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Complex Patients

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Infectious Disease Consultants

Complex Patients

This week I sat down with our colleague, Dr. Andrew Pugliese, Infectious Disease specialist of Infectious Disease Consultants in Johns Creek.  He stopped by to talk about complex patients.  He shared how medical studies focus on single illnesses, disqualifying certain age groups and patients with multiple disease states.  Dr. Pugliese talked about the fact that in the real world medical office, rare is it that a patient walks in to be treated for a problem who is only dealing with that single disease.  More commonly, patients present with obesity, and/or diabetes, heart disease, or any number of other health problems that can affect the way the body responds to a given disease state and treatments for them.  Dr. Pugliese shared how these “multi-morbid” (having more than one health issue) patients are very complex and often do not respond to therapies as studies suggest they will.  He offered advice for providers to help them be better able to manage patients when they need care for a given problem when other health issues are present.  Check out Dr. Pugliese’s blog at http://sinusitisblog.com/.

Special Guest:

Andrew Pugliese, MD, Infectious Disease Consultants twitter_logo_small  linkedin_small1  facebook_logo_small3  Blogger 2  

Infectious Disease Consultants

  • Doctorate in Medicine, St. George University School of Medicine
  • Fellowship, Infectious Disease, Winthrop University Hospital
  • Triple Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease
  • Pioneer in non-surgical treatment of acute and chronic sinusitis
  • President of Sinus Solutions

Swift School

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Swift School

Swift School

This week I sat down with two learning specialists and three students from The Swift School in Roswell, GA.  This private school is one that focuses on the learning needs of high-potential students that are challenged with dyslexia, dyscalculia (problems with math), working memory issues, and others.  Their learning environment is designed to help these children achieve their academic potential through smaller class sizes, teaching styles (such as Orton-Gillingham method) that take these various brain types and learning process needs into consideration.

As many as 1 in 5 children deal with some sort of learning challenge such as dyslexia, according to the learning specialists, Lisa Armorer and Carol Madden.  We now know that these aren’t so much learning “disabilities” as “Brain Types”.  As Carol explained, most kids dealing with dyslexia and some of these other challenges are “Right Brain” dominant.  This affects the style of learning that is most effective for them and can have an impact on their behavior patterns to some extent as well.  Many children are misdiagnosed as having behavioral “problems” when in fact they are actually exhibiting responses to frustration and/or anxiety because they are having trouble learning and they don’t understand why.

Lisa explained how Swift School’s learning approach differs from many “traditional” learning settings and how the strategies they employ take the child’s brain type and associated learning techniques into consideration.  This empowers them to achieve academically at a high level and advocate for themselves as students as they return to middle schools and high schools in traditional class environments/teaching approaches.

I got to talk to two 5th graders, Mackenzie Day and Olivia Hall, and 8th grader, Grant Meyer.  They shared their poignant stories about how it felt to be “different” from their peers as young students, watching them excel when certain (or all) concepts seemed so difficult for them.  They talked about their experiences going to visit Swift School and what it was like to become “veteran” students once they’d been there for a while.  Olivia, Mackenzie, and Grant also shared advice for peers in the community who might be considering Swift School as an option when a traditional setting is not helping them reach their academic potential.

Lisa Armorer shared this information with me:

Is your child bright but still struggling in school?  It might not be laziness.  It might be dyslexia.

Dyslexia affects 1 in 5 students today.  Dyslexia is not just seeing words backwards.  Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference and causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIA:

  • Delayed spoken language
  • Left/Right Confusion
  • Difficulty rhyming words and sounds
  • Poor sequencing of numbers and letters
  • Difficulty sounding out, identifying, and spelling words
  • Slow to memorize alphabet and math facts
  • Avoids reading aloud.
  • Difficulty with reading and comprehension.

For more information:

The International Dyslexia Association – www.interdys.org

Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators – www.ortonacademy.org

 

Special Guests:

Lisa Armorer, Learning Specialist, Swift School  facebook_logo_small3  youtube logo

Armorer headshot 2

Carol Madden, Middle Division Director, Swift School

Armorer Madden

Grant Meyer, 8th Grade Swift Student, President, Student Counsil

Grant

Mackenzie Day, 5th Grade Swift Student

Mackenzie

Olivia Hall, 5th Grade Swift Student

Olivia Grant

 

AirWatch

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IMG_0267

AirWatch by vmware

This week on TopDocsRADIO we sat down with Paul McRae of AirWatch by vmware. Healthcare is evolving. As information technology advances and our health laws change, greater importance is being placed on electronic health records.  Today, digital data is flowing between departments in a hospital, to physician offices, to practitioners in the patients’ homes.  The result is greater efficiency in coordination of care, easier collaboration across multi-specialty teams, and an increased risk of compromise of sensitive HIPAA-protected information.

AirWatch by vmware provides technology that allows healthcare organizations to protect sensitive data across their enterprise, including mobile devices and laptops that may be in use outside the confines of the building or campus of the health company.  With their solution, the enterprise can determine whether certain data elements can be accessed by a given device (including BYOD), attachments can be included in outbound emails, and more.

If your organization is working to take advantage of the benefits of digital platforms and mobile devices then get to know AirWatch by vmware.  You’ll give your company the strengths that come with digitized information coupled with the confidence your information will meet compliance requirements and stay safe in the hands of those its meant to be seen by.

Special Guests:

Paul McRae, Director of Business Development – Healthcare Solutions, AirWatch by vmware  twitter_logo_small  youtube logo  google-plus-logo-red-265px  linkedin_small1  facebook_logo_small3

AirWatch by vmware

  • BA Economics, Cornell University
  • Board Member, Warrick Dunn
  • Presenter, Georgia Healthcare Trade Faire & Regional Conference 2013
  • Former SCVP of Healthcare Emerging Technology, AT&T

 

 

International Medical Graduates

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 TDR 12-9

International Medical Graduates

In our ongoing series with Medical Association of Georgia, we discussed International Medical Graduates on this episode.  Today, we continue to extend the age to which we humans live. This, coupled with the large post-war baby boomer population that is now entering the elderly population, compounds the effects of the period 2-3 decades ago where it was thought we possessed a surplus of physicians. During that time the creation of new medical colleges and expansion of residency programs was limited. These factors combined to bring us to the situation we find ourselves in today: an expanding shortage of physicians in the US.

The ECFMG (Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) reports that since its inception in the 1950’s it has examined and certified over 320,000 foreign-trained physicians for acceptance to train in US medical colleges and residency programs.  Recent statistics show as many as 25% of practicing physicians in the US are foreign-trained graduates.  And they play a vital role in the delivery of healthcare in our country.  I sat down with Kate Boyenga, Director of Membership and Marketing with Medical Association of Georgia and current MAG president, Dr. Manoj Shah, himself a foreign medical graduate.

We learned about some of the reasons why Medical Association of Georgia is experiencing its largest membership with over 7500 members statewide.  And Dr. Shah shared excellent information about the steps required to study in medical school abroad with the ultimate goal of practicing medicine in the US.  He talked about the tests one can expect to take, challenges they may face while making application to schools/residencies in the US, and possible solutions for them.

Special Guests:

Kate Boyenga, Director of Membership and Marketing for Medical Association of Georgia 

twitter_logo_small  facebook_logo_small3  linkedin_small1

boyenga

  • BA Communication, College of Charleston
  • Under her leadership MAG Membership is at an all-time high
  • 14 years with MAG

Dr. Manoj Shah, MD, of Physicians for Women and president of MAG  linkedin_small1

  shah

  • MAG’s first President from Warner Robins
  • MAG’s first president of East Indian descent
  • Doctor of Medicine, Baroda, India
  • Residency, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit
  • Has delivered more than 7,000 babies

Dr. Khusrow Niazi

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Emory Healthcare

Dr. Khusrow Niazi

This week I sat down with Emory School of Medicine’s Dr. Khusrow Niazi, Interventional Cardiologist and Director of Peripheral Vascular Interventions.  Dr. Niazi is a cardiologist but is different from many other cardiologists as he treats disease from the head to toes. He specializes in blockages of the artery which may involve coronary arteries around the heart which may cause chest pain or heart attack, carotid arteries which may cause TIA or strokes, arteries to the leg which may cause leg discomfort or slow wound healing. In addition he is one of the few cardiologists who also treat veins of the legs which may cause leg cramps, swelling, heaviness or varicose veins. He has lectured nationally and internationally and has helped many patients from getting their legs amputated.

Dr. Niazi appeared with the goal of providing the folks in the community with a cardiologist’s perspective on what they need to know about vascular disease which can affect the arteries that supply the brain, heart, and limbs.  We talked about things we can do to reduce our risk of disease in the vascular system.  He also shared recommendations on the types of tests and studies that folks who are at greater risk for vascular disease should consider having conducted.  Many of these tests are quite basic and can be performed at their local primary care physician’s office.  Persons who should consider regular monitoring for the presence of vascular disease include those who are over-weight, have diabetes, high cholesterol levels, hypertension, as well as those who have close relatives with a history of vascular problems.

Dr. Niazi advised our listeners to not ignore symptoms that might indicate a vascular problem exists such as chest tightness/pain, dizzy spells or changes in vision, speech, or ability to walk, pain in the lower legs when walking, shortness of breath at rest or with mild activity, etc.  These can be signs that vascular problems exist that could potentially be corrected with early intervention.  He also spoke about the fact that persons who have a wound on their lower leg or foot need to be evaluated for the presence of correctable vascular disease.  Many of these people go on to have amputations when they may have been prevented by intervention by a vascular specialist.

Special Guest:

Dr. Khusrow Niazi, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine facebook_logo_small3  twitter_logo_small  youtube logo  linkedin_small1

 

Emory Healthcare

  • Doctor of Medicine, King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Residency, Cardiology, Kettering Medical Center
  • Fellowship William Beaumont Hospital
  • Multiple published research articles

 

Dr. Jon Minter of Northside Total Joint Specialists

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Northside Total Joint Specialists

Dr. Jon Minter of Northside Total Joint Specialists

This week I sat down with Dr. Jon Minter of Northside Total Joint Specialists.  In our ongoing monthly series with Northside Hospital we learned about the various conditions that could lead to a total joint replacement.  Dr. Minter shared some great information about some of the techniques he uses now to perform the surgery, including using robotic assistance with portions of the procedure.  Having robotic assistance helps the surgeon minimize surgical trauma to the tissue in the surgical field, making the recovery process proceed more quickly and with less pain.

Dr. Minter talked about the fact that he is able to perform joint replacement for a wide variety of joints from knees, to hips, shoulders, wrists, ankles and even digits.  He is able to repair joint damage from disease processes such as arthritis as well as traumatic injuries.  I was surprised to learn that patients undergoing total hip replacement and total knee replacement can often go home to recover the same day as their surgery rather than staying for several days in the hospital.

Dr. Minter discussed how he takes a conservative approach to joint replacement, exploring non-surgical options where feasible to attempt to give the patient relief of pain while avoiding surgery if possible.  If you or a loved one is experiencing a decrease in activity in an effort to avoid pain you should seek a consultation with this specialist.  You will be pleased to experience his pleasant, personable demeanor.  We talked about the fact that when patients begin to avoid activity in an effort to prevent experiencing pain, they can see their heart health decrease over time, potentially shortening their lives.  Dr. Jon Minton of Northside Total Joint Specialists can help you or your loved ones get your life back through his expert, conservative approach to joint replacement.

Special Guest:

Dr. Jon Minter, DO, of Northside Total Joint Specialists  linkedin_small1 

Northside Total Joint Specialists

  • Doctor of Osteopathy, Kirksville Osteopathic Medicine
  • Residency, Orthopedic Surgery, Parkview Hospital
  • Adult Reconstructive and Arthritis Fellowship, Florida Orthopaedic Institute/Tampa General Hospital
  • Published Study Author and Frequent Lecturer on the subject of Joint Replacement

“Think About It”

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MAG LOGO

Think About It

 

“Think About It” Campaign to End Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription medication abuse and subsequent addiction is a serious problem that needs our immediate attention as a community and as healthcare providers.  According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Although most people take prescription medications responsibly, an estimated 52 million people (20 percent of those aged 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetimes.”  And, National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse states, “Taking prescription drugs not prescribed for you by a doctor or in a way that hasn’t been recommended by a doctor, can be more dangerous than you think.  In fact, it can be fatal.  Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused category of drugs, behind alcohol and marijuana and ahead of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.  Some prescription drugs can become addictive, especially when used in a manner inconsistent with their labeling by someone other than the patient for whom they were prescribed, or when taken in a manner or dosage other than prescribed.  Overall, an estimated 48 million people have abused prescription drugs, representing nearly 20% of the U.S. population.”  

This week I sat down with Dallas Gay and Dr. Tennant Slack along with Lori Cassidy Murphy from the Medical Association of Georgia to talk about their recently-launched campaign to fight prescription medication abuse and addiction.  Dallas and Dr. Slack co-chair the campaign and they’re working hard to bring community focus to the problem.  The campaign is being funded by the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation and is working to raise awareness of this issue among Georgia’s residents as well as healthcare providers who prescribe controlled medications.  Their team has developed colorful handout materials that give key recommendations for persons who have prescriptions for controlled pain or anti-anxiety medications with regard to how they take it, how they store it, and how to dispose of it when they no longer need the medication.  Additionally, they’re involved with numerous events around the community to get people talking and thinking about how this problem can be prevented.

Think About It is a program conducted by the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation for the purpose of reducing the incidence of prescription drug abuse and resulting deaths. The concept for the program originated at NGMC in 2010 and is presently co-chaired by Dr. Jack Chapman, Dr. Tennent Slack and Dallas Gay. Hall County has served as the incubator of the program since its inception. The “Help Stop Rx Drug Abuse in Georgia” leaflets encourage Georgians to 1) only take their medicine as prescribed and 2) not share their medicine and 3) store their medicine in a safe and secure place and 4) properly dispose of any unused medicine.

The ‘Think About It’ campaign involves a wide array of organizations, including medical societies, the Georgia Composite Medical Board, the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, the Georgia Pharmacy Association, the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation – as well as other law enforcement agencies, schools, and business and religious and other community organizations.

Thank you for listening and PLEASE SHARE! this podcast with your networks.  You may just help someone you care about.

Special Guests

Dr. Tennant Slack, MD, of Northeast Georgia Physician’s Group

Slack_Tennent_MD2_small (3)

  • Doctorate of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
  • Residency, Anesthesia, Emory University School of Medicine
  • Fellowship, Pain Medicine, Medical College of Georgia
  • Board Certified, American Board of Anesthesiology: – Anesthesiology – Pain Medicine

Dallas Gay, Co-Chair, “Think About It” Campaign

Dallas Gay

  • Board Member, Northeast Georgia Medical Center
  • MBA, Georgia State University
  • Member, Drug Free Coalition of Hall County
  • Former President, Protein Products, Inc
  • Former President, American Proteins, Inc.

 

 

Lenz Marketing

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Lenz Marketing

 

Lenz Marketing

This week I sat down with the Vice President of Marketing for Lenz Marketing, Mr. Mike Killeen.  According to the company’s website, Lenz offers clients the full suite of marketing and communication tools to grow their businesses. At Lenz, integrated marketing is the strategic and coordinated implementation of digital and traditional advertising, PR, web sites, social media, and events to achieve a stated goal.  The company has been serving the Atlanta area for over 22 years.  Mike talked about the fact that the firm started as a traditional marketing company, providing service to a variety of companies looking to increase community awareness of their brands.  Early on their leadership saw an opportunity to help businesses within the medical community, from hospitals to physician groups.

As Mike stated, “We have evolved and refined who we are and what we do to be known best for healthcare marketing, no doubt about it.  We enjoy it and find it very fulfilling.  But we’ve done a lot of different things throughout our history.  And we really fell that our broad set of interests is one of the reasons we’re most successful with healthcare.  Because we don’t think that marketing healthcare is really that different than marketing anything else.  At the end of the day, people are looking to align themselves with companies they believe in, that they think are representative of who they are,  that they can trust, that they think have value.”

At Lenz Marketing believes that today, patients are becoming more educated, having greater access to means to look into a prospective provider of healthcare.  This means patients are becoming “consumers” in that more and more they are realizing they do have choices and access to ways to get to know about those choices.  Lenz is able to help their clients develop a strategy that will improve public awareness of their practice or organization as well as improve engagement with their respective referral bases.

Special Guest:

Mike Killeen, VP of Marketing at Lenz Marketing  twitter_logo_small  Pinterest-logo  linkedin_small1  facebook_logo_small3

Lenz Marketing

  • 12+ years at Lenz Marketing
  • Bachelor’s in Journalism, University of Georgia
  • Program Director, “Weekly Check-up With Dr. Bruce Feinberg” on WSB Radio
  • Founder, “Poverty is Real” non-profit organization
  • Performing Singer, Songwriter, Musician

Breast Cancer Awareness

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

 

Breast Cancer Awareness

This week I sat down with three women who each contribute great energy to promote breast cancer awareness in our community.  We kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) on this episode with Janet Beebe, CEO, of Breast Cancer Survivors Network, Kim Goff, Executive Director, of It’s The Journey/Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer, and breast cancer survivor/6x Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer participant, Yvonne Lloyd.  Breast Cancer Survivors Network is a non-profit organization that supports breast cancer patients who have insufficient means to purchase breast prostheses after mastectomy as well as covering cost for mammography for women under 40 who are at higher risk for developing breast cancer.  To date the organization has helped over 30,000 women in Georgia through their various services.  The are currently being supported through an impressive charitable donation by McD0nough Toyota.  The dealership is covering the cost of a month-long TV ad campaign on Atlanta’s 11 Alive TV with a “Drive Cancer Away” series of ads to help raise awareness of the organization and breast cancer in general.

The Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer is an annual fundraising endurance walk that takes place this year on October 11-12th and takes participants through 30 miles of Atlanta over the course of 2 days. This year, 950 walkers have committed to fundraising and training for this event. Participants commit to raising $500-1000 each, depending on whether they intend to walk 1 or both days.  Since 2002, the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer has funded 214 grants totaling $10 million to support breast health programs throughout Georgia. These programs provide mammograms, clinical breast exams, genetic counseling and testing, biopsies, support services, education, and much more. Many of our grants have a specific focus on under-served individuals in our community- uninsured and under-insured women for whom these types of breast health measures are often not available.

Kim Goff, Executive Director, of It’s The Journey/Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer brought along 6 year survivor of breast cancer (and with this year’s event, 6x participant in Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer), Yvonne Lloyd.  Yvonne was kind enough to share her story of diagnosis and treatment and talked about participating in the 2 Day Walk.  She gave some practical advice for folks looking to participate in the event as well as how to remain strong in the face of dealing with breast cancer through faith and support from friends and loved ones.

Breast Cancer Awareness on TopDocsRADIO

Special Guests:

Janet Beebe, CEO of Breast Cancer Survivors Network  twitter_logo_small  google-plus-logo-red-265px  facebook_logo_small3  

Breast Cancer Survivors Network

  • 31 Yr, 2 time Breast Cancer Survivor…4 time cancer survivor
  • President, Founder and Director of The Breast Cancer Survivors’ Network, Inc.
  • Recipient of multiple awards including “Volunteer of the Year” from Am. Cancer Society and United Way and “Business Woman of the Year” by Nat’l. Assoc. of Business Women
  • Frequently spotlighted by numerous publications and media outlets including Atlanta Magazine, ATL Journal & Constitution, Fayette Woman’s Magazine and others

Kim Goff, Executive Director of It’s The Journey, Inc/Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer  twitter_logo_small  facebook_logo_small3  linkedin_small1  youtube logo

It's the Journey Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer

  • Consultant, The Chason Group
  • Former Senior Vice President, Georgia Chamber of Commerce
  • MBA, Georgia State University
  • Georgia State University Robinson College of Business Alumni Award

Yvonne Lloyd, Breast Cancer Survivor

Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer

  • Lobular carcinoma Stage 2 lesion without lymph node involvement
  • Chose mastectomy/reconstruction
  • 5 year course of aromatase inhibitor, Femara
  • This year makes 6x participant in Atlanta 2 Day Walk event

Important Cancer Resources for Georgians

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GeorgiaCORE and TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation

 

Cancer Resources for Georgians

Special Guests: Alice Kerber, Angie Patterson, and Erin Long

This week we’ll hear about important cancer resources available to patients in Georgia from Alice Kerber and Angie Patterson of GeorgiaCORE. The organization is a public private partnership dedicated to facilitating cancer prevention, care, research, and education.  They are focused on helping patients get better access to available cancer resources from early diagnosis to best treatments available, and support once they are survivors.  Through initiatives such as www.georgiacancerinfo.org, Georgia Breast Cancer Genomic Consortium, and the Cancer Patient Navigator program, GeorgiaCORE facilitates greater community awareness and helps improve cancer outcomes for Georgians.  TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation provides a range of specialized rehabilitation services tailored specifically for the breast cancer survivor.  As a charitable organization they are able to provide care to under- or uninsured patients who require care as well.  Director of Development, Erin Walker Long discusses the therapies they provide along with some of their upcoming fund-raising initiatives.

Alice Kerber, MN, APRN, ACNS-BC, AOCN, APNG, GeorgiaCORE   facebook_logo_small3  twitter_logo_small  linkedin_small1  youtube logo

  • Oncology Nurse Specialist working to improve quality of cancer care in Georgia
  • 34 years of oncology experience, both inpatient & outpatient
  • Heavily involved in a CDC program, “Georgia Breast Cancer Genomic Consortium”
  • 2011 Recipient, Oncology Nurse of the Year by Georgia March of Dimes

Angie Patterson, Vice President of Research & Education, GeorgiaCORE

  • Co-founder, Cancer Patient Navigators of Georgia
  • Focused heavily on improving cancer care through implementation of patient navigation and survivorship programs
  • Breast Cancer Survivor
  • Volunteer with Northside Hospital’s Network of Hope

Erin Long, Development Director for TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation  facebook_logo_small3  twitter_logo_small  feed logo

  • 15 years of fundraising experience in healthcare and education
  • Enjoy tennis, exercise and reading
  • Mother of two children under 4