miniVHAN

Join us as we welcome Paul Augustyniak, board chair for the Tennessee chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Paul highlights the organization's mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide through research, advocacy, education and healing initiatives.

With 1,200 Tennesseans lost to suicide last year and the state ranked 22nd in the nation for suicide rates, increasing awareness and encouraging open conversations are crucial for prevention. Our discussion also underscores the need to expand mental health resources, particularly in areas with limited health care access.

This episode also covers the expansion of outreach and volunteering opportunities within AFSP, with the goal of increasing community engagement through events like the AFSP walks and State Capitol Days. Tune in to hear how these community-building efforts create a beacon of hope for individuals in need.

If you or a loved one need support, you can call or text the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline 24/7/365. Conversations with lifeline counselors are free and confidential.

With close to 90% of health outcomes affected by patients' conditions outside of the clinic walls, the intersection of medical care and community health plays a vital role in meeting people where they are.

Joining the miniVHAN to share about the social determinants of health is Amy Richardson, Chief Community Health Officer at Siloam Health, a nonprofit organization that provides whole-person care to Middle Tennessee's underserved populations.

Richardson spotlights the benefits of like-minded organizations partnering to promote health equity, explaining how Siloam Health has built trust with local organizations such as the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and Nashville Noticias to effectively reach immigrant and refugee communities. She also shares how her organization has collaborated with the Tennessee Community Health Worker Program to remove barriers to care and improve the health and well-being of patients and families across the state. Learn more about how communities create human connections that enable healthier, fuller lives.

Join us in the miniVHAN as we welcome Cecelia Theobald, MD, Chief of Staff for Corporate Clinical Affairs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Theobald, an internist, is also the attending physician at the student-run Shade Tree Clinic, which provides free health care to uninsured individuals. She has witnessed patients taking a more active role in their care—and explains why that's such a positive development for providers and health care as a whole.

Dr. Theobald underscores the importance of trust and clear communication within patient care teams, highlighting how that strong foundation can lead patients toward more solid decision-making. Tune in to learn how you can best serve patients as they navigate complex medical information, build relationships with their health care providers and take charge of their own health.

Can employers really transform health care quality and costs? Join us in the miniVHAN for an eye-opening conversation with Michael Kobernick, MD, Senior Medical Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, as he unpacks the evolving roles of employers and brokers in the health care ecosystem. Dr. Kobernick draws upon his experience both in the practice of medicine and in critical health care leadership to imagine how employers can more successfully collaborate with provider organizations.

Tune in to understand how value-based care models can lead to healthier communities by removing patients' social and financial barriers. You'll also discover how businesses, regardless of size, can shift the focus from merely cutting expenses to genuinely enhancing their employees' health.

Imagine a world where health care is as personalized and easy to use as your favorite streaming service. That's the vision of CJ Stimson, MD, urological surgeon, Executive Vice President of Population Health and Chief Medical Officer for the Employee Health Plan at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In this episode, he hops in the miniVHAN to share how his personal experience and time as senior advisor at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation have fueled his passion for value-based care – an approach he believes can revolutionize patient outcomes and increase provider satisfaction.

With an aging population and too few doctors, traditional ways of providing care aren't working. Dr. Stimson will explore how a team-oriented approach, focused on patient needs, can empower providers, reduce clinician burnout and improve patient care. We'll learn how better communication and cooperation between patients, employers and providers can overcome the challenges of the value-based care shift and drive this transformation forward.

Coding is an often overlooked but critical aspect of health care. Dr. Victor Legner, a geriatrician with a wealth of knowledge in clinical documentation and coding integrity, unravels the intricate web of ICD-10 codes, hierarchical condition categories and risk adjustment factor scores, spotlighting how accurate coding is key to ensuring providers are adequately funded.

Dr. Legner underscores the need to regularly update patients' records to ensure all providers have up-to-date information about their patients' conditions. The episode also discusses areas where coding mistakes are common, such as chronic conditions like depression and diabetes. Tune in for insight into how precise coding can help health care professionals improve patient care and adapt to new care models that focus on value.

Mitch Kaminski, MD, MBA, has thrived in the health care industry for over 40 years – and continues to make meaningful contributions. He's not only a family physician and professor; he's also a leader who embraces change. Even while serving as former Chief Clinical Officer at Delaware Valley ACO and as current Program Director at Jefferson's College of Population Health, he has made it a priority to stay connected to patients. Putting his passion into practice allows him to bring real-world experience to leadership roles and positively influence health care year after year.

Join us as we learn valuable lessons from Dr. Kaminski's example.

There's a good reason Medicare triple-weights medication adherence as a performance measure. Prescriptions aren't effective if patients can't access them easily or take them routinely. One way VHAN's Care Management team supports network members is by helping their patients overcome barriers to filling prescriptions and managing complex medication regimens.

In this episode, clinical pharmacist Danya Wilson and nurse practitioner Catherine McMullan discuss the transformative power of personalized patient medication strategies. We explore how a renewed focus on medication adherence can help VHAN members improve health care outcomes and costs, leading to better contract performance and greater financial incentives.

VHAN Director of Network Operations Matt Duckworth joins the miniVHAN to peel back the layers of health care's monumental shift from volume to value in the past 10-plus years. Duckworth leans on his expertise in law and health care policy to offer insights on the Affordable Care Act's impact and the innovative strategies being tested by the CMS Innovation Center.

Local communities across the state are in serious need of compassionate, problem-solving health professionals who can build bridges between doctors and patients and ensure every individual receives the care they deserve. That's why the miniVHAN is proud to spotlight Tennessee's Community Health Workers (CHWs) initiative and show how these workers are filling health care gaps, especially for those in high-need, hard-to-reach populations.

The podcast welcomes two women leading the charge: Nikayla Boyd, Ed.D., Executive Director of the Tennessee Community Health Worker Association, and Barbara Clinton, who served as the director of Vanderbilt Center for Health Services for more than 30 years. These experts share their unique experiences on the role of CHWs as bridge builders and trust makers, ensuring that all community members are connected to vital health and social services.

Our conversation illuminates the way CHWs are transforming health outcomes across Tennessee by overcoming barriers such as resource scarcity and housing insecurity. Get ready to be inspired and learn how you can contribute to the initiative. This conversation is not just about health care—it's about people, community and the power of compassion in action.

Learn more about the Community Health Worker Training Program of Tennessee (CHWTPT) and find out how to apply: https://www.vhan.com/new-state-program-available-to-train-community-health-workers/