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Complex Patients

January 2, 2015 by CW

Midtown Business Radio

Complex Patients

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Complex Patients

This week I sat down with our colleague, Dr. Andrew Pugliese, Infectious Disease specialist of Infectious Disease Consultants in Johns Creek. He stopped by to talk about complex patients. He shared how medical studies focus on single illnesses, disqualifying certain age groups and patients with multiple disease states. Dr. Pugliese talked about the fact that in the real world medical office, rare is it that a patient walks in to be treated for a problem who is only dealing with that single disease. More commonly, patients present with obesity, and/or diabetes, heart disease, or any number of other health problems that can affect the way the body responds to a given disease state and treatments for them. Dr. Pugliese shared how these “multi-morbid” (having more than one health issue) patients are very complex and often do not respond to therapies as studies suggest they will. He offered advice for providers to help them be better able to manage patients when they need care for a given problem when other health issues are present. Check out Dr. Pugliese’s blog at http://sinusitisblog.com/.

Special Guest:

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

Swift School – Top Docs Radio

December 31, 2014 by CW

Top Docs Radio

Swift School - Top Docs Radio

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Swift School

This week I sat down with two learning specialists and three students from The Swift School in Roswell, GA. This private school is one that focuses on the learning needs of high-potential students that are challenged with dyslexia, dyscalculia (problems with math), working memory issues, and others. Their learning environment is designed to help these children achieve their academic potential through smaller class sizes, teaching styles (such as Orton-Gillingham method) that take these various brain types and learning process needs into consideration.

As many as 1 in 5 children deal with some sort of learning challenge such as dyslexia, according to the learning specialists, Lisa Armorer and Carol Madden. We now know that these aren’t so much learning “disabilities” as “Brain Types”. As Carol explained, most kids dealing with dyslexia and some of these other challenges are “Right Brain” dominant. This affects the style of learning that is most effective for them and can have an impact on their behavior patterns to some extent as well. Many children are misdiagnosed as having behavioral “problems” when in fact they are actually exhibiting responses to frustration and/or anxiety because they are having trouble learning and they don’t understand why.

Lisa explained how Swift School’s learning approach differs from many “traditional” learning settings and how the strategies they employ take the child’s brain type and associated learning techniques into consideration. This empowers them to achieve academically at a high level and advocate for themselves as students as they return to middle schools and high schools in traditional class environments/teaching approaches.

I got to talk to two 5th graders, Mackenzie Day and Olivia Hall, and 8th grader, Grant Meyer. They shared their poignant stories about how it felt to be “different” from their peers as young students, watching them excel when certain (or all) concepts seemed so difficult for them. They talked about their experiences going to visit Swift School and what it was like to become “veteran” students once they’d been there for a while. Olivia, Mackenzie, and Grant also shared advice for peers in the community who might be considering Swift School as an option when a traditional setting is not helping them reach their academic potential.

Lisa Armorer shared this information with me:

Is your child bright but still struggling in school? It might not be laziness. It might be dyslexia.

Dyslexia affects 1 in 5 students today. Dyslexia is not just seeing words backwards. Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference and causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIA:

Delayed spoken language
Left/Right Confusion
Difficulty rhyming words and sounds
Poor sequencing of numbers and letters
Difficulty sounding out, identifying, and spelling words
Slow to memorize alphabet and math facts
Avoids reading aloud.
Difficulty with reading and comprehension.

For more information:

The International Dyslexia Association – www.interdys.org

Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators – www.ortonacademy.org

Special Guests:

Lisa Armorer, Learning Specialist, Swift School

Carol Madden, Middle Division Director, Swift School

Grant Meyer, 8th Grade Swift Student, President, Student Counsil

Mackenzie Day, 5th Grade Swift Student

Olivia Hall, 5th Grade Swift Student

Government Contractors Association, Modavate, Amyra Tutoring Services, and SuiteLife Systems

December 30, 2014 by CW

Midtown Business Radio

Government Contractors Association, Modavate, Amyra Tutoring Services, and SuiteLife Systems

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Government Contractors Association, Modavate, Amyra Tutoring Services, and SuiteLife Systems

I got to sit down with experts from Government Contractors Association, Modavate, Amyra Tutoring Services, and SuiteLife Systems this week. Recently on LinkedIn I read a great post by Abe Xiong, of Government Contractors Association. I related to much he shared in his article about his pleasant surprise encounter with a stranger who had hit his car while he was on a trip. The stranger who had bumped his fender was kind enough to leave their contact number and had already contacted their insurance company about the incident when he called. I thought it was a great story to share and that inspired me to look into what Government Contractors Association was all about. Given their expertise in the steps required to secure a contract with a government agency I thought it would be great to have him join us on the show. Abe shared some excellent information about the association and if you have a business that has a potential to grow through doing business with the government (as Abe points out, the largest customer in the world), membership with Government Contractors Association is a must. They provide coaching along the way and serve up an array of tips and information that increase the likelihood a company can successfully do business with a government agency.

Abe introduced us to Buki Opanuga, of Modavate. They’re a digital marketing and technology company. They help businesses develop a plan for and executing a marketing strategy across the full gamut of digital platforms. Their suite of services includes web design, SEO, SEM, social media marketing, and more. They work with a wide range of companies and even organizations such as CDC. Buki talked about how Modavate came to be and how they had hoped to grow by expanding to include government agencies as clients. She linked up with Government Contractors Association and took advantage of the helpful services they provide, ultmately becoming 8(a) Certified, which has lead to even more opportunity. She gives some great advice for business owners thinking about vying for a government contract.

Barbara Culp, of Amyra Tutorial Services, also a member of GCA and benefactor of their expertise, joined us to talk about their K-12 tutoring services. She shared how she became inspired to open her business and the meaning behind the name she chose. It’s clear she has a passion for helping children learn and now, by being able to effectively engage with the public school system, she is starting to see great potential for her company to grow.

Kenny Miller is the National Director of Sales for SuiteLife Systems. They offer a software solution that gives an enterprise a platform through which they can monitor mission-critical equipment for trouble in an effective, easy-to-use interface that lets their users achieve efficiencies in how they monitor/react to problems, and even how they consume power. Data their solution provides empowers users to moderate the way they manage their power consumption in ways that lead to substantial cost savings overnight. SuiteLife Systems solutions make sense for a wide variety of enterprises and even organizations like schools and churches that have large operations and/or media networks/content generation services.

Special Guests:

Abe Xiong, President of Government Contractors Association

Bachelors, Business Management, Minor in Leadership, Shorter College
Former President/Founder, Metro Furniture
Co-Founder, Fmr. President, Government Business Consultants
Fluent, Hmong

Buki Opanuga, CEO/Digital Marketing Strategist of Modavate

Masters, Internet Marketing, San Francisco University
Former Product Support Specialist, Onity
Successful Freelance Web Designer
Second Language, Yoruba

Barbara Culp, President of Amyra Tutorial Services

Certified National Trainer, Time To Teach
Former Clinical Supervisor, School of Education, Brenau University
Retired Principal, Atlanta Public Schools
MA, Education, Clark University

Kenny Miller, National Director of Sales of SuiteLife Systems and NFB Consulting

Former Senior Account Manager, Comprehensive Technical Group
Former Manager, Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers
Former Senior Account Manager, Niche Video Products

AirWatch – Top Docs Radio

December 27, 2014 by CW

Top Docs Radio

AirWatch - Top Docs Radio

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AirWatch by vmware

This week on TopDocsRADIO we sat down with Paul McRae of AirWatch by vmware. Healthcare is evolving. As information technology advances and our health laws change, greater importance is being placed on electronic health records. Today, digital data is flowing between departments in a hospital, to physician offices, to practitioners in the patients’ homes. The result is greater efficiency in coordination of care, easier collaboration across multi-specialty teams, and an increased risk of compromise of sensitive HIPAA-protected information.

AirWatch by vmware provides technology that allows healthcare organizations to protect sensitive data across their enterprise, including mobile devices and laptops that may be in use outside the confines of the building or campus of the health company. With their solution, the enterprise can determine whether certain data elements can be accessed by a given device (including BYOD), attachments can be included in outbound emails, and more.

If your organization is working to take advantage of the benefits of digital platforms and mobile devices then get to know AirWatch by vmware. You’ll give your company the strengths that come with digitized information coupled with the confidence your information will meet compliance requirements and stay safe in the hands of those its meant to be seen by.

Special Guests:

Paul McRae, Director of Business Development – Healthcare Solutions, AirWatch by vmware

BA Economics, Cornell University
Board Member, Warrick Dunn
Presenter, Georgia Healthcare Trade Faire & Regional Conference 2013
Former SCVP of Healthcare Emerging Technology, AT&T

Escalate

December 23, 2014 by CW

Midtown Business Radio

Escalate

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Escalate

This week I sat down with Chief Advocacy Officer, Stuart Sheldon, of Escalate. He talked about how Escalate delivers measurable value to their clients through two core Marketing competencies:

1. Experiential – Engage consumers/customers directly, through all five senses + emotion

2. Word-of-Mouth (including Social Media) – Who says what about you, and how can you get involved in the conversation?

as we engage people with meaningful, authentic brand experiences that begin and sustain brand love, amongst your raving fans…and beyond.

Why is it crucial? Because successful brands clearly can’t build brand loyalty (or a sustainable business) with just traditional marketing & media strategies and tactics when:

• An average consumer sees 3,000+ marketing messages a day

• 76% of consumers don’t believe companies tell the truth in ads

• 78% of consumers claim to trust information from other consumers more than any advertising source

• 19% of purchase decisions made only on personal recommendation, 86% at least partially

• Experiential + Word Of Mouth marketing efforts can deliver purchase intent as high as +60% vs. traditional efforts

While many of the firm’s clients are medium to large companies they also have success stories about small businesses they have helped to improve the way they engage their prospective customers, leading to growing sales.

Special Guest:

Stuart Sheldon, Chief Advocacy Officer at Escalate

BA, English and Journalism, Washington and Lee University
Former Senior Brand Manager, Coca Cola Company
Founder and Former Evangelist Prime, ConnectUs Marketing
2006 Coca-Cola North America Big, Bold & Inspiring Marketing award; Coca-Cola Worldwide Marketing Excellence award finalist.

Three Fantastic Female Entrepreneurs

December 16, 2014 by CW

Midtown Business Radio

Three Fantastic Female Entrepreneurs

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Three Fantastic Female Entrepreneurs

This week I got to sit down with Three Fantastic Entrepreneurs from the Atlanta area. Diana Keough, CEO and founder of ShareWIK Media Group (Share What I Know), LeeAnn Maxwell, Co-Founder of Vixen Vodka, and Lara Hodgson, multiple-time successful entrepreneur and CEO/Founder of NOWaccount. We talked about some of the challenges they faced as women launching their own businesses, hear what they believe helped them succeed as entrepreneurs, and advice they offer for women contemplating starting a business of their own. For the longest time most of us would envision a man when thinking “CEO” or “Doctor”, or even “Entrepreneur”. And, as our guests shared, many times they’re the only female CEO/Entrepreneur in a room full of men. Times are slowly but surely changing. And today many women are launching successful brands and businesses, some of which are now global brands.

ShareWIK Media Group is a licensed content-generating group, producing high quality, interesting content across all media types for use in population health management efforts, inbound marketing/branding, testimonial content, and pertinent health optimization content. Diana talked about her transition from a journalist for the Plains Dealer newspaper to a Chief Executive Officer in a leadership role. She says, “If you are not surrounding yourself with people who are better than you and open to the fact that you might be wrong; or they might have a better idea on how to do things, then you’re not going to grow.” Over the weeks since I met Diana I’ve had the opportunity to meet several of the folks who make up the team at ShareWIK and seen some of their work. I can tell you: if your organization or agency needs to move an initiative or your business forward and you rely heavily on engaging your target audience to drive awareness you MUST include ShareWIK Media Group on your shortlist of content providers. At their core, the people at ShareWIK Media Group are journalists with expertise across all media types. On top of journalistic skills they bring knowledge and expertise within the healthcare journalism space as well.

Vixen Vodka is an EXCELLENT vodka that was born out of a trip to St. Simons Island, GA where two friends, drinking cocktails by the pool, decided they should launch their own vodka, branded and tailored for women. As LeeAnn says, “We came home, sobered up, and remembered it was a great idea.” “A dream without action is merely a fantasy.” It took them 2 years from beach to shelf. She shared how she and her good friend (also a woman) broke into the spirits business, starting with ZERO knowledge of how to make vodka much less how to bring one to market. After being told her idea was fantastic by a business consultant he turned around and told them, “I’ll never work. The spirits industry is a Good Ol’ Boys network. Those men will chew you up and spit you out!” That was several years ago and now the brand is adding more states to the seven states where they’re currently sold.

NOWaccount got started as a solution to a problem Lara Hodgson encountered as an entrepreneur with an earlier business, the impact of not having access to cash that is tied up holding unpaid invoices, particularly when they aged for several weeks (or more). She firmly believes that a successful business needs to have people behind them who are providing the product/service to solve a particular problem for their customer more so than “to sell lots of ‘X’ and make lots of money because it’s a great product”. She said, “So many people come up with a great idea and they fall in love with the ‘What’. They fall in love with the widget or the product. And if your ego and your passion is in the product then they are going to woefully un-deliver. But if your ego and your passion are in the “So What?” and the impact and the problem you’re solving then the sky’s the limit.” NOWaccount is a merchant services company that provides the B2B company with access to capital by selling slower-paying invoice accounts within 2-5 days for basically the same cost as accepting a credit card. Their solution is invisible to their client’s customers, has no minimum time commitment, and includes only those accounts selected by the B2B they’re helping. The NOWaccount option gives businesses the capital they need to accept larger orders, add staff, often enabling them grow larger and faster than was possible before.

Special Guests:

Lara O’Connor-Hodgson, CEO of Nowaccount Network Corporation

MBA Harvard Business School
Former Adjunct Professor of Finance, Georgia Institute of Technology
Board of Directors, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority
Owner, Insomnia Group
Chairman of the Board, Atlanta Heights Charter School
Second Language–Japanese

Diana Keough, CEO/Founder of ShareWIK.com

Journalism Instructor/Guest Lecturer, Emory University
Member, Koles College of Business Advisory Board, Kennsaw State University
Former Front Page Series Writer, The Plain Dealer
Former Reporter/Commentator, WKSU
Co-author, “Building a Business, Building a Life: The Incredible Life of a Woman Business Owner”

LeeAnn Maxwell, CEO/Co-Founder of Vixen Vodka

28 years experience in finance sector
former Director, Client Services of AccousTech Music Productions
Crossfit fan
50% Firecracker
50% Do-It-Yourself Woman

International Medical Graduates – Top Docs Radio

December 10, 2014 by CW

Top Docs Radio

International Medical Graduates - Top Docs Radio

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International Medical Graduates

In our ongoing series with Medical Association of Georgia, we discussed International Medical Graduates on this episode. Today, we continue to extend the age to which we humans live. This, coupled with the large post-war baby boomer population that is now entering the elderly population, compounds the effects of the period 2-3 decades ago where it was thought we possessed a surplus of physicians. During that time the creation of new medical colleges and expansion of residency programs was limited. These factors combined to bring us to the situation we find ourselves in today: an expanding shortage of physicians in the US.

The ECFMG (Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) reports that since its inception in the 1950’s it has examined and certified over 320,000 foreign-trained physicians for acceptance to train in US medical colleges and residency programs. Recent statistics show as many as 25% of practicing physicians in the US are foreign-trained graduates. And they play a vital role in the delivery of healthcare in our country. I sat down with Kate Boyenga, Director of Membership and Marketing with Medical Association of Georgia and current MAG president, Dr. Manoj Shah, himself a foreign medical graduate.

We learned about some of the reasons why Medical Association of Georgia is experiencing its largest membership with over 7500 members statewide. And Dr. Shah shared excellent information about the steps required to study in medical school abroad with the ultimate goal of practicing medicine in the US. He talked about the tests one can expect to take, challenges they may face while making application to schools/residencies in the US, and possible solutions for them.

Special Guests:

Kate Boyenga, Director of Membership and Marketing for Medical Association of Georgia

BA Communication, College of Charleston
Under her leadership MAG Membership is at an all-time high
14 years with MAG

Dr. Manoj Shah, MD, of Physicians for Women and president of MAG

MAG’s first President from Warner Robins
MAG’s first president of East Indian descent
Doctor of Medicine, Baroda, India
Residency, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit
Has delivered more than 7,000 babies

CimCo, Voice At Large, and Fountainhead Consulting Group

December 9, 2014 by CW

Midtown Business Radio

CimCo, Voice At Large, and Fountainhead Consulting Group

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CimCo, Voice At Large, and Fountainhead Consulting Group

This week we sat down with B2B experts from CimCo, Voice At Large, and Fountainhead Consulting Group. Bill Plunk and wife, Deidre, founded CimCo Commercial Collections. After teaching in public school for a number of years, Bill made a professional change and entered the banking world. Early on he was tasked with collecting money on loan accounts that were delinquent. Prior to this assignment he had received no training in how to conduct collections calls so he decided he would try to do so in a manner he would hope someone would use if they called HIM to collect on a debt. It quickly became apparent his approach to contacting persons and businesses behind on payments was very effective. He was able to bring many accounts current that had been months (or more) behind, avoiding significant write-offs. He ultimately broke off and started his own company, CimCo Commercial Collections, providing the same courteous, respectful service to his clients and their delinquent customers. His typical results bring resolution on delinquent accounts within 90 days. And his approach to collections has inspired several of the businesses he was collecting on to become customers themselves; a true testament to how he goes about this challenging business.

Bill was kind enough to introduce us to our other guests, Randy Reeves and George Horrigan of Fountainhead Consulting Group. Randy comes from a long background as a dj and voice talent in broadcast radio, spending time in a number of radio stations. He saw an opportunity to become an independent voice actor for stations and various advertisers and for the last few years he has done just that. Listening to the broadcast it’s quickly apparent he has a voice that lends itself to radio and voice over functions. Along with a voice with qualities that make it right for voice talent work, he also brings a pleasant, professional demeanor, making him a great choice as a business partner for the company seeking voice-over talent.

George Horrigan is Founder and CEO of Fountainhead Consulting Group, Inc. which provides consultations on a full range of business planning and operation issues thus enabling you to “Work Less, Make More and Have Fun in Your Business” (the title of his soon-to-be-released book). George has personally has started and operated seven companies and understands the mindset and mentality of an entrepreneur thus giving him both professional and personal perspectives on creating a thriving business. From his over 25 years of experience of being a CPA and a business planner he has a proven track record of showing people step by step, how to grow and take their businesses to the next level by eliminating the guesswork, trial and error, and uncertainty that plague so many business owners. George also introduced us to his book, “Creating a Thriving Business”, aimed at helping the entrepreneurs reading it to do just that by addressing several key data points and strategies that he believes are vital to a successful business venture.

Special Guests:

Bill and Diedre Plunk of CimCo Commercial Collections

BS in Education, Minor in Business, Northeastern State University
Former Teacher and Coach, Oklahoma Public Schools
Board Member, River of Praise Ministries

Randy Reeves of Voice At Large

Can be heard frequently on Adult Contemporary and Country Stations
Voice talent for numerous TV and Radio ads
Recently ranked #14 on Benztown’s Top 50 Biggest Radio Voices of 2014

George Horrigan, Founder and CEO of Fountainhead Consulting Group

BBA Accounting, Cleveland State University
MS, Financial Information Systems, Cleveland State University
Author, “Creating a Thriving Business” and “Work Less, Make More, and Have Fun In Your Business”
Former Director of Information Systems, BET
Former Financial Services Consulting Manager, HBO & Company

Dr. Khusrow Niazi – Top Docs Radio

December 3, 2014 by CW

Top Docs Radio

Dr. Khusrow Niazi - Top Docs Radio

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Dr. Khusrow Niazi

This week I sat down with Emory School of Medicine’s Dr. Khusrow Niazi, Interventional Cardiologist and Director of Peripheral Vascular Interventions. Dr. Niazi is a cardiologist but is different from many other cardiologists as he treats disease from the head to toes. He specializes in blockages of the artery which may involve coronary arteries around the heart which may cause chest pain or heart attack, carotid arteries which may cause TIA or strokes, arteries to the leg which may cause leg discomfort or slow wound healing. In addition he is one of the few cardiologists who also treat veins of the legs which may cause leg cramps, swelling, heaviness or varicose veins. He has lectured nationally and internationally and has helped many patients from getting their legs amputated.

Dr. Niazi appeared with the goal of providing the folks in the community with a cardiologist’s perspective on what they need to know about vascular disease which can affect the arteries that supply the brain, heart, and limbs. We talked about things we can do to reduce our risk of disease in the vascular system. He also shared recommendations on the types of tests and studies that folks who are at greater risk for vascular disease should consider having conducted. Many of these tests are quite basic and can be performed at their local primary care physician’s office. Persons who should consider regular monitoring for the presence of vascular disease include those who are over-weight, have diabetes, high cholesterol levels, hypertension, as well as those who have close relatives with a history of vascular problems.

Dr. Niazi advised our listeners to not ignore symptoms that might indicate a vascular problem exists such as chest tightness/pain, dizzy spells or changes in vision, speech, or ability to walk, pain in the lower legs when walking, shortness of breath at rest or with mild activity, etc. These can be signs that vascular problems exist that could potentially be corrected with early intervention. He also spoke about the fact that persons who have a wound on their lower leg or foot need to be evaluated for the presence of correctable vascular disease. Many of these people go on to have amputations when they may have been prevented by intervention by a vascular specialist.

Special Guest:

Dr. Khusrow Niazi, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine