MedAxiom HeartTalk

In this “Meet the Experts” HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, sits down with MedAxiom’s Lori Walsh, MHSA, executive vice president of Member Services and Operations, and Karen Wilson, MHA, vice president of Member Services. Lori shares why the relationships she built as a member still matter and how MedAxiom was founded on the idea that if you can’t learn from your peers, where else can you learn? Karen discusses the “aha” moments that come from helping members better understand their data. Sometimes the best resource is someone who’s been there before.

In this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, sits down with Jasen Gundersen, MD, CEO and Christie Yoder, COO at CardioOne. Together, they explore practical strategies for immediate growth in cardiology practices, emphasizing small, achievable changes over long-term planning.

In this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, sits down with Maureen Knechtel, DMSc, PA-C, academic coordinator and associate professor of physician assistant studies at Milligan University, and Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, FACC, president and CEO of MedAxiom. They challenge the idea that onboarding begins and ends with orientation, revealing a gap many organizations don’t recognize until it’s too late. Their conversation explores what it takes to develop APPs with intention and set them up for long-term success.

In this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, talks with Ali Rahimi, MD, MPH, CEO of ALYKA Health, about a revolutionary digital platform enhancing patient access and outcomes. Together, they discuss how this personalized solution bridges care gaps, improves engagement, and creates a scalable, affordable system for better patient health.

In this "Meet the Experts" HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS speaks with Nicole Dellise, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, NEA-BC, CHFN, CCK, FACC, vice president of Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom. With an extensive background in advanced heart failure and structural heart care, Nicole shares insights on her leadership style, passion for patient access and where she believes cardiovascular programs can make the biggest impact right now. Discover what motivates Nicole as a leader and what energizes her beyond the workplace.

In this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS sits down with Craig Strauss, MD, MPH, vice president of Quality, Innovation and Advanced Analytics at Minneapolis Heart Institute. They explore the innovative "C5 program," developed for comprehensive cardiovascular care, that offers 24/7 physician support, significantly improves patient triage and hospital access, and reduces ER wait times.

Cardiology is shifting from inpatient to outpatient care. In this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, talks with Amy Brownell, MSN, FNP-C, FACC, cardiovascular service line director at Ascension Illinois Market about strategies for expanding ASCs and office-based labs while maintaining clinical quality. They also discuss operational and financial considerations that help health systems thrive in this changing landscape.

Cardiovascular programs often evolve over time — but without intentional structure, silos can form, creating operational and strategic challenges. In this episode, Joel Sauer, MBA, executive vice president of Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom, is joined by Kootenai Health’s Kevin Kavanaugh, MD, cardiologist, and Rhonda Powell, MBA, CNMT, executive director of the cardiovascular division. They discuss their journey to formalize dyad leadership and unify inpatient and outpatient cardiovascular operations. They share how MedAxiom supported this transformation through a comprehensive assessment and strategic guidance to build a cardiovascular institute structure tailored to their organization.

Explore the strategic partnership between MedAxiom and Heartflow, as Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Care Transformation Services and Revenue Cycle Solutions at MedAxiom, sits down with Cara Santillo, senior vice president of Market Access and Reimbursement at Heartflow. Together, they detail how MedAxiom amplifies HeartFlow's message across the cardiology community. Discover how MedAxiom leverages its extensive reach and analytics to connect HeartFlow's innovative FFR-CT and AI plaque analysis solutions with administrators, clinicians, and operational staff, driving adoption and understanding.

A major change in outpatient cardiac care is underway. In this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, sits down with David Kenigsberg, MD, FACC, FHRS, a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist based in Northern Broward County, Florida. Together, they unpack the shift toward performing ablation procedures in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) — why it’s happening, how it improves patient access and cost-effectiveness.