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CopernicusMD sponsored in partnership with MAG

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MAG

CopernicusMD sponsored in partnership with MAG

Dr. Ellen Shaver is the chair of CopernicusMD. After 25 years as a board-certified neurosurgeon,

Dr. Shaver knew there had to be a better way to manage practice cash flow, patient billing

notifications, carrier approvals, and collections. Her desire to enhance practice operations as well

as the patient experience led her to form CopernicusMD.

Don O’Neill is the executive managing director of CopernicusMD. Don is responsible for the

execution, launch and roll-out of the CopernicusMD platform in the private practice and facility

and public and government services sectors. He has a wealth of experience in both consumer-

facing technology solutions and project management. Don previously served as the general

manager of CreditMiner LLC, where he successfully launched a cutting-edge platform for

consumer credit in loan transactions and enabled the company to obtain full reseller status with

the three major credit bureaus.

Guest Information

CopernicusMD

The cost of medical procedures and insurance-related expenses continues to rise. Patients are

increasingly expected to pay a larger sum of money at the time procedures are performed. More

than 60 percent of employed Americans are unprepared for an out-of- pocket expense of $5,000

or more. The market for financing in medical procedures continues to evolve with new lenders

entering the space each year. Each lender has a very specific credit profile which they seek from

potential patients/clients. Managing these options is time consuming and frustrating for both the

provider and the patient.

CopernicusMD queries a patient’s ICD-10 codes against their insurance to determine how much

they will be responsible to pay out-of- pocket. It offers qualifying patients the option of financing

their medical expenses. CopernicusMD (instead of practice staff) takes on the responsibility of

managing the billing and collection of those payments. CopernicusMD pre-qualifies patients for a

loan if they need one. It also matches patients with lenders. CopernicusMD is not a collection

agency; it is a finance solution.

Go to www.copernicusmd.com or call 877.356.4712 or send an email to

info@copernicusmd.com for details.

Alcohol Awareness Month

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Alcohol Awareness Month

Womens Telehealth CEO, Tanya Mack sits down with Dr. Gregg Raduka, Director of Prevention/Intervention Programming and Services at The Council on Alcohol and Drugs   to learn about the scope of population dealing with not just consumption, but abuse and in many cases, addiction.  This month is Alcohol Awareness Month and we had this conversation to draw a picture of how many lives are affected, what options are available for those dealing with abuse or addiction, and research going on around the issue.

 

 

Distracted Driving

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Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is a serious problem in Georgia. Distracted driving occurs when people aren’t
paying 100 percent of their attention to driving their vehicle. People are killed and disfigured for
life every day as a result distracted driving. And not only does distracted driving endanger the
driver, it also endangers their passengers and innocent bystanders.

According to the Triple-A Foundation for Traffic Safety, distracted driving contributes to about 16
percent of all fatal crashes in the U.S. – which represents about 5,000 deaths every year.
Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task
of driving. These types of distractions include texting, using a cell phone or smartphone, eating
and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading, looking at maps, using a navigation
system, watching a video, and adjusting the radio.

During this year’s legislative session, MAG supported a bill by Rep. Betty Price that would have
prohibited drivers in the state from holding a cell phone to text or talk while driving a motor
vehicle. H.B. 163 did not pass in 2017, but MAG will take an active role in a legislative committee
that will study distracted driving this summer.

Dr. Wilmer says that, “Distracted driving is spreading like a deadly cancer throughout Georgia. It
threatens all of us, including our spouses and our children and our friends. A fellow physician I
knew was killed by a distracted driver while he was riding his bike. In that instant, a family lost a
father, a husband, and their economic peace of mind. His 3,000 patients also lost a great doctor.”

Global Partnership for Telehealth

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telemedicine

Tanya Mack

Global Partnership for Telehealth

In January of this year, Forbes magazine ran an article that asked the question: Will 2017 Be the Year of Telemedicine? With the finding solutions to the US healthcare system is in the news daily, telemedicine expansion helps solve some problems of affordability and access and offers the benefits of faster care, convenience and often lower costs.

The field is exploding with interest. Yet, a gap exists between talking about vs. providing telemedicine services. Recently 74% of patients surveyed said they would be open to a virtual telemedicine encounter, yet only 15% of healthcare providers had used telemedicine!  Join telemedicine industry expert, Rena Brewer of the Global Partnership for Telehealth to bring us up to
date on telemedicine and what is happening in this rapidly developing arena.

Angel Flight Soars

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Medical Association of Georgia

Bert Light, Jeanine Chambers

Angel Flight Soars

Angel Flight Soars is a non-profit organization that is available to help any medically stable and
ambulatory patient who demonstrates a financial need and/or anyone who cannot use or access
commercial transportation. It serves patients who reside in or need to travel to or through
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina or Tennessee. When there is a
need that extends beyond this region, Angel Flight Soars coordinates with affiliate organizations
through the Air Care Alliance.

Angel Flight has coordinated more than 39,000 mission flights in the last 34 years. In 2016, it
coordinated more than 3,200 missions – which translates into eight missions a day, seven days a
week. It helped patients from 34 states who ranged in age from newborn to 97 years old and who
had nearly 180 medical conditions.

Go to www.AngelFlightSoars.org or call 770.452.7958 to support Angel Flight Soars with a tax-
deductible donation or for additional information.

Jeanine Chambers has served as the executive director of Angel Flight Soars for 18 years.
Under her leadership, Angel Flight’s missions have increased by 950 percent. It is also worth
noting that Jeanine has built Angel Flight’s public awareness to unprecedented levels.

Bert Light is a member of Angel Flight’s Board of Directors. He has been an Angel Flight
volunteer pilot and contributor since 1999. Bert is a partner in a family business, Artlite Office
Supply, that provides Angel Flight with administrative support. He was honored as Angel Flight’s

Medical Association of Georgia

Bert Light, Jeanine Chambers

pilot of the year in both 2000 and 2001.

Healthcare Attorney Michele Madison Talks Post-election Strategies for 2017

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womens telehealth

Michele Madison

Healthcare Attorney Michele Madison Talks Healthcare Reform In 2017

On this week’s episode, healthcare expert, Michele Madison, attorney with Morris, Manning, & Martin LLP, stopped by to talk about healthcare reform, what is coming and what it means for physician practices. 

With November’s national election ushering in a new administration and rapid movement to make significant changes to the Affordable Care Act, healthcare practitioners and organizations have legitimate questions about efforts they should undertake to become compliant with ACA rules.

Michele shared her perspective on how healthcare leadership and practitioners should approach various aspects of ACA compliance in 2017, a year in which major elements affecting reporting and reimbursement were to be implemented.

GA Rep. Allen Peake Discusses Medical Marijuana Legislation

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GA Rep. Allen Peake Discusses Medical Marijuana Legislation

Representative Allen Peake serves the citizens of Georgia’s 141st District, which includes Macon. He is in his sixth term in the Georgia House. In 2015, Representative Peake sponsored Haleigh’s Hope Bill – a measure that was signed into law that allows Georgians who have specific conditions – including children who have seizures – to possess medical cannabis oil in Georgia. He is now sponsoring a bill that would expand the list of conditions that are covered by that law – as well as legislation that would allow a public vote on whether Georgia should allow the production and distribution of medical cannabis.

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

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Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

This week Womens Telehealth CEO, Tanya Mack hosts Dr. Meg Prado to talk about Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.  With the continued rise in rates of prescription medications, coupled with high incidence of illicit drug use, it is becoming all-too-common for babies to be born who are addicted to prescription and/or illicit drugs.

Dr. Prado joined us to talk about the scope of this problem, along with what clinicians who care for pregnant mothers and/or newborn infants need to look out for to identify these babies as soon as possible to be able to adequately care for them.

 

Surprise Insurance Coverage Gaps

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MAG

Dr. Matt Keady and Dr. Mark Bernardy

Surprise Insurance Coverage Gaps

After receiving emergency care at an “in-network” hospital, patients often discover that they
received care from an “out-of- network” physician and owe a lot of money. This is the “surprise
insurance coverage gap.” The patient pays their monthly premium, yet they receive unexpected
“balance bills” for amounts their insurance company refuses to cover – keeping in mind the
insurers are narrowing their networks to reduce costs and maximize profits by subjecting
physicians to inadequate, take-it- or-leave- it contracts.

Physicians in Georgia believe that it is critical to end the surprise insurance gap in emergency
medicine care settings. Physicians have seen their patients’ financial burden increase in dramatic
ways as health insurance companies have narrowed their networks. Health insurance is so
ambiguous that the most sophisticated patients have trouble understanding the rules.

Many patients try to do the right thing and go to a hospital that is in their insurance network during an
emergency – but they often don’t have any way of knowing when a doctor they need to see is in or
out of their network.  The Medical Association Georgia and other physician and patient advocacy organizations are calling for state lawmakers to put an end to balance billing in emergency care settings by passing legislation that will close the surprise coverage gap. MAG is also supporting the ‘End the Surprise Insurance Gap’ campaign.

Dr. Matthew Keadey has been an emergency physician in the Atlanta area for nearly 20 years. He
began his career at Emory Healthcare. He now works in the Emory and Grady Health systems. He
is the president-elect of the Georgia College of Emergency Physicians, and he is a member of the
Medical Association of Georgia. Dr. Keadey is an expert in emergency department billing, coding
and reimbursement.

Dr. Mark Bernardy has been a private practice general/interventional radiologist in Georgia for 30
years. He is a member of the Georgia Radiological Society’s Board of Directors. Dr. Bernardy is
the vice chair of the American College of Radiology’s Economics Commission and a board
member of the Radiology Business Management Association. He is active in Georgia politics,
advocating for radiologists, physicians, and patients. His advocacy efforts started with colon
cancer screening.

Drs. Keadey and Bernardy are leading advocates for ensuring that patients have access to fair
insurance coverage in emergency care settings in Georgia.

Representative Sharon Cooper Talks Georgia Healthcare

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Sharon Cooper

Georgia State Representative, Dist. 43, Sharon Cooper

Representative Sharon Cooper Talks Georgia Healthcare

The legislative process is an important way to improve Georgia’s health care system and the practice environment. MAG spent a lot of time reaching out to lawmakers and other important stakeholders after the General Assembly ended in 2015 to ensure that it would be in a good position to effect pro-physician and pro-patient change during this year’s legislative session. MAG is focused on several key areas in 2016, including physician autonomy, Medicaid, health insurance, tort reform, and prescription drugs.

Representative Sharon Cooper is the chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee. She has been a champion for key legislation for patients and physicians in Georgia, including an HIV screening bill for pregnant women, Georgia’s Smoke Free Air Act, and the Health Share Volunteers in Medicine Act. She is known for being one of the hardest working and most honest and straightforward legislators in the state. It is also worth noting that she was married to the late Dr. Tom Cooper, who co-founded MAG’s Doctor of the Day program at the State Capitol.

Special Guest:

Sharon Cooper, Georgia House of Representatives Distric 43, Chairman-House Health & Human Services Committee

Sharon Cooper

Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, GA District 43