Coffee with Coker

Coffee with Coker host, Mark Reiboldt, provides an answer to frequently asked questions over the years. What is healthcare consulting? What do healthcare consultants do? Why would I need to hire a healthcare consultant?

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
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Episode Synopsis

In general, consulting firms provide a professional service by advising their clients on a specific matter. Healthcare consultants could focus on healthcare technology implementation and improvement, medical group business operations, or strategic planning for a health system, to name a few.

As a firm, Coker Group focuses on all aspects of healthcare business. Our goal is to optimize the business of healthcare for each of our clients, focusing on five core areas: strategy, operations, finance, technology, and compliance. Our main focal point is the healthcare providers and their specific needs within their healthcare practice. We customize our approach to every project to ensure our clients receive the best value.

Extras

Learn more about Coker Group

Lee Perrett joins Mark Reiboldt to discuss telehealth and virtual care leadership positions for large healthcare organizations. Lee and Mark discuss the advantages of telehealth during a pandemic and why healthcare organizations want healthcare executives and physician leaders who are uniquely qualified to run a telehealth program.

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

As telehealth continues to gain popularity among patients, healthcare organizations need versatile leaders to run their telehealth programs. Telehealth offers many advantages, including increased access to healthcare, especially in rural areas, and the ability to screen patients at home and determine if an in-person visit is necessary.

The individuals suited for this position should have a clinical background with experience in operations and health business administration. A telehealth and virtual care leader's goal is to help the organization meet its goals and objectives for the telemedicine program.

Extras

Is Telehealth Past the Tipping Point?

Should You Use a Non-Medical Grade Telemedicine Platform?

Case Study: Leveraging Technology during a Pandemic

Jeffery Daigrepont joins Mark Reiboldt to discuss Coker's latest book, Beyond EHR. Today, it is not uncommon for practices and hospitals to be on their second or third EHR or contemplating a transition from the traditional on-premise model to a cloud-based system. As a follow-up to Complete Guide and Toolkit to Successful EHR Adoption (©2011 HIMSS), this book builds on the best practices of the first edition, fast-forwarding to the latest innovations that are currently leveraged and adopted by providers and hospitals.

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

In this new book, we examine the role that artificial intelligence (AI) is now playing in and around EHR technology. We also address the advances in analytics and deep learning (also known as deep structured or hierarchical learning) and explain this topic in practical ways for even the most novice reader to comprehend and apply.

The book also covers the challenges of EHR to EHR migrations and data conversions, including the unethical practice of data blocking some vendors use as a tactic to hold data hostage. Further, we explore innovations related to interoperability, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and electronic patient/consumer engagement.

Finally, this book will deal with what to do with aging technology and databases, which is an issue rarely considered in any of the early publications on healthcare technology. What is the proper way to retire a legacy system, and what are the legal obligations of data archiving?

Extras

Order the Book!

Case Study: Leveraging Technology During a Pandemic

Dr. Brent Lacey joins Mark Reiboldt to discuss healthcare business and financial success. Dr. Lacey is a gastroenterologist who is passionate about helping physicians succeed with business and personal finances. His goal is to help physicians learn how to manage their businesses successfully and master their personal finances.

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

As a physician, Dr. Lacey understands how overwhelming it can be to step out of clinical training and into a career. He has seen firsthand the lack of education on how to run a practice and manage finances.

Mark and Dr. Lacey discuss the dynamics of physicians delivering care during a pandemic and the necessity for strong physician leadership within any medical group. They also discuss how patients are accessing medical care and how a pandemic could change healthcare delivery in the future.

Extras

Learn more about The Scope of Practice

The Scope of Practice Reading List

COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes Vulnerabilities in Healthcare Organizations

Leading in Crisis: How to Prepare, How to Execute, How to Thrive

Dr. Michael Sherling joins Mark Reiboldt to describe practicing in a pandemic. Dr. Sherling is Co-founder and Chief Medical and Strategy Officer of Modernizing Medicine. Modernizing Medicine helps physicians save time in their medical practices while improving the quality of care and business outcomes through their specialty-specific EHR technology.

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

Mark and Dr. Sherling describe what it is like for healthcare providers on the pandemic's front lines. They discuss patient care barriers during the pandemic, the challenges medical practices are experiencing, and the ways medical groups can innovate to meet these challenges.

Mark and Dr. Sherling also look to the future and identify the positive trends of practicing in a pandemic and which ones medical groups should continue to practice in the future.

Extras

Learn more about Modernizing Medicine

Major E/M Coding Changes Coming in 2021: Here's What You Need to Know

Three Quick Tips to Get You Started with the New E/M Guidelines

Impact Calculator for the 2021 E/M Code Changes

Max Reiboldt joins Mark Reiboldt to discuss Coker's latest book, Affiliation Options for Physicians. The number of available affiliation options can be nearly as daunting and confusing as the uncertainty surrounding which model is the best fit for any organization. Choosing the correct model is best achieved through foundational knowledge – and with an eye on what you can expect the future of healthcare to bring.

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

In this new book, Max Reiboldt, CPA, equips physicians, physician leaders, health system administrators, and private investors with an abundance of knowledge and effective strategies for making sound decisions based on the current and future environment of healthcare practice and delivery.

Max and our editorial team present those myriad possibilities in an organized and easy-to-digest format that explores the "what" and "how-to" applications of each option, and by providing a historical review of various physician affiliation transactions over the past 20 years, including:

• Physician to physician
• Private group to private group
• Private group to hospital-health systems
• Private group to private equity/outside investors, and more

Extras

Order the Book!

Episode 34: Private Equity: The Next Stage in Physician Practice Transactions

Justin Chamblee, Alex Kirkland, and Amit Vaishampayan join Mark Reiboldt to discuss the proposed changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). There are three noteworthy changes proposed, including evaluation and management (E/M) coding and payment changes, permanent telehealth changes implemented in response to the pandemic, and updates to the Quality Payment Program (QPP).

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

E/M Coding and Payment Changes

Due to increasing RVU amounts, the statutory budget neutrality mandate comes into play to reduce the conversion factor by $3.83 to $32.2605 to prevent an increase in healthcare costs. The Budget Neutrality Act requires that increases or decreases in RVUs may not cause the value of expenditures for the year to change more than $20 million in the absence of changes. If this threshold is exceeded, adjustments are made to preserve budget neutrality.

Telehealth Changes

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are adding several telehealth CPT codes that are similar to existing consultations and office visits. They also added temporary codes during the pandemic that will continue to be evaluated. CMS is seeking comments to determine future usage as well as additional temporary codes.

QPP Updates

We see ACO scoring and policy changes to acknowledge that providers will not immediately recover from COVID-19, and they will need support throughout their recovery. The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) category weightings will shift to reduce the quality weight by five percent (to a total weight of 40 percent) and increase cost by five percent (to a total weight of 20 percent).

Extras

Three Quick Tips to Get You Started with the New E/M Guidelines

Is Telehealth Past the Tipping Point?

Episode 71: The Ongoing Battle of Site Neutral Payments

Episode 70: Major E/M Coding Changes Coming in 2021: Here's What You Need to Know

Brandt Jewell and Taylor Cowart join Mark Reiboldt to discuss the latest news for site neutrality. Hospitals have historically benefited from the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), the reimbursement mechanism for Hospital Outpatient Departments (HOPD) facility fees, in comparison to their private practice peers functioning under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

The procedures performed in a freestanding clinic versus an HOPD received 75% less reimbursement. Hospitals were highly incentivized to acquire independent sites, switch the designation to HOPD and begin increasing their reimbursement for the same procedures. This strategy caused HOPD billings to effectively double over the last decade.

Both Medicare and its beneficiaries were under pressure to find a solution.

Between 2018 and 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the OPPS rate and proposed to phase in a 60 percent reduction over two years. They believe site neutral payments will give patients more options for their care.

Alternatively, hospitals predicted a massive loss under the site neutral payments into the millions for many organizations. The American Hospital Association ("AHA"), the Association of American Medical Colleges ("AAMC") and various other private groups took up arms against CMS, arguing that hospitals should receive additional reimbursement as it is inherently more expensive to run HOPDs based on the standards they are required to uphold.

Extras

Another Blow for Hospitals: The Ongoing Battle of Site Neutral Payments

Bonus Episode: Three Key Objectives from the 2019 State of the Union Address

Episode 21: Q&A Episode – December 2018

Jeannie Cagle joins Mark Reiboldt to share the good news about evaluation and management (E/M) coding changes for 2021! Although telehealth and COVID-19 impacts received the most attention in the Proposed Rule, the E/M coding changes are still coming, and CMS will release the Final Rule by the end of 2020.

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

As part of the Patients over Paperwork initiative, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is simplifying the documentation to support billing outpatient E/M professional services.

In summary, the new guidelines affect only new and established office/outpatient E/M codes (99201-99215); however, they will significantly alter documentation of the patient visit. These changes will remove the history and exam as key components, and base code-level selection on either Medical Decision Making (MDM) or time. Also, the proposed increase in RVU value will create a financial boost.

Coding education and audits are more important than ever. Medical decision making is moving to the core of medical coding with less emphasis on technicalities to support the level of coding. An educated physician is our number one priority!

Coker Group is offering either a turn-key solution or a customized approach based on each client's individual needs. Our extensive coding team, including certified professional coders and RNs, will complete these services with our in-house coding and compliance senior vice president, Roz Cordini, JD, MSN, RN, CHC, CHPC, overseeing Coker's coding team.

The components of these services include:

• Assessment of education and training needs for both providers and in-house coders
• Discussion with EMR template managers to determine internal policies for new requirements and necessary template revisions
• Development of a go-forward audit plan for provider documentation and coding audits
• 2021 follow-up education and audits

Contact us today and use promo code EM2021 to receive a free checklist to assess the training needs for your healthcare providers and staff.

Send me the checklist!

Aimee Greeter joins Mark Reiboldt to discuss pursuing strategic affiliations and partnerships during times of crisis. As the pandemic continues to affect the healthcare industry, physicians will need strong partnerships to survive. Aimee and Mark discuss the importance of healthcare transactions in crisis, whether as a strategy or out of necessity.

Contact Information

Subscribe to our feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider. Like what you hear? Leave a review! Not there? Let us know!

We welcome all feedback from our listeners. Email us questions on any of the topics we discuss or questions about issues that interest you. You can also provide recommendations on matters for future episodes.

• Please email us: [email protected]
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: Coker Group Company Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @cokergroup
• Follow us on Instagram: @cokergroup
• Like us on Facebook: @cokerconsulting

Episode Synopsis

According to a recent study, 1 in 5 primary care physician practices will not reopen post-pandemic for a few reasons.

1. Physicians in small or solo private practices could decide to retire.
2. Individual physicians could pursue other opportunities, such as employment or another form of affiliation with another healthcare entity.
3. The entire group could pursue an affiliation strategy with another healthcare entity.

Aimee and Mark discuss strategic affiliations and partnerships during a crisis, and the role leadership plays in closing the deal.

Extras

Episode 66: Affiliation Options for Physicians and Hospitals Post-Pandemic

Leading in Crisis: How to Prepare, How to Execute, How to Thrive (Part 1)

Leading in Crisis: How to Prepare, How to Execute, How to Thrive (Part 2)

Leading in Crisis: How to Prepare, How to Execute, How to Thrive (Part 3)

Post-Pandemic Crisis Affiliation: Which Way is Up?