests:

Dr. Charlie MacNeill, MD  Co-founder of The Physicians Spine & Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia  twitter_logo_small-e1403698475314  facebook_logo_small3  linkedin_small1

The Physicians Spine and Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia

  • Doctor of Medicine degree from Emory University School of Medicine
  • Residency in Anesthesiology at Emory and Grady Hospitals
  • Board certified in Anesthesiology and Sub-specialty board certified in Pain Medicine
  • Awarded two Bronze Stars during his tour as a Vietnamese linguist and cryptographer

Dr. Randy Rizor, MD  Co-founder of The Physicians Spine & Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia  linkedin_small1

The Physicians Spine and Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia

  • Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Toledo School of Medicine
  • Residency in Anesthesiology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  • Certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology
  • Sub-specialty certification in Pain Management from the American Board of Anesthesiology

Dr. John Porter, MD  Co-founder of The Physicians Spine & Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia

The Physicians Spine and Rehabilitation Specialists of Georgia

  • Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
  • Residency in anesthesiology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  • Fellowship in cardiac anesthesia at Emory University Medical School
  • Certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and received Sub-specialty Certification in Pain Management from the American Board of Anesthesiology

Functional Neurology

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Life University

Dr. Gilles LaMarche of Life University

Carrick Brain Centers

Functional Neurology

This week on Top Docs Radio I sat down with Doctors of Chiropractic, Dr. Gilles LaMarche, and Dr. Jake Shores.  Gilles is the VP of Professional Relations for Life University, in Marietta, GA.  The college is home to the largest chiropractic medicine schools in the world.

Jake is Clinical Director for Carrick Brain Centers, with offices in Dallas, TX, and Marietta, GA.  Carrick Brain Centers employs a functional neurology approach to treating patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and other neurologic problems.

We talked about how the body has an innate capacity to heal itself if it’s given proper nutrition and when therapeutic approaches tap into that self-healing power.  The Functional Neurology Society defines functional neurology this way: “Functional Neurology is based on the principles of neuroplasticity. The various parts of your nervous system can be altered to work more efficiently and even regenerate. The goal of a Functional Neurologist is to optimize this remarkable ability.”

Jake shared how the Carrick Brain Centers utilize the concept of neuroplasticity to help their patients work around previous neurologic injuries and challenges through a variety of movements and activities that help activate pathways in the brain that reawaken areas that have not been functioning to their capacity.

We talked about some patient examples that highlight how this approach can help people gain or regain function that was thought to be improbable elsewhere.

Gilles discussed the various health-related fields of study Life University offers, ranging from kinesiology to functional neurology, vitalistic nutrition, business, and others, including some masters-level degrees.

Life University also offers a number of men’s and women’s athletic sports and they’re competing on a high level—the men’s 15 man rugby team won the National Championship this year.  The school is working to nearly double their enrollment by 2018 from 3000 students to at least 6000.

Special Guests:

Gilles LaMarche, DC, VP of Professional Relations at Life University  youtube logo linkedin_small1  twitter_logo_small-e1403698475314  facebook_logo_small3  smugmug LOGO

Life University

  • Doctor of Chiropractic, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
  • Author, The ART of Responsibility, Insight Publishing 2012
  • Certified Six Advisors Coach, Six Advisors Coaching Academy
  • Previous Vice President, Parker College of Chiropractic

Jake Shores, DC, Clinical Director at Carrick Brain Centers  linkedin_small1  twitter_logo_small-e1403698475314  facebook_logo_small3  google-plus-logo-red-265px  youtube logo  feed logo

Carrick Brain Centers

  • Doctor of Chiropractice, Life University
  • Functional Neurology, The Carrick Institute
  • Diplomate, American Chiropractic Neurology Board
  • Board Certified Specialist in Neurology