Top Docs Radio

ShareWIK, Bioscape Digital, and ER Express This week I sat down with the CEO’s of ShareWIK, Bioscape Digital, and ER Express.  With the recent implementation of the Affordable Care Act, new requirements came into effect that placed emphasis on patient satisfaction as a component of reimbursement.  As it happens, these innovative companies had been […]

 

ShareWIK, Bioscape Digital, and ER Express

This week I sat down with the CEO’s of ShareWIK, Bioscape Digital, and ER Express.  With the recent implementation of the Affordable Care Act, new requirements came into effect that placed emphasis on patient satisfaction as a component of reimbursement.  As it happens, these innovative companies had been developing and implementing their innovative platforms that dramatically improve patient experience and engagement before the law came into effect.  That positions them as leaders in the space and I was pleased to have them join us to talk about what they’re doing.

ShareWIK.com provides licensed health information to a wide variety of organizations seeking to provide useful health content to their website and social media visitors.  The writers who contribute to the ShareWIK content are journalists who have a true understanding of the topics they are covering.  Content is vetted for accuracy before distribution.  That means companies and healthcare organizations seeking to control health costs through helping employees and patients make better choices in their daily lives now have an effective, engaging tool to do just that.  The team at ShareWIK is also collaborating with the Bioscape Digital platform to provide content that will be served to their patient-users.

ER Express is an application/platform that enables participating ER’s and Urgent Care centers to post an estimated time they can expect to be seen at their location.  This means a prospective patient can register and hold their place in line and do much of their wait time at home, work, etc.  The application uses IP address and Geo-tagging for users on mobile devices to display nearby area care centers and their estimated Time To Be Seen.  In this way patients can reduce their overall wait time as well as optimize ER versus Urgent Care utilization for non-life-threatening problems.  The service is free for patients to use and is currently available for numerous major health facilities in the Atlanta metro (and elsewhere in the country).

Bioscape Digital is a tablet-based platform for use in the emergency department and urgent care settings. The platform is simple to use with a simple, intuitive point-click interface.  It serves the patient with professionally-produced health content provided by ShareWIK that covers a variety of topics from what to expect with a given type of study or procedure to information about available services within the hospital.  The platform provides an engaging way for patients to occupy their time spent waiting for care that improves their awareness of useful health information at the same time.  Patients can use the platform to communicate positive and negative feedback in real time to hospital personnel, giving the staff the opportunity to potentially address and correct issues of concern.  Their platform is already showing a dramatic improvement in patient satisfaction scores as well as staff morale in their client-user facilities.

These Atlanta-based companies are helping to improve the way care is delivered and the way the experience is perceived by patients.  It’s exciting to get to introduce them to a wider audience and help them expand adoption of these helpful, innovative technology platforms.

Special Guests:

Diana Keough, CEO/Founder of ShareWIK.com           

Cancer Support Community Atlanta   at Northside Cancer Institute    This week I sat down with three ladies from the Cancer Support Community at Northside Cancer Institute.  The Cancer Support Community, Atlanta, is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing a variety of supportive services for cancer patients and their families in a […]

 

Cancer Support Community Atlanta

 

at Northside Cancer Institute   

This week I sat down with three ladies from the Cancer Support Community at Northside Cancer Institute.  The Cancer Support Community, Atlanta, is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing a variety of supportive services for cancer patients and their families in a home-like environment in the heart of Atlanta. Their staff provides a wide range of support, informative education programs, a variety of gentle stress reduction and exercise classes.  The Cancer Support Community also provides access to a number of social activities that enable cancer patients, survivors, and care givers to get to know others who are in or who have experienced similar challenging circumstances.  All classes are offered free of charge and are led by seasoned professionals committed to supporting individuals and families in our community facing cancer.  Through participating in these educational, supportive, and social offerings, patients, survivors, and loved ones can reduce anxiety in their lives, gain hope and a sense of greater control in their lives, and achieve higher levels of health and fitness (physical and emotional).

My guests on the show have all experienced cancer either as a patient or as a loved one/care giver for a person dealing with cancer.  As you listen to their stories it is quickly apparent that when you engage in the services offered by the Cancer Support Community at Northside Cancer Institute you will be cared for by people who truly understand and can relate to your situation.  Many of the folks you’ll meet when you go to the Cancer Support Community are long-time survivors who have been utilizing their services for a number of years—and they plan to continue.  Check out today’s show and you’ll understand why!

Special Guests:

Rachel Newby, LMSW

Rachel is an Atlanta native who attended Oglethorpe University, where she received a BA in psychology.  She continued her education at UGA where she received her Masters Degree in Social Work. Rachel currently lives in the city of Decatur, is married, has 2 kids and way too many pets!  As for her connection to cancer, Rachel’s mother was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in 1998, her freshman year of college. Unfortunately, at the time, supportive services for cancer patients were limited and she was extremely isolated. She died during Rachel’s senior year of college. She has been with the Cancer Support Community since 2005, making this her 9th year with the organization. Rachel’s day to day goal is to make sure that people that come to CSC Atlanta feel supported by the staff and one another.

Bonnie Bennett

Volunteer coordinator, CSC-Atlanta, 12-year breast cancer survivor and client of CSC-Atlanta

Bonnie is from Winston-Salem, NC and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1966 with a BA in Elementary Education. After teaching in NC, she moved to Atlanta in 1969 and went to work for what was then the Trust Company of Georgia, now SunTrust. In 1973, Bonnie married an Atlanta native and started a family. Twelve years ago at age 58, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Due to a strong family history of the disease, she elected to have a bi-lateral mastectomy with no reconstruction. Two years after this experience, she was introduced to the Cancer Support Community.

Robotic Hair Restoration and ShareWIK This week I sat down with Dr. Kenneth Anderson, Atlanta’s only robotic hair restoration specialist, and Diana Keough, CEO/Founder of ShareWIK (What I Know).  Dr. Anderson brought along Sara Kovac, his Patient Advocate who meets with prospective patients inquiring about available treatments for hair loss, and Jonathon Williamson, a satisfied […]

Sara Kovak, Diana Keough, Jonathon Williamson, Dr. Ken Anderson

Robotic Hair Restoration

and

ShareWIK

This week I sat down with Dr. Kenneth Anderson, Atlanta’s only robotic hair restoration specialist, and Diana Keough, CEO/Founder of ShareWIK (What I Know).  Dr. Anderson brought along Sara Kovac, his Patient Advocate who meets with prospective patients inquiring about available treatments for hair loss, and Jonathon Williamson, a satisfied patient of his.  We learned how Anderson Hair Sciences Center places much emphasis on patient experience when they consult with the practice.  Dr. Anderson personally meets with every patient and schedules only one procedure per day to allow for a thorough, unhurried approach to every patient.  Patient Jonathon brought a before photo with him to allow for comparison with his now-full head of hair.  It is virtually impossible to see where his procedure was conducted.  He talked about how other hair restoration groups had him meet with a sales person rather than a physician and showed photos of results obtained by a procedure but the patients shown weren’t work done by that practice’s provider.  Reasons for selecting their practice focused on discounted pricing rather than clinical qualifications and outcomes.  We talked about the value of Dr. Anderson’s training (including board certification) in plastic surgery and how it contributes to the artistic component of achieving a natural-looking hairline for his patients.

Diana Keough of ShareWIK shared her story of how she decided to launch her company, having spent the bulk of her career as a healthcare journalist for a Midwest news paper.  She leveraged her experience in healthcare journalism and knowledge of how to effectively tell a patient’s story to begin producing compelling content that shares helpful information that viewers can relate to.  As their website, sharewik.com states, “ShareWIK Media Group produces and distributes health and wellness content that uses the power of personal storytelling to Engage, Educate & Inspire consumers to make better decisions that impact their health.  With hundreds of “MyVoice” in-depth patient videos at the core of its product line, ShareWIK syndicates its content to media outlets and licenses its proprietary educational modules to employers, benefits providers, corporate wellness platforms, and other channels within the healthcare industry.”

Special Guests:

Dr. Kenneth Anderson, MD, of Anderson Hair Sciences Center         

*  Doctor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

* Residency, General Surgery, University of Michigan

* Residency, Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan

* Fellow, Facial and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, University of Michigan

* Assist. Clinical Professor of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

* Hair Restoration Specialist, Emory Facial Center, Dept. of Otolaryngology-Head/Neck Surgery, Emory School of Medicine

Diana Keough, CEO/Founder of ShareWIK.com 

    THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: Innovations in Treating Chronic Sinusitis Chronic sinusitis, a problem affecting as many as 50 million Americans, is an irritation of the sinus/nasal passages that lasts at least 12 weeks or longer.  In the Southeast, the problem is very common due to our high average humidity and mild winters.  These conditions lead […]

 

 

THIS WEEK’S TOPIC:

Innovations in Treating Chronic Sinusitis

Chronic sinusitis, a problem affecting as many as 50 million Americans, is an irritation of the sinus/nasal passages that lasts at least 12 weeks or longer.  In the Southeast, the problem is very common due to our high average humidity and mild winters.  These conditions lead our environment to be heavy with mold and fungus that can take hold in the nasal passages and sinuses leading to chronic infections.  Many persons will deal with slowly-worsening symptoms such as difficulty breathing through their nose, decreased sense of smell, facial or headache pain, frequent sinus infections, and more.  Eventually, folks with chronic sinusitis find their quality of life severely impacted, driving them to seek help.  It’s important to get help from infectious disease and ENT specialists who are well-versed in diagnosing and treating this problem and who use a team approach to achieve the best outcome.  This week, two such specialists, Dr. Pugliese and Dr. French stopped by to share information about diagnostic innovations in treating chronic sinusitis that are available to help them get more specific about what organism(s) are causing the allergic response and inflammation.  One such evolving diagnostic test is DNA sequencing that now lets physicians learn exactly what is causing the problem.  We talked about the various treatment measures used to treat chronic sinusitis as well as got some great advice on things we can do in the home to help reduce the frequency and severity of recurrences when they do happen.  It’s very likely you or someone you know is dealing with chronic sinusitis so please share today’s episode with your network!

The host of Top Docs Radio is Charles “CW” Hall with Hyperbaric Physicians of Georgia.

SPECIAL GUESTS:

Andrew Pugliese, MD, Infectious Disease Consultants        

* Doctorate in Medicine, St. George University School of Medicine

* Fellowship, Infectious Disease, Winthrop University Hospital

* Triple Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease

* Pioneer in non-surgical treatment of acute and chronic sinusitis

* President of Sinus Solutions

Courtney French, MD, Ear, Nose & Throat Institute  

* Doctorate in Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine

* Residency, Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Loma Linda University Medical Center

* Regular presenter of research material at numerous national/international ear, nose & throat conferences

 

  Breast Cancer Awareness This week I sat down with three women who each contribute great energy to promote breast cancer awareness in our community.  We kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) on this episode with Janet Beebe, CEO, of Breast Cancer Survivors Network, Kim Goff, Executive Director, of It’s The Journey/Atlanta 2 Day […]

 

Breast Cancer Awareness

This week I sat down with three women who each contribute great energy to promote breast cancer awareness in our community.  We kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) on this episode with Janet Beebe, CEO, of Breast Cancer Survivors Network, Kim Goff, Executive Director, of It’s The Journey/Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer, and breast cancer survivor/6x Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer participant, Yvonne Lloyd.  Breast Cancer Survivors Network is a non-profit organization that supports breast cancer patients who have insufficient means to purchase breast prostheses after mastectomy as well as covering cost for mammography for women under 40 who are at higher risk for developing breast cancer.  To date the organization has helped over 30,000 women in Georgia through their various services.  The are currently being supported through an impressive charitable donation by McD0nough Toyota.  The dealership is covering the cost of a month-long TV ad campaign on Atlanta’s 11 Alive TV with a “Drive Cancer Away” series of ads to help raise awareness of the organization and breast cancer in general.

The Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer is an annual fundraising endurance walk that takes place this year on October 11-12th and takes participants through 30 miles of Atlanta over the course of 2 days. This year, 950 walkers have committed to fundraising and training for this event. Participants commit to raising $500-1000 each, depending on whether they intend to walk 1 or both days.  Since 2002, the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer has funded 214 grants totaling $10 million to support breast health programs throughout Georgia. These programs provide mammograms, clinical breast exams, genetic counseling and testing, biopsies, support services, education, and much more. Many of our grants have a specific focus on under-served individuals in our community- uninsured and under-insured women for whom these types of breast health measures are often not available.

Kim Goff, Executive Director, of It’s The Journey/Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer brought along 6 year survivor of breast cancer (and with this year’s event, 6x participant in Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer), Yvonne Lloyd.  Yvonne was kind enough to share her story of diagnosis and treatment and talked about participating in the 2 Day Walk.  She gave some practical advice for folks looking to participate in the event as well as how to remain strong in the face of dealing with breast cancer through faith and support from friends and loved ones.

Special Guests:

Janet Beebe, CEO of Breast Cancer Survivors Network        

* 31 Yr, 2 time Breast Cancer Survivor…4 time cancer survivor

* President, Founder and Director of The Breast Cancer Survivors’ Network, Inc.

* Recipient of multiple awards including “Volunteer of the Year” from Am. Cancer Society and United Way and “Business Woman of the Year” by Nat’l. Assoc.