Medical Cost Boss: Recent Episodes
Gabe Capone
Our guests have got the skills to save money on medical bills. Hear techniques, tips, and stories from case managers to patients, and everyone in between, so you can take charge of medical costs like a boss. Brought to you by C & A Medical Allies. Hosted by Gabe Capone. Each episode is approximately 10 minutes. Once a week. Music by Arkady Sarkisyan.
In January 2022, I spoke with nurse case manager Lisa Smrek. One of the topics we discussed was how case management has evolved--it's changed, grown, and progressed. Hear more in this episode and listen to episode 2 of this podcast to hear Lisa's take on why prevention is the best care.
Back in November 2021, I had the chance to speak with nurse practitioner, Kathy Friedland. She currently works per diem at Ascend Health providing palliative care. In our conversation, we covered a lot of topics, including the role of a nurse practitioner. It’s a hard job but a rewarding one. Hear more about it in this episode and if you’d like to learn more about palliative care, then check out Episode 4 with Kathy.
I spoke with Steph Markunas, a nursing supply chain liaison about the ways the pandemic has impacted the medical supply chain and the ways she and her facility navigated it, and continue to plan ahead, to ensure that patients receive the best care possible.
For this special episode, I spoke with Carol Matikiewicz, a retired nurse and a patient with experience dealing with healthcare. She provides some quick tips on how to advocate for yourself.
Steve Kostyk is a retired Database Systems Analyst with 30 years experience in Pharmaceutical Data Integration, Wholesaler Charge Backs, and Managed Care Rebates. He is 75 years old and currently on Medicare with a Supplemental Insurance Plan and Separate Part D Prescription Plan Coverage. He spoke about the burden of medical bills and costs and the best ways to prepare for them.
Dr. Ritu Suri is a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Specialist based in Englewood, NJ. She has over 30 years of experience in the medical field. She discusses what is Palliative Care and why those who need it, deserve it.
I spoke with Kathy Friedland, a nurse practitioner who works with Ascend Health. They provide home health care, palliative care, and hospice care to those diagnosed and living with serious illnesses. Hear about the many roles she plays to always put the patient first.
I spoke with Richard Ogrdowski, lawyer and partner with Goldsmith & Ogrowdowsk. His firm typically represents individuals and families in Pennsylvania and West Virginia with serious personal injuries for a variety of professions and industries. His goal is to help people who get hurt on the job get compensated for what they deserve. Sometimes he has to negotiate liens that medical providers put on the financial rewards that some of his clients get. Essentially, after someone pays for medical care that same medical provider tries to take more money out of the pocket of that injured person. Richard works hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.
I spoke with Lisa Smrek, a nurse case manager and experienced patient advocate. She provides valuable insights on how she reduces medical costs for patients and suggest ways to prevent these cost from occurring in the first place.
Welcome to the first episode of Medical Cost Boss. It’s fitting that our inaugural guest is Ginny Capone. She has nearly three decades of medical cost containment experience. Ginny is a registered nurse, president, and owner of Capone & Associates. She’s been helping people get quality care while focusing on the bottom line for nearly 30 years. In this episode, she speaks about ways a claimant aka a patient never has to pay the full amount of a medical bill. It’s not a trick and just ignoring the medical bills or throwing them in the trash are not the answers. There are time-tested techniques that work**.
P.S. After this episode aired, Ginny shared that people have received a discount of UP TO 25% on their medical bills!**