Partners in Practice

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Patrick Killeen, PA-C As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passes its first anniversary, Patrick Killeen, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss some main legislative changes, geared toward improving patient care and outcomes, that the AAPA hopes to see implemented by the 112th United States Congress. The topics include: physician assistants ability to...

Host: Mimi Secor, MS, MEd, FNP Guest: Kirsten Wister, NP After years working in clinical practice in rural Arizona, NP Kirsten Wister had a vision for her own practice that would allow her to offer integrative medicine and treat poor and needy patients. Like some other rural states in the US, the state of Arizona allows NPs to run a practice without a physicians oversight, as well as admit patients to some acute and sub-acute facillities, and prescribe medication. She and host Mimi Secor...

Host: Mimi Secor, MS, MEd, FNP Guest: Barbara Phillips, NP Thousands of nurse practitioners across the country run their own practices. But for those who have never been self-employed, the challenges of starting their own business can seem daunting. Nurse practitioner Barbara Phillips, business coach, consultant and CEO of NP Choice, LLC, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss how to start your own business in seven steps, from the concept stage to the day you open your doors to patients.

Host: Mimi Secor, MS, MEd, FNP Guest: Julia Pallentino, MSN, JD, ARNP-BC Though the number of malpractice suits involving nurse practitioners is extremely low compared to other medical providers, as the number of nurse practitioners increases, so does the number of malpractice suits. Nurse practitioner Julia Pallentino, a former medical malpractice attorney in Tallahassee, Florida, joins host Mimi Secor to explain what she calls the 4 Cs of reducing risk of a lawsuit— communication,...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Robert M. Blumm, PA-C Even in times of economic recession, the job outlook for physician assistants is very good. Money Magazine recently ranked PA as the second best job in the country, and US News and World Report ranks PA as the top career in America. However, like most jobs, there is still increased competition for employment. PA Bob Blumm, surgical assistant and distinguished fellow of the AAPA, talks with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Gary Falcetano, PA-C As the medical publishing industry evolves, and journals expand into non-print new media, its a good time to explore the function of medical journals in the professional lives of PAs and NPs. Will the experience of receiving a journal in the mail soon be a thing of the past? What do we get out of print media that we dont get online, and vice versa? And, in addition to clinical practice information, what can the engaged...

Host: Mimi Secor, MS, MEd, FNP Guest: Tom Bartol As medicine takes an increasingly evidence-based approach to care, its more important than ever for busy clinicians to be able to evaluate the benefits and risk-reduction associated with new treatments and medications. This weeks guest, Tom Bartol, nurse practitioner at the Richmond Area Health Center in Richmond, Maine, discusses with host Mimi Secor how to wade through the research data and evaluate statistical significance versus clinical...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Betsy Nicoletti Every year brings changes to Medicare and Medicaid billing, and 2011 is no exception. This year, one main difference is the addition of an annual wellness visit. Betsy Nicoletti, author of The Field Guide to Physician Coding, helps host Lisa Dandrea Lenell sort out new billing codes and rules to help your practice stay compliant, while at the same time maximizing benefits of CMS.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: David Fahringer, PA-C Saudi Arabia is a country that is quickly developing, and as part of that development, physican assistants are filling a newly emerging need in the healthcare system. Our guest is PA David Fahringer, department head and program director at the Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences in Dhahran, where students recently completed their first semester in the new 28-month assistant physician program. They discuss...

Host: Mimi Secor, MS, MEd, FNP Guest: Allison Blood Youre already a nurse, so why take the extra step to become a Nurse Practitioner? Allison Blood, an NP student at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Massachusetts joins host Mimi Secor to discuss the mentors in her life who lead her to this next step in her education. nbsp;They also talk about the highlights and challenges of being an NP student and goals for the future.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Jill Jones Guest: Jennifer Puleo The recession has not slowed the demand for cosmetic procedures. Last year, more than 10 million surgical and non-surgical procedures were performed in the United States last year. Advanced practice clinicians are getting hired to help keep up with demand, performing lasers, botox and fillers. Jill Jones, CEO of Aesthetic Advancements, Incorporated, in Atlanta and NP Jennifer Puleo, owner of Faces of South...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Luppo Kuilman, MPA The United States is not the only country experiencing a shortage of physicians. Europeans are feeling the pinch as well. The medical community in the Netherlands began six PA programs a decade ago to make sure there were enough medical providers for their patients. Physician assistant Luppo Kuilman, a lecturer at Hanze University Groningen in the Netherlands, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to explain how the PA program...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Matt Freitas, FNP-C, PA-C Delivering quality mental health care to patients seems to come with an overwhelming number of obstacles. How can primary care practices make it easier to provide psychiatric and psychological services? Matt Frietas, an NP/PA and vice president of Aspen Medical Group in Modesto, California, speaks with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell about how his clinic overcame billing issues, HIPPA laws and charting problems to provide...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: James Van Rhee, PA-C The physician assistant profession is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States, andnbsp;PA programs are popping up all over the countrynbsp;to keep up with the demand. The latest addition is the physician assistant program at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. Director. Jim Van Rhee PA-C nbsp;joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the details of the program, how it...

Host: Mimi Secor, MS, MEd, FNP Guest: Susan Matthews, PhD In September, over 5,000 nurses and nurse practitioners were invited to participate in a conference call with First Lady Michelle Obama tonbsp;discuss the latest changes in healthcare policy. Five were invited to travel to Washington to participate in a roundtable discussion at the White House with the First Lady. Included in that group wasnbsp;Dr. Susan Matthews, owner of Bluegrass Regional Healthcare in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. Dr....

Host: Mimi Secor, MS, MEd, FNP Guest: Christine Kessler What makes Americans fat? Diet isnt entirely to blame. Christine Kessler, who is a nurse practitioner in the department of endocrinology and metabolic medicine at a Washington, DC, teaching hospital, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss the many variables that are attributed to obesity in this country. They also look at what nurse practitioners can do to help their patients come up with strategies for living healthier lives.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: David Goldberg, MD, JD Non-invasive body contouring allows physicians to tighten skin without surgery. What are the different types of non-invasive body contouring procedures, and how have these procedures evolved? Dr. David Goldberg, clinical professor of dermatology and director of laser research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, medical director of Skin, Laser and Surgery Specialists of New York and New Jersey, and co-director...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Jeffrey Nicholson, PhD, PA-C All PAs hope to never be sued. But if it happens, will malpractice coverage pay for legal costs and court awards? Is employer-provided malpractice coverage enough, and what are the differences between the types of policies? PA Jeff Nicholson, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants in Legal Medicine, sorts out these issues and others with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell. They also look at whether...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Russell Dorr, PA-C The virus that nearly wipes out the population in mega-popular horror writer Stephen Kings novelnbsp;The Standnbsp;and the physician assistant pressed into running the hospital in Kingsnbsp;Under the Domenbsp;were created out of the authors imagination mdash; with the technical advice of PAnbsp;Russell Dorr. Mr. Dorr isnbsp;a physician assistant at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Family Practice in Merrimack, New Hampshire,nbsp;and...

Host: Mimi Secor, MS, MEd, FNP Guest: Eileen OGrady, PhD, RN, NP Every day, we hear about the rise of chronic disease and rates of obesity. How do we persuade patients to change their behavior in order to become healthier? A new answer may lie in the field of wellness coaching. Dr. Eileen OGrady, nurse practitioner, wellness coach and visiting professor at the Leinhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York City, talks with host Mimi Secor about the evidence-based methodology...