SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the syndrome COVID-19, has swept the planet over the last 9 months. In a relatively short time, tens of millions of people have been infected and hundreds of thousands have died. Although much remains unknown, early scientific and epidemiologic data has provided insights into how this virus transmits, how the syndrome will present, who may be more likely to become very ill from the virus, and what immunity may linger. Many potential treatments are in clinical trials, with some very close to complete FDA approval, and vaccine trials are underway. Most importantly, there is now a good understanding of what we can do as a society to decrease transmission and begin to open businesses, schools, and communities safely.

Three Key Takeaways from Dr. Rizza’s Presentation: 

1. Understand the mode of transmission and the clinical syndrome of COVID
2. Appreciate the state of treatment development and current therapeutic options
3. Understand the state of vaccine development and measures we can take now to decrease infection rates

About Our Speaker

Dr. Stacey Rizza is the Executive Medical Director for International Academic Affairs at Mayo Clinic. She is an Infectious Disease physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Rizza has been involved in laboratory-based research, clinical research, educational initiatives, and has maintained a busy clinical practice. She is a Professor of Medicine and previous Chair of the Mayo HIV Clinic.Dr. Rizza currently serves as the Associate Dean of the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, the Associate Director for Diversity and Inclusion, Mayo Clinic Transplant Center, as well as President of the Mayo Clinic Staff.

Dr. Rizza has held NIH grants and received a patent for her work on HIV and HCV mediated apoptosis. She is the Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) / African Collaboration for the HIV and Cancer Treatment Guidelines Committee, a member of workgroups within The International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT), and has served on committees and held roles within the Infectious Disease Society of America, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Dr. Rizza has also consulted with businesses on the creation of cleaning and disinfection protocols to keep customers and employees safe and healthy.

Dr. Rizza graduated with a degree in Biochemistry from Haverford College and received her Medical Degree from the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. She did an Internal Medicine Residency and Infectious Disease Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, followed by a Post-doctoral Fellowship in HIV and HCV Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco.

WHEN: Thursday, September 10th, 12:30-2:00 p.m. MDT–Mountain Daylight Time

WHERE: Online. This will be a Virtual Event through GoToWebinar

REGISTER:   In order to offset expenses associated with our presentation and to continue promoting a quality product, there is a $15 charge for this event.

RSVP for this month’s event by clicking the appropriate link below.

Click Here to Register

I will not attend this month’s event  

Sponsored by:   

There are many challenges being faced by mission-driven healthcare organizations, especially during these Covid-19 times.  Some of the realities revolve around the reduction of elective procedures, overall shortages in revenue, changes in patient behavior, the increased cost of chronic care patient management and the rising sedentary and obese populations.  Jill and Bill will share an overview of the medical fitness opportunity and examples of successful business solutions that bring a new and appealing Win-Win-Win approach.  Patient – Health Care Provider – Medical Fitness Provider.

Five Key Takeaways from Jill”s and Bill’s Presentation: 

1. Medical fitness defined from a Wellness and Fitness perspective
2. The benefits of Exercise as Medicine and Medical Fitness for patients, healthcare organizations and US population risk management
3. Understanding the Fitness-Wellness-Medicine Continuum of Care
4. The profitable and beneficial intersection of Fitness & Wellness integration within the Healthcare Continuum, both upstream and downstream
5. The Future and the Opportunities in this space including the growth of tele-health, digital and virtual programs

About Our Speakers

Jill Kinney: Jill Kinney is considered an industry leader in the world of health and fitness. With over 30 years in the health club and wellness business, she has earned her title as “America’s Number One Female Entrepreneur”. Jill founded Club One in 1991 and built it into a $90 million business with over 3,000 employees and 100 clubs. In 2014, she founded Active Wellness, now an international leader in fitness center design and management services.

Jill earned the Distinguished Service Award from the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and has been inducted into the Wellness Revolution Hall of Fame. She is an experienced board member having served on the Board for IHRSA, the American Council on Exercise, March of Dimes, Glen Ivy Hot Springs, Shape Magazine, Presidio Bank, Fitspot, and currently she is the chairman of the board for The Buck Institute for Research on Aging.

Jill lives in Marin County with her husband and has three terrific kids.

Bill McBride: Bill is a health club industry veteran with over 25 years of experience leading and managing all aspects of commercial health clubs, medical fitness centers, residential, community, multi-tenant and corporate fitness sites. He co-founded Active Wellness, LLC and owns a health club consultancy – BMC3. Bill has served as Chairman of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) Board of Directors, President of the Mid- Atlantic Club Management Association (MACMA) and served on the Industry Advisory Board for the American Council of Exercise (ACE).

He is actively engaged as an author on industry education, serves on several fitness related technology company Advisory Boards, serves on the Medical Wellness Association (MWA) as a Faculty Member. He recently also served on the ACSM Facility Standards & Guidelines 5th Edition Committee as an Editor. Bill consults & speaks regularly on industry topics throughout the world.

WHEN: Thursday, July 30th, 12:30-2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Online. This will be a Virtual Event through GoToWebinar

REGISTER:   In order to offset expenses associated with our presentation and to continue promoting a quality product, there is a $15 charge for this event.

RSVP for this month’s event by clicking the appropriate button below.

Click Here to Register

I will not attend this month’s event  

Sponsored by:   

Platinum Sponsors

Efficiency and Evolution: The challenge of scale and sale in the brave new world of healthcare.

The turn of the 2020 decade promised the most lucrative transaction market in the history of healthcare – until it didn’t. Instead, the COVID-19 crisis erupted across the world and changed the landscape of the medical industry and altered the course of everything from practice management to private equity transactions.

A seasoned professional in the hospital and healthcare arena with sub-specialization in urology, oncology, dermatology, orthopedic and aesthetics arenas, as well as a successful veteran of medical transactions, Dana Jacoby will discuss the five critical elements impacting the future of healthcare, and share details of her profound experience in moving medical practices forward in a post COVID-19 environment.

Five Key Takeaways from Dana’s Presentation: 

1. Leadership – Why some hospitals and community-based practices were able to pivot and others struggled
2. Culture – Definition of growth strategy and culture during layoffs, furloughs and relaunch
3. Re-alignment – Use the crisis to realign “we knew it was coming…”
4. Scaling – Care groups and telemedicine to maximize efficiency
5. Valuation – Cash flow and EBITDA multiples after the interruption

About Our Speaker

Dana Jacoby is a professional healthcare industry consultant and thought leader. She has served as a national lead for project development, analysis, implementation, and delivery at more than 25 UHS Hospitals and HCA Health System sites across the United States, as well as for Hospitals and Health Systems Internationally in Asia, Europe, and Canada.

Ms. Jacoby consults with C-Suite Executives, Boards, and Physician Leaders with a specific focus in in the areas of strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, alternative payment models, financial management, operational efficiencies, service line development, and process improvement.

She has also served as lead developer of medical practice, pharmaceutical/device company strategy/planning with a primary focus on: Creation/product market development, medical practice management, provider compensation strategies, efficiency metrics, and process improvement.

Ms. Jacoby graduated from Louisiana State University, holds a Master of Management from Tulane University, and a Master of Health Systems from the University of Medicine and Dentistry. She is a Wharton Fellow Inductee from Wharton University.

An avid marathon runner, Ms. Jacoby has run a marathon in all of the States in the United States and all the continents around the world except Antarctica.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 23rd, 12:30-2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Online. This will be a Virtual Event through GoToWebinar

REGISTER:   In order to offset expenses associated with our presentation and to continue promoting a quality product, there is a $15 charge for this event.

Sponsored by:   

Platinum Sponsors

Important Changes for the Denver Medical Study Group’s Upcoming Meeting.

We recognize that our country is in the midst of extraordinary circumstances due to the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic. Our primary concern is for the health of our DMSG Community, our guests, and our venue host, Saint Joseph Hospital, and all healthcare providers.

To comply with the current CDC guidelines, we have made the decision to change our meeting venue to a virtual conference. This way, you will be able to participate from the comfort and safety of your home or office without missing out on the important information that this month’s speaker, Steve Hyde, will share with us.

Our meeting will still be on April 2nd, 2020, but the meeting time will be 12:30-2:00 p.m., instead of an evening meeting. The registration fee for this meeting has been paid for by our DMSG Sponsors below in an effort to show their continued support to our organization and our DMSG Community. 

Thank you for being understanding of these changes. We wish you all the best of health and look forward to you joining us on April 2nd at 12:30 p.m.

Chris Hadley
President and Founder

How America’s Employers Can Fix Health Care

Steve Hyde, MBA

America’s employers have long had the tools necessary to fix our broken health care system and to assure consistently affordable, high-quality medical care for their 170-million employees and dependents and, ultimately, the entire U.S. population—all without any additional government regulation or programs. Yet they have utterly failed to do it, having focused instead on failed top-down, bureaucratic approaches that deny control to the one player with the greatest stake in the outcome—the medical consumer.

The solution lies in employers extending to their employees the same economic principle that has long allowed them to purchase their equally essential food, housing, transportation, and clothing: Consumer control of all the money. With it, employees with use a simple smartphone app will be able to make their own medical choices based on the answers to two simple questions:

1. For my medical needs, who are the highest-quality, most appropriate medical providers?
2. Of those, which one is cheapest?

To accomplish this, we need only a single large employer—Employer Zero—to take the initiative to make it happen.

Key takeaways from Steve’s presentation.

1. The two primary causes of excessive medical costs.
2. How insurers and PBMs have made it much worse.
3. How mere non-doctor consumers can capably shop for their own medical care and prescription drugs and drive down costs by half while doubling quality.

Since 1970, author and speaker Steve Hyde has been a managed-care CEO, federal HMO regulator, health insurance actuary, medical group CEO, policy expert, PBM CEO, and confidential advisor to scores of providers, payers, employers, and policy makers. His most recent book How Jeff Bezos Can Fix Health Care: Leading the Transparency Revolution, has received rave reviews from advocates of private-sector health reform including The American Enterprise Institute. His previous books were Cured! The Insider’s Handbook for Health Care Reform, and Prescription Drugs for Half-Price or Less. Steve received a BA in Finance from Michigan State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

WHEN: Thursday, April 2nd at 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: At your home or office with Video Conferencing through GoToMeeting

Our Platinum Sponsors Include:

Our Gold Sponsors Include:

Robert K. Smoldt, MBA, Associate Director Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program, ASU
Emeritus CAO, Mayo Clinic

In this session, Mr. Smoldt will describe three different health reform directions which the US could use to get the country to universal coverage — one direction would be “Medicare for All/Single Payer”. The other two would include: (2) the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program w private insurance option and (3) build on the ACA with some modifications. He will also share survey results showing which countries are happy with their health system and why.

The audience will be split into groups to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of the three directions. Following reports by each group of the three best advantages of the option they were reviewing, Mr. Smoldt will summarize their findings. Then a “vote” will be taken to see which way the Denver Medical Study Group would take to get the US to universal coverage.

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Bob is the Chief Administrative Officer emeritus of Mayo Clinic. He served as a member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees and Mayo Clinic Executive Committee from 1990-2007. Presently, he is Associate Director of the Arizona State University Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program. At Mayo Clinic, Bob worked in a variety of administrative positions in both medical and surgical departments prior to being named the Chief Administrative Officer. Bob also served two terms on the Board of Catholic Health Initiatives.

Mr. Smoldt earned the B.S. degree from Iowa State University and the M.B.A. degree from the University of Southern California. He has given numerous presentations including the DMSG and is a recognized speaker on the health care environment. He has provided leadership at Mayo Clinic facilities in both Rochester and Scottsdale. He has been involved in health care administration for over 30 years – both with the U.S. Air Force and Mayo Clinic. Mr. Smoldt joined Mayo in 1972, and he has worked in a variety of administrative positions in both medical and surgical departments. Prior to his CAO role, he served as chair of the Department of Planning and Public Affairs.

Mr. Smoldt also has been active in Medical Group Management Association including being the Chair of the organization’s research and marketing committees and has acted as moderator of its international conference in London, England. Most recently, he was a member of the Medical Group Management Association National Awards Committee, which honors those who make significant leadership contributions to health care administration, delivery or education in medical group practice and presents the following awards: Harry J. Harwick Award for Lifetime Achievement Award, Physician Executive Award, Fred Graham Award and Medical Practice Executive of the Year Award.

 

WHEN: Thursday, February 27th from 11:30 to 2 p.m.

Lunch and Networking from 11:30 a.m. to 12 noon
Welcome and Introductions of Individual Attendees including
Recognition of Sponsors and Chris’ Comments 12 noon to 12:15 p.m.
Speaker’s Presentation including Q & A 12:15 p.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE:  COPIC offices, 7351 Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230

Sponsored by:   

Platinum Sponsors

 

Gold Sponsors

State of the State of Colorado Hospitals: A Panel Discussion

Katherine Mulready, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the Colorado Hospital Association

Reginald Washington, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center and the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in Denver

Jamie Smith, MBA, FACHE, President of SCL Health Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver

Sharma Vaughn, RN, MPA, Executive Director of the Community Care Alliance and former CNO of Rangely District Hospital

WHEN: Thursday, December 12th at 5:30 p.m.  Heavy Hors’d’oeuvres from 5:30-6:30, Meeting from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

WHERE:  St. Joseph Hospital, 1375 E 19th Ave, Denver, CO 80218 (Please note the new location for our evening meeting.)

REGISTER:   The cost for this event is $55. RSVP for this month’s event below.

Refunds are available provided you cancel at least five days prior to the event.

Please use the PayPal button below to register and pay for this event. If you are submitting multiple registrations, You may submit them with one payment. When you’ve completed the payment, click on “return to merchant” at the bottom of the payment page. It will take you to the page where you can list additional attendees or write Chris a note. If you have any difficulties or questions, email Denvermedicalstudygroup@gmail.com with additional attendee names and email addresses.

You DO NOT need to have a PayPal account to pay via PayPal using credit or debit card.

I will not attend this month’s event     

Sponsored by: 

State of the State: “Update on Medicaid and State Affordability Opportunities”

Kim Bimestefer, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing

WHEN: Thursday, October 3rd from 11:30 to 2 p.m.

Lunch and Networking from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Welcome and Introductions of Individual Attendees 12:15 p.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Recognition of Sponsors and Chris’ Comments 12:20 to 12:30 p.m.
Speaker’s Presentation including Q & A 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE:  COPIC offices, 7351 Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230

REGISTER:   RSVP for this month’s event by clicking the appropriate button below.

Click Here to Register

I will not attend this month’s event     

Sponsored by:   

“Thinking Beyond Burnout, How Do We Promote Thriving and Flourishing for Health Care Providers?”

Jenny Reese, MD, Section Head, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine

WHEN: Wednesday, September 4th from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

WHERE:  COPIC offices, 7351 Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230

REGISTER:   RSVP for this month’s event by clicking the appropriate button below.

Click Here to Register

I will not attend this month’s event     

Sponsored by:   

The Innovation Imperative:  People Matter, Build a Tribe

August 8th, Peter Kung, Vice President of Innovation and Virtual Health, SCL Health

WHEN: Thursday, August 8th from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

WHERE:  COPIC offices, 7351 Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230

REGISTER:   RSVP for this month’s event by clicking the appropriate button below.

Click Here to Register

I will not attend this month’s event     

Hosted by:   

Sponsored by:   

“Transforming Health Care in an Academic Medical Center”

Donna Lynne, DrPH, Chief Operating Officer of Columbia University Medical Center and CEO of Columbia Doctors

Academic medical centers (AMCs) are dealing with the same challenges their non-academic counterparts are—financial pressure from purchasers, managed care organizations and insurance companies, as well as from Medicare and Medicaid.  Regulations and compliance activities for AMCs are often more burdensome, and of course, since AMCs have the role of providing clinical care, research and training, as well as an inherent bias towards specialty care, their cost structure is higher.  This session will describe some of the strategies AMCs are using to thrive in today’s complex health care environment, from affiliations with community based hospitals, to ACO formation, and internal cost management strategies and efforts to develop more consistency and efficiencies in what are often decentralized systems.

Lessons from AMCs in NY and other states, including Colorado, will be highlighted.

Donna Lynne, DrPH, is the Chief Operating Officer of Columbia University Medical Center and the CEO of Columbia Doctors, an 1800 faculty practice organization.  Until early 2019, she was Colorado’s 49th Lieutenant Governor and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to assuming her roles in Colorado state government, Dr. Lynne served as the executive vice president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and as group president responsible for its Colorado, Pacific Northwest and Hawaii regions – overseeing an $8 billion budget, 1.4 million members and 16,000 employees. She participated in numerous boards and commissions during her time at Kaiser Permanente, including the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Denver Public Schools Foundation Board and many others.

She is recognized as one of the top women business leaders in Denver and one of the top 25 Women in Healthcare in the nation. Dr. Lynne also spent 20 years working in various positions in New York City government including First Deputy Commissioner at the Office of Labor Relations, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations, and Senior Vice President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from University of New Hampshire, a Masters of Public Administration from George Washington University, and a Doctor of Public Health from Columbia University. In 2014, Dr. Lynne received an honorary doctorate of public service from the University of Denver, and in 2017 an honorary bachelor of science degree in nursing from Colorado Mountain College. She resides in Denver with her husband and enjoys activities such as climbing all of Colorado’s fourteeners, participating in Ride the Rockies and going on ski challenges around the world. Dr. Lynne has three children and two stepchildren.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 22nd at 5:30 p.m.  Heavy Hors’d’oeuvres from 5:30-6:30, Meeting from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

WHERE:  Children’s Hospital Conference Center, 13123 East 16th Avenue, Aurora, CO

REGISTER:   The cost for this event is $50. RSVP for this month’s event below.

Refunds are available provided you cancel at least five days prior to the event.

I will not attend this month’s event     

Denver Medical Study Group will donate a portion of your registration fee for this event to the Medical Career Collaborative (MC2) sponsored by Children’s Hospital Colorado and Denver Health. If you would like to join us in supporting this program, please send us an email through the Contact button at the top of this page. 

 
The Medical Career Collaborative Program is an incredible way to engage students from under-represented groups in the healthcare workforce. Similar to the Denver Medical Study Group catering to all professions that touch healthcare in some way, the MC2 program is working on engaging students in both clinical and administrative paths so they have an opportunity to learn about available career paths in the medical field. For more information about this program, click here to download a PDF.

Sponsored by:

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