Podcast
MGMA Podcasts
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Welcome to the MGMA Podcast Network, your gateway to insightful discussions and expert analysis on key topics in healthcare management. Dive into a diverse array of shows tailored to meet the interests and needs of healthcare professionals like you.
Explore the experiences and perspectives of trailblazing women in healthcare on "Women in Healthcare," or discover innovative strategies and solutions for your practice on "Business Solutions." Stay updated on the latest industry trends and news with "Week in Review," and gain valuable insights from industry leaders and MGMA members on "Member Spotlight." Don't miss our flagship show, "MGMA Insights," where we delve deep into the most pressing issues facing healthcare organizations today.
Whether you're seeking inspiration, practical advice, or in-depth analysis, the MGMA Podcast Network is your trusted companion on your journey towards excellence in healthcare management. Tune in and join the conversation today!
34episodes
Episodes
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MGMA DataDive, Done Right: Understanding Provider Compensation with Data Experts Jennifer Sanchez and Liz Gurley
2w ago00:36:52Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams sits down with Jennifer Sanchez and Liz Gurley, data experts at MGMA, to kick off a limited series focused on MGMA data — how it’s collected, how it’s used, and how medical groups can apply it with confidence. The conversation starts with one of MGMA’s most widely used — and most frequently misunderstood — datasets: MGMA Provider Compensation. Together, they unpack what DataDive is (and isn’t), how benchmarking really works, why percentiles cause so much confusion, and how leaders can use compensation and productivity data to support providers without turning benchmarks into prescriptions.Episode TakeawaysWhat MGMA DataDive actually is — A national benchmarking platform built from annual survey data across private practices, health systems, and large organizations, designed to help groups compare compensation, productivity, and financial performance against true peers.Why provider compensation data is often misunderstood — MGMA does not tell practices what they should pay or produce; the data provides context and comparison, not mandates or targets.How organizations really use the data — From contract negotiations and physician recruitment to internal KPI tracking, productivity analysis, and leadership decision-making across multiple roles.Why the data lags by a year — and why that matters — Annualized, validated data allows for accuracy, consistency, and meaningful peer comparison, even if it’s not real-time.Percentiles explained without the math headache — The 50th percentile is simply the median, not a goalpost. Half of organizations fall above it, half below it, and neither position is inherently good or bad.There is no “right” percentile — Compensation philosophy varies by organization, specialty, geography, provider tenure, and strategy. Best practice is starting at the median and asking why you fall where you do.Why compensation and productivity must be viewed together — Looking at total compensation without work RVUs, encounters, or collections can lead to misleading conclusions and unproductive conversations.Tools that make benchmarking actionable — Features like the Provider Report Card, pay-to-production plotter, and upcoming Procedural Profile Platform help practices move from raw data to informed discussions and strategy.ResourcesConnect with Liz Gurley on LinkedInConnect with Jennifer Sanchez on LinkedIn MGMA DataDive Collection MGMA Provider Compensation Data MGMA Procedural Profile MGMA Podcast NetworkEmail us at dwilliams@mgma.com if you would like to appear on an episode. If you have a question about your practice that you would like us to answer, send an email to advisor@mgma.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to our network wherever you get your podcasts! This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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Beyond the “Partnership Track” and What Physicians Expect Now — A Conversation with Tara Ossek and Matt Phillips
3w ago00:30:12Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams sits down with Tara Ossek, Senior Vice President of Recruiting at Jackson Physician Search, and Matt Phillips, Managing Director at City Capital Advisors to examine the growing pressure points reshaping physician partnership models and private practice ownership.Drawing from conversations with physicians and practice leaders across the country, Tara and Matt discuss why recruiting and ownership strategy can no longer happen in separate silos. They break down what today’s physician candidates actually want from partnership, why vague promises around buy-ins and governance are falling flat, and how practices that delay succession and ownership planning risk losing both recruits and long-term stability.Episode takeawaysEarly-career physicians still value partnership, but they evaluate it like a business decision — weighing debt, lifestyle, governance, and risk alongside compensation.Vague language like “great partnership track” no longer resonates; candidates expect specific timelines, costs, expectations, and outcomes.Ownership conversations often happen too late, triggered by looming retirements or recruiting crises rather than proactive planning.Practices can’t maximize retiring partner payouts, keep buy-ins affordable, and reinvest heavily in growth at the same time — trade-offs are unavoidable and must be acknowledged.Confusion arises when practices defer ownership discussions or oversell partnership benefits that don’t align with contract language.Modern ownership structures — including LLCs, MSOs, and hybrid models — offer far more flexibility than traditional models, if practices are willing to reexamine legacy assumptions.A written, transparent FAQ addressing buy-in, timing, economics, governance, and exit scenarios can significantly improve recruiting outcomes.Succession planning and physician leadership development are no longer optional — they are foundational to long-term independence and stability.ResourcesConnect with Tara on LinkedInConnect with Matt on LinkedInJackson Physician Search City Capital Advisors"Is your practice telling the best story it can for physician partner recruitment?" (MGMA Insights Article - RE: Jackson Physician Report) "The significance of the partnership agreement in private practice and trends in medical practice ownership" (MGMA Insights Article)MGMA ConferencesMGMA DataDiveEmail us at dwilliams@mgma.com if you would like to appear on an episode. If you have a question about your practice that you would like us to answer, send an email to advisor@mgma.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to our network wherever you get your podcasts! This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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"More Guts Than Brains" — Resilience, Reinvention, and Lifelong Learning with MGMA Fellow Pat Kroken
4w ago00:27:59Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams has a wide‑ranging conversation with Pat Kroken — MGMA Fellow, healthcare communications leader, and competitive powerlifter — about resilience, career reinvention, and the unexpected paths that shape leadership in healthcare. From books and community learning to recovering from a life‑altering injury and competing on the world stage, Pat shares stories and lessons that resonate far beyond titles or job descriptions.Episode TakeawaysA lifelong love of reading can become a professional advantage — especially when paired with community discussion and shared perspectives, as seen in the MGMA Book Club.Careers in healthcare don’t always begin with a plan — sometimes they begin with a phone call, transferable skills, and the willingness to say yes.MGMA involvement at the state and national levels can accelerate learning, expand professional networks, and open leadership opportunities early in a healthcare career.The FACMPE provides structure, credibility, and confidence — particularly for professionals entering healthcare from other industries.Resilience is often learned through adversity; trusting the process can be essential when navigating injury, recovery, or major life transitions.Strength training and competitive powerlifting taught discipline, risk‑taking, and mental toughness that translated directly into leadership and career growth.Community learning — whether through book discussions or professional associations — offers insights and perspectives that individual study alone cannot provide.Pushing personal limits, even without a clear end goal, can unlock opportunities and capabilities you never imagined possible.Related Resources Connect with Pat on LinkedInUSA Powerlifting (USAPL) - the organization Pat competed withThe Resilience Factor by Karen Reivich, PhD, and Andrew Shatté, PhDMGMA Book ClubFACMPE certification MGMA Podcast NetworkEmail us at dwilliams@mgma.com if you would like to appear on an episode. If you have a question about your practice that you would like us to answer, send an email to advisor@mgma.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to our network wherever you get your podcasts! This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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Leading Through Change, Staying Grounded in Purpose — A Conversation with Melanie Stohl, Chair of Minnesota MGMA Board
May 1300:28:57Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams sits down with Melanie Stohl, director of pediatrics for the Pediatric Service Line at M Health Fairview and current chair of the Minnesota MGMA board. Melanie shares her leadership journey — from revenue cycle beginnings to executive-level leadership — and reflects on guiding teams through organizational transition, community crisis, and ongoing change while keeping patients, staff, and mission at the center of the work.Episode takeawaysMelanie Stohl’s career path highlights the power of lifelong learning, including earning her bachelor’s degree later in life and completing a healthcare-focused MBA while leading large, complex teams.Hands-on experience across front desk operations, coding, credentialing, rooming, and leadership roles gave Melanie a system-wide perspective — helping her anticipate downstream impacts and advocate for smarter operational decisions.At M Health Fairview, Melanie oversees pediatric specialty care across roughly 27 specialties and multiple clinic entities, balancing hospital-based and freestanding clinic models.Melanie discusses leading teams through significant organizational change as University of Minnesota Physicians transitioned employment structures, emphasizing transparency, listening, and anchoring teams to the shared mission.During periods of community unrest, daily leadership huddles, open forums, and frequent communication helped create psychological safety — even when leaders didn’t yet have answers.Patient safety and access remained a priority, with teams quickly adapting through virtual visits, alternate locations, and flexible workflows when patients felt unsafe traveling to certain sites.As chair of Minnesota MGMA, Melanie is focused on growing a small but mighty chapter through monthly “power hours,” in-person engagement, and creating space for candid peer-to-peer learning.A consistent theme throughout the conversation is servant leadership — showing up as human first, leader second, and trusting that culture and purpose carry teams through uncertainty.ResourcesConnect with Melanie on LinkedInMGMA Membership and CommunitiesMGMA Education and EventsMGMA Insights Podcast NetworkEmail us at dwilliams@mgma.com if you would like to appear on an episode. If you have a question about your practice that you would like us to answer, send an email to advisor@mgma.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our network wherever you get your podcasts! This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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Reflecting on 100 Years of MGMA | Leadership, Change, and What Comes Next
May 600:43:31Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams sits down with Dave Gans, longtime MGMA leader and historian, and Akash Madiah, MGMA’s acting CEO, to mark a major milestone — 100 years of MGMA. Together, they reflect on MGMA’s origins in 1926, the enduring role of the medical practice administrator, and how the association is positioning itself to support medical practice leaders through the next century of change.Episode TakeawaysMGMA was founded on a simple but powerful idea — medical practice leaders are stronger when they share challenges, data, and solutions rather than operating in isolation.Many of today’s administrative challenges — staffing, overhead, collections, physician–administrator alignment — were already being discussed at MGMA’s very first meeting in 1926.Despite sweeping clinical and technological change, the core role of the practice administrator has remained remarkably consistent for a century.The physician–administrator partnership is central to effective group practice management and remains one of MGMA’s defining principles.MGMA’s impact is deeply personal — members routinely credit the organization’s data, education, and community with helping them improve performance, advance careers, and navigate uncertainty.Conferences and peer networks remain one of MGMA’s most valuable assets, offering real-world insight that goes beyond sessions and speakers.As MGMA enters its second century, the focus is on staying outward-facing — listening to members, evolving content and data, and addressing emerging challenges like AI and administrative burden.The centennial is both a celebration and a call to action — honoring what has endured while actively shaping what comes next for medical practice management.ResourcesConnect with Dave Gans on LinkedInConnect with Akash Madiah on LinkedIn A Century of Progress? - MGMA DataDive article by Dave GansMGMA Annual Conference (Centennial Special)MGMA Data ResourcesMGMA Advocacy EffortsMGMA Membership Email us at dwilliams@mgma.com if you would like to appear on an episode. If you have a question about your practice that you would like us to answer, send an email to advisor@mgma.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our network wherever you get your podcasts! This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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Thirty Years, One Practice, and a People‑First Mindset — a conversation with practice administrator Tawnya Capps
Apr 2900:33:07Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams sits down with Tawnya Capps, CMPE, ACMPE, practice administrator at Colorado Cardiovascular Surgical Associates. In this MGMA member spotlight, Tawnya reflects on nearly 30 years in the same practice — starting at the front desk and eventually stepping into executive leadership. The conversation explores servant leadership, building trust through empathy, the value of professional networking, and what it means to model resilience and confidence for the next generation.Episode takeawaysThere’s power in growing up inside a practice. Having worked in nearly every role — front desk, billing, coding, HR, scheduling, and leadership — Tawnya brings deep operational empathy and credibility to her administrator role.Leadership doesn’t mean distancing yourself from the work. Stepping in to check in patients or cover gaps isn’t symbolic — it’s practical, culture‑building, and reinforces that every role in a practice matters.Careers don’t always start with a master plan. Tawnya’s path into leadership was shaped by curiosity, timing, and opportunity — not a rigid roadmap — underscoring the value of saying yes to learning.Confidence often follows validation. Earning the CMPE and later ACMPE fellowship helped Tawnya recognize that the work she was already doing day in and day out truly mattered and met a national standard.Networking reduces isolation. MGMA conferences and chapter involvement created a sense of community — a reminder that most practice leaders are facing similar challenges, especially in today’s hybrid and high‑pressure environment.Women’s leadership has evolved — and visibility matters. Seeing more women in senior roles helped Tawnya envision herself as a leader and motivated her to mentor others coming up behind her.Family and leadership are deeply connected. As a working mother raising two daughters, Tawnya’s professional resilience and growth were inseparable from her role as a parent and role model.Presence builds trust. Whether in the office, at a conference, or on a board, showing up — consistently and authentically — is a through‑line in Tawnya’s approach to leadership.Related ResourcesConnect with Tawnya Capps on LinkedInColorado Cardiovascular Surgical AssociatesMGMA Certification MGMA Conferences and EventsMGMA Membership and Local ChaptersMGMA Insights Podcast Network This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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AI by Design in Healthcare: Rethinking the EHR from the Ground Up, with Greenway Health's Dr. Michael Blackman
Apr 2200:24:18Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Business Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams, sits down with Dr. Michael Blackman, Chief Medical Officer at Greenway Health, to explore how artificial intelligence is moving beyond standalone tools and becoming embedded directly into core healthcare technology platforms. Drawing on his clinical background and health IT leadership experience at organizations like Allscripts, McKesson, and now Greenway, Dr. Blackman shares what an “AI by design” approach really means for medical practices — spanning documentation, operations, revenue cycle performance, and team-based care.Episode TakeawaysAI has reached a tipping point in real-world use. While artificial intelligence has existed in healthcare for years, the last 24 months have brought practical, scalable tools — like ambient documentation — that clinicians are actively using in day-to-day practice.Ambient documentation is on track to become standard of care. Dr. Blackman likens today’s ambient documentation tools to the early days of e-prescribing: not yet universal, but increasingly inevitable as accuracy improves and costs decline.Layering tools on top of tools doesn’t work. Adding AI as yet another bolt-on solution can create fragmented workflows and added burden. True value comes when AI is integrated directly into the core platform and designed around how practices actually work.“AI by design” means rethinking the platform, not just the features. Rather than retrofitting legacy EHRs, this approach starts from the ground up — asking what can be automated, where AI adds real value, and how workflows can be simplified end to end.Operational strain touches every part of the practice. From staffing shortages and documentation demands to prior authorizations, patient messages, and claim denials, AI can help reduce friction by automating routine tasks and preventing downstream problems.Better documentation upstream improves revenue cycle performance downstream. AI-assisted documentation and coding suggestions can reduce errors, lower denial rates, and allow billing teams to focus on more complex cases instead of rework.AI is an assistant, not a replacement. Trust-but-verify remains essential. Human oversight ensures safety and accuracy — especially when it comes to orders, medications, and clinical decision-making.Success ultimately shows up in people, not technology. The real measure of AI by design is whether clinicians and staff feel the system is working for them — freeing time, reducing frustration, and allowing them to focus on meaningful work and patient care.Related ResourcesConnect with Dr. Blackman on LinkedInGreenway Health Greenway Health's NovareMGMA resources on operations management This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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What Practice Leaders Need to Know About Today’s Compliance Risks with Michelle Wright
Apr 1500:32:14Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, Host and Sr. Editor Daniel Williams, sits down with Michelle Wright, strategic advisor and board director with more than 30 years of experience across payers and providers.Michelle shares lessons from her career spanning actuarial science, health plan leadership, provider operations, and board service — offering a candid look at why smart strategies often fail in execution. The conversation explores accountability, governance, and change management in healthcare organizations, emerging compliance and enforcement trends, and Michelle’s deeply personal advocacy work focused on access to care for individuals with profound autism.Episode TakeawaysExecution — not strategy — is where organizations struggle most. Even well-designed strategies falter without clear ownership, follow‑through, and ongoing performance monitoring.Accountability must be explicit. Projects involving AI, revenue cycle, quality, or operations often touch multiple departments, but success depends on clearly defining who owns outcomes from start to finish.Governance is the connective tissue. Effective governance helps organizations document decisions, clarify expectations, and sustain progress beyond individual leaders or initiatives.Change management is consistently underestimated. Leaders often acknowledge its importance but fail to invest the time and structure required to truly change behaviors—especially during periods of stress.Operators and providers aren’t misaligned — they’re under pressure. Close working relationships can create communication blind spots that surface during change initiatives, making listening and translation critical leadership skills.Compliance risk is evolving, not disappearing. Enforcement trends are shifting as regulators increasingly use data analytics and AI to identify patterns, even when underlying rules haven’t changed.AI tools introduce new compliance considerations. Documentation, coding, and workflow automation can unintentionally create risk if organizations don’t monitor how these tools affect claims and clinical records.Access to care for individuals with profound autism remains a systemic gap. Despite significant research funding for autism overall, those with the most severe needs remain underserved in clinical care, research, and policy.ResourcesConnect with Michelle on LinkedInEpstein Becker GreenNational Council for Severe Autism(Upcoming!) Practice Compliance in 2026: Regulatory Updates, Enforcement Trends, and Leadership Priorities — Join Michelle and attorneys from Epstein Becker Green on April 22 for the first session in MGMA’s member-exclusive, semi‑annual compliance webinar series, covering key HIPAA updates, enforcement trends, AI and Health IT risks, and practical compliance priorities for medical practices. This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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From Capitol Hill to the Clinic: Incoming MGMA Board Chair Jeff Smith on Burnout, Prior Authorization, and the Future of Care
Apr 800:33:11Tap to summarizeThis episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast opens with Jeff Smith, CEO of Piedmont Healthcare and MGMA’s incoming board chair, delivering testimony before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. Speaking on behalf of MGMA members, Jeff laid out the real-world consequences of administrative burden — from prior authorization and regulatory pressure to physician burnout, staffing strain, and threats to patient access.Following the opening testimony, Jeff joins host Daniel Williams, Sr. Editor at MGMA, for a wide-ranging conversation that expands on those themes, exploring what policymakers often miss, how payment and workforce challenges are reshaping independent practice, and what it will take to reduce burnout and let physicians — and their teams — focus on caring for patients again.Episode TakeawaysBurnout is no longer theoretical — it’s driving physicians out of practice. In MGMA’s 2026 administrative burden survey, more than half of responding practices reported losing a physician to burnout in the past three years, with over 75% citing regulatory burden as a major contributor.Prior authorization is compounding workforce and access problems. More authorizations and denials increase staff workload, push physicians into unpaid administrative work, and delay or prevent patient care — often leading to higher downstream costs when patients end up sicker in the ER or hospital.Payment policy and administrative skepticism are sending mixed signals to physicians. While E&M codes have increased, physicians feel continuously second-guessed through audits, measures, and utilization controls — undermining the message that they are truly the “quarterbacks of care.”Primary care faces a pipeline problem. Medical students increasingly choose higher-paying specialties, leaving fewer physicians entering family medicine and internal medicine. Without incentives and reduced administrative burden, access gaps will continue to widen.Front desk staff may have the hardest job in health care. Jeff highlights that burnout isn’t limited to clinicians. Front-line staff are expected to be insurance experts, mental health buffers, and patient advocates—all while navigating HIPAA and frequent conflict.Congress is listening—but complexity remains a barrier. During Senate testimony, burnout resonated clearly across party lines. However, programs like MIPS and the Quality Payment Program are often difficult for policymakers to fully grasp, even as they shape daily practice operations.Inadequate Medicare updates threaten independent practice viability. Without inflationary payment adjustments — unlike hospitals — physician practices are squeezed financially, fueling consolidation and making it harder for small and mid-sized groups to survive.If reform starts anywhere, start with predictable, fair payment updates. Jeff argues that a reasonable annual Medicare update would relieve constant financial anxiety, allowing physicians to focus on patient care rather than volume, survival, or selling their practices.Jeff SmithContact Jeff on LinkedIn Jeff's full U.S. Senate testimony (YouTube video) - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Feb. 11 , 2026.Related ResourcesMGMA member‑exclusive Medical Practice Staffing Solutions Playbook - practical strategies to recruit, onboard, and retain staff across the full employment lifecycle in today’s competitive labor market.Managing physician transitions for long-term team building (MGMA Insight article) - how to manage physician departures and coverage‑critical transitions in ways that protect operations, staff morale, and long‑term team stability.Rebuilding trust in revenue cycle teams after turnover and burnout in critical access hospitals (MGMA Insight article) - how leadership stability and psychological safety are essential to restoring performance and trust in revenue cycle teams after prolonged turnover and burnoutUpcoming! How One Organization Connected the Pieces of Workforce Operations (MGMA webinar)- An upcoming fireside chat on reducing administrative burden by streamlining scheduling, time tracking, payroll, and credentialing across a multi‑site practice (April 30, 2026). This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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Benefits‑Based Medicine: Rethinking Guidelines, Evidence, and Patient Decision‑Making with Brian Gietzen
Apr 100:25:07Tap to summarizeOn this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams, senior editor at MGMA, welcomes Brian Gietzen, MD, medical director at Legacy Medical Group, for a thoughtful conversation on a care philosophy his practice calls benefits‑based medicine.Dr. Gietzen shares how this approach challenges the limits of rigid guideline‑driven care by reframing clinical conversations around evidence and real‑world relevance. Drawing from his experience in internal medicine and geriatric care across southeast Michigan, he explains how a more contextual, patient‑centered dialogue helps patients better navigate treatment choices, preventive care, and questions around risk — without pressure or assumptions.Key TakeawaysClinical guidelines offer direction, but not always clarity. While they provide a foundation, Dr. Gietzen explains why stopping at guidelines alone can overlook individual priorities, risks and lived realities.Outcomes matter more than checkboxes. Conversations shift meaningfully when success is defined by whether an intervention actually prevents harm — not simply whether a lab value or benchmark improves.Evidence becomes more useful when put in context. Understanding what an intervention was shown to improve, who was studied and how meaningful the benefit was allows for more honest, productive discussions.Screenings land differently when the end goal is explicit. By anchoring decisions in preventing serious outcomes — rather than detecting abnormalities — patients can better weigh options like colonoscopy, stool testing or choosing not to screen.Risk conversations work best when frequency and severity are clear. Explaining how often side effects occur, and how serious they typically are, helps counter fear‑based messaging patients encounter elsewhere.Vaccination discussions improve without performative persuasion. Dr. Gietzen describes how separating personal beliefs from clinical evidence creates space for trust and more balanced decision‑making.This approach scales with curiosity, not complexity. Practices don’t need to overhaul everything at once — starting with areas of genuine interest often yields the greatest early impact.Shared decision‑making doesn’t dilute expertise. Instead, it reframes clinicians as guides — combining evidence, experience and patient values to move forward with confidence.Contact Legacy Medical: LinkedIn | Facebook | Website This episode is sponsored by GoTo. Your staff is buried in phone calls. Patients are frustrated. And you're losing revenue to no-shows. There's a better way. GoTo Connect for Healthcare is a unified, AI-powered communication platform built to support your HIPAA compliance, streamline scheduling, reduce staff burden, and help your team do more with less. Because when communication works, care works. Learn more and get a personalized demo.
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