Staffing shortages and shrinking reimbursement are squeezing medical practices from both sides, and each gets an hour of attention on Aug. 6 when the Practice Academy opens its new Practice Management track.
Virtual sessions aim at immediate solutions
The virtual conference runs from 1 to 3 p.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 6, and registration is open. Backed by Physicians Practice, the track is built for physicians and practice administrators and leans toward tactics that can be put to work immediately rather than long‑range theory.
Justin Lam, CEO of Cool Blue VA, opens at 1 p.m. with “Leading Through Change: Building a Practice That Holds Steady When Staffing, Reimbursement, and Technology Won’t.” His premise is that practices absorbing more administrative work with the staff they already have end up burning out the people they can least afford to lose.
Lam, a diplomate in anti‑aging medicine and board‑certified by the American Board of Anti‑Aging Health Practitioners, oversees day‑to‑day operations at Cool Blue VA, which places medical virtual assistants with health‑care providers. The session covers what a credentialed medical virtual assistant is, which front‑office, revenue‑cycle and clinical support tasks can be delegated without a clinical license, what a virtual assistant costs against a local hire, and the results practices have reported in claim recovery, call capture and accounts receivable.
Following at 2 p.m., Kem Tolliver, president and CEO of Medical Revenue Cycle Specialists, presents “Future‑Proofing Your Practice: Revenue Cycle Strategies Every Medical Practice Needs to Thrive.” Tolliver brings more than 25 years in health‑care leadership and consults for physician practices, federally qualified health centers, local and state public health organizations and health systems.
Her hour targets revenue leakage on the front end and the back end: tighter intake and documentation, denial prevention, and practical uses of artificial intelligence and automation inside the revenue cycle. Attendees are meant to leave with an action plan for financial performance and operational efficiency, not a list of trends.
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The two sessions each run one hour, and both are designed to give participants concrete steps they can deploy within weeks. Registration for the Aug. 6 track is open on the Practice Academy site.
From a revenue‑cycle perspective, Tolliver’s emphasis on AI‑driven denial prevention reflects a broader industry shift toward data‑centric safeguards.
While the conference promises actionable advice, it also highlights a deeper challenge: the need for sustainable staffing models that can adapt to fluctuating reimbursement rates. Practices that rely solely on adding headcount may find themselves vulnerable if payer contracts tighten further.
In the broader health‑care ecosystem, the move toward virtual support and smarter revenue processes is part of a gradual realignment of resources.
Both sessions conclude with a Q&A, allowing participants to ask specific questions about implementation. The Practice Academy hopes the track will spark ongoing conversations among clinicians seeking to balance quality care with financial viability.
