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In this episode, Jakub Grajcar sits down with Melissa DelFino, founder of Modern Distinction, a practice management and leadership consulting brand. Melissa’s mission is to help medical leaders move past "analysis paralysis" to create systems, culture, and teams that actually work.

We dive deep into the often-overlooked "human" side of practice management, exploring how emotional regulation can transform patient care and staff morale . Melissa also shares a modern framework for delivering feedback and explains why leaders should consider using AI as a neutral "witness" during sensitive HR conversations.

We cover:

🏗️ Smart Scaling: Why asking for help and avoiding "analysis paralysis" is the key to growth.
🤝 The Leadership Balance: Balancing empathy with efficiency to lead a team that actually works.
🧘 Emotional Regulation: Practical "in-the-moment" techniques for staying calm under pressure.
🥪 The Feedback Sandwich: Mastering the art of constructive feedback to support staff development.
⚖️ AI for HR Compliance: Using AI note-takers as neutral "witnesses" during sensitive staff conversations.
✍️ Polished Communication: Leveraging AI to refine your tone and send clearer, more professional announcements.

👤 Guest: Melissa DelFino
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mulford-8822a286/
Company - Modern Distinction: https://moderndistinction.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moderndistinctionconsulting/

See how Talkie.ai works - AI medical receptionist demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOiJ3ITTrLY&list=PLLjcCBHYN2KoBqm-Dx-8lIwWLuU-CHXSg

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In this episode, Jakub Grajcar sits down with Amanda Buchanan, Director at Voyage Practice Management, a full-service medical billing company. With over 24 years of experience in healthcare management—including 16 years running a large ambulatory surgical center—Amanda shares her expert playbook for practice growth.

We dive into why the right software is the "heart" of any successful practice and how it serves as the foundation for everything from front-desk data entry to back-end insurance appeals. Amanda also reveals high-ROI opportunities often overlooked by practices, such as internalizing Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and leveraging automated texting to revolutionize patient collections.

We cover:

🏗️ The Foundation of Growth: Why your EHR and billing software is the #1 tool for scaling.
📝 Coders vs. Billers: Defining the specialized roles needed to maximize every claim's value.
💰 Unlocking "Hidden" ROI: How internalizing DME can drive massive practice revenue.
⚠️ The Documentation Gap: Why better physician notes are the key to stopping denied claims.
📱 Game-Changing Collections: Why automated texting sees 90% response rates over traditional mail.
⚖️ Winning the Appeal: Amanda’s playbook for fighting—and beating—insurance company denials.

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Amanda Buchanan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-buchanan-0b6432167/
Company - Voyage Practice Management: https://www.voyagepracticemanagement.com/

🤝 Conference: ModMed Momentum

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
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In this episode, healthcare success and compliance consultant Jacqueline Waterhouse, COT, joins Jakub Grajcar to dismantle the idea that compliance is just a "boring administrative hurdle." With over 25 years of industry experience—ranging from clinical work as a Certified Ophthalmic Technician to high-level consulting—Jacqueline shares why a "culture of compliance" is actually the secret to scaling a practice and protecting your most valuable asset: your staff.

We dive into the psychological side of practice management, exploring how burnout leads to clinical errors and why compliance shouldn't be a "once-a-year" event. Jacqueline also shares practical advice on how to use AI to simplify regulatory paperwork and how to build a team that values quality as much as productivity.

We cover:

💡 The "Culture of Compliance": Why shifting your mindset from "checking boxes" to "protecting patients" changes everything.
⚖️ The true cost of burnout: How staff exhaustion directly correlates to compliance risks and medical errors.
⚙️ Modernizing the "Compliance Binder": Moving away from dusty manuals and into digital, living systems that actually work.
🤖 AI in Compliance: How Jacqueline uses AI to draft policies, conduct risk assessments, and save hours of administrative work.
🔍 The Proactive Audit: Why you should be your own toughest critic before a regulatory agency knocks on your door.
📈 Scaling with Quality: How to grow your practice's volume without sacrificing the standards of care that built your reputation.

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Jacqueline Waterhouse
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-waterhousecot/

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-16

In this episode, host Jakub Grajcar sits down with Tiffany Burke, an independent consultant with 22 years of experience in healthcare IT and practice management. As an expert in Athena Health implementations, Tiffany shares her playbook for helping practices grow smarter. We dive deep into why staying ahead of trends is the key to success , how to make tough but necessary staffing decisions , and the right way to foster a positive, team-oriented culture.

We cover:

💡 The #1 tip for practice growth: Why jumping on innovation and trends sets successful practices apart
⚙️ Expert Athena Health tips: How to properly use Practice Roles and Encounter Plans to maximize efficiency
📈 A consultant's staffing framework: How to decide when to add, cut, or (most importantly) re-utilize team members after implementing new tech
🤝 The "family" debate: Tiffany's take on building a supportive, team-first environment and why it's crucial in a medical office
💬 Handling tough conversations: A step-by-step guide to cutting staff with grace and maintaining team morale
🎯 Why your "Mission, Values, and Goals" are the foundation for every decision, from leadership to implementation

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Tiffany Burke
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-burke-5b2a3320/

Other Resources:
🐒 Harvard Business Review "Who's Got the Monkey?" (HBR Article)

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-15

In this episode, Jakub Grajcar sits down with Sanjeet Kumar, CEO of OnSure Health LLC and a 20-year veteran in US healthcare. Sanjeet shares his expert playbook for practice growth, built from over two decades of experience in revenue cycle management. He breaks down the critical steps new practices must take before opening their doors and how existing practices can stop revenue leaks they don't even know they have.

We cover:

🔑 How to use CMS.gov data to pick the right demographic area
💸 Why credentialing and billing secondary/tertiary insurance is the key to profitability
📊 How to build a practice-specific dashboard to analyze CPT codes, insurer denials, and physician performance
🛑 The critical mistake practices make: Only analyzing revenue when it's already down (and why you should do it monthly)
🤖 Which administrative tasks are ready for AI: Automating prior authorizations , claim status , and eligibility checks
💡 How to convince a practice manager who says "we've always done it this way" to embrace an outside audit

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Sanjeet Kumar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjeetkumarosh/
OnSure Health: https://www.onsurehealth.com/

Other Resources:
🏛️ CMS.gov

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-14

In this episode, Evan Grossman, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Affineon Health, joins Jakub Grajcar to break down how AI-driven inbox solutions are transforming physician workflows and practice efficiency. From reclaiming hours spent on administrative work to freeing up time for strategic growth, Evan shares practical strategies for practice managers to maximize productivity.

We cover:

⏱ How AI can save providers 3–5 hours per week—and staff too
📨 Why tackling the inbox is the key to reducing burnout
💡 Real examples of doctors gaining time to grow their practice
⚙️ How integrating AI into existing EHRs avoids friction
📊 Measuring success: How to evaluate time and workflow improvements
🚀 What the next frontier looks like: Summarizing discharge summaries and clinical documents

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Evan Grossman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evangrossman/
Affineon Health: https://www.affineon.com/

Books:
📚 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-13

In this episode, healthcare strategist, speaker, and compliance expert Shereese Maynard joins host Jakub Grajcar to expose one of the biggest hidden barriers in practice growth—policy fatigue. From empowering frontline staff to automating repetitive tasks, Shereese reveals how practice managers can boost patient trust, stay compliant, and stop drowning in new regulations.

We cover:
🔑 Why “trust is the currency of growth” in healthcare
💼 How to turn frontline staff into your strongest marketing channel
📚 What policy fatigue looks like—and how to fix it with clarity
⚙️ How automation and AI can save your practice time and money
🧩 Why continuous staff education pays off more than any new tech
🎯 The right way to deliver policy updates that actually stick

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Shereese Maynard
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitreeset/
Medium: https://shereesemay.medium.com/
Don't miss Shereese's great column on Medium: We No Longer Want to HIT That (Healthcare IT)

Books:
📘 The Checklist Manifesto by Dr. Atul Gawande
📖 Symptom to Diagnosis by Scott D.C. Stern, Adam S. Cifu, and Diane Altkorn

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-12

In this episode, Christina King, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Operations at Nevada Heart and Vascular Center, sits down with Jakub Grajcar to explore how successful healthcare practices must prioritize people over profit. Christina discusses how to cultivate an empathetic environment for both patients and staff, and how practices can leverage technology—without losing their human touch.

We cover:

💡 The secret to thriving practices: Why prioritizing people over profits is non-negotiable
🤝 Hiring for empathy: How to spot the right candidates who will put patients first
⚙️ Integrating technology: Using AI in ways that enhance human care, not replace it
🧠 Empathy in leadership: Why it's essential for practice managers and healthcare teams
🔍 AI in healthcare: How Christina went from skeptic to advocate for AI-driven solutions

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Christina King
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinamking/
Nevada Heart and Vascular Center:
https://nevadaheart.com/

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-11