It’s becoming increasingly important to ensure your care team stays up to date with best practices for managing patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) in the device clinic. On this MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS, speaks with James Allred, MD, FACC, CEO and co-founder of CV Remote Solutions; Austin Reed, vice president of Business Development, Strategy and Innovation, at CV Remote Solutions; and Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, executive vice president of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation at MedAxiom. They discuss the unique challenges related to highly technical roles and complex workflows in the device clinic. They also offer educational solutions to enhance your care team’s understanding of function, programming and troubleshooting CIEDs.
 
GUEST BIOS 
 
James Allred, MD, FACC 
CEO and Co-Founder, CV Remote Solutions
As Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of CV Remote Solutions, Dr. Allred partners with clinicians nationwide to ensure optimal care for patients with cardiac implanted electrical devices.
 
Before launching CV Remote Solutions, Dr. Allred previously served as chief of Electrophysiology Services and medical director of the Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Clinic at Cone Health in Greensboro, NC. After establishing the world-class AF Clinic in Greensboro, he consults with individual clinicians, clinics and hospitals on starting or improving their AF clinic efforts and programs. He has also served on advisory boards for the Heart Rhythm Society and the American Heart Association.
 
Dr. Allred completed an internal medicine residency at Duke University and fellowships in cardiovascular disease and electrophysiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL. In addition to partnering with MedAxiom to create educational material for clinicians, he has authored several published manuscripts on AF clinical efficiencies and healthcare savings.
 
Austin Reed, MBA 
Vice President of Business Development, Strategy, and Innovation, CV Remote Solutions.
 
In his role, Austin is responsible for sculpting strategic growth initiatives, pioneering innovative solutions, and driving business development efforts to help CV Remote Solutions continue to be at the forefront of the industry. In his previous role as vice president of Operations, he managed multiple business areas, including operations, marketing and human resources. Austin was instrumental in developing brand strategies and initiatives that responded to the needs and projected future of the healthcare industry.
 
Before his time at CV Remote Solutions, Austin served as a director of Physician Services for HCA Healthcare, one of the nation’s top providers. With over 15 years of healthcare industry experience spanning multi-site operations in primary care, cardiology, oncology and pulmonology, his robust understanding of the healthcare landscape is a key pillar of his strategic approach.
 
Austin obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in health care administration from Western Kentucky University and a Master of Business Administration from Murray State University. His commitment to healthcare extends beyond his role at CV Remote Solutions as he continues to serve on the Nashville Health Care Leadership Council and the Medical Group Management Association, contributing valuable insights and leadership.
 
 
Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P
Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services

As the Executive Vice President of Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services at MedAxiom, Nicole provides guidance to MedAxiom’s membership in cardiovascular operations, LEAN process improvement and the revenue cycle. Nicole applies her decades of healthcare experience in cardiovascular and neurology practice operations, clinical management, business office management and consulting to leading the Revenue Cycle Solutions team at MedAxiom. 
  


Prior to joining MedAxiom, Nicole served as a practice administrator for Baptist Neurology and Northeast Florida Cardiology and director of operations for Jacksonville Heart Center and Louisiana Cardiology Associates. She has extensive expertise in coding, compliance and education for various specialties including cardiology, neurology, radiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedic, ENT, gastroenterology and internal medicine. Nicole has delivered physician and staff coding and compliance education sessions nationally. 
  


Nicole has completed numerous education hours towards a Bachelor of Science in health care administration. In addition, she maintains her licensed practical nurse credential in Florida. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the American Health Information Management Association. She received her Advanced Cardiovascular Coding Certification with the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and completed the AAPC inpatient coding and reimbursement course. Nicole is a certified American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) ICD-10-CM Trainer and completed a LEAN Healthcare training course at Johns Hopkins University. She has also served on the Physician Practice Council for AHIMA.

Areas of Expertise: 
• Cardiology and neurology practice operations 
• Clinical and business office management 
• LEAN process improvement 
• Office-based cath lab implementation 
• Revenue cycle performance and metrics 
• Coding, compliance audits and education in numerous specialties, including cardiovascular 
• Documentation and implementation guidelines 
• Complex procedure coding education 
• Risk adjustment coding 
• Cardiovascular service line integration 
• Cath and electrophysiology lab optimization, revenue cycle services and facility coding