Greg Moody is the Regional Counsel Senior Attorney stationed at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center. Moody did his undergraduate work at Middle Tennessee State University earning a dual degree in Political Science and History. He is a graduate of the University of Memphis’ Law School.

Upon graduation, Moody worked for the State of Tennessee’s Security Commission before embarking on a VA career that has spanned twenty-five years. He started out working for the Nashville Office of Regional Counsel before relocating to West Palm Beach. “I have had a wonderful career practicing hospital law.”

Married with two children, Moody enjoys jet skiing and bicycling. He particularly enjoys riding a recumbent bike. For the past four years, Moody has participated in the Latin American Medical Mission traveling to Peru.

Jeffrey B. Kramer, CPA co-founded the public accounting firm Kramer Weisman and Associates LLP in 2002. He has extensive experience working with physicians groups, hospitals and with other businesses in the healthcare industry.

Jeff provides audit, tax and advisory services to his clients. He serves as the quality control partner for the firm’s audit practice. In this role, he is responsible for the firm’s compliance with auditing standards and consults with clients on various auditing and financial reporting matters. Jeff also performs consulting services for his clients. These services include preparation of financial projections, due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, internal control assessments, bankruptcy accounting, forensic accounting and accounting for joint ventures. In addition, Jeff has served as an expert witness for several disputes in the healthcare industry.

Jeff also works with clients in other industries including real estate, hospitality, wholesale/distribution, manufacturing, technology and not-for-profit organizations. He also performs audits of pension plans.

Jeff has published a number of articles and has lectured on health care topics. He is member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Healthcare Financial Management Association, South Florida Healthcare Executive Forum (Former Board Member), Nova Southeastern University H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship Young Entrepreneurs Council and the Memorial Hospital Foundation Planned Giving Committee (Board Member).

The firm Kramer Weisman and Associates LLP employs approximately 15 accountants and CPA’s. The firm’s offices are located in Southwest Broward County. The firm serves clients in South Florida and throughout the United States.

Jeff earned his accounting degree from the University of Florida in 1986 and obtained his CPA license in 1988.

He can be reached at jeff@kwacpa.com or (954) 475-1260. The firm’s web site is www.kwacpa.com.

Gayle Brandt

When Gayle Brandt began working for Martin Memorial Health Systems doing registration in the emergency department 21 years ago, she had no experience in health care.

She didn’t have any special training, didn’t know the intricacies of insurance plans or healthcare billing. After two decades working in several different departments – ranging from registration to managed care and Martin Memorial’s philanthropic arm – Brandt has settled in as manager of admissions at Martin Memorial Hospital South.

But she recognizes that much has changed since she began her career as a health care neophyte. Today, the base of knowledge necessary to work in the business aspect of health care has increased significantly.

“This is a job you have to have specific qualities to do,” Brandt said. “The level of experience and education has increased. You need to know health care and the technology involved right away.”

The job of access service coordinators is becoming especially important as reimbursements go down, squeezing healthcare providers. Plus, as changes begin to come more and more quickly to Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as from insurance providers, the coordinators have to constantly stay on top of those changes.

That’s why Brandt is a certified healthcare access manager (or CHAM) while the coordinators are all certified healthcare access associates (CHAA).

“It’s more intense than it used to be. Each insurance company has its own rules and regulations, so each ASC needs to know what they are because if we don’t do things properly, we don’t get paid for services,” Brandt said. “When I first started, that never happened. Technology has played a big role in the changes.”

Still, despite the changes and the increased presence of technology, Brandt knows there is another key that will likely never change when it comes to the admitting department.

“We are often the first person a patient will meet at the health system, so we provide that first impression,” she said. “It’s really a very important part of what we do.”

Susan Moore

Pursuing her law degree came in handy for Susan Moore’s current job at Martin Memorial Health Systems. Only, it wasn’t in the way you might think.

Moore received her degree in law from Suffolk University in Boston, then passed the bar in Massachusetts. But it was her job in registration at a Boston emergency department that helped spark her interest in health care.

Moore worked third shift to help pay her way through school. After earning her degree, she moved to Florida to help take care of her father and eventually began working in patient accounts at Martin Memorial. Soon after she became manager of the business office, a position she held for 10 years, before taking the job as managed care analyst.

“That’s what makes me good for this job,” she said. “I’ve seen all the areas of the hospital that are being impacted, including the front end and the back end of things. And I know the business side of the contracts as well.”

All that experience is necessary to navigate the numerous changes that happen in health care on a seemingly daily basis. That’s especially true with the frequent modifications to Medicare and Medicare advantage plans that have proliferated in the market. And while she understands what the plans mean, many of the beneficiaries don’t. As a result, part of her job has become explaining those benefits to patients.

“I do as much outreach as I can and it’s one of the most rewarding facets of this job,” Moore said. “I take care of my mom and I often think about how it would impact her. I worry about people who may not be able to understand the complexities of these plans.”

So while Moore’s law degree may not have led her down the path she initially expected, it has led her right where she belonged.

“I’m super glad I went to law school,” she said. “You learn to become a logical thinker. In this position I’ve brought my business office experience, my law degree and my experience in registration and it all culminated in what I’m doing right now. I couldn’t have created a better job.”

Maureen Wallace
Compliance and Business Integrity Officer

The Department of Veterans Affairs has taken a proactive stance with regards to business ethics. Maureen Wallace serves as the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center’s Compliance and Business Integrity Officer to assure the organization’s adherence with applicable governing laws and internal policies. Reasons why the VA created Compliance programs include:

• Enhance trust among employees/veterans by promoting integrity, honesty and fairness.
• Improve the operations by monitoring the provision of products and services.
• Support quality of medical care by creating sound business foundations.
• Verify the acquisition of reliable data from which organizational decisions are developed.
• Avoid federal and private party investigations.
• Establish and publish the corporate culture to “do the right thing.”

Wallace also serves as the Integrated Ethics Program Officer to ensure ethics quality in healthcare throughout the medical center. An effective Ethics Program does three things well–responds to ethics concerns on a case by case basis, addresses ethics issues on a system level, and fosters an environment and culture that promotes ethical behavior.

Wallace states “Doing the Right Thing and Doing Things Right is Everyone’s Responsibility”.

Wallace has been employed with the federal government for 18 years starting her career in the Department of Defense at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. Since then, Wallace has worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs at the Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. In April 1995, Wallace accepted a transfer to the WPB VAMC working toward the activation of the new medical center.

Sue Kaiser
Contract Specialist

Sue Kaiser is a Contract Specialist for the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center working on complex projects which primarily involve construction. A native Floridian, Sue was born and raised in Miami. She received a Bachelors Degree in Administration from Florida State University and remains loyal to her Seminoles.

In 1991, she began her career with Dobbins Air Force Base and stayed there until 2004 when she joined the team at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Palm Beach, Florida, where her dedication, knowledge and customer service are known and respected throughout the facility. She has received numerous performance awards for her outstanding work in contracting as an extremely good negotiator. She has also mentored new contract specialists and has served as Acting Chief in her supervisor’s absence.

When asked what she would like to be remembered for, she said, “Someone who makes a difference.” She does.

Submitted by Dinora Bruno, Chief, Procurement Business Division.