In this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams sits down with Mitchell Ramsey, CHFP, CRCR, TMS Clinical Coordinator at Psychiatry Associates of Tallahassee and one of MGMA’s 2025 Future Five Award honorees. Mitchell shares how his journey from lacrosse coach to mental health professional shaped his empathetic, patient-first approach to care. He discusses innovations in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment, improving patient intake systems, navigating payer relationships, and the broader movement to destigmatize mental health care.
This episode offers actionable insights for practice leaders looking to improve coordination of care, streamline administrative processes, and strengthen patient engagement.
Episode Takeaways
- (02:58) From Coaching to Caregiving: A Path to Mental Health
Mitchell describes his unique journey from coaching lacrosse to pursuing mental health care after realizing the power of psychological support in athletic performance. - (04:56) Inside the TMS Clinic
He breaks down what transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is — an FDA-approved neuromodulation therapy for depression, OCD, and other conditions — and shares how his small but dedicated team operates within a larger psychiatric practice. - (07:43) Transforming the Patient Intake & Onboarding Experience
Mitchell details how he redesigned his clinic’s intake process — shifting from a standardized script to a storytelling-based, empathy-driven approach that helps patients feel understood and supported from the start. - (09:56) Building Better Payer Relationships
He explains how open communication and proactive collaboration with insurers reduced prior authorization delays from two to three weeks down to a few days, demonstrating how strong provider–payer relationships improve access to care. - (11:07) Data-Driven Advocacy for Mental Health
Mitchell shares how his team’s partnership with BrainsWay, a TMS device manufacturer, has contributed to expanding FDA approval for broader age ranges — underscoring how community practices can influence national treatment accessibility. - (12:58) Community Partnerships Through NAMI
Mitchell’s collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) ensures that patients who can’t afford care still receive peer-to-peer mental health support, embodying a comprehensive approach to community wellness. - (15:33) The Future of Mental Health Care
He envisions a continued reduction in stigma, deeper integration of mental health across all specialties, and more open acknowledgment of emotional well-being in patient conversations. - (20:42) Advice for Small Practice Leaders
Mitchell encourages administrators to remember that “every contribution matters” — reminding listeners that small practices can have large, lasting impacts on the future of healthcare.
Resources Mentioned
- MGMA Future Five Awards - Learn more about MGMA’s program honoring early-career healthcare leaders.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Explore peer-to-peer programs and mental health advocacy resources.
- BrainsWay TMS Therapy – Learn about transcranial magnetic stimulation and its FDA-approved uses for depression and OCD.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Daniel Williams (00:03):
Well, hi, everyone. I'm Daniel Williams,
senior editor at MGMA and hostof the MGMA Podcast Network.
Just wanna thank you all somuch. We are continuing our
coverage of our LeadersConference. And, also, we have a
special guest today.
We are joined by MitchellRamsey. He is one of our future
(00:24):
five award winners. We're gonnatalk to all of those future five
honorees and get an idea of kindof the direction where they're
going so we get an understandingof what our future of health
care looks like. So I'm soexcited about that. Mitchell is
a TMS clinical coordinator atPsychiatry Associates of
(00:46):
Tallahassee.
And, Mitchell, first of all, Ijust wanna welcome you to the
show and congratulate you forthis honor.
Mitchell Ramsey (00:55):
Well, certainly, thank you for having
me. I'm glad this is my, firstpodcast, participation, so very
excited for it.
Daniel Williams (01:03):
We will go easy on you. Now you were telling us
offline that you are inTallahassee, that Tallahassee
area, and you are stilladjusting after 15 years to the
humidity because you grew upinitially in the North. I know
that because I lived 30+ yearsin the South before heading out
to Colorado and California andplaces not quite so humid. So
(01:27):
what have you adjusted at all tothat humidity, or how do you,
how do you handle it?
Mitchell Ramsey (01:31):
I have not. So it's, been nice to get the month
and a half of the the cold downhere. Back in January, we kinda
had that second old event ofhaving the snow in the Florida
area. So I was trying to bottlethat up as much as I can, but
it's certainly a a daily battletrying to deal with the, not
only the the community, but theheat and the mosquitoes are
(01:53):
always a interesting time.
Daniel Williams (01:55):
Oh gosh. You mentioned the mosquitoes. I went
to a wedding last year, and itwas just outside of
Jacksonville.
Mitchell Ramsey (02:04):
Oh yeah.
Daniel Williams (02:04):
This isn't a scientific term, but we were
getting eaten alive by whatsomebody there called
no-see-ums. Do you know thosethings?
Mitchell Ramsey (02:14):
They can certainly pack quite the punch.
Daniel Williams (02:18):
They we were still, dealing with mosquito
bites and their after effect,like, several weeks after. They
those things are vicious, and wecouldn't see them. So that was
Mitchell Ramsey (02:29):
Exactly.
Daniel Williams (02:30):
That was miserable. But so enough on our,
insect, you know, categorieshere, but we are so excited to
have you on the show, and wewanna get to know a little bit
about you. So first of all, tellus a little bit about what led
to your career in health care,in this mental health side of
(02:54):
health care, and, just sharethat with us a bit.
Mitchell Ramsey (02:58):
Absolutely. So I'll kind of go to my, hero
origin story. So I am the son ofa nurse and a physician. So it's
one of those things that growingup, there's always a destined
for the health care field. Ofcourse, growing up, always
wanted to be an NFL quarterback,and my parents were like, yeah,
that's great, but let's stickwith academics for a little bit
(03:19):
longer.
But it wasn't until actuallygraduated high school that I was
originally in school to get myundergrad on the pre veterinary
school track. But shortly aftergraduating high school, I was
approached with an opportunityto launch a lacrosse program at
one of the low income schools inTallahassee. And I played kind
(03:41):
of all through high school,loved the sport, kind of loved
the kind of ability to be ableto have that mentorship aspect
to it. And so kind of jumped onthe opportunity. And for the
past decade, I've been coachingvarying levels of lacrosse, but
it wasn't until my second yearof coaching where I realized
that working on more of thepsychological aspect of sports
(04:04):
in general, and kind of reallytoning in on that mental health.
The more I focused on that, thebetter my teams had the success,
not only on the field, off thefield. So I kinda had a little
bit of the epiphany momentwatching Goodwill Hunting, which
has always been my favoritemovie ever since the first time.
But I kinda was just sittingthere with my pup at the time
(04:26):
and kinda watched that.Actually, ended up watching it
back to back, and it kinda waslike, you know what? Certainly,
I'd love to stay in the realm ofhealth care, love coaching, but
at the same time, I really wantto, explore my opportunities in
the the mental health sector.
Daniel Williams (04:42):
Yeah. That it what a great story. So what is
your superpower then? You weregiving us that origin story?
Mitchell Ramsey (04:49):
Oh, I like to kind of follow the,
psychological trope and say it'smind reading. So
Daniel Williams (04:56):
I love that. I love that. Let's talk about
where you are right now. So Icame across a term TMS. It's in
the title of y'all's practice.
First of all, just tell us alittle bit about the practice.
Give us an idea of what you guysdo and the size and scope of
that practice. Anything you canshare about it.
Mitchell Ramsey (05:16):
Absolutely. So TMS is definitely a, thankfully,
a short acronym for the fullname of transcranial magnetic
stimulation, which is analternative mental health
treatment for those sufferingfrom depression, OCD, where it's
rapidly starting to undergo somerigorous research for
degenerative brain diseases,like your Alzheimer's, dementia,
(05:38):
even PTSD as well. So it'scertainly a kind of rapidly
emerging field since about the1980s. But our TMS clinic, we
have about four people involvedwhere it's me, two technicians
and the front office staff. Andthen of course we have a couple
psychiatrists that we operateout of a wardrobe psychiatric
(06:00):
office.
So it's certainly very unique tokind of get the both realms of
the psychiatry side, andcertainly very fulfilling to be
in the what we call theneuromodulation field.
Daniel Williams (06:12):
Wow. That is so cool. I'd heard a little bit
about that, but then I ranacross it in looking at your
nomination, and I wanted you tojust share with us about that.
So that is that is sointeresting. Let's talk about
when you found out about youreceiving this honor of being a
future five award winner.
(06:32):
I'm fantasizing right now thatyou're out on the lacrosse
field. You got a text. You sawit. You announced it to your
team. And, like, in a Good WillHunting moment, they all
picked you up on their lacrosse
sticks and bounced you aroundthere. Probably didn't happen
like that. So what was itactually like when you found out
about receiving this honor?
Mitchell Ramsey (06:50):
So it was a certainly a very unique kind of
situation. I was actually on aflight from Dallas back to
Tallahassee, And we were aboutto start our descent into
Tallahassee before the pilotcame over the intercom and said,
oh, sorry, folks. We have todivert all the way back to
Dallas. So it was a three and ahalf hour flight back and I land
(07:13):
and I'm starting to look throughall of my emails and that's
where I saw the voicemailmessage from MGMA saying, Hey,
congrats, awarding this award.And so it was one of those, I
was half awake after a a day offlying and kind of I had to try
to get a little bit of coffeegoing to get excited for it.
But once I was able to settleback in Tallahassee, get back to
(07:35):
the office, it was certainly alot easier to kind of, realize
what's an extreme honor.
Daniel Williams (07:43):
Yeah. That what a great story. Well, thank you
for sharing that. Now in yournomination, I saw that a key
highlight was how youtransformed your patient intake
and onboarding process. Talk alittle bit about that.
What'd you do? And what doesthat look like in the process?
Mitchell Ramsey (08:00):
Yeah. So certainly, when I first kind of
started my current role, I'mcertainly one of those that
likes to look at everything fromthat 30,000 foot view. So we
kind of noticed that we had alot of patients who would come
in for these initialconsultation appointments, to
learn a little bit about TMS,but for whatever rhyme or
reason, they're like, Oh no,that's an avenue we want to take
(08:24):
or we're going explore otheroptions and come back to you.
And so it was one of those, Ireally put myself in the shoes
of one of our patients comingin. And so we certainly
overhauled how our lobby looked,kind of how our consultation
room looked.
And more importantly, we kind ofthrew the official script that
(08:44):
we were trying to standardizewith that, threw that out the
window, certainly had more ofthat storytelling approach to
it, Really got on that personallevel. It's actually something
that I received the TMStreatments myself through my own
mental health journey. So beingable to have that connection on
more of that personal level, Sosaying, oh, here's the
(09:07):
statistics. Here's howsuccessful it is. Give us the
time and the co payments forthat.
It's really able to go kind ofto more of that granular level
of, Hey, I understand whatyou're experiencing. I know what
you're feeling. Here's how wecan kind of take that first step
forward into kind of thatprogress.
Daniel Williams (09:25):
Wow. That is so cool. Now you had earlier talked
about that sports psychologyaspect of things, so it really
does appear that you're bringingsome empathy and some other
aspects of that to reallyconnect with the patients and
building that trust. Talk aboutanything else. It looks like one
(09:45):
of the other things you haveworked with in, the
organization, it's going in abit of a different, aspect of
it, but it's in that billing andinsurance side of things.
But you've also integrated sometechniques, some tools, some new
processes to improve that there.Tell us about that, what you
identified, and then how youbuilt that out.
Mitchell Ramsey (10:07):
Yeah. So it's always never a dull moment
dealing with the insurancesnowadays. So in Tallahassee,
we're very fortunate to have aregional HMO organization that
does do a lot of the insurancehealth coverage side. So kind of
early stages in the role, it wasreally an emphasis on what was
(10:29):
taking about two to threebusiness weeks for prior
authorizations. We reached outto the company and said, Hey,
what is taking so long?
Like, what can we do on our endto help with that? So a lot of
it was kind of undertaking a lotof more paperwork on our side to
kind of make it a little biteasier on theirs. But again,
really came down to buildingthat rapport, building those
(10:51):
relationships and kind of havingthat open communication line
between provider and payer of,Hey, here's situation a, what
can we do to remedy that, aspectwith that? And again, really
just went through those nittygritty details to uncover any of
those issues going on.
Daniel Williams (11:07):
That is remarkable. So in looking again
at your nomination and some ofthe information you shared in
there, you've also been activein collecting data on TMS
outcomes, even contributing tobroader FDA approval. I think
that's pretty significant. Sotalk about that process. What is
(11:28):
being worked through as far as,the outcomes that you're seeing,
by the use of TMS?
And then also, maybe whatadditional red tape or approval
is needed so this can be morebroadly applied in practices?
Mitchell Ramsey (11:45):
Yeah. So it's certainly something that, we
have a great relationship withthe manufacturer of the TMS
device that we use. They go bythe name of Brainsway. They're
kind of one of the lessconventional methods of TMS, but
it's certainly something thatwe've worked with them over the
years to really have kind of ouroutcome data that we collect at
(12:10):
the end of each treatmentcourse, kind of see how a
patient progressed with theirdepression or anxiety symptoms
or PTSD, kind of getting thatoverview of what they were kind
of experiencing over the wholetreatment course. We collect
that and we send that out to themanufacturer.
Of course, everything's HIPAAcompliant, but it's really
(12:30):
something that working with themto really get the FDA extensions
where within the last couple ofyears, we were able to work with
them to kind of expand the FDAapproval ages to where it's more
accessible for kind of the olderpopulations, the more seasoned
populations as we like to callthem. But certainly, again,
(12:52):
really just all around thatrelationship building to have an
extended access to thetreatments.
Daniel Williams (12:58):
Yeah. I got a couple more questions for you
before we sign off. So, inaddition to the work that you're
doing in the practice, one ofthe things that we look at, at
MGMA when we look at thenominations for future five is
we're looking at the kind ofthings you do outside of the
practice. I see that you've donework with groups in in mental
(13:20):
health organizations and otherplaces related to that. Have you
been able to incorporate thatinformation, bring that back to
the practice, help you do yourjob better?
Tell us anything about that youmight wanna share.
Mitchell Ramsey (13:33):
So it's very much all about kind of having
that, whole umbrella of thecoordination of care. So a lot
of what I do outside of the mainpractice is work with a
grassroots organization thatkind of really works with a peer
to peer support group. It'scalled the National Alliance on
Mental Illness or NAMI forshort. So we've been working
(13:56):
with the Tallahassee chaptervery significantly to kind of
spread awareness of theresources that NAMI supplies,
but also what we supply. Soagain, kind of having that
option for patients while if wehave someone come in and say,
Oh, well, I can't afford the copayments or the time for TMS.
It was always something where weworked with NAMI to kind of say,
(14:18):
Oh, well, here's this peer topeer support group for you. And
really try to capture anyonethat, might quote unquote slip
through the cracks and reallyensure that our community is
really, having those mentalhealth needs met by any means
necessary.
Daniel Williams (14:33):
Yeah. Well, I wanted to ask you, when did you
start at this clinic? How longhave you been there?
Mitchell Ramsey (14:38):
So I've been there since, 2021.
Daniel Williams (14:41):
Okay. So you've really seen a lot of things that
have been happening, since thepandemic, and there's been a
real seismic shift in a lot ofways, people became very much
more open, more transparent,much more vulnerable about
mental health and maybe how it'saffected their life or other
(15:03):
people, that are in their life.When we think about now, you've
seen that taking place as wemove forward now, you being a
future five honoree, and you'vegot your career ahead of you.
What do you wanna see movingforward in mental health in the
way that it's addressed and thatwe treat people who may be
(15:26):
coming in for mental health?And, because I'll be quite
frankly, you were sharingsomething in your own life.
But for me, back going backabout twenty five, thirty years,
initially, what I was feelingwas physically. I was feeling
physical ailments, whether itwas stomach issues, whether it
was headaches, other things likethat. They test me for
(15:50):
everything, and they'd go, youknow, it's not it is manifesting
in that way in your body, butit's actually starting with
stress, anxiety, and otherthings. So as you look at the
totality of all of that, what doyou wanna see happening in
mental health? I know I gave youa lot to think about there, but
you you can paint this on yourown canvas here.
Mitchell Ramsey (16:11):
It's certainly something that every little day,
I certainly am optimistic in thefact that that stigma around
mental health is slowly butsurely breaking away. Of course,
it's still kind of turning inthe right direction. Of course,
there's always gonna be thosespeed bumps where so that we see
our office on a daily basiswhere patient kind of comes in,
(16:31):
shows that they're, they kind ofmanifest like they're doing a
lot better than what they saythey are. They're like, Oh,
well, I'm doing better. Likeeverything's starting to
improve.
And then we do our depressionbased testing and they're
scoring off the charts on that.So I think there is still some
work to be done in terms of kindof making it more socially
acceptable to kind of have thatvulnerability and say, Hey, I'm
(16:55):
actually not doing okay. And Iknow everyone's got the age old,
oh, how are you doing? Doingokay kind of conversation, but I
certainly see a lot inhealthcare in general, outside
of our practice. It is kind oftrading in the right direction
where other specialties arebecoming a little bit more
cognizant of that mental healthimplication and really honing me
(17:17):
in on that to where it's notjust a, Oh, it's anxiety, it's
depression, good luck to youkind of deal.
So kind of still really hopingto see kind of the extensions of
the, care coordination acrossthe different specialties, but
it's really, every day seems tobe getting a little bit better.
Daniel Williams (17:34):
That is wonderful. So couple of fun
questions before we sign off.Our leaders conference where,
the main announcements for thesedifferent, MGMA awards are gonna
be made. We're gonna be there inOrlando. We're gonna be there
September 28 through October 1.
First of all, you're just downthe road. Are you are you coming
(17:56):
over? Are you
Mitchell Ramsey (17:57):
Very much. Sorry. It's, first time for the
MGMA conference, and, I haveheard a lot of hype about how
wonderful they are. So very muchlooking forward to fighting the
Disney traffic to, make it downthere.
Daniel Williams (18:10):
So I've been asking other people who are
coming from across the country.In fact, somebody from Oregon
who has already bought Disneytickets. You're just right down
the road. You may not be aDisney kind of person anyway,
but
Mitchell Ramsey (18:22):
Of course.
Daniel Williams (18:22):
Do you do that sort of thing, or what do you do
when you go to Orlando? Do youhave any kind of a bucket list
or any expectations while you'rein Orlando?
Mitchell Ramsey (18:30):
Yeah. It's certainly kind of every couple
years. You always have to makethe, annual pro pilgrimage to,
Disney or Universal down there.I'm always gonna make one of
those theme park stops, but I'ma a big furry, so I always gotta
find a a local spot to kind ofexplore. And with coaching, I've
had to travel to Orlandomultiple times.
So I have a little, bucket listor scratch off list for all the
(18:54):
local restaurants I went ahead.And every time I go down there,
it seems to be a growing listeach time.
Daniel Williams (19:01):
Do you have a favorite kind of food that you
like to eat?
Mitchell Ramsey (19:04):
Not so I'm definitely big on doing, like,
the the Tex Mex kind of food.So, it's certainly hard to pick
kind of the best restaurant downthere, but I'm hoping to find a
new one come September.
Daniel Williams (19:18):
Well, we do a lot of coordination and,
engagement once we get therethrough the MGMA app. So maybe
if you find some places, youcan, share that information. You
can find some good food placesfor everybody.
Mitchell Ramsey (19:31):
Absolutely.
Daniel Williams (19:32):
Okay. Most important question here. I saved
this one for last on purpose.You're a lacrosse coach. So
using a couple of differentsports here, are you more Nick
Saban or Ted Lasso?
What is your approach when youcoach people?
Mitchell Ramsey (19:47):
Yeah. So it's, certainly something that,
growing up, my father is a hugeGreen Bay Packers fan. So I kind
of, was growing up on kind ofthe bits and lorry kind of
teachings, but, it's really whenI actually got into the coaching
seat, I definitely became moreof a a John Wooden kind of
disciple. So it was a kind offinding that mix and match of,
(20:08):
really when can I, kind of get alittle too heated, and when is
it a little bit of a control ofthe Ted Lasso? It was more, say,
more like a John Wooden, VinceLombardi on the field, but more
Ted Lasso off the field.
Daniel Williams (20:21):
Oh, that's wonderful. Yeah. I've got a book
by John Wooden. Be quick. Don'twork don't hurry.
And be quick. Don't hurry. So,you know, be quick and decisive
about things, but don't be in ahurry when you get there. So
Mitchell Ramsey (20:33):
Exactly. Love
Daniel Williams (20:34):
some of those John Wooden teams. They were a
little bit before my time,possibly yours as well, I think.
Mitchell Ramsey (20:40):
Quite a bit. But
Daniel Williams (20:42):
But he lived on through many of his books and
his teachings, so a lot of greatinformation there. So Very
interesting. Thank you forsharing that. I think we've
covered everything. Anythingelse you wanna share with people
who are also early careeristthat, you know, maybe some
advice you might wanna sharewith them?
Mitchell Ramsey (21:02):
Absolutely. So best advice, being kind of a a
small practice administrator,certainly in a world where it
seems to be a lot of these smallpractices are getting snatched
up by these largerorganizations. Certainly, best
advice is whether you're in thatDavid position or that Goliath
position, every little bit thatyou add to the healthcare sphere
(21:24):
is always going to be positiveway down the road. So it's
certainly little bit of thatbutterfly effect, but certainly
don't get down the dumpsthinking that you're in a small
position because certainly,every little bit adds to that
snowball effect and it'llcertainly lead to a very
positive outcome.
Daniel Williams (21:41):
Alright. Well, Mitchell Ramsey, I wanna
congratulate you again for beingan MGMA Future five award
honoree.
Mitchell Ramsey (21:48):
Thank you. It's definitely an extreme honor.
Daniel Williams (21:51):
Alright. Well, thanks to Mitchell for joining
us today, and thanks to all ofyou for listening. So I'm gonna
put up, some information in ourin our episode show notes. You
can go right to, our awardsinformation. Maybe you read
about Mitchell and the otherhonorees.
Also, you can see how tonominate people next year or
(22:13):
maybe pass it on to a peer andget them to nominate you. So,
also wanna say go tomgma.com/leaders to go ahead and
learn more about our leadersconference, and you can register
there if you haven't already. Sountil then, thank you all for
being MGMA podcast listeners.Listeners.
Well, hi, everyone. I'm Daniel Williams,
senior editor at MGMA and hostof the MGMA Podcast Network.
Just wanna thank you all somuch. We are continuing our
coverage of our LeadersConference. And, also, we have a
special guest today.
We are joined by MitchellRamsey. He is one of our future
(00:24):
five award winners. We're gonnatalk to all of those future five
honorees and get an idea of kindof the direction where they're
going so we get an understandingof what our future of health
care looks like. So I'm soexcited about that. Mitchell is
a TMS clinical coordinator atPsychiatry Associates of
(00:46):
Tallahassee.
And, Mitchell, first of all, Ijust wanna welcome you to the
show and congratulate you forthis honor.
Mitchell Ramsey (00:55):
Well, certainly, thank you for having
me. I'm glad this is my, firstpodcast, participation, so very
excited for it.
Daniel Williams (01:03):
We will go easy on you. Now you were telling us
offline that you are inTallahassee, that Tallahassee
area, and you are stilladjusting after 15 years to the
humidity because you grew upinitially in the North. I know
that because I lived 30+ yearsin the South before heading out
to Colorado and California andplaces not quite so humid. So
(01:27):
what have you adjusted at all tothat humidity, or how do you,
how do you handle it?
Mitchell Ramsey (01:31):
I have not. So it's, been nice to get the month
and a half of the the cold downhere. Back in January, we kinda
had that second old event ofhaving the snow in the Florida
area. So I was trying to bottlethat up as much as I can, but
it's certainly a a daily battletrying to deal with the, not
only the the community, but theheat and the mosquitoes are
(01:53):
always a interesting time.
Daniel Williams (01:55):
Oh gosh. You mentioned the mosquitoes. I went
to a wedding last year, and itwas just outside of
Jacksonville.
Mitchell Ramsey (02:04):
Oh yeah.
Daniel Williams (02:04):
This isn't a scientific term, but we were
getting eaten alive by whatsomebody there called
no-see-ums. Do you know thosethings?
Mitchell Ramsey (02:14):
They can certainly pack quite the punch.
Daniel Williams (02:18):
They we were still, dealing with mosquito
bites and their after effect,like, several weeks after. They
those things are vicious, and wecouldn't see them. So that was
Mitchell Ramsey (02:29):
Exactly.
Daniel Williams (02:30):
That was miserable. But so enough on our,
insect, you know, categorieshere, but we are so excited to
have you on the show, and wewanna get to know a little bit
about you. So first of all, tellus a little bit about what led
to your career in health care,in this mental health side of
(02:54):
health care, and, just sharethat with us a bit.
Mitchell Ramsey (02:58):
Absolutely. So I'll kind of go to my, hero
origin story. So I am the son ofa nurse and a physician. So it's
one of those things that growingup, there's always a destined
for the health care field. Ofcourse, growing up, always
wanted to be an NFL quarterback,and my parents were like, yeah,
that's great, but let's stickwith academics for a little bit
(03:19):
longer.
But it wasn't until actuallygraduated high school that I was
originally in school to get myundergrad on the pre veterinary
school track. But shortly aftergraduating high school, I was
approached with an opportunityto launch a lacrosse program at
one of the low income schools inTallahassee. And I played kind
(03:41):
of all through high school,loved the sport, kind of loved
the kind of ability to be ableto have that mentorship aspect
to it. And so kind of jumped onthe opportunity. And for the
past decade, I've been coachingvarying levels of lacrosse, but
it wasn't until my second yearof coaching where I realized
that working on more of thepsychological aspect of sports
(04:04):
in general, and kind of reallytoning in on that mental health.
The more I focused on that, thebetter my teams had the success,
not only on the field, off thefield. So I kinda had a little
bit of the epiphany momentwatching Goodwill Hunting, which
has always been my favoritemovie ever since the first time.
But I kinda was just sittingthere with my pup at the time
(04:26):
and kinda watched that.Actually, ended up watching it
back to back, and it kinda waslike, you know what? Certainly,
I'd love to stay in the realm ofhealth care, love coaching, but
at the same time, I really wantto, explore my opportunities in
the the mental health sector.
Daniel Williams (04:42):
Yeah. That it what a great story. So what is
your superpower then? You weregiving us that origin story?
Mitchell Ramsey (04:49):
Oh, I like to kind of follow the,
psychological trope and say it'smind reading. So
Daniel Williams (04:56):
I love that. I love that. Let's talk about
where you are right now. So Icame across a term TMS. It's in
the title of y'all's practice.
First of all, just tell us alittle bit about the practice.
Give us an idea of what you guysdo and the size and scope of
that practice. Anything you canshare about it.
Mitchell Ramsey (05:16):
Absolutely. So TMS is definitely a, thankfully,
a short acronym for the fullname of transcranial magnetic
stimulation, which is analternative mental health
treatment for those sufferingfrom depression, OCD, where it's
rapidly starting to undergo somerigorous research for
degenerative brain diseases,like your Alzheimer's, dementia,
(05:38):
even PTSD as well. So it'scertainly a kind of rapidly
emerging field since about the1980s. But our TMS clinic, we
have about four people involvedwhere it's me, two technicians
and the front office staff. Andthen of course we have a couple
psychiatrists that we operateout of a wardrobe psychiatric
(06:00):
office.
So it's certainly very unique tokind of get the both realms of
the psychiatry side, andcertainly very fulfilling to be
in the what we call theneuromodulation field.
Daniel Williams (06:12):
Wow. That is so cool. I'd heard a little bit
about that, but then I ranacross it in looking at your
nomination, and I wanted you tojust share with us about that.
So that is that is sointeresting. Let's talk about
when you found out about youreceiving this honor of being a
future five award winner.
(06:32):
I'm fantasizing right now thatyou're out on the lacrosse
field. You got a text. You sawit. You announced it to your
team. And, like, in a Good WillHunting moment, they all
picked you up on their lacrosse
sticks and bounced you aroundthere. Probably didn't happen
like that. So what was itactually like when you found out
about receiving this honor?
Mitchell Ramsey (06:50):
So it was a certainly a very unique kind of
situation. I was actually on aflight from Dallas back to
Tallahassee, And we were aboutto start our descent into
Tallahassee before the pilotcame over the intercom and said,
oh, sorry, folks. We have todivert all the way back to
Dallas. So it was a three and ahalf hour flight back and I land
(07:13):
and I'm starting to look throughall of my emails and that's
where I saw the voicemailmessage from MGMA saying, Hey,
congrats, awarding this award.And so it was one of those, I
was half awake after a a day offlying and kind of I had to try
to get a little bit of coffeegoing to get excited for it.
But once I was able to settleback in Tallahassee, get back to
(07:35):
the office, it was certainly alot easier to kind of, realize
what's an extreme honor.
Daniel Williams (07:43):
Yeah. That what a great story. Well, thank you
for sharing that. Now in yournomination, I saw that a key
highlight was how youtransformed your patient intake
and onboarding process. Talk alittle bit about that.
What'd you do? And what doesthat look like in the process?
Mitchell Ramsey (08:00):
Yeah. So certainly, when I first kind of
started my current role, I'mcertainly one of those that
likes to look at everything fromthat 30,000 foot view. So we
kind of noticed that we had alot of patients who would come
in for these initialconsultation appointments, to
learn a little bit about TMS,but for whatever rhyme or
reason, they're like, Oh no,that's an avenue we want to take
(08:24):
or we're going explore otheroptions and come back to you.
And so it was one of those, Ireally put myself in the shoes
of one of our patients comingin. And so we certainly
overhauled how our lobby looked,kind of how our consultation
room looked.
And more importantly, we kind ofthrew the official script that
(08:44):
we were trying to standardizewith that, threw that out the
window, certainly had more ofthat storytelling approach to
it, Really got on that personallevel. It's actually something
that I received the TMStreatments myself through my own
mental health journey. So beingable to have that connection on
more of that personal level, Sosaying, oh, here's the
(09:07):
statistics. Here's howsuccessful it is. Give us the
time and the co payments forthat.
It's really able to go kind ofto more of that granular level
of, Hey, I understand whatyou're experiencing. I know what
you're feeling. Here's how wecan kind of take that first step
forward into kind of thatprogress.
Daniel Williams (09:25):
Wow. That is so cool. Now you had earlier talked
about that sports psychologyaspect of things, so it really
does appear that you're bringingsome empathy and some other
aspects of that to reallyconnect with the patients and
building that trust. Talk aboutanything else. It looks like one
(09:45):
of the other things you haveworked with in, the
organization, it's going in abit of a different, aspect of
it, but it's in that billing andinsurance side of things.
But you've also integrated sometechniques, some tools, some new
processes to improve that there.Tell us about that, what you
identified, and then how youbuilt that out.
Mitchell Ramsey (10:07):
Yeah. So it's always never a dull moment
dealing with the insurancesnowadays. So in Tallahassee,
we're very fortunate to have aregional HMO organization that
does do a lot of the insurancehealth coverage side. So kind of
early stages in the role, it wasreally an emphasis on what was
(10:29):
taking about two to threebusiness weeks for prior
authorizations. We reached outto the company and said, Hey,
what is taking so long?
Like, what can we do on our endto help with that? So a lot of
it was kind of undertaking a lotof more paperwork on our side to
kind of make it a little biteasier on theirs. But again,
really came down to buildingthat rapport, building those
(10:51):
relationships and kind of havingthat open communication line
between provider and payer of,Hey, here's situation a, what
can we do to remedy that, aspectwith that? And again, really
just went through those nittygritty details to uncover any of
those issues going on.
Daniel Williams (11:07):
That is remarkable. So in looking again
at your nomination and some ofthe information you shared in
there, you've also been activein collecting data on TMS
outcomes, even contributing tobroader FDA approval. I think
that's pretty significant. Sotalk about that process. What is
(11:28):
being worked through as far as,the outcomes that you're seeing,
by the use of TMS?
And then also, maybe whatadditional red tape or approval
is needed so this can be morebroadly applied in practices?
Mitchell Ramsey (11:45):
Yeah. So it's certainly something that, we
have a great relationship withthe manufacturer of the TMS
device that we use. They go bythe name of Brainsway. They're
kind of one of the lessconventional methods of TMS, but
it's certainly something thatwe've worked with them over the
years to really have kind of ouroutcome data that we collect at
(12:10):
the end of each treatmentcourse, kind of see how a
patient progressed with theirdepression or anxiety symptoms
or PTSD, kind of getting thatoverview of what they were kind
of experiencing over the wholetreatment course. We collect
that and we send that out to themanufacturer.
Of course, everything's HIPAAcompliant, but it's really
(12:30):
something that working with themto really get the FDA extensions
where within the last couple ofyears, we were able to work with
them to kind of expand the FDAapproval ages to where it's more
accessible for kind of the olderpopulations, the more seasoned
populations as we like to callthem. But certainly, again,
(12:52):
really just all around thatrelationship building to have an
extended access to thetreatments.
Daniel Williams (12:58):
Yeah. I got a couple more questions for you
before we sign off. So, inaddition to the work that you're
doing in the practice, one ofthe things that we look at, at
MGMA when we look at thenominations for future five is
we're looking at the kind ofthings you do outside of the
practice. I see that you've donework with groups in in mental
(13:20):
health organizations and otherplaces related to that. Have you
been able to incorporate thatinformation, bring that back to
the practice, help you do yourjob better?
Tell us anything about that youmight wanna share.
Mitchell Ramsey (13:33):
So it's very much all about kind of having
that, whole umbrella of thecoordination of care. So a lot
of what I do outside of the mainpractice is work with a
grassroots organization thatkind of really works with a peer
to peer support group. It'scalled the National Alliance on
Mental Illness or NAMI forshort. So we've been working
(13:56):
with the Tallahassee chaptervery significantly to kind of
spread awareness of theresources that NAMI supplies,
but also what we supply. Soagain, kind of having that
option for patients while if wehave someone come in and say,
Oh, well, I can't afford the copayments or the time for TMS.
It was always something where weworked with NAMI to kind of say,
(14:18):
Oh, well, here's this peer topeer support group for you. And
really try to capture anyonethat, might quote unquote slip
through the cracks and reallyensure that our community is
really, having those mentalhealth needs met by any means
necessary.
Daniel Williams (14:33):
Yeah. Well, I wanted to ask you, when did you
start at this clinic? How longhave you been there?
Mitchell Ramsey (14:38):
So I've been there since, 2021.
Daniel Williams (14:41):
Okay. So you've really seen a lot of things that
have been happening, since thepandemic, and there's been a
real seismic shift in a lot ofways, people became very much
more open, more transparent,much more vulnerable about
mental health and maybe how it'saffected their life or other
(15:03):
people, that are in their life.When we think about now, you've
seen that taking place as wemove forward now, you being a
future five honoree, and you'vegot your career ahead of you.
What do you wanna see movingforward in mental health in the
way that it's addressed and thatwe treat people who may be
(15:26):
coming in for mental health?And, because I'll be quite
frankly, you were sharingsomething in your own life.
But for me, back going backabout twenty five, thirty years,
initially, what I was feelingwas physically. I was feeling
physical ailments, whether itwas stomach issues, whether it
was headaches, other things likethat. They test me for
(15:50):
everything, and they'd go, youknow, it's not it is manifesting
in that way in your body, butit's actually starting with
stress, anxiety, and otherthings. So as you look at the
totality of all of that, what doyou wanna see happening in
mental health? I know I gave youa lot to think about there, but
you you can paint this on yourown canvas here.
Mitchell Ramsey (16:11):
It's certainly something that every little day,
I certainly am optimistic in thefact that that stigma around
mental health is slowly butsurely breaking away. Of course,
it's still kind of turning inthe right direction. Of course,
there's always gonna be thosespeed bumps where so that we see
our office on a daily basiswhere patient kind of comes in,
(16:31):
shows that they're, they kind ofmanifest like they're doing a
lot better than what they saythey are. They're like, Oh,
well, I'm doing better. Likeeverything's starting to
improve.
And then we do our depressionbased testing and they're
scoring off the charts on that.So I think there is still some
work to be done in terms of kindof making it more socially
acceptable to kind of have thatvulnerability and say, Hey, I'm
(16:55):
actually not doing okay. And Iknow everyone's got the age old,
oh, how are you doing? Doingokay kind of conversation, but I
certainly see a lot inhealthcare in general, outside
of our practice. It is kind oftrading in the right direction
where other specialties arebecoming a little bit more
cognizant of that mental healthimplication and really honing me
(17:17):
in on that to where it's notjust a, Oh, it's anxiety, it's
depression, good luck to youkind of deal.
So kind of still really hopingto see kind of the extensions of
the, care coordination acrossthe different specialties, but
it's really, every day seems tobe getting a little bit better.
Daniel Williams (17:34):
That is wonderful. So couple of fun
questions before we sign off.Our leaders conference where,
the main announcements for thesedifferent, MGMA awards are gonna
be made. We're gonna be there inOrlando. We're gonna be there
September 28 through October 1.
First of all, you're just downthe road. Are you are you coming
(17:56):
over? Are you
Mitchell Ramsey (17:57):
Very much. Sorry. It's, first time for the
MGMA conference, and, I haveheard a lot of hype about how
wonderful they are. So very muchlooking forward to fighting the
Disney traffic to, make it downthere.
Daniel Williams (18:10):
So I've been asking other people who are
coming from across the country.In fact, somebody from Oregon
who has already bought Disneytickets. You're just right down
the road. You may not be aDisney kind of person anyway,
but
Mitchell Ramsey (18:22):
Of course.
Daniel Williams (18:22):
Do you do that sort of thing, or what do you do
when you go to Orlando? Do youhave any kind of a bucket list
or any expectations while you'rein Orlando?
Mitchell Ramsey (18:30):
Yeah. It's certainly kind of every couple
years. You always have to makethe, annual pro pilgrimage to,
Disney or Universal down there.I'm always gonna make one of
those theme park stops, but I'ma a big furry, so I always gotta
find a a local spot to kind ofexplore. And with coaching, I've
had to travel to Orlandomultiple times.
So I have a little, bucket listor scratch off list for all the
(18:54):
local restaurants I went ahead.And every time I go down there,
it seems to be a growing listeach time.
Daniel Williams (19:01):
Do you have a favorite kind of food that you
like to eat?
Mitchell Ramsey (19:04):
Not so I'm definitely big on doing, like,
the the Tex Mex kind of food.So, it's certainly hard to pick
kind of the best restaurant downthere, but I'm hoping to find a
new one come September.
Daniel Williams (19:18):
Well, we do a lot of coordination and,
engagement once we get therethrough the MGMA app. So maybe
if you find some places, youcan, share that information. You
can find some good food placesfor everybody.
Mitchell Ramsey (19:31):
Absolutely.
Daniel Williams (19:32):
Okay. Most important question here. I saved
this one for last on purpose.You're a lacrosse coach. So
using a couple of differentsports here, are you more Nick
Saban or Ted Lasso?
What is your approach when youcoach people?
Mitchell Ramsey (19:47):
Yeah. So it's, certainly something that,
growing up, my father is a hugeGreen Bay Packers fan. So I kind
of, was growing up on kind ofthe bits and lorry kind of
teachings, but, it's really whenI actually got into the coaching
seat, I definitely became moreof a a John Wooden kind of
disciple. So it was a kind offinding that mix and match of,
(20:08):
really when can I, kind of get alittle too heated, and when is
it a little bit of a control ofthe Ted Lasso? It was more, say,
more like a John Wooden, VinceLombardi on the field, but more
Ted Lasso off the field.
Daniel Williams (20:21):
Oh, that's wonderful. Yeah. I've got a book
by John Wooden. Be quick. Don'twork don't hurry.
And be quick. Don't hurry. So,you know, be quick and decisive
about things, but don't be in ahurry when you get there. So
Mitchell Ramsey (20:33):
Exactly. Love
Daniel Williams (20:34):
some of those John Wooden teams. They were a
little bit before my time,possibly yours as well, I think.
Mitchell Ramsey (20:40):
Quite a bit. But
Daniel Williams (20:42):
But he lived on through many of his books and
his teachings, so a lot of greatinformation there. So Very
interesting. Thank you forsharing that. I think we've
covered everything. Anythingelse you wanna share with people
who are also early careeristthat, you know, maybe some
advice you might wanna sharewith them?
Mitchell Ramsey (21:02):
Absolutely. So best advice, being kind of a a
small practice administrator,certainly in a world where it
seems to be a lot of these smallpractices are getting snatched
up by these largerorganizations. Certainly, best
advice is whether you're in thatDavid position or that Goliath
position, every little bit thatyou add to the healthcare sphere
(21:24):
is always going to be positiveway down the road. So it's
certainly little bit of thatbutterfly effect, but certainly
don't get down the dumpsthinking that you're in a small
position because certainly,every little bit adds to that
snowball effect and it'llcertainly lead to a very
positive outcome.
Daniel Williams (21:41):
Alright. Well, Mitchell Ramsey, I wanna
congratulate you again for beingan MGMA Future five award
honoree.
Mitchell Ramsey (21:48):
Thank you. It's definitely an extreme honor.
Daniel Williams (21:51):
Alright. Well, thanks to Mitchell for joining
us today, and thanks to all ofyou for listening. So I'm gonna
put up, some information in ourin our episode show notes. You
can go right to, our awardsinformation. Maybe you read
about Mitchell and the otherhonorees.
Also, you can see how tonominate people next year or
(22:13):
maybe pass it on to a peer andget them to nominate you. So,
also wanna say go tomgma.com/leaders to go ahead and
learn more about our leadersconference, and you can register
there if you haven't already. Sountil then, thank you all for
being MGMA podcast listeners.Listeners.
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