MedAxiom HeartTalk

MedAxiom’s Lori Walsh, MHSA, Executive Vice President of Membership and Operations, and Ginger Biesbrock, PA-C, MPH, MPAS, AACC, Senior Vice President of Consulting, share the latest information on the COVID-19 crisis. They cover top-of-mind issues for MedAxiom members, legislative updates from Capitol Hill, and their picks for Story of the Week – uplifting experiences in the face of this unpreced...

“COVID is an amazing animal – it has no bounds…This is the time for the house of medicine to come together to try to treat these patients until we have a vaccine,” says Cathie Biga, CEO and President of Cardiovascular Management of Illinois. “I can’t think of a reasonable analogy for the rapidity with which meaningful changes have occurred as have happened with COVID-19,” posits Dr. Jerry Blackwel...

Hear the latest information on the COVID-19 crisis, with a focus on telehealth, from Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute's Jenny Villafane, Director of Virtual Care, and William Downey, MD, Vice Chair of Quality and Care Transformation, along with MedAxiom's Ginger Biesbrock, Senior VP of Consulting. They cover top-of-mind issues for MedAxiom members and their picks for Story of the Week – uplifting...

MedAxiom's Lori Walsh, MHSA, Executive Vice President of Membership and Operations, and Nicole Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Consulting, share the latest information on the COVID-19 crisis. They cover top-of-mind issues for MedAxiom members, legislative updates from Capitol Hill, and their picks for Story of the Week - innovation and courageous leadership i...

The MedAxiom Community's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been "nothing short of amazing," says Joel Sauer, Executive VP of Consulting for MedAxiom. Just as expected, MedAxiom members immediately rallied to share valuable information. Unexpected, however, was the speed at which change took place – what traditionally takes months or years to implement, the CV community actualized in a matter o...

Dr. Jerry Blackwell, President of MedAxiom, and Cathie Biga, CEO and President of Cardiovascular Management of Illinois, share the latest information on the COVID-19 crisis. They cover top-of-mind issues for MedAxiom members, legislative updates from Capitol Hill, and their picks for Story of the Week - innovation and courageous leadership in the face of this unprecedented pandemic.

"Let's face it - people are scared," says Dr. Geoffrey Rose, President of Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute. "We thought we were ready, but the reality is we cannot find masks," says Cathie Biga, President and CEO of Cardiovascular Management of Illinois. "For coders and billing staff, it's wanting those black and white answers that are just not out there right now," says Nicole Knight, VP of MedA...

If you’ve been thinking about outsourcing revenue cycle services, you are not alone. According to Black Book Market Research, demand for outsourcing these services grew 48% from 2015 to 2019. But is outsourcing right for your program? In this episode, Nicole Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, Vice President of MedAxiom’s Revenue Cycle Solutions and Consulting, shares the ins and outs of outsourcing and the...

Having the right number of staff at the top of their license is an ongoing challenge for every CV program, but it is vital to patient care, operational efficiency, and the bottom line. We talked with MedAxiom members from Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, Bart Reeves and Dr. Geoffrey Rose, about their data-driven approach to rightsizing staff that has boosted physician productivity, created trans...

To start, mix one cup of expertise, spoonful of humility, and dash of instinct. MedAxiom's Ginger Biesbrock, Sarah Brown of Saint Luke's, and Eve Mogadam of Virginia Heart, discuss what qualities make a successful CV APP and how to cultivate these among your care team. Plus, learn what to look for during the hiring process, as well as strategies for continued education for your APP team.

Physicians are facing increased scrutiny over their procedural complications. What happens when quality data identifies an outlier? How do you have that conversation with the physician? In this episode, interventional cardiologist Jeffrey Wescott, MD, Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute, and psychologist Mark Masters, PhD, Baptist Heart Specialists, describe what has worked for them and the role...

Are you wondering about CPT code changes for cardiology for 2020? Looking for clarity on E/M codes, NCCI edits, MCCs, and risk adjustment? In this episode, we feature the experts of MedAxiom's Revenue Cycle Consulting team – Nicole Knight, Joline Bruder, and Jammie Quimby – for their insights about what to expect and how to prepare for 2020 coding and reimbursement changes.

The American College of Cardiology's recent acquisition of MedAxiom has created a powerful, new professional home for the entire cardiovascular team. The new organization is uniquely positioned to combine rich data resources and collaborate with physicians, industry, and payors to serve all cardiovascular model needs. Join us for a conversation with MedAxiom's new president, Jerry Blackwell, MD, M...

Tracking metrics and comparing them to external benchmarks is a critical part of assessing performance and monitoring how you rank against competitors and peers. Benchmarks give context to program gaps, help frame decisions, and aid in program design and planning to ultimately improve the delivery of patient care. The importance of cardiovascular services specific benchmarking is what led MedAxiom...

As measured by wRVUs, the productivity of advanced practice providers (APPs) has been on the rise since 2015. Although this is good news for patient access and revenue growth, there is still room for improvement. In this episode, we talk with Ginger Biesbrock, Senior Vice President of Consulting at MedAxiom, about the challenges and best practices for optimizing APPs to the top of their licensure....

What inspired you to choose the path toward cardiovascular services? What drives you to continue your journey to care for patients or serve in your role? Terri McDonald, MedAxiom's newest consultant, shares the "why" behind her decision to pursue a CV nursing career, and how the personal impact of one patient's experience drove her to make a critical career change. We talk with Terri about her rec...

Direct to provider contracts are beneficial from a quality and health economics perspective but they can limit care to the patients they are designed to serve. Joe Sasson, Ph. D., Executive Vice President of MedAxiom Ventures, shares some innovative solutions that would offer better access between providers and payers.

Patient access has become one of the hottest topics across the country in the majority of CV programs. Nicole Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Director of Revenue Cycle Solutions at MedAxiom, shares how patients define access and what we consider to be the attributes to a high performing CV program.

Trying to determine how much time an APP should contribute weekly can vary depending on the needs and size of the organization. Ginger Biesbrock, PA-C, MPH, MPAS, AACC, Vice President - Consulting for MedAxiom, explains why it is important for the leadership and APP teams to set and review expectations and what each should commit to for building a healthy team-based environment.

The Fall CV Transforum is quickly approaching and we want you to be aware of what will be covered. Lori Walsh provides a first look at the agenda with insights about the sessions we're planning. Lori Walsh, MHSA is Vice President - Membership and Senior Consultant for MedAxiom.

Most programs are involved with at least one registry but struggle to effectively utilize the data. Ginger Biesbrock explains three areas that need to be managed in order to ensure this valuable tool is not left unused. Ginger Biesbrock, PA-C, MPH, MPAS, AACC, is Vice President - Consulting for MedAxiom.

How can we deliver quality care to our patients where they need it most? HeartTalk guests share their unique perspectives on outreach program management and strategies for maintaining: local, patient-centered care, team-based care for post-procedure patients, and effective APP utilization. Dino Recchia, MD, FACC, is Chairman of the Department of Cardiology for Traverse Heart & Vascular, Munson Hea...

It's important to create a formal process for acclimating and developing each new employee. Lori Walsh provides seven tips to help improve employee engagement and provide that continuous line of communication. Lori Walsh, MHSA is Vice President - Membership and Senior Consultant for MedAxiom. For more information, email HeartTalk@medaxiom.com or visit https://www.medaxiom.com

Time is central to the Evaluation and Management (E/M) coding system and changes from CMS and the American Medical Association (AMA) could impact documentation requirements in this area. Nicole Knight provides a few things you may want to look at as you evaluate your time-based coding effectiveness, training needs and future opportunities. Nicole Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, ACS-CA, is Director of Rev...

Lead administrator and physician from Bellin Health share their journey of navigating the corridor from volume to value-based healthcare and address these important questions: •What does volume-to-value mean for you? •How are physicians reacting to this new population health model? •Why have you decided to focus on understanding cost of care? •From a population health perspective, what focus areas...