Listen Now!

Business Talk 24-7

Top Docs Radio

healthcare radio

Surviving With Incurable Breast Cancer

Posted on

Podcast: Download

breast cancer

Dr. Amelia Zelnak

Surviving With Incurable Breast Cancer

This week I sat down with breast cancer specialist, Dr. Amelia Zelnak, of Atlanta Cancer Care.  We talked about patients dealing with incurable breast cancer or they have a malignant recurrence.  Pfizer, maker of several medications used to treat various cancers, have launched an initiative, “Breast Cancer: A Story Half Told”. 

This effort aims to expand the breast cancer conversation on multiple fronts.  As the website states, “Earlier this year, Pfizer unveiled the results of two complementary studies that uncovered gaps in the breast cancer conversation within society at large and between patients and physicians in the doctor’s office, and along with leaders in the breast cancer community issued a public call-to-action to expand the breast cancer dialogue to include metastatic disease. Breast Cancer: A Story Half Told – Supporting Workplace Conversations aims to identify gaps in the current conversation about breast cancer and the workplace, and encourage healthcare professionals and employers to join together with women with breast cancer to better address their unique workplace needs.”

We talk about this and more.  Check back soon for more info!

MAG’s MEP 401(k)

Posted on

Podcast: Download

MAG's 401(k)

Kevin Rainwater talks MAG’s 401(k) plan

MAG’s MEP 401(k)

We continue our series with Medical Association of Georgia, hosting Kevin Rainwater of Atlanta Capital Group to learn about MAG’s MEP 401(k) plan.  Kevin Rainwater is a managing partner with Atlanta Capital Group, specializing 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.

MAG member practices can save time and money and retain employees by participating in a MAG-sponsored 401(k) retirement plan that’s available through the Atlanta Capital Group and Transamerica.

The MAG 401(k) Plan is treated like one large plan from a government Form 5500 reporting standpoint. The result is a 401(k) plan with competitive investments, outstanding service, and someone else doing a majority of the plan maintenance leg work. With more than 7,800 members, MAG offers a large, unified plan.

When you utilize the MAG 401(k) Plan, you have all of 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 Transamerica, ACG, and MAG.

Special Guest:

Kevin Rainwater, Partner, Atlanta Capital Group  linkedin_small1  twitter_logo_small-e1403698475314

MAG's 401(k)

  • BS, Marketing, University of Alabama
  • Previous Regional Sales Director, First Mercantile
  • Former Director, National Accounts, The Standard

 

Representative Sharon Cooper

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Sharon Cooper

Georgia State Representative, Dist. 43, Sharon Cooper

Representative Sharon Cooper

I hosted MAG CEO/Executive Director, Donald Palmisano, Jr., and Georgia State Representative, Sharon Cooper.  We talked about 2016 legislative priorities affecting healthcare in the state.  More information soon!

Special Guests:

Sharon Cooper, Rep. Dist 43, Georgia State House of Representatives (R) 

facebook_logo_small3

Representative Sharon Cooper

  • MA Education
  • MSN, Nursing
  • Authored 2 books on psychiatric nursing
  • Chair, Georgia Health and Human Services Committee

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

 

Dental Deserts

Posted on
GDHA

Misty Mattingly, Charlie Craig, and Sarah Smith explain GA HB 684

Dental Deserts

In the state of Georgia, 118 counties out of 159 have too few dentists to treat those residents.  16 Georgia counties have NO DENTIST at all.  Clearly, this leaves a large, rural population in the state with limited or NO access to even basic, preventive dental care.

Today, there are only 5 states that do not allow hygienists to operate under a dentist’s supervision unless the dentist is physically on site where the dental hygiene care is provided.  One of those is Georgia.

President of Georgia’s Dental Hygienist Association, Misty Mattingly, stopped by, along with Sarah Smith and Charlie Craig of Solution Road to talk about a measure before the Georgia House of Representatives that will address the lack of access to preventive screenings and treatments that are provided by hygienists.

Currently, Georgia law requires that a dentist is ON SITE while a hygienist administers care.  Obviously, this is impossible in 16 counties without some sort of medical mission on the part of dentist and hygienist, and limited in 118 Georgia counties.  Under HB 684, hygienists would be able to be supervised remotely by a dentist rather than requiring them to physically be on site.  This would empower hygienists to provide diagnostic screening and preventive care in these areas with limited to no access.

When problems requiring restoration such as a filling or crown would be identified by the hygienist during these visits, they would be referred to a dentist for appropriate care.  Without question this is a win for all parties, particularly the patients who today, have problems often going undiagnosed until serious, often resulting in an ER visit for evaluation.

Insurance Reimbursement

Posted on

Podcast: Download

John Oxendine PC

John Oxendine talks insurance reimbursement.

Insurance Reimbursement

This week’s show was part of our monthly series with MAG and we focused our conversation on legal issues around commercial insurance reimbursement for physicians.  Former insurance commissioner for the state of GA, attorney, and expert on the subject, John Oxendine, joined me in the studio to talk about some important things physicians need to know relating to commercial insurance reimbursement.
There are laws that lay out requirements for timeliness of payment and/or communications regarding submitted claims that must be adhered to by insurance companies.  Additionally, there are also rules around documentation of assignment of representation that can be the difference between losing five or six figures to insurance company claw back or being able to deny those requests to return payment for previously-delivered care.
John Oxendine is uniquely qualified to provide advice and information to physicians on the subject of health insurance reimbursement.  He spent over 15 years as Georgia’s State Insurance Commissioner.  He has worked closely with MAG, the Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage, AMA, and numerous other health care provider organizations.
While Insurance Commissioner, John created a division at the Department of Insurance to help physicians with claims payment issues.  Additionally, he was the first commissioner in the country to levy large fines against insurance companies not in compliance with the state’s prompt pay law.
Special Guest:
John Oxendine, Attorney, John Oxendine PC
John Oxendine PC
  • Doctor of Law, Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law
  • Former Commissioner, Georgia Department of Insurance, 1995-2011

Apex Animal Hospital

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Apex Animal Hospital

Apex Animal Hospital

On this episode I sat down with Dr. Kimberly Cary and her office manager, Jamie Cary.  We talked about their rapidly-growing Austell animal hospital that has seen rapid expansion of their patient base due to referrals from happy clients.

Kimberly explained there are numerous health issues that can be transmitted between humans and their pets or that both humans and our pets can suffer from that we can benefit from being aware about.  Examples are ringworm, Lyme disease, giardiasis, rabies, and others.

The Carys talked about measures we can take to reduce the risk of our pets contracting these illnesses as well as how we can limit the risk of being affected ourselves.  In many cases, simple preventive measures are very effective at protecting both pet and owner.  These include annual exams and keeping vaccinations up to date.

Problems related to tick- and flea-borne diseases can easily be prevented by a regular dose of topical or edible medications.  And in areas of high likelihood of ticks, there is a vaccination available for dogs to prevent Lyme disease.

The practice offers a full array of pet services and has been specially designed to accommodate both dogs and cats to minimize the stress they experience when they have to be seen or stay in the animal hospital.  The office is located on East-West Connector in Austell, GA near Floyd Road.

Special Guests:

Dr. Kimberly Carey, DVM of Apex Animal Hospital   google-plus-logo-red-265px  twitter_logo_small  facebook_logo_small3  

Apex Animal Hospital

  • Doctorate Veterinary Medicine (with honors), Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine
  • Values educating pet owners who are her clients to help them best care for their pets
  • President, Cobb County Veterinary Medical Association
  • Owner of 2 cats and a dog of her own

Radiation Oncology

Posted on

Podcast: Download

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

Radiotherapy Associates of Forsyth

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Huff Powell & Bailey

Dan Huff talks medical malpractice

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

The phrase medical malpractice causes most people’s pulse to quicken. For a physician being named in a medical malpractice case is one of the worst events in their life. This week we discussed medical malpractice in Georgia and how physicians can avoid it.

For the past 23 years, Dan has specialized in representing physicians and hospitals in medical malpractice lawsuits.  As one of the founding partners in the Atlanta law firm of Huff, Powell & Bailey, LLC, he has represented defendants in more than 90 jury trials.

Dan has defended and successfully tried cases for every specialty of medicine and numerous hospitals throughout Georgia. His trial record would be a proud career for any defense lawyer and is remarkable because Dan has tried and won this many cases before turning 50.  Many of those cases have been against the best plaintiffs’ attorneys in the state. Dan is also a regular contributor to MAG’s quarterly Journal.

Huff shared what malpractice is, and why he chose this area of focus for his legal career.  He offered some advice on how healthcare practitioners can avoid a malpractice lawsuit.  We discussed his professional advice for how to handle conversations with patient and/or family after a sentinel event has occurred.  And we talked about how health professionals need to handle patient records and what to do if served with a lawsuit.

Dan explained how defendants in a suit should behave during the proceedings of the case to reduce the likelihood a jury will rule against them.

Special Guest:

Dan Huff, JD, and co-founder, Huff, Powell, and Bailey

Huff, Powell, & Bailey

MAG LOGO

Loving Arms Cancer Outreach

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Loving Arms Cancer Outreach

Loving Arms Cancer Outreach

Over the past year we’ve talked about cancer on several occasions.  We have hosted physician panels, sharing how to prevent cancers and how they’re diagnosed, and treatment options patients have to choose from.

We’ve also spoken with cancer survivors who have come on the share their stories about being diagnosed, and their experiences during treatment and beyond, as survivors.

This week I hosted cancer survivor, Angel DeJesus, office manager for Loving Arms Cancer Outreach.  This non-profit cancer support organization was started by two practicing oncology nurses.  They had seen how many patients deplete their financial resources paying for their cancer care.

This leaves them with with limited ability to pay for obligations of daily life such as rent/mortgage, utilities, gas to get them to treatment, and more.  They started Loving Arms Cancer Outreach to provide some measure of assistance with these needs along with support group services, education, opportunities to volunteer, and others.

Angel shared his poignant story about experiencing a cancer that ultimately cost him is right eye and how he, too, lost his home, job, and savings paying for his cancer care.  He explained how Loving Arms Cancer Outreach provided him with their support services and even were able to provide rides to his treatment when he was a patient.

The financial expense and logistics of providing rides to cancer patients was too great for the organization to continue that service.  But they continue to offer financial assistance and support group services and others.  We are hopeful listeners will help with donations, time, or share this message with folks who may be able to do so.

Special Guest

Angel DeJesus, Office Manager, Loving Arms Cancer Outreach

Loving Arms Cancer Outreach

 

Dr. Scott Kelly

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Dr. Scott Kelly

Dr. Scott Kelly, author of “What I’ve Learned From You: Lessons of Life Taught to a Doctor By His Patients”

Dr. Scott Kelly

I sat down with practicing orthopedic physician and author of the book, “What I’ve Learned From You:  The Lessons Of Life Taught To A Doctor By His Patients“.  He shared the story of how this moving and inspirational book came together.  He described how the book was drawn from journaling he did during his medical training over the course of several years.

He has always had a passion for writing and uses the medium as a way to process things that are important to him or that make an impression on him in his daily life.  Dr. Kelly talked about how he was going through some things in the attic and came across the journal several years after putting it away and how emotional it was to go back and read his thoughts and experiences from that time in his life.

He thought the interesting experiences and life lessons he picked up through numerous patient encounters would be great for his children to hear about and decided to put it into book for basically for them.  He decided to submit the manuscript to publishers and was surprised by the enthusiastic positive response he received.

You’ll enjoy listening to him tell his story and you can readily hear how big of an impact those life experiences had on him that he carries with him today.  Check this great interview and learn more at his website.

 

Dr. Scott Kelly, MD, of Resurgens Spine Center  youtube logo  linkedin_small1  Pinterest-logo  twitter_logo_small-e1403698475314  facebook_logo_small3

Dr. Scott Kelly