Scaling Practice Management by Talkie.ai

In this episode, Christina King, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Operations at Nevada Heart and Vascular Center, sits down with Jakub Grajcar to explore how successful healthcare practices must prioritize people over profit. Christina discusses how to cultivate an empathetic environment for both patients and staff, and how practices can leverage technology—without losing their human touch.

We cover:

💡 The secret to thriving practices: Why prioritizing people over profits is non-negotiable
🤝 Hiring for empathy: How to spot the right candidates who will put patients first
⚙️ Integrating technology: Using AI in ways that enhance human care, not replace it
🧠 Empathy in leadership: Why it's essential for practice managers and healthcare teams
🔍 AI in healthcare: How Christina went from skeptic to advocate for AI-driven solutions

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Christina King
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinamking/
Nevada Heart and Vascular Center:
https://nevadaheart.com/

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Jonathan S. Cummins has spent two decades helping practices and payers solve one critical problem: keeping patients engaged. As CEO at GuideUp Health and CRO/Partner at Incept Digital Marketing, he shares with Jakub Grajcar the real-world tactics practice managers can use to improve outcomes and grow revenue.

We explore:
📊 Why traditional outreach leaves practice managers overwhelmed
📍 How geofencing and streaming ads attract the right patients
🤝 What keeps patients loyal between annual visits
💸 How incentives tied to outcomes can drive value-based revenue
🚀 Where AI fits in the future of patient communication

👤 Guest: Jonathan S. Cummins
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-s-cummins-33672a5/
GuideUp Health: https://guideuphealth.com
Incept Digital Marketing: https://getincept.com

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-10

In this episode, Evan Steele, CEO of rater8, joins Jakub Grajcar to break down the do’s and don’ts of managing your practice’s online reputation. From why you should stop relying on QR codes to how AI overviews are rewriting the rules of patient search, Evan explains what practice managers must know to stay ahead.

We cover:

🔍 Why fixing Google is the #1 priority for any practice
📊 How automation balances reviews across 100+ listings
⏱ The best time to request patient reviews (backed by data)
🚨 How to handle negative reviews while staying HIPAA compliant
🤖 Why AI overviews are changing reputation management forever
📉 How to slash one-star reviews from 20% down to 1%

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Evan Steele
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evansteele/
rater8: https://rater8.com
Contact Evan/rater8 at: [email protected]

Rippling (HR/Payroll/Applicant management platform): https://www.rippling.com
Review / doctor listing sites: Healthgrades, Vitals, WebMD

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-9

Veteran podcaster and Founder / Chief Editor of Healthcare IT Today, John Lynn, joins Jakub Grajcar to tackle one of the biggest questions in medicine today: what should AI be doing in healthcare?

From replacing phone call hold music to diagnosing patients, John shares a visionary—and sometimes a pinch controversial—take on what’s ahead for medical practices.

We unpack:

🤖 How AI scribes are already transforming burnout and billing
📈 Why practice managers need to embrace AI agents, not fear them
⚠️ The real reason US prior authorizations are a bureaucratic nightmare
🧠 What separates strategic leaders from those who might fall behind
🔧 A dead-simple starting point for AI adoption in your practice

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: John Lynn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndlynn/
Healthcare IT Today: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/
Swaay.Health community: https://swaay.health/

📈 Rater8 – patient review platform: http://rater8.com/

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-8 

In this episode, independent Epic consultant and career coach Nacole Hodge joins Jakub Grajcar to unpack the twin challenges of silent burnout and clunky tech.

From her workshop ‘Reclaim the You Behind the Badge’ to practical Epic automations, Nacole shows practice managers how to put people first and improve their ops.

We cover:

💡 A simple monthly ritual that reconnects staff and patients
💡 Why every clinician needs to rediscover their origin story
🤖 How Epic’s automation features slash denial rates
🚧 The hidden cost of 'copycat culture' in hospitals
❤️ A 3‑step exercise to end each shift with purpose

Resources Mentioned

👤 Guest: Nacole Hodge
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nacole-hodge-75799266/ 

Reclaim the You Behind the Badge / Live Your Why: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PvUDygSMqJiogMxWkhQm8a2Jf2AuzDQdBdy-fJxgBUI/edit?tab=t.0

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-7

How can practice managers balance business growth with patient care? In this episode, Jennifer Lagemann, founder of NextJenn Copy, reveals how to grow smarter, not harder, while maintaining an empathetic approach to healthcare.

We dig into:

👂 Why listening to your patients (and their families) is the key to success
⚠️ The obstacles healthcare providers face in being proactive rather than reactive
🎨 The importance of branding beyond logos—how your team’s experience shapes patient perception
🔑 Tips for making branding decisions align with your practice’s values and vision

Plus, Jennifer shares her experience as a family caregiver and how it led her to become a fractional CMO in healthcare. If you're looking to elevate your practice’s impact and brand, you won’t want to miss this one!

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Jennifer Lagemann
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-lagemann/
Web: https://nextjenncopy.com/

📚 Books
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-6

Max Salamonowicz, Head of AI at MIGAM, joins the show with a powerful sense of purpose: to bring real-time, AI-powered sign language interpretation to the Deaf community. He walks us through the misconceptions that plague Deaf accessibility, the technical hurdles of building an ASL model that works in 3D, and why AI developers in healthcare carry a responsibility far bigger than just product success.

We explore:

🔍 Why captions aren’t enough—and how deaf users are being left behind
🧠 The challenge of building a 3D AI language model for ASL
💬 What Netflix, Zoom, and patient portals are missing today
🤝 How to actually built trust in a startup team—through overcoming hardship
⚡ Why practice managers need to overcome ‘automation anxiety’

Resources mentioned:
👤 Guest: Max Salamonowicz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-salamonowicz/
MIGAM: https://migam.ai

📖 Papers Referenced
“Attention Is All You Need” – Google

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-5

In this episode of Scaling Practice Management, host Jakub Grajcar sits down with Fareed Taghvaee, Senior Director of Partnerships at Elation Health, one of the leading EHR platforms for independent primary care providers. They talk about the challenges practice managers face around medical billing — and yes, they power through a literal earthquake mid-conversation.

From startup clinics struggling with credentialing to established practices buried in denials and rejections, Fareed shares practical advice and real empathy for healthcare professionals wearing multiple hats.

We covered:

🏥 How to build a KPI-driven practice from Day 1
🏥 Why days in AR and denial rates are your secret weapons
🏥 How no-response claims quietly kill your cash flow
🏥 AI’s role in reclaiming revenue
🏥 Diversifying your practice's revenue streams

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Fareed Taghvaee
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fareedtaghvaee/

🏢 Companies & Tools
Elation Health: https://www.elationhealth.com/
Out of Pocket: https://outofpocket.health/
Health Tech Nerds: https://healthtechnerds.com/
Brendan Keeler's Health API Guy Substack: https://healthapiguy.substack.com/

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-4 

What do a 15-passenger ski van, unintentional healthcare careers, and patient acquisition have in common? They all come up in this chat with Calvin Gooley, CEO of Cicada. We dive into how practices can improve patient access, reduce wait times, and actually get reviews from happy patients.

We cover:
🏥 Why patient acquisition is broken (and how clinics can fix it)
 📹 Using video testimonials for both retention and growth
 🌍 Why most practices underuse Local SEO—and how to fix that fast
 🧠 Healthcare innovation: from wearables to smarter intake workflows
 📊 When should a clinic start using CRM tools (spoiler: earlier than you think)

📚 Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Calvin Gooley
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvingooley/
 Agency: https://www.cicada.co

 🔧 Tools Mentioned: HubSpot, Google Workspace, Raycast

 📚 Talkie.ai Blog: https://talkie.ai/blog/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-3

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-3

What’s standing between groundbreaking healthcare tech and the people who actually need it? Bureaucracy, outdated incentives, and yes—still those faxes.

Angela Presley, Program Manager for Healthcare Accelerators at Dartmouth, joins the show to unpack why it takes 20 years (yes, really) for most innovations to reach clinical practice—and what we can do about it.

We cover:
🧠 Why ‘first do no harm’ makes innovation hard—but necessary
📉 The most frustrating bottleneck for clinicians (spoiler: reimbursement)
📈 One change management tip that actually works
📬 Why practice managers should negotiate smarter with payers
📱 Medtech’s future: miniaturization + meaningful data

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Angela Presley
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-smalley-biomech/

📈 Frameworks & Surveys
The Quadruple Aim

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
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