Join Jennifer McNamara and Maya for a powerful episode tackling one of healthcare’s most pressing issues: team mental health and resilience. From burnout to bold leadership moves, this episode delivers real talk, real strategies, and a few unexpected movie quotes along the way.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The Hidden Strain Behind the Scenes

  • Why healthcare teams — from clinicians to coders — are feeling more pressure than ever.

  • How after-hours stress (like worrying about documentation or denied claims) quietly fuels burnout.

• Burnout: The Red Flags You Can’t Ignore

  • Behavioral signs: sudden withdrawal, irritability, or unusual changes in tone.

  • Cognitive signs: second-guessing, rising errors, and emotional exhaustion.

• The Real Cost of Neglecting Mental Health

  • High turnover, skyrocketing training costs, and patient dissatisfaction.

  • How poor morale can quietly erode your workplace culture — and why it’s so hard to rebuild.

• How to Build a Resilient Team (That Actually Wants to Stay)

  • Communication that works: Daily huddles, honest check-ins, and clear expectations.

  • Smarter workflows: Cutting out busywork, protecting focused time, and ongoing staff education.

  • Leadership’s role: Modeling calm, setting boundaries, and creating true psychological safety.

• 📊 CMS 2026 Final Rule — What You Need to Know Now

  • Two new conversion factors, payment shifts, and a –2.5% efficiency adjustment.

  • What these changes mean for budgets, staffing, and clinic productivity.

  • Telehealth shake-up: Permanent policy changes, supervision updates, and billing compliance tips.

• 🎬 Lights, Camera, Action — The Rainmaker Meets Healthcare

  • Three striking quotes that mirror today’s healthcare challenges:

    • Fear-based decisions around policy change.

    • Moral burnout when patient care takes a backseat.

    • The emotional toll of crossing lines to meet metrics.

• Closing Thoughts

  • Building resilience isn’t a trend — it’s a leadership mandate.

  • Healthy teams deliver better care, stay longer, and weather change with strength.

Silence may feel like the safest choice when facing toxic staff behaviors—but in healthcare, silence carries a cost far too high to ignore.

In this episode, we dive into the real-world impact of unaddressed toxicity on teams, patient safety, and organizational culture. Leaders often stay quiet out of fear—fear of conflict, fear of losing staff, or fear of mishandling HR processes. But avoiding action doesn’t preserve stability; it erodes it.

• The true cost of silence:
  How ignoring toxic behaviors fuels burnout, increases turnover, and jeopardizes patient outcomes.

• Red flags to watch for:
  Early indicators of problematic behavior that leaders often overlook.

• How to act with confidence instead of fear:
  Practical steps for addressing staff issues without hesitation.

• Documentation that protects you:
  Easy, effective documentation habits that prepare you for HR-aligned action.

• Partnering with HR the right way:
  When to involve HR, what information they need, and how to collaborate rather than fear escalation.

• Protecting your culture:
  Strategies for reinforcing expectations, supporting high performers, and preventing toxicity from spreading.

When leaders choose silence, teams suffer. When leaders choose courage, culture transforms.

📘 Clear and Connected: A Communication Guide for Healthcare Leaders
A practical roadmap to building stronger teams, improving communication, and leading with clarity.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Connected-Effective-Communication-Healthcare/dp/B0DG8KFZWL#

📗 Guiding the Next Generation
A powerful resource for mentoring, coaching, and shaping emerging healthcare professionals.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Connected-Effective-Communication-Healthcare/dp/B0DG8KFZWL#

October brings a wave of pink ribbons, powerful stories, and reminders to prioritize early detection — but behind the awareness campaigns lies a complex operational world that deeply affects both providers and patients. In this powerful episode, Jennifer McNamara and Maya Turner take listeners behind the scenes to examine the business side of breast cancer care.

From navigating payer rules to managing rising denial rates, Jennifer reveals how the revenue cycle intersects with clinical decision-making at every step of a patient’s journey. This conversation sheds light on the hidden administrative barriers that influence access, cost, and continuity of care — and why improving compliance isn’t just about accuracy, but compassion.

• Why Breast Cancer Awareness Month is about more than pink ribbons

• Common revenue cycle pain points in oncology, including prior authorization delays and documentation pitfalls

• Denial trends affecting breast cancer treatment and imaging services

• How payer policies shape patient access — often more than clinicians do

• Practical solutions for practices to reduce denials, streamline workflows, and elevate the patient financial experience

• The critical role of coding and billing teams in supporting both compliance and continuity of care

• Prior authorization hurdles for diagnostic imaging and treatment plans

• Complexity of breast cancer coding, documentation, and medical necessity

• The financial burden on patients when claims are delayed or denied

• Communication breakdowns between payers, clinicians, and billing teams

• Workflow strategies that improve accuracy and reduce rework

• Why revenue cycle training is essential in oncology practices

Behind every statistic is a person navigating fear, uncertainty, and hope. Administrative barriers shouldn’t be another burden. This episode empowers healthcare leaders, coders, and revenue cycle teams to make breast cancer care more accessible, compliant, and compassionate — supporting both the clinical mission and the business realities.

• Medical coders & billers

• Oncology practices

• Revenue cycle leaders

• Healthcare administrators

• Compliance professionals

• Anyone interested in how healthcare finance impacts patient care

If you’d like expanded resources, training, or consulting support for oncology revenue cycle challenges, Jennifer McNamara and Healthcare Inspired LLC are here to help.

September was National Skin Care Awareness Month, and we took the opportunity to spotlight why skincare is so much more than appearances.

In this special episode of Practice Perfect, host Jennifer McNamara sits down with Megan Renner — Beauty Society representative, wife, and volunteer — who is passionate about helping women feel confident and cared for.

Together, they dive into:
✅ Why skincare is about health, prevention, and confidence
✅ How simple routines can make a big difference every day
✅ Why awareness matters all year long, not just in summer
✅ How healthcare professionals can normalize conversations around skin health

💡 Whether you’re a busy professional, a healthcare provider, or simply someone who wants to feel more confident in your own skin, this episode will inspire you to see skincare as a vital part of self-care.

🎧 Listen here and be reminded: your skin deserves as much care as the rest of you.

This special bonus episode pulls together some of the most valuable conversations and updates across coding, compliance, and healthcare operations.

We dig into the everyday realities of being a coder and how much more it takes than just knowing the rules. You’ll hear a fresh perspective from Cameron Lewellen, plus a big announcement from Turner Consulting that impacts how practices can get the support they need.

We also shine a light on compliance in behavioral health—a space where regulations are constantly evolving and documentation is critical. From there, we unpack the gray areas of “medical necessity,” why payers care, and how providers can protect themselves.

And because no coding mashup is complete without it, we close with a look at new codes you should have on your radar to stay ahead of payer changes.

This episode is a quick hit of education, industry updates, and inspiration—perfect for coders, consultants, and practice leaders who want to stay sharp without spending hours in the weeds.

In this episode, we dive into the power of communication and how it shapes everything from workplace culture to payer negotiations.

We start by unpacking why communication is key—not just in theory, but in the day-to-day challenges of healthcare teams. You’ll hear real stories that bring these points to life, showing how small details can make a big difference.

From there, we turn to the payer games that practices are still stuck playing—denials, delays, and shifting rules—and talk about strategies to level the playing field. More stories and lessons keep it real and relatable, before wrapping up with takeaways you can apply right away.

This episode blends storytelling, real-world payer frustrations, and practical insight, making it perfect for anyone trying to navigate the realities of healthcare operations and coding.

In this episode of the Practice Perfect Podcast, Jennifer McNamara and Maya Turner tackle one of the most dangerous phrases in healthcare operations: “But that’s how we’ve always done it.”

From ophthalmology documentation pitfalls to outdated CPT codes, and from billing inefficiencies to ignored payer contracts, Jennifer and Maya shine a light on the risks of clinging to old habits. Along the way, they weave in stories from real-world compliance challenges, including patient safety, revenue loss, and the dangers of relying on AI tools without human oversight.

This candid discussion highlights why every compliance and revenue cycle professional should question “the way it’s always been done” and instead build a culture of accountability, adaptability, and continuous improvement.

• Why tradition in compliance and coding often creates risk rather than safety

• A real-world case where poor documentation and unchecked templates led to denied claims and even patient harm

• How outdated CPT codes and robotic billing processes drain revenue silently over years

• Why documentation is the backbone of both compliance and AI effectiveness

• Contract review essentials—why rates, payer requirements, and responsibilities can’t be ignored

• How common “we’ve always done it” attitudes in billing, collections, and claims management create avoidable losses

• 🚫 The ophthalmology case that exposed the danger of “unspecified” documentation

• 💸 Outdated CPT codes still being billed years later—and the thousands lost

• 🤖 The limits of AI in coding: garbage in, garbage out

• 📄 The compliance risks buried in payer contracts not reviewed for 8+ years

• 🧾 Copay and deductible collection myths that delay payment unnecessarily

• Jennifer’s Substack – Insights on payer contracts, compliance, and healthcare operations

• AMA CPT® Code Book – the official “source of truth” for coding

• CMS Medicare Coverage Database – LCDs, NCDs, and coverage policies

• McVey Seminars – National healthcare training programs (Jennifer presents quarterly ENT updates)

• Healthcare Inspired – Learn more about our services in coding, compliance, and practice efficiency

👉 Coming soon: a special episode on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule for 2026 (dropping Monday the 18th). Don’t miss it!

The 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Proposed Rule is here — and it’s packed with changes that will impact providers, coders, billers, and compliance teams across the country.

In this special episode, Jennifer McNamara and Maya Turner break down the proposal, cut through the legal language, and highlight exactly what practices need to know to stay ahead.

From reimbursement shifts to compliance updates, this episode goes beyond the surface to answer the real question: What does this mean for your practice, your patients, and your bottom line?

• Key highlights from the 2026 MPFS Proposed Rule

• How reimbursement changes could affect different specialties

• Compliance implications you can’t afford to overlook

• The role of documentation and medical necessity in the new environment

• Action steps for practices to prepare before the rule is finalized

Medicare rules don’t just affect Medicare patients — they set the tone for payers across the board. Ignoring the proposed rule until it becomes final can leave your practice scrambling. Jennifer and Maya explain what to watch now, how to get your voice heard during the comment period, and what proactive steps can protect your revenue and compliance moving into 2026.

• CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule

• Healthcare Inspired – Learn more about coding, compliance, and practice efficiency services

• Jennifer’s Substack – Articles and insights on compliance and payer policy

• AMA CPT® Code Book – Official source of truth for CPT coding

👉 Don’t miss this breakdown of the MPFS Proposed Rule 2026 — because knowing what’s coming is the first step to protecting your practice.