MedAxiom HeartTalk

It’s becoming increasingly important to ensure your care team stays up to date with best practices for managing patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) in the device clinic. On this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with James Allred, MD, FACC, CEO and co-founder of CV Remote Solutions; Austin Reed, vice president of Business Development, Strategy and Innovation, at CV Remote Solutions; and Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation at MedAxiom. They discuss the unique challenges related to highly technical roles and complex workflows in the device clinic. They also offer educational solutions to enhance your care team’s understanding of function, programming and troubleshooting CIEDs.
 
GUEST BIOS 
 
James Allred, MD, FACC 
CEO and Co-Founder, CV Remote Solutions
As Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of CV Remote Solutions, Dr. Allred partners with clinicians nationwide to ensure optimal care for patients with cardiac implanted electrical devices.
 
Before launching CV Remote Solutions, Dr. Allred previously served as chief of Electrophysiology Services and medical director of the Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Clinic at Cone Health in Greensboro, NC. After establishing the world-class AF Clinic in Greensboro, he consults with individual clinicians, clinics and hospitals on starting or improving their AF clinic efforts and programs. He has also served on advisory boards for the Heart Rhythm Society and the American Heart Association.
 
Dr. Allred completed an internal medicine residency at Duke University and fellowships in cardiovascular disease and electrophysiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL. In addition to partnering with MedAxiom to create educational material for clinicians, he has authored several published manuscripts on AF clinical efficiencies and healthcare savings.
 
Austin Reed, MBA 
Vice President of Business Development, Strategy, and Innovation, CV Remote Solutions.
 
In his role, Austin is responsible for sculpting strategic growth initiatives, pioneering innovative solutions, and driving business development efforts to help CV Remote Solutions continue to be at the forefront of the industry. In his previous role as vice president of Operations, he managed multiple business areas, including operations, marketing and human resources. Austin was instrumental in developing brand strategies and initiatives that responded to the needs and projected future of the healthcare industry.
 
Before his time at CV Remote Solutions, Austin served as a director of Physician Services for HCA Healthcare, one of the nation’s top providers. With over 15 years of healthcare industry experience spanning multi-site operations in primary care, cardiology, oncology and pulmonology, his robust understanding of the healthcare landscape is a key pillar of his strategic approach.
 
Austin obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in health care administration from Western Kentucky University and a Master of Business Administration from Murray State University. His commitment to healthcare extends beyond his role at CV Remote Solutions as he continues to serve on the Nashville Health Care Leadership Council and the Medical Group Management Association, contributing valuable insights and leadership.
 
 
Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services

As the Executive Vice President of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom, Nicole provides guidance to MedAxiom’s membership in cardiovascular operations, LEAN process improvement and the revenue cycle. Nicole applies her decades of healthcare experience in cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management and consulting to leading the Revenue Cycle Solutions team at MedAxiom. 
  


Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as a practice administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and director of operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has delivered physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally. 
  


Nicole has completed numerous education hours towards a Bachelor of Science in health care administration. In addition, she maintains her licensed practical nurse credential in Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She has also served on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA.

Areas of Expertise: 
• Cardiology and neurology practice operations 
• Clinical and business office management 
• LEAN process improvement 
• Office-based cath lab implementation 
• Revenue cycle performance and metrics 
• Coding, compliance audits and education in numerous specialties, including cardiovascular 
• Documentation and implementation guidelines 
• Complex procedure coding education 
• Risk adjustment coding 
• Cardiovascular service line integration 
• Cath and electrophysiology lab optimization, revenue cycle services and facility coding 

Click here for the Revenue Recovery cheat sheet:
https://hubs.ly/Q02yqht40

Welcome to the next episode of our HeartTalk podcast series, Revenue Recovery. Host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with MedAxiom’s Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation, and Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant. They discuss the coverage eligibility for Interprofessional Consultation services and share specific examples your practice can use to capture those services, all while improving patient care.

Guest Bios:

Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services

As the Executive Vice President of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom, Nicole provides guidance to MedAxiom’s membership in cardiovascular operations, LEAN process improvement and the revenue cycle. Nicole applies her decades of healthcare experience in cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management and consulting to leading the Revenue Cycle Solutions team at MedAxiom. 
  

Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as a practice administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and director of operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has delivered physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally. 
  

Nicole has completed numerous education hours towards a Bachelor of Science in health care administration. In addition, she maintains her licensed practical nurse credential in Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She has also served on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA. 
  


Areas of Expertise: 
• Cardiology and neurology practice operations 

Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA
MedAxiom Consultant, Revenue Cycle Solutions

As a Revenue Cycle Solutions Consultant at MedAxiom, Linda provides cardiovascular programs across the country with operational expertise, implementation strategies and recommendations for simplifying often complex initiatives to minimize risk and maximize revenue.  
Linda has worked in the medical field for over 30 years and has specialized in cardiology coding for 25 years. Her clinical experience includes working in the heart stations and coronary intensive care units and serving as an emergency medical technician for a level-one trauma center. As a coding specialist, she focuses on compliance, revenue cycle and quality for a large cardiology and multispecialty practice. She is also the director of quality assurance at the Ascension Medical Group in Indiana. 
Linda is a sought-after speaker and consultant and has conducted numerous national educational sessions focused on documentation, coding, auditing and revenue cycle improvement for clinicians, coders and administrators across the nation. 
Linda serves as a non-physician member of the American College of Cardiology’s coding work group and publications subcommittee and has also served on the coding committee for the Heart Rhythm Society. Linda served as the cardiology chair on the Board of Advanced Medical Coding, led the development of the Advanced Cardiology and Specialty Cardiology Certification examinations, and acts as a technical editor for cardiology-focused newsletters. Linda has served as an independent review organization auditor for the Office of Inspector General Corporate Integrity Agreements and as an expert witness on behalf of cardiology practices. 

Click here for the Revenue Recovery cheat sheet:

https://hubs.ly/Q02x7ncv0

Welcome to the next episode of our HeartTalk podcast series, Revenue Recovery. Host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with MedAxiom’s Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation, and Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant. They discuss specific use cases for CPT code 99211 and give implementation tips to help ensure your practice leaves no dollar on the table.

Guest Bios:
Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services

As the Executive Vice President of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom, Nicole provides guidance to MedAxiom’s membership in cardiovascular operations, LEAN process improvement and the revenue cycle. Nicole applies her decades of healthcare experience in cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management and consulting to leading the Revenue Cycle Solutions team at MedAxiom. 
  

Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as a practice administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and director of operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has delivered physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally. 
  

Nicole has completed numerous education hours towards a Bachelor of Science in health care administration. In addition, she maintains her licensed practical nurse credential in Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She has also served on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA. 
  

Areas of Expertise: 
• Cardiology and neurology practice operations 

Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA
MedAxiom Consultant, Revenue Cycle Solutions

As a Revenue Cycle Solutions Consultant at MedAxiom, Linda provides cardiovascular programs across the country with operational expertise, implementation strategies and recommendations for simplifying often complex initiatives to minimize risk and maximize revenue.  
Linda has worked in the medical field for over 30 years and has specialized in cardiology coding for 25 years. Her clinical experience includes working in the heart stations and coronary intensive care units and serving as an emergency medical technician for a level-one trauma center. As a coding specialist, she focuses on compliance, revenue cycle and quality for a large cardiology and multispecialty practice. She is also the director of quality assurance at the Ascension Medical Group in Indiana. 
Linda is a sought-after speaker and consultant and has conducted numerous national educational sessions focused on documentation, coding, auditing and revenue cycle improvement for clinicians, coders and administrators across the nation. 
Linda serves as a non-physician member of the American College of Cardiology’s coding work group and publications subcommittee and has also served on the coding committee for the Heart Rhythm Society. Linda served as the cardiology chair on the Board of Advanced Medical Coding, led the development of the Advanced Cardiology and Specialty Cardiology Certification examinations, and acts as a technical editor for cardiology-focused newsletters. Linda has served as an independent review organization auditor for the Office of Inspector General Corporate Integrity Agreements and as an expert witness on behalf of cardiology practices. 

Click here for the Revenue Recovery cheat sheet:
https://hubs.ly/Q02531_L0

Welcome to the fourth episode of our HeartTalk podcast series, Revenue Recovery. Host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with MedAxiom’s Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation, and Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant. Together, they discuss the challenges and benefits of capturing home health certification and recertification services and share some top implementation tips your practice can use.
Guest Bios:

Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation

Nicole’s decades of healthcare experience include cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management, and consulting. The most recent years have been devoted to cardiovascular consulting in operations, LEAN process improvement, and the revenue cycle.

Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as practice administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and director of operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance, and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has provided physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally.

Nicole has completed numerous education hours toward a B.S. in Health Care Administration. In addition, she maintains her LPN licensure in Louisiana and Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified AHIMA ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She also serves on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA.


Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA
MedAxiom Consultant, Revenue Cycle Solutions

Linda Gates-Striby has worked in the medical field for over 30 years and has specialized in cardiology coding and revenue cycle for 25 years. Her clinical experience includes work in the heart stations and coronary intensive care units as well as working as an EMT for a level one trauma center.

As a MedAxiom Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant, Linda provides cardiovascular programs across the country with operational expertise, implementation strategies and simplification for often complex initiatives to minimize risk and maximize revenue. Linda, who has spent the past 30 years working as a specialist in compliance, revenue cycle and quality with a large cardiology and multi-specialty practice, is also the director of quality assurance with Ascension Medical Group in Indiana.

Linda is a sought-after speaker and consultant and has conducted numerous national educational sessions focused on documentation, coding, auditing and revenue cycle improvement for clinicians, coders and administrators across the nation.

Linda serves as a non-physician member of the American College of Cardiology’s coding work group and publications subcommittee and has also served on the coding committee for the Heart Rhythm Society. Linda served as the cardiology chair on the Board of Advanced Medical Coding, lead the development of the Advanced Cardiology and Specialty Cardiology Certification examinations, and was the technical editor for cardiology-focused newsletters. Linda has served as an Independent Review Organization auditor for Office of Inspector General Corporate Integrity Agreements, and as an expert witness on behalf of cardiology practices.

Click here for the Revenue Recovery cheat sheet:
https://hubs.ly/Q023rDk50

Welcome to the third episode of our new HeartTalk podcast series, Revenue Recovery. Host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with MedAxiom’s Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation, and Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant. They discuss the challenges of capturing Advanced Care Planning services and share some practical tips to take back to your organization.
Guest Bios:

Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation

Nicole’s decades of healthcare experience include cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management, and consulting. The most recent years have been devoted to cardiovascular consulting in operations, LEAN process improvement, and the revenue cycle.

Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as practice administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and director of operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance, and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has provided physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally.

Nicole has completed numerous education hours toward a B.S. in Health Care Administration. In addition, she maintains her LPN licensure in Louisiana and Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified AHIMA ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She also serves on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA.


Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA
MedAxiom Consultant, Revenue Cycle Solutions

Linda Gates-Striby has worked in the medical field for over 30 years and has specialized in cardiology coding and revenue cycle for 25 years. Her clinical experience includes work in the heart stations and coronary intensive care units as well as working as an EMT for a level one trauma center.

As a MedAxiom Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant, Linda provides cardiovascular programs across the country with operational expertise, implementation strategies and simplification for often complex initiatives to minimize risk and maximize revenue. Linda, who has spent the past 30 years working as a specialist in compliance, revenue cycle and quality with a large cardiology and multi-specialty practice, is also the director of quality assurance with Ascension Medical Group in Indiana.

Linda is a sought-after speaker and consultant and has conducted numerous national educational sessions focused on documentation, coding, auditing and revenue cycle improvement for clinicians, coders and administrators across the nation.

Linda serves as a non-physician member of the American College of Cardiology’s coding work group and publications subcommittee and has also served on the coding committee for the Heart Rhythm Society. Linda served as the cardiology chair on the Board of Advanced Medical Coding, lead the development of the Advanced Cardiology and Specialty Cardiology Certification examinations, and was the technical editor for cardiology-focused newsletters. Linda has served as an Independent Review Organization auditor for Office of Inspector General Corporate Integrity Agreements, and as an expert witness on behalf of cardiology practices.

Four out of five people don't know that they have cardiovascular disease until they end up in the emergency room. MedAxiom HeartTalk host Melanie Lawson speaks with Rahul Sharma, MBBS, FRACP, the director of structural interventions at Stanford Healthcare and the senior scientific advisor for egnite, about why structural heart patients experience an unreasonable wait time before treatment and how technology can be used to identify and treat patients before it's too late.

Guest Bio:

Rahul P. Sharma, MBBS, FRACP is the director of Structural Interventions at Stanford Healthcare, associate director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and clinical associate professor of Medicine at Stanford University.
Dr. Sharma graduated from Monash University and completed his medicine and cardiology training at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. He completed an advanced interventional and structural fellowship at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California in 2015 before joining Cedars Sinai as clinical faculty, director of the Structural Imaging Core Laboratory and associate director of Interventional Cardiology Research until 2019, before joining Stanford Healthcare.

Dr. Sharma is an interventional cardiologist with specialized clinical and research interests in structural heart disease, particularly transcatheter valve therapy. He has a large volume of expertise in transcatheter aortic, mitral and tricuspid replacement, percutaneous mitral valve repair, left atrial appendage occlusion, patent foramen ovale/atrial septal defect/ventricular septal defect closure, alcohol septal ablation and cerebral protection. He also has expertise in CT imaging for structural heart disease. He is a clinical investigator in ongoing national multi-center research studies and clinical trials and has co-authored numerous peer reviewed, scientific articles and book chapters. Dr. Sharma also serves as a national and international clinical proctor for transcatheter aortic and mitral valve implantation and percutaneous mitral valve repair and speaks regularly at major national and international cardiology meetings.

Click here for Revenue Recovery "Cheat Sheet"

Welcome to the second episode of our new HeartTalk podcast series, Revenue Recovery, in which we aim to empower you to communicate effectively and ensure your organization does not leave any money on the table. Host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with MedAxiom's Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation, and Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant. They share tips for capturing counseling services for a low-dose CT scan and why shared decision-making with the patient is essential.


Guest Bios:

Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation

Nicole’s decades of healthcare experience include cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management, and consulting. The most recent years have been devoted to cardiovascular consulting in operations, LEAN process improvement, and the revenue cycle.

Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as Practice Administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and Director of Operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance, and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has provided physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally.

Nicole has completed numerous education hours toward a B.S. in Health Care Administration. In addition, she maintains her LPN licensure in Louisiana and Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified AHIMA ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She also serves on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA.


Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA
MedAxiom Consultant, Revenue Cycle Solutions

Linda Gates-Striby has worked in the medical field for over 30 years and has specialized in cardiology coding and revenue cycle for 25 years. Her clinical experience includes work in the heart stations and coronary intensive care units as well as working as an EMT for a level one trauma center.

As a MedAxiom Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant, Linda provides cardiovascular programs across the country with operational expertise, implementation strategies and simplification for often complex initiatives to minimize risk and maximize revenue. Linda, who has spent the past 30 years working as a specialist in compliance, revenue cycle and quality with a large cardiology and multi-specialty practice, is also the director of quality assurance with Ascension Medical Group in Indiana.

Linda is a sought-after speaker and consultant and has conducted numerous national educational sessions focused on documentation, coding, auditing and revenue cycle improvement for clinicians, coders and administrators across the nation.

Linda serves as a non-physician member of the American College of Cardiology’s coding work group and publications subcommittee and has also served on the coding committee for the Heart Rhythm Society. Linda served as the cardiology chair on the Board of Advanced Medical Coding and lead the development of the Advanced Cardiology and Specialty Cardiology Certification examinations, as well as the technical editor for cardiology focused newsletters. Linda has served as an Independent Review Organization auditor for Office of Inspector General Corporate Integrity Agreements, and as an expert witness on behalf of cardiology practices.

Click Here for Revenue Recovery "Cheat Sheet"

While you may or may not be the person coding revenue cycle services, many of you are responsible for your program’s overall success with revenue recovery and know all too well the challenges that come with it. Welcome to the first episode of our new podcast series, Revenue Recovery, where we aim to empower YOU – physicians, administrators and revenue cycle managers – to effectively communicate and ensure your organization does not leave any money on the table. On MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson speaks with MedAxiom’s Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of revenue cycle solutions and care transformation, and Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, revenue cycle solutions consultant. Together, they discuss some challenges, tips and solutions for capturing services involving smoking and tobacco cessation.


Guest Bios:

Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation

Nicole’s decades of healthcare experience include cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management, and consulting. The most recent years have been devoted to cardiovascular consulting in operations, LEAN process improvement, and the revenue cycle.

Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as Practice Administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and Director of Operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance, and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has provided physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally.

Nicole has completed numerous education hours toward a B.S. in Health Care Administration. In addition, she maintains her LPN licensure in Louisiana and Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified AHIMA ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She also serves on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA.


Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA
MedAxiom Consultant, Revenue Cycle Solutions

Linda Gates-Striby has worked in the medical field for over 30 years and has specialized in cardiology coding and revenue cycle for 25 years. Her clinical experience includes work in the heart stations and coronary intensive care units as well as working as an EMT for a level one trauma center.

As a MedAxiom Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant, Linda provides cardiovascular programs across the country with operational expertise, implementation strategies and simplification for often complex initiatives to minimize risk and maximize revenue. Linda, who has spent the past 30 years working as a specialist in compliance, revenue cycle and quality with a large cardiology and multi-specialty practice, is also the director of quality assurance with Ascension Medical Group in Indiana.

Linda is a sought-after speaker and consultant and has conducted numerous national educational sessions focused on documentation, coding, auditing and revenue cycle improvement for clinicians, coders and administrators across the nation.

Linda serves as a non-physician member of the American College of Cardiology’s coding work group and publications subcommittee and has also served on the coding committee for the Heart Rhythm Society. Linda served as the cardiology chair on the Board of Advanced Medical Coding and lead the development of the Advanced Cardiology and Specialty Cardiology Certification examinations, as well as the technical editor for cardiology focused newsletters. Linda has served as an Independent Review Organization auditor for Office of Inspector General Corporate Integrity Agreements, and as an expert witness on behalf of cardiology practices.

As cardiology advances, cardiology fellowship education must evolve with it. On MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson speaks with Ami Bhatt, MD, FACC, the chief innovation officer of the American College of Cardiology and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Doreen DeFaria Yeh, MD, FACC, adult congenital heart disease cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Ana Mercurio-Pinto, VP of Care Transformation at MedAxiom. Together, they explore how cardiology fellows are the future and discuss opportunities for enhancing education during cardiology fellowship.

Guest Bios:

Ami B. Bhatt, MD, FACC:
Dr. Ami Bhatt is the Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) of the American College of Cardiology. As CIO, Bhatt provides leadership and expertise in healthcare innovation and continues to grow the College's comprehensive Innovation Program in support of the ACC's Mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health.

A graduate of Harvard College and the Yale School of Medicine, Bhatt completed her medicine and pediatrics residency at Harvard, her adult cardiology fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital and her adult congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension fellowship at the Boston Children's Hospital. She was the Inaugural Richard Liberthson Endowed Scholar in Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Director of the ACHD program for over a decade. She most recently served as the Director of Outpatient and Telecardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Corrigan-Minehan Heart Center. Dr. Bhatt continues as a Harvard College premedical mentor and associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

As an active clinical cardiologist, investigator, and educator Bhatt brings nearly ten years of experience in telemedicine and digital health to her new role. She founded her first program in virtual care in 2013 and continues to work on creating culturally relevant personalized virtual cardiovascular care delivery models. Her research has centered on identifying and implementing solutions to overcoming access barriers to cardiovascular and telemedicine care.

Dr. Bhatt's interest in digital health strategy and the digital transformation of the cardiovascular field stems from her belief that state-of-the-art, personalized care can be delivered to individuals in the community, empowering patients and creating stronger clinician-patient partnerships for sustainable health outcomes. The ACC Innovation Program has a robust platform to transform digital patient care and advance technologies that are reshaping medicine and is focused on furthering these strategies.

Doreen DeFaria Yeh, MD, FACC:
Dr. Doreen DeFaria Yeh completed Internal Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Cardiology and Echocardiography fellowships at the University of California at San Francisco. She completed advanced training in Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Cardio-Obstetrics at the University of San Francisco California, and currently serves as the Associate Director of the MGH Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program and Co-Director of the MGH Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Program. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Adult Cardiovascular Disease and Adult Echocardiography. The has received Certification from the National Board of Echocardiography for Adult Comprehensive Echocardiography.

Dr. DeFaria was selected as one of the American College of Cardiology 2012 Emerging Faculty and received the Brian McGovern Memorial Award from the Department of Medicine in 2012 and 2016 for Excellence in Clinical Teaching in cardiology. She also received the MGH, Department of Medicine Fellowship as part of the Eleanor and Miles Shore Scholars in Medicine from Harvard Medical School. In 2013 she was awarded the Clinician Teacher Development Award, a four-year grant supported by the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization and Center for Diversity and Inclusion, a project titled: Redefine ACHD Education. She currently serves as the Director of the MGH Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program and Chair of Internship Selection for the Department of Medicine.

Her clinical focus is ACHD, Pregnancy & Cardiovascular Disease, particularly high-risk cardiac conditions in pregnancy as well as Echocardiography with expertise in ACHD Echocardiography. Dr. DeFaria speaks regionally and nationally on these topics.

Ana A. Mercurio-Pinto, MM:
Ana is energized by the possibilities. She has extensive professional experience running large, multi-specialized cardiovascular medicine divisions and has had the privilege of working and partnering with some of the industry’s leading thought leaders: master clinicians, practice changing trialists and groundbreaking research scientists. She is dedicated to developing nimble and adaptive organizations that combine the best of traditional practice with the spirit of continuous modernization in the face of evolving and changing times.

As vice president of care transformation at MedAxiom, Ana applies her wide-ranging experience in budgeting, forecasting, physician/practice P&Ls, clinical and federal/non-federal research operations, new program development, service-line integration, and dyad and other matrixed leadership structures to help cardiovascular organizations transform care. Ana has a keen interest in hospital/physician organization integration, faculty transitions, staffing optimization, administrative and research operations, and startup ventures.

Ana has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston University Questrom School of Management and a master’s in management with a concentration in Healthcare Management. Additionally, Ana has pursued certificates in Launching New Ventures and Research Administration.

With cardiovascular care rapidly changing, it can be challenging to find the right mix between traditional care and innovation. On MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson speaks with Ana Mercurio-Pinto and Jenny Kennedy, both VPs of Care Transformation at MedAxiom. Together, they break down how organizations can succeed in today’s competitive healthcare space and steps you can take to combine traditional practice with the spirit of continuous modernization.

Ana A. Mercurio-Pinto, MM - Vice President, Care Transformation, MedAxiom - Ana is energized by the possibilities. She has extensive professional experience running large, multi-specialized cardiovascular medicine divisions and has had the privilege of working and partnering with some of the industry’s leading thought leaders: master clinicians, practice changing trialists and groundbreaking research scientists. She is dedicated to developing nimble and adaptive organizations that combine the best of traditional practice with the spirit of continuous modernization in the face of evolving and changing times.

As vice president of care transformation at MedAxiom, Ana applies her wide-ranging experience in budgeting, forecasting, physician/practice P&Ls, clinical and federal/non-federal research operations, new program development, service-line integration, and dyad and other matrixed leadership structures to help cardiovascular organizations transform care. Ana has a keen interest in hospital/physician organization integration, faculty transitions, staffing optimization, administrative and research operations, and startup ventures.

Ana has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston University Questrom School of Management and a master’s in management with a concentration in Healthcare Management. Additionally, Ana has pursued certificates in Launching New Ventures and Research Administration.

Jenny Kennedy, MSN, RN, CHFN, NEA-BC - Vice President, Care Transformation, MedAxiom - Jenny has nearly 20 years of clinical and leadership experience in healthcare, namely in the cardiology field. As a vice president of care transformation at MedAxiom, she advises cardiovascular programs and industry organizations across the country on clinical pathways, guideline implementation, quality improvement, operations, disease specific certification, remote management, strategic planning and more.

Prior to joining MedAxiom, Jenny was the director of heart failure and electrophysiology at Wellstar Health System in the metropolitan Atlanta area. She has vast experience with clinic operations, cardiology and specialty clinics, and coordinating programs that cross the care continuum.
Jenny holds a Master of Nursing in Leadership through Jacksonville University and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing. She also holds Certified Heart Failure Nurse and NEA-BC certifications and continues to be a lifelong learner. She is also an active member of AAHFN.
Her passion is to develop programs that span the care continuum and serve those with complex health diseases to benefit communities, patients and care providers. She encourages innovation and understands the importance of building relationships with mutual trust to empower high performing teams and change the lives of the communities they serve.