Listen Now!

Business Talk 24-7

Top Docs Radio

cw hall

CareSource

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Womens Telehealth

Tanya Mack and Jason Bearden

CareSource

Beginning, July 1 st , CareSource, an Ohio based Care Management Organization (CMO) will expand into the
Georgia market and begin serving a portion of Georgia’s 1 million Medicaid consumers and become the
state’s 4 th CMO. They will share an over $4B agreement over the next 6 years with GA’s other CMO
providers. The company is the second largest CMO in the US.

They are unique already as they are the only GA CMO that is non-profit, their top leader is a woman and they are poised to bring some innovative
programs to the Georgia market. Listen in as we welcome top Caresource leaders to Georgia and hear about their plans.

  

Dr. Tarik Shaheen and Iris Telehealth

Posted on

Podcast: Download

 

Dr. Tarik Shaheen and Iris Telehealth

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD is now the most prevalent psychiatric illiness of young people in America, affecting approximately 11% of children between the ages of 4-17. This brain/mental health disorder is characterized by inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. The cause is unknown, but suspected to be a link between genetic and environmental factors.

ADHD affects males almost 3x more than females. Complicating this problem in our healthcare system is both a lack of access (especially in rural areas) and a shortage of child psychiatrists and counselors. Join our segment today as one of the top child psychiatrists discusses ADHD and his company’s unique approach to provide these services via telehealth.

www.iristelehealth.com

 

Georgia Senator Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Medical Association of Georgia

Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick

Georgia Senator Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick

Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick won a May 16 runoff election for the Georgia Senate District 32 to become

the fifth physician to serve in the current General Assembly. Sen. Kirkpatrick was an orthopedic

surgeon in the Atlanta area for more than 30 years, she served as the co-president of Resurgens

Orthopedics for 12 years, she remains active in the Resurgens Charitable Foundation she

founded, and she is a member of the Medical Association of Georgia’s Medical Reserve Corps –

which is prepared to respond to natural disasters and disease outbreaks in the state. Dr.

Kirkpatrick’s district stretches from east Cobb County to Sandy Springs. She succeeds Sen.

Judson Hill, who ran for the 6th U.S. Congressional District seat that was vacated by Rep. Tom

Price, M.D., who became the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Dr. Kirkpatrick believes that a lot of important health care issues will be addressed at the state

level regardless of what happens with the American Health Care Act – which recently passed the

U.S. House of Representatives. Sen Kirkpatrick believes that the key health care challenges we

face in Georgia include ensuring that patients who live in rural areas and other underserved

populations have access to the care they need. She also believes that we need to manage the

Medicaid program in a more effective way, including using a more proactive approach to

managing chronic disease. Dr. Kirkpatrick says that, “We also have a big problem with a lack of

competition in both the health insurance and health care delivery arenas in the state. These are

complex problems, but we need to protect patient choice and we need to promote competition in

health care.” Sen. Kirkpatrick also emphasizes that, “We need to take steps to address the

prescription drug abuse and heroin overdose epidemics in the state, which have taken an

especially heavy toll on our young people.” Finally, she believes that the medical profession can

play a key role in helping the state prepare for natural disasters and disease outbreaks, which is

why she volunteered to become a member of the Medical Association of Georgia’s Medical

Reserve Corps.

MAG President Steven M. Walsh, M.D., says that, “The Medical Association of Georgia is

extremely proud of Dr. Kirkpatrick. It is imperative for physicians to have a voice in the state’s

legislative process, so I hope that her election inspires other physicians to run for elected office.”

Does My Practice Still Need To Prepare For MACRA?

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Medical Association of Georgia

Sydney Welch

Does My Practice Still Need To Prepare For MACRA?

Lawmakers changed the way Medicare physicians and other health care professionals are paid
when they passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) in 2015.
MACRA resulted in the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP), which is designed to move
physicians from a fee-for- service program to a value-based payment system.

The actions that physicians take in 2017 will determine what they get paid in 2019. The Centers for Medicare, Medicaid Services’ goal is to tie 90 percent of all Medicare fee-for- service payments to quality or value by the end of 2018. The QPP replaced the Medicare SGR, and it is a zero-sum gain
program – which means that there will be winners and losers. Physicians could see their pay
increase or decrease by as much as four percent in 2019, depending on what they do in 2017.

The QPP established two paths for physicians to take, including the Merit-based Incentive
Payment Program (MIPS), which is a modified fee-for- service system, and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs), which is a track for physicians who are already participating in one of the eligible advanced alternative payment models. It is crucial for physicians to figure out how to fulfill their QPP reporting requirements to avoid any cuts in pay in 2019 – as well as determining whether they will go above and beyond the minimum requirements to position themselves for a pay increase in 2019.

Finally, it is highly unlikely that MACRA/MIPS will be revised or repealed in the foreseeable
future.

Sidney Welch is the chair of Health Care Innovation at Polsinelli PC. Sidney counsels physicians, physician practices, and health care technology clients in transactional, regulatory, administrative law, and litigation matters on a national basis. She serves in leadership roles for the ABA Health Law Section, the America Health Lawyers Association, and the American Society of Medical Association Counsel.

Sidney has a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, a master’s degree in public health from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and a law degree from Samford University. It is also worth noting that she has written a regular feature for MAG’s quarterly Journal since 2008.

Womens Health Week

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Womens Telehealth

Dr. C. Anne Patterson

Womens Health Week

This week marks national “Women’s Health Week” in America! The goal is empower women to make their health a priority and to take time out to reflect on how we can improve our health. Women are never too busy to take care of their health! Dr. Anne Patterson, a board-certified OBGYN and past President of the GA OBGYN Society will be discussing steps women can take to improve and maintain their health throughout their lives and preventive screenings for women.

Talking About Bad Outcomes

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Medical Association of Georgia

Dan Huff

Talking About Bad Outcomes

All medical malpractice cases involve bad outcomes that generally involve significant damages.
In addition to the patient and their family, bad outcomes often devastate the physician and other
care providers. Unfortunately, bad outcomes are unpreventable in many cases.

How a physician handles a bad outcome with the patient and their family is critical when it comes to avoiding litigation, and how a physician responds to a bad outcome can say more about them than the fact that the bad outcome occurred.  In the event of a bad outcome, the interest of the patient must be first and foremost.

A physician must put his or her pride aside and do what is best for the patient under the circumstances – and the patient’s needs and timeliness should always govern the decision-making process.  Good communications and documentation are also important factors when a bad outcome occurs.

All medical malpractice cases involve bad outcomes that generally involve significant damages.
In addition to the patient and their family, bad outcomes often devastate the physician and other
care providers. Unfortunately, bad outcomes are unpreventable in many cases.  How a physician handles a bad outcome with the patient and their family is critical when it comes to avoiding litigation, and how a physician responds to a bad outcome can say more about them
than the fact that the bad outcome occurred.

In the event of a bad outcome, the interest of the patient must be first and foremost. A physician
must put his or her pride aside and do what is best for the patient under the circumstances – and
the patient’s needs and timeliness should always govern the decision-making process.  Good communications and documentation are also important factors when a bad outcome occurs.

MAG’s Sponsored MEP 401k Plan

Posted on

Podcast: Download

ACG Wealth

Kevin Rainwater

MAG’s Sponsored MEP 401k Plan

MAG member practices can reduce their fiduciary liability, lower plan expenses, and retain
their employees by participating in the MAG-sponsored 401(k) retirement plan that’s available
through ACG Wealth. The MAG 401(k) Plan is treated like one large plan from a government
Form 5500 reporting standpoint. In short, the MAG 401(k) Plan offers the advantages and
flexibility of a stand-alone plan while avoiding the expenses and administrative headaches
associated with sponsoring a stand-alone plan.

Member benefits include…

  • Cost savings on the investments
  • No individual Form 5500 reporting
  • Minimal plan maintenance
  • Flexible plan features, including safe harbor
  • Roth and profit sharing
  • Customizable 401(k) plan design options involving eligibility, matches, and vesting schedules
  • No audit at member level

By participating in the MAG 401(k) Plan, virtually all of the administrative tasks can be offloaded from the practice to ACG Wealth and MAG.

Kevin Rainwater is a managing partner with Atlanta Capital Group. He specializes in retirement planning.  Kevin began his career in the financial services industry more than 16 years ago. He has a passion for helping employees, executives and business owners reach their retirement goals. Kevin provides investment and plan advisory services to companies and individuals throughout the nation.

He relies on his extensive knowledge of qualified plan design and investment offerings to provide business owners and participants with the most competitive retirement plan option available.

AMCP CEO Susan Cantrell

Posted on

Podcast: Download

AMCP

Susan Cantrell and CW Hall

AMCP CEO Susan Cantrell

I sat down with AMCP CEO Susan Cantrell at the spring conference in Denver.  She shared an update on a few of the issues leaders and pharmacy clinicians are dealing with this year.  Some top areas of focus include contracting with pharmaceutical companies.  Value-based reimbursement is emerging as a new trend that will likely gain traction over the coming year.

Jim Kenney, Manager of Specialty and Pharmacy Contracts at Harvard Pilgrim, lead a session titled “Approaches to Managed Care Contracting with Pharmaceutical Manufacturers.” This session discussed innovations in managed care pharmacy contracting, including indication-based contracts and price protection arrangements.

The Boston Globe recently reported on two Harvard Pilgrim pay-for-performance programs focused on rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis aligned with adherence and effectiveness measures. The strategy is designed to curb spending while giving patients access to costly treatments.

Healthcare Risk Management Review described the launch of an Enhanced Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program by Tabula Rasa HealthCare. This pilot program of the Part D Enhanced MTM Model involves seven states: Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The article shared requirements of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), which oversees the model.

And of course, the AMCP conference featured speakers discussing the possibility of repeal/replacement of the ACA and the impacts such a change would have on the pharmacy landscape.

Idiopathic Hypersomnia

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Womens Telehealth

Cat Rye

Idiopathic Hypersomnia

Sleep Awareness Week is coming up soon, April 23-29, and the slogan is “Sleep Better.  Feel Better.”  A great night’s sleep not only makes us feel better, but it also improves our health.  We are here today to promote improved understanding of a rarely diagnosed, often misunderstood, serious neurological sleep disorder, known as idiopathic hypersomnia (IH).  The hallmark symptom of IH is excessive daytime sleepiness, even with a full night’s slumber.  This central disorder of hypersomnolence (CDH) negatively impacts patients’ lives, as they are often unable to function at work, at school, with machinery (e.g., driving), and in relationships.  Join Catherine Page-Rye (Cat Rye), co-founder and a Board of Director of the Hypersomnia Foundation, as she educates us, raises awareness, and spreads hope across America and on a global scale about IH.  Let’s get #BeyondSleepy!