General Medicine and Primary Care

Some big changes are taking effect in one of the performance categories under MIPS. The cost category is now affecting your MIPS score differently, and here to make sure you don’t fall behind is Koryn Rubin, Assistant Director of Federal Affairs at the American Medical Association.

Complicating the already-complex issue of the opioid epidemic is the stigma that it often comes with, which defers those who so desperately need help from seeking it. Fortunately, there are organizations like the Independence Blue Cross who are doing their part in humanizing opioid addiction and encouraging those affected to find help through its awareness campaign “Someone You Know.”

To dive deeper into this campaign, Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by the Independence Blue Cross Foundation's President Lorina Marshall-Blake.

Amid all the changes to quality reporting under MIPS, many hospital-based physicians are unsure about what effects, if any, there will be to their employment and compensation. Luckily, there are experts to help break down everything from performance-based changes to compensation accuracy, and providing a how-to guide for navigating the Quality Payment Program in the hospital setting is Carol Vargo, Director of Physician Practice Sustainability at the AMA.

It’s an unfortunate reality that cultural trauma has impacted practically every aspect of American Indians’ lives—including their access to quality healthcare. Diving into this issue affecting millions of Americans are Mark Masselli, Margaret Flinter, and their guest Dr. Donald Warne, who discusses this impact and the key strategies that aim to resolve these disparities, such as mentoring Native youth in health professions.

To explore the origin of our country’s opioid epidemic, Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning Barry Meier, author of Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic which dives into the pivotal role Purdue Pharma, makers of the narcotic OxyContin, played in the greatest public health crisis of the 21st century.

Even though more and more physicians are becoming aware of the option to participate in the Quality Payment Program as a virtual group, many still may not have all the details needed to decide whether this is right for them—or how they can even go about joining one. To help clarify the confusion, Dr. Matt Birnholz is joined by Ashley McGlone, Washington Counsel for the AMA.

From oncologists to primary care, physicians are witnessing an alarming trend in younger patients: the rising risk of colorectal cancer. To investigate this growing threat, Dr. John Russell speaks with Dr. Rich Wender, Chief Cancer Control Officer at the American Cancer Society. Dr. Wender discusses the new colorectal cancer screening guidelines set forth and the methods behind the conclusion. While comparing past guidelines, Dr. Wender considers changes in our society and environment that may be contributing to increased cancer risks in younger generations.

For more information and to review the new guidelines, go to cancer.org

Sodium bicarbonate (more commonly known as baking soda) has been used as a raising agent when baking delicious sweets for years. But as new research suggests, taking a daily dose of baking soda could also be used as a therapeutic agent. Tune in as Dr. John Russell speaks with Dr. Paul O'Connor, Renal Physiologist at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, about his recent investigation into how this common household product could treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Alternative Payment Models, or APMs, were introduced as a way to reduce costs and improve patient care, but physicians have been slow to adopt this model. To address this issue, Dr. Matt Birnholz connects with Harold Miller, President and CEO of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, who provides the details that physicians need to know regarding APMs and why Physician-Focused Payment Models could be the solution.

According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, approximately two million workers fall subject to workplace violence every year. With that number continuing to increase, creating a healthy work environment is becoming the central focus of many employers. But how exactly can you go about doing that?

Join Dr. Brian McDonough as he speaks with Joy Stephenson-Laws, founder of Proactive Health Labs and author of Minerals-The Forgotten Nutrient: Your Secret Weapon for Getting Healthy and Staying Healthy, who reveals simplistic approaches to obtain happier employees, less stress, and positive productivity.