Enhancing Your Healthcare Practice: Practical Tools for Practice Management and Communications

Dr. Dunaway holds a BS with distinction from Duke University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude. He received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania and his post-graduate work in general surgery was completed at the University of Virginia and the University of South Alabama. He is a board certified surgeon and a Fellow of the American College of Surgery. He started a solo practice in Camden, South Carolina in 1986 and added two partners over the next six years. He later merged his practice to become a founding and principal partner in a multi-specialty practice.

Growing increasingly frustrated with physician loss of autonomy, diminished professional respect and reduced reimbursement in the 1990’s, he attended a physician documentation/coding seminar in 1995. After suffering through two days of “coding education” Dr. Dunaway decided: (1) he had no interest in becoming a coder and (2) he needed a simple way to approach the complexities of E&M coding and documentation. He created a physician friendly, clinically oriented methodology that would become known as Risk Based Coding. Best of all, it required no “coding knowledge” for physicians who also wanted to improve documentation and coding accuracy but didn’t want to become coders either.

In 1997, Dr. Dunaway created a publishing company; Rebel Records, Inc., and published his Risk Based Coding methodology in Pocket Guide to Clinical Coding. Asked to speak on “coding” by the South Carolina Surgical Society, this led to a series of engagements and he started speaking professionally. His animated contrarian physician perspective coupled with irreverent humor backed up with a healthcare insider’s knowledge soon made him an in-demand speaker and he immediately attained professional membership status in the National Speakers Association. Dr. Dunaway is currently the only physician to hold the highest earned award of the National Speakers Association, the CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation, and the first ever surgeon to hold this distinction. Other coding aids and books using the Risk Based Coding methodology were created and eventually evolved to become Dr. Dunaway’s Risk Based Coding System. In 2002 he created his physician education and consulting company, Healthcare Care Value, Inc.

After obtaining dual certifications as a Healthcare Corporate Compliance Consultant and Officer he was asked to speak at a national healthcare compliance meeting. Subsequently, Dr. Dunaway met Joe Batte, CFE, a former OIG certified fraud investigator, and Tom Criser, a former compliance newsletter editor, and co-authored Doctors are from Jupiter; Compliance is from a Galaxy Far…Far…Away to bridge the gap between physicians and the “healthcare compliance culture.” Not only did his consulting and speaking expand to healthcare compliance, but into other segments of the healthcare industry. Today, Dr. Dunaway speaks to a variety of healthcare market segments, including Homecare, Hospice, and the Pharmaceutical Industry on how to connect in more meaningful and profitable ways with physicians.

Dr. Dunaway’s concept of Mutual Value Integration was developed to connect physicians as well as all segments of healthcare with each other by finding the chemistry to make viable economic linkages and by honoring the contribution all workers in the healthcare industry make to achieve patient care excellence. After sixteen years as an every-other-night-on-call general surgeon he left his clinical practice to engage full time in his work as a healthcare ecologist who now doesn’t have phones ring in the middle of the night.

Dr. Dunaway remains on the community board of the National Bank of South Carolina and is the Teen Youth Minister of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. Dr. Dunaway and his wife, Jane, have three children and have a deep interest in pre-1860 American antiques and reside in the oldest surviving home (c1780) in Camden, SC. He also has way too many frequent flyer miles.

Joyce Hyam, RN, PHN, MPA/HSA, is a certified trainer, speaker, coach, consultant, author who teaches mindset and communication strategies to promote well-being and enhance clear communication in healthcare. Joyce uses accelerated learning techniques so each communication style will relate to the material and can begin to use it immediately. She has a BSN from the City University of New York and a Masters in Public Administration with a specialty in Health Services from the University of San Francisco. She has been a nurse for over 25 years and founded a successful Care Management/Home Health Agency which was sold to a healthcare conglomerate.

Ms Hyam provides Speaking/Training/Presentations/Seminars/Coaching/Consultation for businesses and healthcare organizations, conventions, conferences, professional associations, and other events. Discover what to eliminate from your communication (both written and verbal) and what to use instead to enhance customer service, clear communication and well-being. These strategies when utilized will bring you immediate positive results. The tools can be incorporated into every area of a practice or an organization including customer service, cooperation, management, leadership, personal and professional development, productivity, and more. She has presented for healthcare audiences including Stanford Hospital and Clinics.

Joyce enjoys reading and listening to programs about the brain and gaining knowledge of how the mind interprets information. She incorporates this information into her training programs and illustrates with examples and stories. Her mission is to share this with others so they can enhance the lives of others as well as themselves.

She enjoys swimming, reading, theater, movies, concerts, and most of all walks on the beach.