3. History of the Practice
In 1974, Dr. William Algary founded
Cardiovascular Associates. The
practice grew until 1994 when it
merged with Greenville Cardiology to
form Upstate Cardiology.
Today, there are offices in
Greenville, Easley,
Simpsonville, and Clemson.
The practice has grown from
one physician and one
employee in 1974, to now
over 18 physicians and
nearly 100 employees. Pictured above is Upstate’s
Greenville Office on Innovation Drive
5. Upstate Cardiology’s
Services
The practice offers a wide variety of primary,
secondary, and tertiary care. These services
include, but are not limited to:
Diagnostic Screenings,
such as Carotid Artery
Ultrasounds, Nuclear
Studies, and Echoes
Tilt Table Tests
Device and Pacemaker
checks
Angioplasty, Stents, and
Cardiac Catheterization
Electrical Cardioversion
Coumadin Clinic Pictured above is a nuclear imaging device in
the Nuclear Lab that I worked in
6. My Role at Upstate
Cardiology
I served as an
administrative
intern for the
months of May,
June, and July of
2015 under the
preceptorship of
Mr. Ron Eskew,
who serves as the
Practice
Administrator.
Mr. Eskew and I are pictured
here in the front lobby of
Upstate Cardiology
7. My Role at Upstate
Cardiology
Responsibilities and Projects
Relative Value Unit (RVU) Report
Physician Referral Report
Triage Physician Rotation Report
Quality Survey
Monthly business report preparation
Medical Record tasks using MISYS EMR
Clerical work
8. Relative Value Unit Report
RVUs, which are calculated by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid, determine
reimbursement for a specific service
performed by a physician.
Each type of service has a designated Current
Procedural Terminology (CPT) code and a
RVU valuation associated with it.
It was my responsibility to input total RVU
productivity onto a spreadsheet for each
physician in the practice on a monthly basis.
This report allows Upstate track and
enumerate revenue trends month-to-month.
9. Physician Referral Report
At the end of each month, I would receive a
document containing each referral made to
Upstate Cardiology.
My responsibility was to organize and
input that data onto a spreadsheet so that
the practice could identify and follow trends
in referrals.
This document is of high importance as it
allows Upstate Cardiology to foster
relationships with referring physicians and
their associated practices.
10. Triage Physician Rotation
Report
Upstate Cardiology offers triage services
that allow patients to call and inquire for
medical advice when they have a
question or concern regarding their
health.
My role with this report was to tabulate
and log the number of calls each
physician received to ensure fair
distribution.
11. Quality Survey
New Medicare and Medicaid standards are
basing reimbursement on quality measures.
Because of this, it was determined that a
patient satisfaction survey needed to be
created that accurately mirrored the
expectations of the Agency for Healthcare
Quality and Research.
I developed a survey from the ground up that
aimed to do just that and presented my work
to the administrative staff at the July business
meeting.
The new survey was approved and will soon
be mailed out to patients.
12. Medical Records
I gained proficiency in the use of the
MISYS EMR system and understanding
of medical records during my time at
Upstate Cardiology through various
clerical and organizational tasks.
Additionally, I spent time working in the
transcription office by faxing out records
to patients’ primary care physicians.
13. This is a photo of
me working at my
desk in the
Nuclear
Department.
The nurses,
technicians, and
staff here
performed
Echocardiograms,
Nuclear tests, and
a number of other
diagnostic studies
on patients, which
gave me insight in
the clinical side of
the practice.
14. Shadowing Experience
To supplement my internship experience, I was given
the opportunity to shadow with Mr. Dustin Cox, who
serves as the office coordinator of Wellspring
Primary Care and Traveler’s Rest Internal Medicine.
Due to the relatively small scale of operations at
these sites, Mr. Cox’s role was much more hands on.
Whether it was checking-in patients, resolving
insurance and billing issues, or palliating payment
concerns, Mr. Cox was involved in all aspects of
running an office.
My time spent shadowing gave me valuable insight
into what the daily expectations are of an
administrator who is starting their career.
15. Closing Remarks
The knowledge, experience, and insight
I acquired during my time at Upstate
Cardiology is without equal. I was
humbled by the entire Upstate
Cardiology family for opening up their
hearts to me and engaging me as more
than just a professional. I look forward to
carrying my newfound abilities into the
healthcare field, and am eager to see
what opportunities lie ahead.
