Vital Conversations

Everybody's talking AI. Fewer people are talking about what happens when healthcare organizations deploy it wrong. In this episode of Vital Conversations, host Tim Coan sits down with Dave Haight, Principal of Synergy Consulting, to dig into the unglamorous reality of AI implementation in provider settings — messy data, runaway agents, HIPAA exposure, and the pressure to move faster than is safe.

Dave brings 20-plus years of healthcare IT experience across provider operations, revenue cycle, EMR implementations, and AI deployments. He makes the case for treating AI agents like new employees: onboard them carefully, give them defined roles and permissions, test iteratively, and never skip the QA.

They also cover where AI will actually move the needle by end of 2026 — autonomous coding, ambient documentation, and clinical decision support — and why Dave puts us at the top of the third inning.

Host: Tim Coan | Guest: Dave Haight, Principal, Synergy Consulting | Vital Conversations, presented by Focus

Rural dialysis patients often travel 400 miles or more for care — sometimes by plane. TeleNeph is changing that. CEO Ron Kubit explains how his company partners with rural and critical access hospitals to deliver nephrology care locally, complete with dedicated nephrologists on call 24/7, portable equipment, and nurse training programs built for rural realities.

In this episode: how one Arizona critical access hospital admitted 126 dialysis patients in year one — all previously transferred out — generating $1.5 million in net revenue. The 90-day startup process. The push toward home dialysis. And what urban healthcare leaders consistently miss about rural America.

Host: Tim Coan | Guest: Ron Kubit, CEO, TeleNeph | Vital Conversations, sponsored by Focus 

Your Google Ads may be violating HIPAA right now — and most practice leaders have no idea.

Mara Pritchard, lead Product Manager of Fresh Paint, breaks down one of the most misunderstood compliance risks in healthcare today: the intersection of HIPAA and digital marketing. If your practice runs Google Ads, has a website with tracking pixels, or uses any form of online advertising to attract patients — this episode is not optional.

You'll learn:

This isn't a scare tactic. Mara's take is that your compliance constraint is actually an opportunity to become a higher-performing marketing organization. This conversation will change how you think about your marketing stack.

If this episode helped you, please leave a review — it takes 30 seconds and helps other healthcare leaders find the show. And subscribe so you never miss a conversation like this.

Vital Conversations is presented by Focus Solutions.

Getting physicians to embrace change is the hardest part of the job. Here's how Andre Beach does it.

Andre Beach is the Chief Operating Officer of Denver Arthritis Clinic — Colorado's longest-standing rheumatology group. In this episode, he shares the practical, people-first framework he uses to lead change without losing his team.

You'll learn:

Whether you're a practice administrator, COO, or physician leader, this episode gives you a real-world playbook for moving your organization forward — without breaking it.

Most clinicians don't need more data. They need data that connects to the patients in front of them.

Tim Coan sits down with Dr. Jill Goldenberg, an internal medicine physician, informaticist, and value-based care leader, to talk about what actually works when presenting data to clinicians.

What you'll learn:

Chapters:

What happens when you need a cardiac test but the nearest cardiologist is hours away?

Tim Coan and healthcare consultant Ron Guillot get into the reality of cardiac care access in America and where things are headed.

What you'll learn:

Whether you're in a rural practice or just trying to keep up with what's changing in cardiac care, this one's worth 20 minutes of your time.

In this episode of Vital Conversations, Tim Coan sits down with Dena Langan, VP of Revenue Cycle at Frontier Dermatology, to talk about the real-world challenges of automating healthcare RevCycle processes. From coding complexities and payer contracts to prior authorizations, denials, and reporting, Dena shares why some automation promises fall short—and where AI has real potential to make a difference.

00:00 – Welcome to Vital Conversations with Tim Coan & Dena Langan
01:00 – Dena’s background & Frontier Dermatology’s scale
02:35 – AI’s growing role in healthcare RevCycle
03:50 – The goal of automation: freeing humans from tedious tasks
04:40 – Why coding accuracy still needs human oversight
05:50 – The impact of AMA’s 2020 coding rule changes
07:10 – Could ambient listening scribes be the answer?
09:00 – Optimism for AI-driven coding improvements
09:35 – The challenge of automating contract loading
11:25 – Why eligibility & prior auth automation is still tricky
12:48 – The complexities of automating denials & appeals
14:14 – Reporting and analytics: manual bottlenecks
15:18 – Dena’s 12-month automation wish list
16:10 – Closing thoughts on the future of RevCycle automation

AI is changing the healthcare industry, but not always in the ways we expect. In this episode of Vital Conversations, guest Jeff Freedman, Director of Private Equity Engagement at ModMed, brings his 30+ years of operational experience to the table to talk through how healthcare organizations can make smarter, more productive use of AI.

In this episode, host Tim Coan sits down with Pete Martinez, a Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) at National Partners in Healthcare, to unpack what happens when private equity (PE) meets healthcare operations.

They explore:
How private equity deals disrupt RCM processes
Why RevCycle gets misunderstood as just “finance”
Common mistakes made post-acquisition
How front desk attrition leads to massive revenue leaks
The importance of aligning operations and RCM
Key KPIs CFOs and RCM leaders must track
Why SOPs often fail in scaling physician practices
Pete’s new training platform: AskCWS.com – built to strengthen RevCycle teams everywhere

Whether you're a CFO new to healthcare, a RevCycle leader navigating PE ownership, or someone trying to stop revenue leaks, this conversation is packed with insights, strategy, and tools you can act on today.

The CEO of Allied Physicians Group, Dr. Kerry Fierstein, joins Vital Conversations host Tim Coan for a talk about the current state of pediatric care. They discuss the challenges faced by pediatricians, particularly around immunizations and the trust issues that have arisen post-COVID. Dr. Fierstein shares insights on recruitment and retention in pediatrics, the financial aspects of running a practice, and the dual roles she plays as both a practicing pediatrician and a CEO. The conversation also highlights the community impact of the Allied Foundation, which addresses critical needs such as diaper distribution and literacy programs for children.