Scottsdale, Arizona

Malpractice defense specialist, Robert P. Siemion, Esq., draws on a career spanning 45 years and 10,000 cases to layout the elements and stages of a medical malpractice suit, and then reviews common mistakes made by physicians as both practitioners and defendants and ways to avoid them. Areas covered include the prima facie case, deposition do’s and don’ts, record production; medical record keeping, prescription documentation, testing follow-up; the physician-patient relationship and much more.

Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. with 5.7 million Americans affected and climbing. Former American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry president, Allan A. Anderson, MD, MMM, CMD, DFAPA, discusses techniques for interacting with afflicted patients, the disease’s history, pathology and differential diagnosis, as well as the evaluation and management of neuropsychiatric syndromes common in dementia victims.

Joseph W. Shannon, PhD, draws on over 30 years of clinical psychological counseling experience to provide a nuts and bolts exploration of the core characteristics of unreasonable people, common legal and ethical problems inherent in treating such patients, as well as practical and specific strategies for avoiding these pitfalls.

Cullen Ruff, MD, a board-certified radiologist in active practice for over 20 years, reviews a selection of commonly utilized imaging modalities and techniques. Areas covered include proper contrast usage with CT and MRI, contrast allergy issues, indications for abdominal and pelvic MRI, advances in breast imaging in addition to other non-invasive cancer screening protocols.

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 the lack of health benefits of moderate daily alcohol intake; differentiating dementing disorders using Lewy Body Composite Risk Score; Hydralazaine-induced lupus; Vitamin C to reduce post conversion atrial fibrillation recurrence; treating infant colic with Lactobacillus reuteri; Baclofen to treat opioid withdrawal; and opioid-induced androgen deficiency.

Asset protection specialist, Ike Z. Devji, Esq., draws on his experience with over a thousand physician clients to fully define the term “asset protection”, review myriad areas of exposure for both professional and personal assets and then offer a proactive approach to the implementation of practices, legal structures and planning, and professional behaviors designed to minimize financial risk. Areas covered include compliance culture, specific malpractice, business and personal risks, types of insurance coverage, and common asset protection mistakes.

Leading pain researcher and professor of anesthesiology, medicine and psychiatry, Daniel J. Clauw, MD, explains the applications, risks and benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids in pain management. Areas explored include the endocannabinoid system, THC, CBD, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, administration routes, and nociceptive vs. centralized vs neuropathic pain.

Being a defendant in a medical malpractice claim is inherently stressful both during and after the litigation process. Surviving a Malpractice Suit author, Thomas P. Cox, ARM, explains the elements of a negligence case, the reasons for related stress and why physicians are particularly susceptible to it, and ways in which practitioners can reduce the likelihood of being sued.

In 2018 the American Diabetes Association included specific advice about progressive pharmacotherapy for type 2 diabetes suggesting agents with proven cardiovascular risk reduction form the foundation of diabetes treatment. Family practitioner and academic, Louis Kuritzky, MD, explores these new guidelines including treatment goals, recommendations and outcomes.

Financial stress, an unhelpful distraction from patient care and an oft cited factor in professional burnout, can be reduced in part through more effective retirement planning. Practicing attorney and financial management expert, David B. Mandell, JD, MBA, reviews the pros and cons of the various benefit planning vehicles for both employed professionals and those in private practice.

Lack of medication adherence has been characterized as an “out-of-control epidemic” which is almost fully preventable by the very people it afflicts. Professor of pharmacy and family medicine, C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, looks at the reasons for nonadherence, the associated economic and clinical costs and specific ways in which practitioners and patients can address this major healthcare threat.

Family practice veteran of over 30 years, Richard A. Honaker, MD, FAAFP, surveys the waterfront of healthcare office risk and offers practical advice to mitigate it. Areas discussed include the most common causes of medical malpractice claims, office-based patient safety concerns, third party payor issues, regulatory risk and more.

Clinician, renown international speaker and medical school instructor, Louis Kuritzky, MD, distinguishes between primary and secondary prevention and then draws on clinical trials and accepted recommendations to assess the efficacy and risk/reward profile of aspirin as a primary prevention agent for cardiovascular disease, stroke and colon cancer.

Chronic stress, manifested by the continual release of adrenal glucorticoids and other hormones, is recognized as a leading factor in morbidity and mortality and is even credited with epigenetic impact. Karate black belt holder, founder of Kids Kicking Cancer and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, explores the nature and impact of stress and then offers martial art inspired breathing and meditative approaches proven effective in its amelioration.

Chest X-rays are among the most widely utilized medical studies yet they are difficult to interpret. Board-certified, veteran radiologist, Cullen Ruff, MD, offers a helpful and wide-ranging review of chest radiographs for common clinical conditions such as pneumonia, lung cancer, pneumothorax, trauma and more.

Practice management expert and Wharton MBA, Elizabeth W. Woodcock, FACMPE, CPC, takes a hard look at the patient visit from entering the office until exiting it and offers practical advice for its optimization and thus improving patient satisfaction and practice profitability. Areas covered include key communication performance metrics; test results and medications management; day, session and patient preparation; pre-appointment testing; in-bound call analysis; the “flowstation”; tracking boards; small batching and time based coding.

Practicing cardiologist and cardiac health author, Joel Kahn, MD, FACC, discusses nutrient technology and then explains how a fasting mimicking diet can reduce the activity of aging pathways and promote resilience, longevity as well as protection from disease.

After reviewing the steps of the litigation process from bad outcome to claim to trial, malpractice insurance expert, Thomas P. Cox, ARM, takes a deep dive into the nature of the stress experienced by defendant physicians and specific methods for managing it successfully.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Daniel G. Pompa, DDS, reviews the prevalence and impact of diabetes mellitus and then explores its connection to oral health, in particular the bidirectional relationship between it and periodontal disease now considered both the 6th complication and an early clinical manifestation of diabetes and even pre-diabetes.

Josh Umbehr, MD, family practitioner and founder of direct care practice, Atlas MD, reviews this model’s points of departure from the traditional insurance-based environment and then explores ways in which to grow and enhance the sophistication of the direct care office. Areas discussed include marketing via social media and otherwise, adding providers, gauging patient satisfaction, enhancing benefits offerings, negotiating vendor cash rates, and working with employers and insurance agents.