MGMA Insights Podcast

Guest: Susan Aloi, PhD, FACMPE
Faculty Program Director, Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health

Joining us today is healthcare leadership coach Susan Aloi, PhD, FACMPE, who shares insights from a lifetime around the healthcare industry and her current work developing strong leaders. According to Dr. Aloi, being intentional about your own development — and the development of others — is essential to success in healthcare leadership.

Dr. Aloi is the faculty program director at Thomas Jefferson University’s School of Population Health in Pennsylvania and spoke with the MGMA Podcast Network ahead of her session at the 2023 MGMA Leaders Conference, held October 22–25 in Nashville.

🔗 Resources

• Apply for Fellowship (FACMPE)
  mgma.com/apply-for-fellowship
• MGMA Leaders Conference Registration
  mgma.com/conferences/leaders/register
• Conference Schedule
  mgma.com/conferences/leaders/schedule
• Conference Overview
  mgma.com/conferences/leaders/overview

Executive Session: Nate Moore on Turning Raw Practice Data into Actionable Insights

Fresh from MGMA19 | The Operations Conference in Austin, Texas, host Dave Gans sits down with healthcare consultant Nate Moore — known as "the Pivot Table Guy" — to break down the journey from accessing raw data in your practice management system to selecting the right tools to put that data to work.

📍 Explore more MGMA podcasts and resources:
https://www.mgma.com/podcasts

🎧 Audio Credit:
"Data Center" by Shoeg — Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

MGMA Insights Podcast

Guest: CJ Wolf, MD, M.Ed., CPC
Faculty, Health Services – BYU-Idaho

We’re pleased to welcome Dr. CJ Wolf to this episode of the MGMA Insights podcast. Dr. Wolf is a physician, educator, and Certified Professional Coder (CPC). He currently serves on the Health Services faculty at BYU–Idaho.

🔗 Resources

• CJ Wolf – BYU–Idaho Faculty Profile
  byui.edu/health-services/faculty/c-j-wolf
• Compliance Reality (YouTube Channel)
  Compliance Reality on YouTube
• Certified Professional Coder (CPC®) Certification
  aapc.com/certification/cpc

MGMA Insights Podcast

Guest: Betsy Nicoletti

Our guest today is Betsy Nicoletti — speaker, writer, consultant, and Certified Professional Coder (CPC). Betsy has worked in and around physician offices since the mid-1980s. Her mission is simple: to make coding easier for physicians and their staff.

🔗 Resources

• Betsy Nicoletti’s Website
  betsynicoletti.com
• Coding Intel
  codingintel.com/betsy-nicoletti
• Betsy on LinkedIn
  linkedin.com/in/betsy-nicoletti
• MGMA Education Opportunities
  mgma.com/events

In this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams sits down with Les Jebson, Regional Administrator at Prisma Health, to unpack the critical challenge of medical equipment acquisition. Jebson brings a wealth of experience from both private and academic healthcare settings, offering medical practice leaders a comprehensive guide to making informed decisions about purchasing, leasing, or renting medical equipment. The conversation explores the financial, strategic, and compliance considerations that can make or break a medical practice's technology investments.

Key Takeaways:

• Value Proposition is Paramount

Les emphasizes the importance of objectively evaluating equipment based on:

1. Clinical necessity
2. Potential revenue generation
3. Anticipated lifespan of technology
4. Alignment with current and future practice needs

• Strategic Acquisition Strategies

Recommended approach for medical practices:

1. Define capital equipment clearly
2. Consider pros and cons of purchasing vs. leasing
3. Implement 4-year replacement cycles for most technology
4. Explore lease-to-own options for capital-constrained practices

• Compliance and Risk Mitigation

Critical considerations for consumable agreements:

1. Avoid inducement-based contracts
2. Ensure fair market value
3. Vet agreements through legal counsel
4. Track historical consumption trends

• Recommended Next Steps for Practice Leaders:

1. Conduct a comprehensive audit of current medical equipment
2. Develop a strategic technology replacement timeline
3. Create a cross-functional team for equipment acquisition decisions
4. Establish clear criteria for evaluating new technology investments

Upcoming Events:

• 2025 MGMA Summit (June 3-5) - Register Here
• Visit the Prisma Health website

MGMA Insights Podcast

Guest: Jessica Minesinger

Our guest today is Jessica Minesinger, founder and CEO of Surgical Compensation & Consulting (SCC) and an MGMA Consultant. Jessica specializes in helping physicians navigate compensation opportunities using data analytics. Her mission is to empower physicians to negotiate confidently, ensure pay equity, and identify organizations where they’ll thrive culturally.

🔗 Resources

• MGMA Consulting
  mgma.com/consulting/overview
• Meet Jessica Minesinger
  mgma.com/consulting/meet-the-team/jessicaminesinger
• MGMA DataDive
  mgma.com/data/landing-pages/mgma-datadive-overview

In this episode of the MGMA Member Spotlight Podcast, host Daniel Williams welcomes Julie Mobley, the founder of Gemstone Consulting and the practice administrator at Coleman Internal Medicine in North Alabama. Julie spoke at the MGMA Operations Conference in Las Vegas, on the topic of navigating patient financial responsibility.

Key Takeaways:

• Julie shares her diverse healthcare journey, including her background in speech pathology, software testing, and eventually transitioning into healthcare administration.
• Julie has been an MGMA member for 10 years, initially introduced to the organization through her work with an EMR company.
• As a practice leader, Julie emphasizes the importance of effective communication, emotional intelligence, and understanding personality differences to foster strong team dynamics.
• Managing a remote chronic care management team presents unique challenges, which Julie addresses through quarterly in-person meetings and leveraging a physician-led leadership team.
• Patient financial responsibility is a significant issue, with the recent rule change prohibiting the reporting of patient collections to credit bureaus. Julie outlines the impact on financial stability, administrative burden, and patient relationships.
• Julie discusses strategies for educating patients on financial policies, including utilizing various communication channels and providing easy-to-understand resources.

Resources:

• MGMA Operations Conference: was held March 2-4, Bellagio Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
• Julie Mobley spoke twice at the show:
  • Bridging Gaps: Chronic Care Management and Value-Based Care (Monday, March 3, 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM PDT)
  • Navigating Patient Financial Responsibility (Monday, March 3, 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM PDT)

CEO of Insight Marketing Group Jennifer Thompson joins the MGMA Insights Podcast to discuss how AI and automation transform medical practices. She shares strategies for improving patient engagement, streamlining operations, and reducing staff burnout. Jennifer spoke at the MGMA Operations Conference in Las Vegas (March 2-4, 2025) on "Harnessing AI and Automation for Next-Level Healthcare."

Key Takeaways:

AI is changing how patients find healthcare.

• AI-driven search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini are replacing traditional Google searches.
• Optimize website content with FAQs, structured question-answer formats, and voice search compatibility.

AI and automation reduce staff burnout.

• Online scheduling lowers administrative workload.
• AI-driven appointment reminders decrease no-shows.
• Chatbots handle patient inquiries and referrals.

AI improves practice operations and billing.

• AI receptionists manage scheduling, intake, and follow-ups.
• Automated billing and coding tools increase accuracy and reduce claim denials.
• AI tools help update and maintain online practice listings.

Steps to get started with AI today.

• Implement appointment reminders and online scheduling.
• Add a chatbot to your website.
• Optimize website content for AI-driven search engines.
• Explore AI-driven intake and billing solutions.

Resources & Links:

• Insight Marketing Group – Learn More
• MGMA Podcast Network – More Episodes

Our guests today are revenue cycle management experts Taya Gordon and Kem Tolliver.

As a special bonus, we also feature an episode of Kem and Taya's podcast, RevDive, where they interview Rae Jimenez, chief product officer at AAPC.

Resources:
RevDive: https://sliceofhealthcare.com/revdive/

Kem Tolliver: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kem-tolliver/

Taya Gordon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayagordon/ Taya and Kem's book: https://www.mgma.com/practice-resources/products/revenue-cycle-management-dont-get-lost-in-the-fi

Rae Jimenez: https://www.aapc.com/blog/author/rjimenez/

Sponsors:

MGMA Events:
https://www.mgma.com/conferences

Humana:
The latest Value-Based Care Report from Humana outlines many interesting findings and highlights how some physician practices found creative paths to success. Check it out now at Humana.com/VBC. Humana is working closely with physician practices on their value-based journeys. If you would like additional tools and resources related to medical practice leadership email us at [email protected]. 

Thank you again for taking the time to listen to MGMA’s podcast network. If you have opportunities you'd like to share with the MGMA audience, go to www.mgma.com/marketing-with-mgma/advertise to find out how you can connect with the MGMA audience.

In this episode of the MGMA Member Spotlight Podcast, host Daniel Williams sits down with Tracy Schwartz, the Vice President of Operations at Ascension Medical Group in Texas. Tracy shares her healthcare career journey, from starting as a medical assistant to rising through the ranks and becoming a key leader. Schwartz discusses the unique challenges the healthcare industry faces and the strategies Ascension Medical Group is implementing to not only address these issues but also retain top talent.

Key Takeaways:

• Tracy Schwartz's career progression from medical assistant to VP of Operations at Ascension Medical Group
• The importance of work-life balance, flexibility, and understanding employee needs in the healthcare industry
• Reasons for employee turnover, including people leaving for non-healthcare jobs and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Ascension Medical Group's approach to improving the onboarding process and supporting new hires
• The focus on leadership development as a critical factor in retaining associates

Ascension Medial Group

We Want to Hear From You:

Let us know if there's a topic you want us to cover, an expert you would like us to interview, or if you'd like to appear on an MGMA podcast. Email us at:

• Daniel Williams: [email protected]
• Ryan Reaves: [email protected]
• Colleen Luckett: [email protected]

Thank you for tuning in to the MGMA Podcast Network. Please subscribe and leave us a review. See you next time!