Revenue Recovery: Smoking and Tobacco Cessation

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While you may or may not be the person coding revenue cycle services, many of you are responsible for your program’s overall success with revenue recovery and know all too well the challenges that come with it. Welcome to the first episode of our new podcast series, Revenue Recovery, where we aim to empower YOU – physicians, administrators and revenue cycle managers – to effectively communicate and ensure your organization does not leave any money on the table. On MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson 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. Together, they discuss some challenges, tips and solutions for capturing services involving smoking and tobacco cessation.


Guest Bios:

Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation

Nicole’s decades of healthcare experience include cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management, and consulting. The most recent years have been devoted to cardiovascular consulting in operations, LEAN process improvement, and the revenue cycle.

Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as Practice Administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and Director of Operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance, and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has provided physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally.

Nicole has completed numerous education hours toward a B.S. in Health Care Administration. In addition, she maintains her LPN licensure in Louisiana and Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified AHIMA ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She also serves on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA.


Linda Gates-Striby, CCS-P, ACS-CA
MedAxiom Consultant, Revenue Cycle Solutions

Linda Gates-Striby has worked in the medical field for over 30 years and has specialized in cardiology coding and revenue cycle for 25 years. Her clinical experience includes work in the heart stations and coronary intensive care units as well as working as an EMT for a level one trauma center.

As a MedAxiom Revenue Cycle Solutions consultant, Linda provides cardiovascular programs across the country with operational expertise, implementation strategies and simplification for often complex initiatives to minimize risk and maximize revenue. Linda, who has spent the past 30 years working as a specialist in compliance, revenue cycle and quality with a large cardiology and multi-specialty practice, is also the director of quality assurance with Ascension Medical Group in Indiana.

Linda is a sought-after speaker and consultant and has conducted numerous national educational sessions focused on documentation, coding, auditing and revenue cycle improvement for clinicians, coders and administrators across the nation.

Linda serves as a non-physician member of the American College of Cardiology’s coding work group and publications subcommittee and has also served on the coding committee for the Heart Rhythm Society. Lind