VillageMD Working Smarter

If you think Usain Bolt is fast, you should see how fast the federal government (especially CMS) have been pushing out regulatory changes! Our team has been keeping up with this “Regulatory Sprint", and we condensed the most significant  changes into a manageable summary. In this episode, we provide you a recap of these changes, and discuss what we are expecting to see from the new Biden administration. If you liked this summary, stay tuned for our deep dive episodes that we will be releasing throughout this year. 

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.   If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! 

Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

In this episode, Erdest Jenkins and Doctor John Torontow provide a deeper dive into the simplified documentation requirements for physician office visit coding. Previously, the CMS requirements for medical decision making have been widely criticized by physicians for requiring documentation that is not clinically relevant. CMS reduced the required elements of the Medical Decision Making documentation starting in January 2021. Tune in to learn about these important changes!

You can find the link to the one pager for this podcast below:

https://sway.office.com/pkqEW1ecwzU9s9cv?ref=Link

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.

If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

At VillageMD Working Smarter, we have been closely watching CMS proposals to reduce the burden of coding and documentation for physician office visits. CMS finalized two significant changes that will impact the primary care workforce in late 2020: 1) a reduction in the number of levels for established patients and 2) simplification of the documentation required to support the level. In this episode, Erdest Jenkins and Doctor John Torontow of VillageMD summarize E&M coding proposal. These changes emphasize value based care and show that it’s a good time to be at VillageMD!

Access our one pager for this content below: 

https://sway.office.com/CRK46ZCPimqOvh1A?ref=Link

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.

If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

Medicare Advantage diagnosis coding remains a high enforcement priority for CMS and OIG and we’ve seen several new developments this year. These cases have some things in common, and a picture is emerging of critical elements that providers should know. Tune in for a summary of the key details, including some best practices and conversely some things to avoid. 

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch. 

If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

“This rule is widely seen as a game changer that will have far reaching effects on how information is accessed, exchanged, and used….” – The National Law Review. 

The information blocking rules, which take effect in 2021, are the biggest regulatory change related to sharing patient information since the passage of HIPAA. These rules will allow patients to view their information in third party applications of their choice. In this episode, we summarize these changes, and indicate the steps that primary care providers need to take to prepare for this change. We are joined by two experts, Dan Walsh, our VillageMD Chief Information Security Officer, and Nick Merker, CISSP, CIPT, and Partner at Ice Miller LLP. 

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.

If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

Social media can be a powerful tool, but it can be daunting to learn. There are also risks associated with these accounts. In particular for physicians, social media can be a way to communicate with patients, and hear their feedback/comments. On this episode, we are joined by Molly Lynch, who leads Lynch Communications. She shares some guidance on how to best use social media and also how to avoid pitfalls and cringe moments! 

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.

If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

We are thrilled to be joined by Todd Park on this episode! Todd is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Devoted Health, which is a Medicare Advantage plan. Todd was formerly the Co-Founder of athenahealth, and served as Chief Technology Officer for President Obama’s Administration for 5 years. Todd is inspirational in his passion to change healthcare, and the way he thinks about serving the customers for Devoted Health. Tune in to hear this engaging conversation!
 
Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.
 
If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

You may remember us telling you about the Medicare Direct Contracting Program last year. Direct Contracting is a further iteration of the Next Generation ACO model, and will allow entities to participate in risk agreements directly with Medicare. 

Since then, we’ve learned a lot more. Medicare gave us even more updates this past week! This week, we are thrilled to welcome one of our favorite Smarties, Lucy Sola. Lucy has been involved with our implementation of this program for VillageMD, and she gives us the inside scoop on recent updates in light of COVID-19. Tune in to find out this new information!

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.

If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

During this pandemic, our Village Medical front line clinical workers have shown great tenacity, dedication, and commitment to their patients. We wanted to honor their work by interviewing some of our shining stars in our different markets across the country. They tell us what it has been like, what gives them hope, and what has been challenging in these times. 

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.

If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/

We were inspired by The Weather Girls for our first episode back since the COVID-19 pandemic started. We have seen a torrential downpour of regulations and guidance from the government. in the last few months It truly feels like it's "Raining Regs"; everything from $2 trillion in stimulus money through the CARES Act to Telemedicine regulation changes. In this episode, we explore the changes that impact primary care physicians.

Thank you to all of our loyal listeners, or as we call them, Smarties! Send us a picture of you listening to [email protected], and you will be entered for a chance to win Working Smarter merch.

If you enjoy the podcast, we want your help in spreading the word! Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We are now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Our references and other show notes are on our website: https://vmdworkingsmarter.com/conversations/