Scottsdale, Arizona

Practitioner and award winning clinical instructor, Louis Kuritzky, MD, reviews a variety of clinically relevant items that, despite their utility, are not well known. His discussion includes use of carvedilol to treat rosacea, assessing osteoporosis risk in men via the MORES score, exercise as a depression treatment, efficacy and risks of supplements, timing the start of combined oral contraception, the association between diagonal earlobe crease and coronary artery disease, treating Schamberg's disease with pentoxifylline, and the causal link between proton pump inhibitors and hypomagnesemia.

Healthcare offices are particularly vulnerable to embezzlement from both external and internal sources. Attorney Ike Z. Devji, Esq. reviews areas of risk, common scams, the telltale signs of fraud and those committing it, as well as the policies, procedures and other safeguards available to minimize exposure to this type of theft.

Henry Ford Hospital System liver transplant director, Dilip Moonka, MD, FAST, FAASLD, offers valuable insights for interpreting liver function tests by exploring purposes of LFTs, types of patients presenting with liver injury, liver enzymes, patterns of hepatic injury, test markers and common causes of liver function abnormalities.

Nationally renowned practice management speaker, consultant, and author, Elizabeth Woodcock, MBA, FACMPE, CPC, highlights the economic imperative of collecting patient responsible fees and then describes practices and policies which will maximize the likelihood of doing so before the patient leaves the office. Areas discussed include financial clearance as well as pre-visit and time-of-service communications and practices.

The U.S. leads the world in healthcare expenditure but trails in health outcomes. Internationally renowned physiologist and cardiac rehabilitation expert, Barry D. Franklin, MD, reviews the research linking morbidity with lifestyle behaviors and proactive protective pharmacotherapy. Areas covered include physical exercise, cardio protective diets and medications, worksite wellness, environmental factors, body fat, sleep and more.

Attorney and financial management expert, David B. Mandell, JD, MBA, reviews a number of risks associated with professional practice and explores behaviors which can reduce these vulnerabilities as well as financial and legal tools available to reduce financial exposure by protecting professional and personal assets. Areas covered include protective benefit plans, retirement plans, charging orders and optimum asset ownership structures.

Professor of Pharmacy and Family Medicine, C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, in this first installment of a two-part talk reviews six immunization updates from the CDC, as well as a number of new FDA-approved cholesterol drugs and updated lipid guidelines.

Licensed physician and practicing attorney, Andrew M. Knoll, MD, JD, leverages his multi-discipline experience to explore the medical malpractice litigation process and the legal concepts and objectives underlying it. In part one of this two-part talk, Dr. Knoll discusses professional liability insurance variations and idiosyncrasies, the four elements of a negligence claim, informed consent and entity liability.

Joseph W. Shannon, PhD, draws on over 30 years of clinical psychological counseling experience to provide a nuts and bolts exploration of the seven core characteristics of unreasonable people, pathways to reasoning with these types of patients, and six key strategies for handling difficult conversations with them and their family members.

Josh Umbehr, MD, family practitioner and founder of Direct Patient Care Practice, Atlas MD, looks at the challenges presented by the traditional insurance-based practice model and contrasts it with the direct care structure. Areas covered include lab, medication and ancillary service patient savings, patient base reduction, quality of care and physician lifestyle impact, the fee-for-service transition, continuity of care, patient time vs. computer time, legal issues, the Medicare opt-out option and sub-specialty applicability.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeon licensed to practice both dentistry and medicine, Jeffrey O. Capes, MD, DMD, explores one of the leading causes of ER admissions: odontogenic infections. This first installation of his two-part talk reviews patient presentation, etiology, stage assessment, indications for referral, lab and radiographic evaluation, the microbiology, and surgical treatment options including when incision and drainage is appropriate.

Practicing family physician and former domestic abuse researcher, Rebecca Jaffe, MD, MPH, discusses the nature and scope of child abuse and the medical response to it. Areas covered include legal reporting requirements, risk factors, telltale physical and emotional signs of abuse, the TEN-4 rule, continuity of care implications and more.

Evidence-based medicine instructor, C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, completes his two-part update with a review of new guidelines and newly FDA-approved drugs, their dosing, benefits, risks and cost. Therapies discussed include those relating to Asthma, COPD and Type 2 Diabetes.

Practice management expert and Wharton MBA, Elizabeth Woodcock, FACMPE, CPC, returns to complete her discussion on optimizing fee collection with a look at practices and policies employed after the patient leaves your office. Topics explored include charge capture and finalization; insurance follow-up; account audit; payment monitoring; bad debt avoidance and performance monitoring.

Physician and oral surgeon, Jeffrey O. Capes, MD, DMD, draws on his multi-disciplinary background to present the second installation of his two-part presentation. After quickly reviewing key points of his first talk he then focuses on antibiotic therapy discussing proper drug selection referencing toxicity and cost considerations, treatment duration, compliance issues, risk factors and patient follow-up as well as the implications of a recently published study of microflora in maxillofacial infections.

Practicing attorney and former internist and emergency room physician, Andrew M. Knoll, MD, JD, returns to lay out the litigation process from medical record request to verdict. Topics covered include service of the complaint, proper interaction with insurance carrier and the attorney they provide, the discovery process, expert and defendant physician testimony, settlement negotiations, courtroom proceedings, and independent legal counsel.

Family practitioner and academician, Louis Kuritzky, MD, explores DM2 treatment recommendations and goals specific to older adults. Areas discussed include relaxed A1c goals, parity between glycemic and non-glycemic goals, potentially increased priority of newer therapeutic options, the role of SGLT2 and GLP1 agents, aspirin efficacy, diagnosing diabetic neuropathy and more.

Karate black belt holder, founder of Kids Kicking Cancer and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Rabbi E. Goldberg, explores nociceptive, neuropathic and psychogenic pain and its catastrophization. He then discusses martial arts inspired breathing and meditative techniques to reduce pain pathways and overcome pain syndrome.

Practicing Neurologist, Natan Khishchenko, MD, MBA, reviews neurologic emergencies based on the area of the nervous system affected, presentation, differential diagnosis and acute management. Conditions discussed include stroke and other vascular disorders, status epilepticus, spinal cord compression, Guillain-Barre Syndrome and myasthenic crisis.

Physician and practice management consultant, Richard A. Honaker, MD, FAACP, explores the concept of patient engagement in their own healthcare and its impact on both treatment outcomes and practice bottom line. Topics discussed include doctor-patient rapport, office environment, communication skills, symptom list control, scheduling and recall systems, patient portals, perceived provider quality and more.