FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
MAG TO LEAD KEY PANEL ON HIT AT ‘HEALTH CONNECT SOUTH’
ATLANTA – Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) Executive Director Donald J. Palmisano Jr. will lead a key ‘Critical Data for All: Integrated Health Information’ panel discussion during the ‘2018 Health Connect South’ event, which will take place at the Georgia Aquarium this Thursday, September 27.
The MAG panel will feature Laura McCrary, Ed.D., the senior vice president of KAMMCO Health Solutions, Inc., and Thomas Bat, M.D., the CEO and medical director of North Atlanta Primary Care – which has 11 practice sites in the north Atlanta metro area and North Georgia that care for more than 100,000 patients.
The panel will address a number of important issues, including how a health information exchange can benefit patients and physicians and other allied stakeholders and how physicians can use data analytics to create newfound value. The panel will also discuss Georgia’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and how a health information exchange has transformed the health care system in Kansas.
“EHR will only reach its full potential when it becomes patient-centered and physician-led as opposed to the public and private payer cost control exercise it is today,” says Palmisano. “If we do that and address the connectivity piece, we will have a better and more efficient health care system in Georgia.”
Dr. Bat, whose practice recently started using the MAG-endorsed HealtheParadigm health information exchange, is convinced that, “We will see exponential change occur when physicians and allied stakeholders – including patients, hospitals, the state’s large health care systems, pharmacists, and insurers – are truly able to exchange data in a seamless, real-time way, and we are then able to convert that data into actionable intelligence.”
He adds that, “The exchange of health information technology can improve patient outcomes and satisfaction, and it can lower costs by reducing duplicity and inefficiencies.”
Meanwhile, McCrary stresses that, “A health information exchange like HealtheParadigm results in better care, better care coordination, and better patient safety because it enables participating physicians to have easy access to a patient’s longitudinal records – including any diagnosis, treatment, lab results, and medications – from every participating provider the patient has ever seen in every setting. We know this is possible because we have seen it take place firsthand in Kansas.”
Health Connect South’s mission is to “break down the silos in health, gather the top health leaders from these silos, and create collaborations and partnerships to advance health. The event is expected to draw more than 500 health care leaders from across the region and beyond. Go to www.healthconnectsouth.com/event/health-connect-south-2018/ for registration and other details.
The MAG panel is scheduled to take place from 10:20 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The event will also feature a talk by MAG member and American Medical Association (AMA) President-elect Patrice Harris, M.D., M.A., who will give an update on AMA’s efforts to combat opioid misuse – which will take place immediately after the MAG panel.
About the Medical Association of Georgia
With nearly 8,000 members, MAG is the leading voice for physicians in Georgia. MAG is an advocate for physicians in every practice setting and specialty. Go to www.mag.org for additional information. Go to www.healtheparadigm.com for details on HealtheParadigm.
About North Atlanta Primary Care
North Atlanta Primary Care is a Level 3 National Committee for Quality Assurance-recognized, full-service primary care practice, including family physicians, internists, and physician assistants. It cares for more than 100,000 patients who range from two months old to 103 years old at 11 practice sites in the north metro Atlanta area and North Georgia. NAPC exceeds 200,000 in-person office visits per year – with an additional 100,000 electronic “visit/contacts” each year. Go to www.napc.md for additional information.
About KAMMCO
KAMMCO is a provider-led medical professional liability insurer affiliated with the Kansas Medical Society. KAMMCO’s provider-led approach uniquely positions it to help physicians, other healthcare providers, integrated delivery networks, accountable care organizations, and others seeking to improve patient outcomes and adapt to new performance-based payment models through the use of data analytics and business intelligence tools. KAMMCO is now delivering analytics products and services in partnership with medical societies in six states beyond Kansas, including Georgia, South Carolina, Connecticut, New Jersey, Missouri, and Louisiana. For more information visit www.KAMMCO.com. ###
