Medical Money Matters with Jill Arena

Send us Fan Mail Join me for a compelling conversation with national subject matter expert on Revenue Cycle for medical groups, Taya Gordon, MBA, FACMPE, CMOM. She outlines how the revenue cycle department in each clinic needs to come out of the shadows, and into the forefront for physician owners and administrators.  We go through why every clinic should have routine "check-ups" for the...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is a conversation many private practice owners are either having—or avoiding: “Should I sell to private equity?” If you're a physician-owner, chances are you’ve had at least one conversation with a firm interested in buying your practice. Maybe they promised a lucrative buyout, better back-office support, or rapid expansion. Maybe they positioned themselves as...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is for every physician, administrator, and practice leader who's ever asked themselves: “Should we stay independent, or should we align with a larger system?” As hospital and health plan consolidation continues and private equity activity in healthcare grows, independent practices are facing unprecedented pressure. But here’s the thing—staying independent isn’...

Send us Fan Mail Today I am joined by Tony Andrade, CPA, who is an expert in finance and accounting for medical groups and hospitals. Tony and I talk about financial metrics that are critical for groups to monitor, and about how and when a group might need an audit and the different types of audits that can be used. We touch a bit on embezzlement, and we wrap by talking about private equity invest...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most powerful medicine we can offer isn’t a prescription, but peace of mind? For many patients, a visit to the doctor’s office triggers more than just clinical concerns. There’s anxiety. Uncertainty. Sometimes even fear. And not necessarily because of a diagnosis—but because of the entire experience of being a patient in a complex, often intimidating environment. As we...

Send us Fan Mail What’s the first impression your patients get of your practice? Spoiler alert—it’s not your clinical expertise. It’s not the credentials on the wall. It’s not the sophisticated EHR system you’ve invested in. It’s not even your outcomes data—at least not initially. The first impression starts the moment someone steps through your doors, and it’s rooted in an often-overlooked space:...

Send us Fan Mail What would happen if we valued our patients' time as much as they value ours? Take a moment with that question, because it’s not rhetorical. It's the starting point for a profound shift in how we deliver care, structure operations, and engage with our communities. In a healthcare system increasingly shaped by convenience, accessibility, and consumer expectations, the sim...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is about something that’s often misunderstood in medical groups—but is more critical than ever: your brand. Branding isn’t just for Madison Avenue. It’s not just for Nike, Apple, or national hospital chains. In today’s healthcare landscape, branding is a core part of your strategy. It’s how patients find you, how talent decides to join you—or not—and how your commu...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s guest is Adrienne Lloyd, MHA, FACHE—founder and CEO of Optimize Healthcare, where she helps medical organizations build empowered teams and sustainable operations without burnout. With over 20 years of experience, including executive leadership roles at the Mayo Clinic and Duke Health, Adrienne brings a deep understanding of what makes healthcare systems thrive. She’s also...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re going to talk about something that’s become more than just a buzzword—it’s become a mandate. Innovate or die. That might sound dramatic, but in healthcare, it’s reality. With rapidly shrinking margins, increasing administrative burdens, staffing shortages, and an ever-changing technological landscape, standing still is the fastest way to fall behind. And yet, so many m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I am joined by Kristi Olsen, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Beginly Health, an innovative new digital platform for physician recruitment. Kristi has a wealth of knowledge in the physician recruitment space, having successfully recruited hundreds of physicians for a regional health system for the first many years of her career. This episode is critical, as...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re getting serious about something that silently chips away at your revenue, frustrates your staff, and leaves your bottom line looking weaker than it should be: claim denials. Because here’s the truth: the average practice loses thousands—sometimes hundreds of thousands or even millions—each year to preventable denials. But these aren’t just billing department headaches....

Send us Fan Mail Today’s topic hits home for just about every medical practice out there: EMRs. They’re the systems we love to hate—and sometimes just outright hate. But here’s the thing: many practices are sitting on a goldmine and don’t even realize it. Instead of scrapping your current EMR and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars switching, what if you could get a major upgrade simply by u...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Nandita Gupta is a physician executive and a Chief Medical Officer at Peace Health, a faith-based not-for-profit health center serving Oregon, Washington & Alaska. She is a practicing cardiologist and advocate for leadership development and a thought leader on Executive Presence. She has 25 years of clinical experience and nearly 2 decades of healthcare leadership experien...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the podcast where we dig into the business realities of medical practice—from strategy to staffing to leadership and beyond. If you’re part of a medical group that’s ever been through a merger—or even just considered one—today’s episode is going to hit close to home. We’re diving into a topic that doesn’t always make the due diligence checklist, but it absolutely d...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re diving into a topic that’s often whispered about—but rarely addressed head-on. In every medical group, there’s a silent script running behind the scenes. One that influences decisions, leadership roles, and even day-to-day operations. It’s not in your bylaws. It’s not in your policy manual. But it definitely impacts your group’s future.  We’re talking about the politic...

Send us Fan Mail You get what you measure. That’s the truth—whether we’re talking about healthcare, business, or even personal habits. In medical group management, this couldn’t be more important. The KPIs you choose to track will inevitably shape your decisions, your focus, and the behavior of your teams. Measure the right things, and you’ll drive alignment, efficiency, and growth. Measure the wr...

Send us Fan Mail Join me for this engaging conversation with David Womack, President and CEO at the Practice Management Institute, where he has been leading their operations for 34 years. David is an expert in the field of training within the healthcare space, and he walks us through the need for a strategic training plan, and how that commitment needs to come from the physicians first. Practice M...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to this episode, where we’re diving deep into a topic that could make or break the future of your private practice: financial strategy. If you’re a physician, practice manager, or administrator trying to navigate shrinking reimbursements, rising costs, and the ever-changing healthcare landscape, this episode is for you.  We’re going to talk about real financial solutions t...

Send us Fan Mail I am joined for this episode by Eric Gonzales, Senior Vice President and Healthcare Market Director for Umpqua Bank. We talk about how a banker can (and should) be one of the trusted advisors that physicians call upon when planning for new things, whether it is a new partner, a new service line or a real estate purchase. We talk about different types of financing available and Eri...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re tackling one of the biggest stressors in medical practice ownership—cash flow instability. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why your revenue fluctuates so much, why some months feel like you’re drowning in expenses while others feel just fine, or why no matter how hard you work, the financial security of your practice always seems uncertain—this episode is for...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to today’s episode, where we’re going to talk about something that isn’t fun to think about but is absolutely essential if you own or manage a medical practice: internal controls to prevent embezzlement.    Now, before you think, “Oh, that’s not something I need to worry about,” let me hit you with some numbers. The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) estimates tha...

Send us Fan Mail Join me for an informative conversation with Compliance Guru, Jodi Faustlin. She has spent many years running medical groups, and realized that compliance was one of the biggest opportunities for improvement and action. So, she has decided to devote her career to working with medical groups on this important endeavor.  We talk through several lessons she's learned over the ye...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re talking about something that affects every medical practice, yet often goes unaddressed: trust—or more specifically, the trust deficit between patients and their healthcare providers. Trust is the foundation of healthcare. Patients trust us with their health, their fears, and sometimes even their lives. But what happens when that trust starts to erode? What’s the cost...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re feeling like your team is running on fumes, drowning in inefficiencies, and barely keeping up with the daily demands of patient care, you’re not alone. The challenge of balancing efficiency with staff well-being is real.    But here’s the thing: optimizing workflows isn’t just about working faster—it’s about working smarter. A well-run practice doesn’t just happen. It’s...