MedAxiom HeartTalk

MedAxiom HeartTalk

Cardiovascular leaders discuss today’s most innovative ideas and pressing challenges, with the goal to transform cardiovascular care for all. Top cardiologists, hospital administrators, industry experts and consultants talk patient care, physician culture, financial management, new technology, legislation and more. Executive Producer: Candice Reineke. Host: Melanie Lawson. Producers and Editors: Laura Bragg and Megan Fox.

Episodes

November 12, 2025 15 mins
On this “Meet the Experts” HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, sits down with MedAxiom President and CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, FACC, for a candid conversation about leadership, teamwork, and service – drawing lessons from both medicine and his early days in sports. He shares how trust and humility guide his approach and why he sees change as something to run toward, not from. Plus, he shares a few personal insights (and laughs)...
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In this episode of HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson is joined by MedAxiom's Joel Sauer, MBA, executive vice president of Consulting, and Karen Wilson, MHA, vice president of Member Services, to explore the complexity of subspecialty performance metrics in cardiovascular care. The conversation focuses on how MedAxiom’s MedAxcess data tool helps identify meaningful differences in cardiology subspecialties—revealing that “one size fits ...
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Often referred to as the “sandwich generation,” today’s clinical leaders face a diverse set of challenges in navigating generational dynamics. In this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS addresses common leadership hurdles with Ana Mercurio-Pinto, vice president of Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom, and Nicole Lohr, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA, division director at University of Alabama at Birmingham. They highlight practica...
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In this episode of HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, is joined by Paula Furcron, director of specialty services at NextGen Healthcare, for a discussion on the growing role of AI in cardiovascular care. Together, they explore how artificial intelligence is enhancing patient engagement, streamlining workflows and improving both provider satisfaction and clinical outcomes. From self-scheduling to personalized charting, Paula shares ...
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August 21, 2025 11 mins
In this "Meet the Experts" HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with Ana Mercurio-Pinto, vice president of Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom. With a rich background in academic medicine, cardiovascular service line operations, and research management, Ana shares how her work is reshaping the future of care delivery. From optimizing physician performance and budgets to integrating complex hospital-physician systems, Ana...
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Remote patient monitoring is reshaping chronic care management. On this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with Patricia Dickson, director of operations at Capital Cardiology Associates; Jude Hebert, vice president of Clinical Programs at Cardiovascular Logistics; and Samson Magid, CEO and co-founder of HealthSnap. They dive into virtual care tools that help practices stay connected with patients between visits, re...
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What makes the dyad leadership model so effective in cardiovascular care? On this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, is joined by Joel Sauer, MBA, executive vice president of Consulting at MedAxiom and Jeff Carstens, MD, MBA, FACC, medical director of the Cardiovascular Service Line at UnityPoint Health. They explore how the dyad leadership model influences the design of physician compensation plans and strengthens cardio...
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July 23, 2025 8 mins
In this "Meet the Experts" HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS is joined by Jaime Warren Ed.D., MBA, BHS, CNMT, NCT, vice president of Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom. With over two decades of clinical and executive experience, particularly in imaging services and hospital operations, Jaime shares insights into optimizing cardiovascular imaging spaces to improve workflows and team performance. Learn what motivates Jaime as ...
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As cardiac rehab evolves, innovative care models are key to better outcomes and financial sustainability. In this special episode of HeartTalk, vice presidents of Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom, Denise Busman, MSN, RN, CPHQ, FACC, and Jenny Kennedy, DNP, RN, CHFN, NEA-BC, FACC sit down with Sarah Shelton, cardiac rehabilitation manager and Rod Roeser, CEO at Heart and Vascular Care (HVC). They discuss how they successfull...
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June 18, 2025 8 mins
In this "Meet the Experts" HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS speaks with Denise Busman, MSN, RN, CPHQ, FACC, vice president of Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom. With over 30 years of nursing and quality leadership experience, Denise shares her journey into healthcare and what it takes to make clinical transformation truly stick. Get to know Denise’s leadership style—and what fuels her passion both in and outside of healthc...
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In this episode of HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, sits down with Alex Struck, chief growth officer, and Dan Jensen, chief financial officer at CardioOne, to explore the growing challenges facing independent cardiology practices. They discuss the shifting landscape of hospital employment and share how CardioOne is helping cardiologists reclaim autonomy while maintaining financial and operational sustainability.


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Lessons from the football field can translate to healthcare leadership. On this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with John Erwin III, MD, MBA, MACC, FACP, FAHA, the chair of medicine at Prisma-Health Upstate, as he explores parallels between successful sports teams and high-functioning healthcare teams. Drawing from his background, they discuss team building, trust, and aligning roles for better patient care.

Watc...
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Gaps in cardiovascular care have sparked the need for a better solution. On this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, talks with Ben Peterson, MD, MPH, Interventional Cardiologist and Medical Director at Heart and Vascular Research Institute. They discuss the use of an AI tool to support patient identification and treatment needs, and envision a future of more personalized care.

Watch the video here: https://hubs.li/Q03yVyLJ...
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May 21, 2025 6 mins
In this "Meet the Experts" HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, sits down with Nicole Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom. Known for her deep expertise in cardiovascular operations, revenue cycle optimization, and LEAN process improvement, Nicole shares highlights from her decades-long journey in healthcare leadership. Beyond the professional achie...
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Welcome to the seventh episode of our HeartTalk podcast series, Revenue Recovery. Host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant. They dive into how to appropriately capture Prolonged Care services and offer practical examples for your organization.

Click here for the Revenue Recovery cheat sheet: https://hubs.ly/Q03hvhqw0
 
Guest Bio:
Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA
MedAxiom...
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In April 2024, Cathie Biga, MSN, FACC, made history as the first non-physician president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). On this episode of HeartTalk, Melanie Lawson, MS, talks with Cathie about her 40+ years of experience as a leader in cardiovascular care. She shares personal, inspiring and educational stories about her career and discusses her vision for the future.


Watch the HeartTalk with Cathie ACC President Serie...
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November 22, 2024 36 mins
On this episode of MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for cardiovascular care with guests Effie Andrikopoulou, MD, MBA, FACC, FASE, associate professor at the University of Washington and medical director at Harborview Medical Center, and Denise Busman, MSN, RN, CPHQ, FACC, vice president of Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom. They explore how car...
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It’s becoming increasingly important to ensure your care team stays up to date with best practices for managing patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) in the device clinic. On this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with James Allred, MD, FACC, CEO and co-founder of CV Remote Solutions; Austin Reed, vice president of Business Development, Strategy and Innovation, at CV Remote Solutions; and Nic...
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Click here for the Revenue Recovery cheat sheet:
https://hubs.ly/Q02yqht40

Welcome to the next episode of our HeartTalk podcast series, Revenue Recovery. Host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with MedAxiom’s Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation, and Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant. They discuss the coverage eligibility for Inter...
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Click here for the Revenue Recovery cheat sheet:

https://hubs.ly/Q02x7ncv0

Welcome to the next episode of our HeartTalk podcast series, Revenue Recovery. Host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with MedAxiom’s Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation, and Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA, Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant. They discuss specific use cases for CPT code 99...
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