ļ»æsupervise at my current employer, I'm very big on us brainstorming and sharing ideas, looking at different problems that we're facing in the healthcare space with different insurance companies and having discussions about it. I'm also big on how do we leverage technology in this new environment because oftentimes people get intimidated by technology. They feel like this is gonna replace me. I felt like that for a long time. And I had to kinda coach myself out of that mindset.
So we tackle that in this space by having conversations, by sharing ideas and by coming up with solutions, and just constantly looking at the industry, looking at what's going on in the industry, and being able to respond, but also kind of think about what can we expect down the road? What could potentially be coming down the pipeline that we need to be prepared for? So it's not only about showing up day to day and giving 110%. It's about being forward thinking as well in this space.
Yeah. Makes a lot of sense. So, you mentioned in our last conversation, maybe you covered this already in one of your answers, the impact of... You have mentioned technology. And specifically, you talked about electronic medical records as being something that impacted the business. So I'm curious... And if you have already answered, maybe just to short... Like, "Hey, Kumar. Already said that. Let's move on."
No. You're good. You're good. So I will tell you, I started out in this industry when we were still billing on paper, you know, and sending your bill electronically was a big deal when I started. And I remember about a decade into my career, there was this push to EMRs, electronic medical records. And it shocked the system of the healthcare industry because it was forcing us to kind of break out of this archaic way of doing things. And we encountered a lot of resistance.
I have mixed feelings about tech. You know, I definitely think that in healthcare here in the states, we're definitely in the midst of a tech revolution. Like, you can't escape it. It's happening. I do have concerns about tech because I have watched with EMR and different initiatives in the healthcare space where a product is put out there, and it's marketed as though it's gonna solve everyone's problems, and it's gonna make life easier. And, my god, wait till you pay us all this money to do this. And then you pay all the money and it does that, but it creates a whole new set of problems.
Sure.
So I embrace it, but I have an uneasiness because I always know that on the back end of this great revolution, we're gonna have to think about the fallout of the new problems because when they pushed out EMR, no one was talking about cyber attacks. No one was talking about ransomware. No one was talking about all of the things that we're having to deal with. They were just talking about how great it was gonna be for the doctors and how easy it was gonna be for the patients. But here we are. You have companies like UnitedHealth Group having to pay millions of dollars to hackers. So...
Yeah. You know?
Yeah. Thank you for enlightening me. I had... I didn't know what those problems might be, but saying those things, yeah, it's clear that, you know, I like... Anything electronic, anything transmitted digitally can be hacked. Right? And so, I don't know if that means we go back to the sixties, seventies and start going back to paper, but...
Maybe not. But there's a new threat. Right? So there's AI that threatens to... Well, I don't know if threatened is the right word. It promises to make our lives so much easier because it's supposed to enhance our own intelligence and our own productivity and so on and so forth. What is your opinion on AI and how it might impact medical billing, the RCM professions in the future?
Kumar, you're trying to get me in trouble. If I could see them... The show is good. How much time you got for me to tell you?
I... Look. I am... I always pay attention to everything. I'm a lifelong learner. I'm a committed lifelong learner, and I always pay attention to everything. I use AI now in, you know, in my day to day operations, and there are certain things that have definitely made my life easier. I do not rely on AI to think for me. And I think some pro... Some of the problems that people run into is they think like, "I'm just gonna throw it in AI and..." No, you have... We have to... It's an assistant. It helps. It's not gonna... It's not a human being.
So I think sometimes people mistake that with having to eliminate human thought process. So I think it can enhance us and make us more efficient, you know, on a scaling aspect. But it doesn't take away the fact that you have to actually pay attention to, you know, these tools and what you're using and what it's spitting out to make sure that it makes sense. And I... My concern with AI here in the states is I feel like, you know, and I don't wanna delve too much down this rabbit hole, but I feel like our government is, like, late to the party in terms of regulating AI.
Mhmm.
And that is, like, when you have people, like, you know, the owner of Tesla... His name's not Elon Musk.
Elon Musk. Like, when you have Elon Musk warning you that... It's not like when you have, like, all these billionaires talking about... And we need to be worried. Like, we need to pay attention to that.
So I think that AI has tremendous benefits. Different patterns at such a high pace. So it's doing... It has the potential to do so much good and is already doing good but, you know, it also has the potential to cause a lot of harm. And I don't think that... I think that it's so much out there right now, and we didn't get ahead of regulating it. And that's my concern. It's the lack of regulation. I feel like we're behind the eight ball on that.
Yeah. You're right. I mean, it's like any new technology. Right? At first, there's this enthusiasm as a new technology is adopted. And then, of course, some of the challenges and problems become apparent, like lawyers preparing legal briefs using AI that, you know, where the AI hallucinates and makes up stuff. That's gonna... I was gonna use a different s word, but we'll stick with stuff.
I caught that.
Yeah.
Yeah. And so you're right. It is incumbent on the human to ensure that what the AI produces is relevant, it's factual, it provides a boost, you know, so you have a draft to start with if you're writing a blog article or something. But it's not at the point yet where it can replace what we wanna do, right, or what we should be doing, the creativity, the whatever, the impetus to create something, you know, AI is not gonna wake up one day and say, "I need to write a blog article on how I'm gonna take over the world."
Listen. I'm not gonna...
It's never gonna have a soul. It's never gonna be a human, and have a true human experience but human beings can use AI to create a lot of harm. And that is the catch 22 of this amazing technology. You know? And we have to be... We need to be more vigilant. We need to be more vigilant on how we regulate this. Right.
I'm totally with you on that. So, you, I believe, are planning to launch something to help people break into this field. Tell us about that.
Yes. Yes. So I... Thank you so much. I'm so excited. You know, as I said, after COVID, my business, as I knew it then, took a major hit, and I made the decision to just take a step back, and I've really... It was the best decision possible because I'm so loving what I'm doing right now. But I do have a passion. I have a passion for mentoring. I have a passion for coaching. And, you know, in my current day to day life, I not only work with individuals here in the states, I also work with individuals all around the world.
And in starting the YouTube channel, Beyond RCM, at Beyond RCM, if you're looking for us on YouTube, in starting the channel, I started getting, like, so many emails and comments from people all over the world because let's face it. We're in a global economy now. Right? And, you know, individuals asking me for my recommendations and thoughts on certain things and asking me, "Well, you know, do you think this program is good or that program?" And, you know, I said, there's a... Because I'm an entrepreneur, Kumar. I said there's an opportunity here. You know, there's an opportunity here for me to help coach and mentor and help individuals get that added bonus to break into the healthcare space, to start their careers.
And so we will be putting out on the Teachable platform monthly lessons, you know, coaching lessons on different topics in the revenue cycle management space. At the time of this recording, we're gonna be launching our first interactive lesson, which is mastering the insurance verification process. So it helps individuals starting out in the field to understand the different types of insurances, different concepts that you run into when verifying insurance. And the goal in creating this Teachable platform is for, you know, healthcare professionals to hone in on their skills.
I can't tell you how many programs I've spent thousands of dollars for. And then when I went and did the program, I'm like, "This program was, like, 90% overpriced." Okay. Like, I walked away feeling like, I didn't need to pay all this money to do this. So I really wanted to create something that's affordable for someone, whether you're living in the states or you're in another country, you know, when you're trying to break into the field. But even not only affordable, I want you to walk away with something meaningful. You know, I want it to have substance. I want you to walk away and be able to understand the insurance verification process. Right. If you apply for a job, and they're looking for someone to verify insurance, you know what you're talking about. You understand the concepts, and you can, you know, interview well and land the job. So I'm really excited. We're gonna be launching one lesson every month for the next 12 months, and it's gonna be a different concept every month.
Okay. And say I've signed up for this and I view the first lesson. Is there support in a community or something where I can, you know, collaborate with fellow students from around the world and you to get your expert guidance and...
Yes.
Yeah? Okay.
Yes. Yes. So the cool thing about our Teachable platform, and you can find out about our first class, if you go to our website, www.beyondrcm.com, you're gonna plug, Kumar.
So the cool thing is when you sign up for our master classes, I will be doing monthly Q&A live streams targeted to each master class. So the goal of the Q&A live stream is for any of our students who sign up for the program, if they have add-on questions that they want to ask, or get insight on, we're gonna bring everyone together kind of like, you know, like a little graduation kind of situation. And we're gonna go over those questions, answer those questions.
And the cool thing that we're adding is for every 10 lessons that get purchased, we are gonna give away one free lesson to anyone anywhere in the world. So there's a really cool giveback component to it as well.
So I'm like, so excited about it. I can't wait.
So you're charging by the lesson. It's not like you buy a whole year's worth of lessons to get value. Every lesson has value in and of itself, and people can kind of pick and choose what they wanna attend. Is that right?
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Okay. Yeah. Very interesting.
So this will help you tap into your mentoring, coaching side and give back to the community, help them get more comfortable with the industry and hopefully land the job. Do you provide that help too? Help people land work and work on their resumes and things like that? Or...
Yeah. So I do offer referrals for things such as helping individuals, you know, with their resumes, things of that nature. I get... I am not like a job agency or a headhunter, but I get organizations that reach out to me all the time that are looking to recruit staff for specific roles. So whenever an opportunity like that comes up, I'm always the first one to post it on LinkedIn. And I've been able to help many, you know, organizations and colleagues that I work with find staff, good quality staff, and onboard them to their organizations. So though I'm not, like, an employment agency, we've referred so many people. So, you know, that's fantastic.
Really, really, really good stuff. So what have I not asked you that you'd like to share with the world?
What haven't you... What haven't you... I, you know, I think you've covered... I think you've covered everything, you know, in terms of from a professional standpoint for me. I think what the message that I really wanted to leave on this podcast, and this is my first, like I said, official podcast I'm doing for Beyond RCM. So I hope I'm doing a great job.
Fantastic.
Okay. Great. I've done... And I love it that you call this an official... It makes me feel like I've arrived.
You have arrived, Kumar.
I've done my husband's podcast, and he gets really... Right there with me because I say a lot. So I was saying I had to edit, like, a hundred ums. So...
Well, you know, I use an AI that takes those out. So...
Awesome. There you go.
You see, and that's where AI is the real MVP.
Yeah. That's right.
But what I want to say most to people is, you know, I started out in this profession as a sixteen-year-old who was pregnant from Brooklyn, New York. Never did I think, 25 years later, I would have the career that I've been able to have. Never did I think that I would have mentored as many people that I have mentored and coached them and still doing it. And I, you know, if I wanna leave any message, it's to anyone starting out in any industry, doesn't even matter if it's healthcare. Healthcare is the industry I most relate to. But if you're passionate about something and you really want something, don't give up. Even if it's hard, even if some days you feel like it's never going to happen, don't give up on yourself.
I remember when I would come home crying because no one would give me a chance. Right? And it just felt so self-defeating. And I contemplated walking away from this field altogether, but I don't know. Something in me just said, don't give up. And eventually I did land that job. And, you know, it becomes very important to know when to pivot because some people stay too long. Get what you need. Now you don't wanna hop scotch and keep a job for 3 months and then leave, but you have to know to get what you need from a specific employer. And when you've gotten enough, be able to transition. And, you know, bit by bit, I have been able to build my career because I land somewhere, I dig my heels in, I learn, I acquire everything that I need to learn, but when it's time to move on, I'm not contemplating that.
So just believe in yourself. Believe in yourself. You may be having a hard time right now. Don't give up. Keep going. You will get there.
That is a very inspiring message. And, actually, it spurs a different question. Maybe... I think if you have another few minutes to spend with me.
Absolutely.
And that is the spirit, or this drive... I think that certain people have, and you certainly have it, an entrepreneurial spirit and drive. Is that innate or can someone learn that in your opinion?
Yeah. I think... I think anyone is, you know, as long as you have an open mind, anyone can learn anything. So I do want to say that.
So anyone can be an entrepreneur, but you have to have a certain level of passion to be an entrepreneur. You have to be willing to, you know, ride through the lows when things are at a lull. And then you have to be able to kinda get up and, you know, go at it again. And I've been there. I've been there. When I closed down my business, after COVID, I just wanted a break. I was burnt out. I was burnt out from just all of the changes and having to adjust. And there was a season where I just needed to work a regular job and show up there and be great. But then that... Bugging me, that desire to create came back again, and that's how this new project was birthed.
So I think anyone can be an entrepreneur, but you have to have a certain drive. And there are gonna be moments where you're not as passionate about it, but, you know, you have to snap out of that and get back in the game real quick and keep creating.
Yeah. I love that. And I think beyond the spirit, if you will, to drive the passion, I think that these moments of disruption for anyone, for everyone, I think, maybe at different levels, but certainly for everyone lead to moments of innovation, moments of self-discovery and all of that. And so I think you've illustrated that well as an example for people that are viewing and listening to this podcast of how that's possible.
And so I really appreciate you being here, Tiffany.
Thank you so much for having me.
Yeah. And sharing your story. It's really inspiring.
So for those of you watching, thanks for watching. We're gonna sign off here, and we will hopefully have Tiffany back on a future show, inspiring us all again.
Looking forward to it, Kumar. Thank you so much for having me.
You're welcome
