MedAxiom HeartTalk

Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs) have been included in Medicare's methodology for risk adjusting provider payment since 2004. And while not new, they continue to be a topic of concern. This video answers: what do physicians need to focus on regarding HCCs, how should HCCs be handled on the outpatient side, and what are some strategies to improve documentation and to best incorporate HCCs i...

As MIPS enters its third year, understanding how to access your data, interpret it, and create meaningful action plans becomes challenging. Cathie Biga, MSN, RN, FACC, ACC Trustee and President and CEO of Cardiovascular Management of Illinois, shares the latest on: attribution, cost, interoperability, risk scoring, and the vital role that documentation plays in determining whether you will receive...

Now that CMS has opened the application period for Cohort 2, there are lessons to be learned from those that have come before us. Ginger Biesbrock, PA-C, MPH, MPAS, AACC, Vice President of MedAxiom Consulting, explains that the consensus from participating groups has been favorable and provides key lessons learned from their experience. Learn more about the next open enrollment period at medaxiom....

What is the best model for compensating physicians, and what is your process for implementing change in physician compensation? Two MedAxiom member programs highlight their respective answers to these questions, showcasing unique compensation models for cardiology in these challenging times. Joseph Goeke, MD, is Chairman of Operations and Finance Committee at Saint Luke's Physician Group. Arie Sza...

MedAxiom's revenue-cycle team shares the latest coding changes and documentation guidelines for: structural heart programs, TAVR, EP studies, device implants, E&M services and surgical procedures. Nicole Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, is Director of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Senior Consultant, for MedAxiom. Joline Bruder, CPC, CPMA, CCVTC, CGSC, and Jammie Quimby, CPC, CCC, CEMC, CCS-P, CPMA, CRC, are...

Artificial Intelligence continues to advance and to offer innovative ways of tracking cardiovascular patient data. Hear from John Rumsfeld, MD, Ph. D., FACC, Chief Innovation Officer for the American College of Cardiology, as he sits with Joseph Sasson, Ph. D., Executive Vice President of MedAxiom Ventures, to discuss these questions: 1.What is AI, and what isn't AI? 2.What are the misconceptions...

The Spring ‘19 CV Transforum conference will cover many extremely timely topics including sessions on artificial intelligence (AI) and remote monitoring. Joe Sasson highlights a few that he feels you will find particularly valuable. Joseph Sasson, Ph. D. is Executive Vice President of MedAxiom Ventures. Joe’s work includes helping MedAxiom members to access the technologies and solutions they need...

As programs continue to utilize Advanced Practice Practitioners (APPs), it is important to quantify the value that they bring to the team. Ginger Biesbrock explains four methods that can be used to track and measure productivity and performance. Ginger Biesbrock, PA-C, MPH, MPAS, AACC, is Vice President, MedAxiom Consulting. She is a respected executive, provider and teacher with 20+ years of expe...

Creating benchmarks for your cardiovascular program is important but may seem like a daunting task. Lori Walsh explains how simple it is to submit and analyze your data using MedAxiom's tool MedAxcess. With an obvious passion for what she does, Lori Walsh has worked in healthcare for nearly 20 years, including nine years as the Director of Operations for Heart Clinic Arkansas. In her role as Vice...

Christopher Ott, MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Officer, HCA Physician Services Group, shares: why he refrains from using the term "population health", keys for success with captive payer population reimbursement models, and tips on how to avoid overbuilding your infrastructure. Dana Carpenter is a Communication Consultant for MedAxiom. For more information, email HeartTalk@medaxiom.com or visit https:/...

Discover challenges and successes CV leaders have experienced with telemedicine (recently named healthcare's greatest opportunity and greatest challenge). Also, learn what financial, clinical and operational specifics should be considered when building a telehealth or virtual care program. Marc C Newel, MD, FACC, FSCCT is Director of MHI® Teleheart Program and Chief of Clinical Cardiology at MHI®,...

Clinicians agree that roughly one third of variation in care is unwarranted, leading to underuse of effective care, overuse of ineffective care, and increased cost. This video focuses on: how to address unwarranted variation, how to approach outliers and physicians who may be resistant to change, and how technology plays a role in helping to reduce variation. Pat White, President of MedAxiom, inte...

Esteemed leaders of the cardiovascular community share their unique perspectives on how the ACC-MedAxiom merger will bring value to its members and to cardiovascular care as a whole. This episode features: C. Michael Valentine, MD, FACC, President of the American College of Cardiology; Patrick White, President of MedAxiom; James Palazzo, Vice President of Service Lines at Ascension; Marc Toth, CMA...

The recent announcement of MedAxiom's merger with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) may spark questions. Pat White shares how the relationship has grown over the years and what can be expected now that we will be Transforming Cardiovascular Care, Together.

This year's ACC Cardiovascular Summit will cover some critical topics including sessions on leadership, clinician well-being, and mitigating burnout. Leah Hill, MedAxiom Marketing and Communications Manager, sits down with Candice Reineke, MedAxiom Production Director, to highlight some of the sessions that Joe Sasson, Executive Vice President of MedAxiom Ventures, believes have particular relevan...

Recent healthcare headlines tell us that disruptive change is happening at a staggering pace across the country, and now, the market is being led by, and developed to support, self-insured employers. This video focuses on how self-insured organizations are attempting to select providers, how they are looking to pay providers using a bid-price bundle methodology, and how providers can succeed in th...

Healthcare providers are working hard to provide the right care to patients, but that hard work alone does not ensure the best outcomes. Ginger Biesbrock explains why having a roadmap or evidence-based guidelines to follow can be very valuable. For more information, contact: HeartTalk@medaxiom.com or visit https://www.medaxiom.com . Ginger Biesbrock, PA-C, MPH, MPAS, AACC, is Vice President, MedAx...

The importance of having a strong, cohesive and supportive physician culture has never been greater. Concerns about combining aging cardiologists, who are used to working long hours, with younger physicians, who are interested in creating work/life balance, are increasing and complex. Letitia Anderson, MD, FACC, FASE, and Jeffrey Russell, Administrator, both of Renown Institute for Heart & Vascula...

"Public policy and managerial innovation is less about health and more about money (taxes)," says Michael Chernew, Leonard D. Schaeffer Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School. So how do we slow spending growth? Payment reform, benefit design, competition/managed care, organization of medical practice, and wellness are all factors that Chernew suspects will play a key role. Jacob T...

The electronic medical record (EMR) has impacted how we deliver care. Jacob Turmell provides six things that will help with EMR success whether you are in the planning phase, new to the platform, or have been using it for several months or years. Jacob Turmell, DNP, RN, NP-C, ACNS-BC, CCRN-CMC, Vice President, MedAxiom Consulting, is a certified Nurse Practitioner with a strong clinical background...

We are hearing that patient collections can be a struggle from estimating cost up front to collecting at time of visit. Nicole Knight provides ten best practices for developing a proactive collection plan for 2019. In a few weeks the calendar flips to 2019 and that means patient deductibles will reset. How prepared is your practice to collect? Many programs tell me that their patient balances are...

Cardiology Advocacy Alliance leaders explain why it is so important to get involved with your legislators in Washington, and to share with them the issues that are impacting cardiovascular healthcare. Cathie Biga, RN is Former President of CAA and President and CEO of Cardiovascular Management of Illinois; Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, FACC is Executive VP and Chief Clinical Officer of Ballad Health S...

The MedAxiom Revenue Cycle Solutions team gives us a sneak peek into what's new for 2019 coding and documentation guidelines. Also, they detail what we can expect from each of the four sessions of their upcoming CV Coding Boot Camp 4-part webinar series. To register, please visit https://www.medaxiom.com/events . Please register for each webinar individually to comply with AAPC rules and earn CEUs...

As an industry there are many registries available that offer data to improve things like clinical outcomes but there are still missed opportunities to optimize that data. Ginger Biesbrock lists five ways to get additional value from your registry investments.

We all know that physician burnout is a major issue, but they aren't the only ones experiencing it. Lori Walsh details five ways that will help you avoid or reverse it if you've identified a problem.