The Heart of Innovation with Kym McNicholas

Kym McNicholas
  • 5.0 (24)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

All of us have the power to create change. The advances in technology are now such that if you have an idea, it's easier than ever to execute on it. "Kym McNicholas On Innovation" shares the journeys of successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors from around the world who will inspire you to create your own financial independence. The show also features some of the most advanced technologies you've never heard of that could be have an impact on your life, your business, and your career. Regular featured segments include "The Edge" which highlights businesses that are game-changing in the enterprise. Plus, each week in "HealthTech", you'll hear about a company that's creating better, safer, faster, and cheaper technologies that will improve patient care and lower costs. And in our "Female Seeking Startup" series hear the success stories of some of the most powerful women who are creating game-changing technologies. Produced and Published by The Innovators Network (http://TheInnovators.Network)

  1. 3D AGO

    Why Leg Arteries Are NOT Too Small To Treat For Doctors Like Naoki Hayakawa

    Are leg arteries ever "too small to treat"?   Around the world, many patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), especially those with below-the-knee and small vessel disease, are told their arteries are "too small" or "too distal" for intervention.   In this episode of The Heart of Innovation, hosts Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips interview Dr. Naoki Hayakawa, Chief and Director of Endovascular Therapy at Asahi General Hospital in Japan.Dr. Hayakawa is internationally recognized for tackling the most complex chronic total occlusions (CTOs), including small-caliber below-the-knee vessels that others may consider untreatable.  He has served as a live demonstration operator at major international meetings including JET, CCT Peripheral, Kokura Live, and Peripheral CTO Seminars, and has published extensively on:  • IVUS-guided wiring techniques  • Below-the-knee chronic total occlusions  • Drug-coated balloon therapy  • Transradial approaches for complex PAD  • Advanced re-entry and retrograde access techniques   His work challenges outdated assumptions about what is and isn't possible in limb salvage.In this conversation, Dr. Hayakawa sets the record straight on:  • What can truly be treated in small vessel PAD  • When vessels are actually too small  • The importance of imaging and IVUS guidance  • Why patients must seek experienced operators for complex disease  • What global standards of care should look like  If you or someone you love has been told "nothing more can be done," this episode is essential viewing.   - Concerned about leg circulation or told your vessels are too small?Call the Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGSBecause "too small to treat" should never be the final answer without expert evaluation.   Subscribe to The Heart of Innovation for global leaders in vascular innovation, limb salvage, and PAD care.  #PeripheralArteryDisease#PAD#LimbSalvage#BelowTheKnee#ChronicTotalOcclusion#EndovascularTherapy#IVUS#CriticalLimbIschemia

    44 min

  2. FEB 28

    Elemind CEO Meredith Perry | The Heart of Innovation

    Sleep isn't just about feeling rested. It's about your heart. To close out American Heart Month, we're diving into one of the most overlooked drivers of cardiovascular disease: poor sleep. On this episode of The Heart of Innovation, hosts Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips explore: • Why sleep deprivation increases your risk of heart attack and stroke • The connection between sleep, vascular inflammation, and blood pressure • How disrupted sleep affects circulation and long-term cardiovascular health And then we introduce you to one of the most fascinating innovators in health tech today. Meredith Perry, Founder & CEO of Elemind, has developed a groundbreaking, non-pharmaceutical approach designed to help you fall asleep faster by interacting directly with brainwave activity. Instead of pills, sedation, or habit-forming medications, her technology aims to gently guide your brain into sleep. She's even tested it publicly through her bold "Sleeping with the CEO" campaign — putting strangers to sleep on the streets of New York, on trains, and even on planes. This isn't a gimmick. It's a conversation about the future of sleep, brain science, and cardiovascular prevention. If you struggle with: • Insomnia • Racing thoughts at night • High blood pressure • Stress-related sleep issues • Cardiovascular risk factors This episode is for you. Because heart health doesn't start in the cath lab. It starts at night. Subscribe to our channel for conversations at the intersection of innovation and cardiovascular care. Have questions about vascular or cardiovascular health? Call the Global PAD Association Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGS. Early detection saves lives. And limbs. Let's rethink sleep. Let's rethink heart health. Let's innovate. #SleepScience #HeartHealth #AmericanHeartMonth #CardiovascularHealth #InsomniaSolutions #MedTechInnovation #PeripheralArteryDisease #VascularHealth #Elemind #BrainHealth

    46 min

  3. FEB 21

    PAD Awareness Day - Creating The Ultimate Vascular Care Team

    Peripheral Artery Disease is more prevalent than most cancers — and often deadlier when missed. Yet it is still underdiagnosed, misunderstood, and too often treated in silos. On this episode of The Heart of Innovation, hosts Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips, Interventional Cardiologist, sit down with Dr. David Dexter, Vascular Surgeon at Sentara Health, who was named the Global PAD Association's Multidisciplinary Team Leader of the Year through the Global PAD Impact Awards. This PAD Awareness Day — observed the third Saturday of every February during American Heart Month — we are talking about why leg health is heart health. PAD is not just a leg problem. Blocked leg arteries are a warning sign for heart attack and stroke. And patients deserve a coordinated vascular care team — not fragmented care. In this conversation, we break down: • Why PAD is more common than many cancers — yet still diagnosed too late • The danger of treating patients in silos • What a true multidisciplinary vascular care team looks like • How cardiology, vascular surgery, podiatry, wound care, and primary care must work together • Why "Sock It to PAD" and Red Sock Day matter during American Heart Month • What patients should demand from their care teams Too many amputations are preventable. Too many heart attacks have warning signs in the legs first. It is time to connect the dots. If you or someone you love has leg pain when walking, numbness, wounds that won't heal, diabetes, kidney disease, or a history of smoking — this conversation could save a limb and a life. 📞 Call the Global PAD Association Leg Saver Hotline with questions about PAD.1-833-PAD-LEGS 🔔 Subscribe to @TheWayToMyHeart for more conversations that challenge the status quo in cardiovascular care. 👍 Like, comment, and share to raise awareness this PAD Awareness Day. Because saving legs saves lives. #PADAwarenessDay #SockItToPAD #PeripheralArteryDisease #VascularCare #HeartHealth #AmericanHeartMonth #PreventAmputation #LegHealthIsHeartHealth #PAD

    46 min

  4. FEB 14

    PAD Caucus - Spreading Awareness

    Peripheral Artery Disease impacts 10M+ Americans — and nearly 70% don't know they have it. Congress has relaunched the PAD Caucus to address preventable amputations and gaps in screening and care. On The Heart of Innovation, Dr. John Phillips and I debrief with Dr. Bob Tahara, Dr. Andrew Klein, Dr. David Alper, patient advocate Dawn-Marie Hernandez, and Harlem Globetrotter Larry "Shorty" Coleman, who lost a leg to PAD. PAD is the leading cause of preventable limb loss and a major predictor of heart attack and stroke. Early detection saves limbs — and lives. #PeripheralArteryDisease #PAD #AmputationPrevention #HealthPolicy #HeartHealth

    46 min

  5. FEB 7

    Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): How Early Diagnosis & Walking Saves Legs & Heart

    In this episode of The Heart of Innovation, cohosts Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips feature multiple patients courageously sharing their lived experiences with Peripheral Artery Disease, including rare and often misunderstood cases that challenge what patients are told is "possible." Pamela's story highlights a critical gap in PAD care. After being told by a large hospital system that amputation was inevitable, she reached out to the Global PAD Association's Leg Saver Hotline. Through patient advocacy and care coordination, the underlying contributors to her disease were identified, including the role climate played in worsening her symptoms. Her decision to relocate to a warmer environment helped stabilize her condition and avoid limb loss, proving that earlier intervention and individualized care matter. Francine's journey offers another rare perspective. Diagnosed at just 48 despite being a runner, personal trainer, and fitness instructor, she was found to have a full occlusion in her left leg and intermittent blockages in her right. After undergoing a femoral-popliteal bypass, multiple stents, and angioplasty procedures, Francine transformed her lifestyle through the Dean Ornish program and a low-fat vegan diet. She has since completed four half marathons and continues teaching group fitness, yoga, and Reiki. Theresa's story exposes how often PAD is dismissed, even when the warning signs are clear. With a family history of PAD, Theresa recognized the symptoms early. At 46, she sought help after developing walking pain, only to be told repeatedly that it was a back problem and that she was "too young" to have PAD. A Doppler study was performed but interpreted as normal. For five years, as her symptoms worsened and her walking distance shrank to less than ten metres, she continued to advocate for herself before finally insisting on a vascular referral. Within minutes of meeting a vascular consultant, Theresa was diagnosed with severe PAD. Imaging revealed a 100 percent blockage in her right leg and 80 percent in her left. Angioplasty provided temporary relief, but restenosis occurred quickly. A second procedure resulted in arterial injury, requiring placement of a 30-centimetre stent in her right thigh. Despite ongoing pain, Theresa developed remarkable collateral circulation, so robust that it complicated intervention attempts. Today, she remains closely monitored by a responsive vascular specialist and manages her condition with vigilance, pacing, and rest. She also notes a meaningful improvement in walking pain after starting Wegovy, an observation she continues to discuss with her care team. Equally important, Theresa speaks candidly about the emotional toll of PAD. A special education teacher who loves to travel, she feared the disease would take away the life she loved, as it had for her father. After a period of isolation, she made a conscious decision that PAD would be part of her story, but not the author of it. She now works full time, travels when she can, adapts when needed, and lives by a powerful truth: she controls PAD, not the other way around. Together, these stories reinforce a message too many patients never hear in time: Leg pain, cramping, and difficulty walking are not normal aging. They are warnings. 👉 Tune in to hear these powerful patient stories and learn why early diagnosis, self-advocacy, and conservative options like structured walking can change outcomes and save lives.Calls to Action 📞 In the U.S.? Call the Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGS to talk with someone about possible circulation issues in your legs. 🌐 Learn more about PAD and conservative treatment options Visit padhelp.org to understand PAD, early symptoms, and access our free proprietary structured walking program, available to everyone. 👥 Join our PAD Facebook Support Community Connect with patients and caregivers at padsupportgroup.org. 👍 Support the show Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications at youtube.com/@thewaytomyheart so you never miss an episode. #PeripheralArteryDisease #PADawareness #HeartHealth #AmericanHeartMonth #LegPainIsNotNormal #CirculationMatters #VascularHealth #StructuredWalking #PatientStories #PreventAmputation #StrokePrevention #HeartDiseaseAwareness #TheHeartOfInnovation #TheWayToMyHeart

    46 min

  6. JAN 31

    BREAKING: Medicare Denials To Cost Legs

    A major Medicare billing issue is emerging across 24 states, and vascular specialists are warning it could delay—or deny—time-sensitive, limb-saving care for patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). On this episode of The Heart of Innovation, we are joined by two leading voices on the front lines: 🔹 Dr. Elliot Adams, Vascular Surgeon, whose office-based lab (OBL) is directly impacted by the denials 🔹 Dr. Bob Tahara, Vascular Surgeon and Past President of the OEIS (Outpatient Endovascular and Interventional Society) Physicians are reporting that new Medicare CPT codes for modern PAD revascularization procedures—codes that replaced deleted legacy codes—are being denied by Medicare contractors Noridian and Novitas, despite being billed correctly. These denials affect procedures that often mean the difference between saving a leg or losing it. If not clarified and corrected quickly, this issue could: • Block reimbursement for limb-salvage procedures in office-based labs • Delay urgent care for PAD patients • Increase preventable amputations and suffering At the same time, patients are already calling our Leg Saver Hotline nightly due to delays and denials through Medicare Advantage plans—often in severe pain, afraid they're running out of time. This Medicare CPT issue risks compounding that crisis. 🚨 We need clinicians and patients to hear this—and to speak up. 👉 If you are a physician, clinician, or billing professional seeing these denials 👉 If you are a patient who has received a Medicare denial or delay for PAD care 👉 If you've been told a limb-saving procedure won't be covered Please tune in. Your experience matters. You can also email Kym@padhelp.org for info on joining the LIVE in studio discussion! 📞 NEED HELP OR SUPPORT? Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGS If you've received a denial letter or are facing delays, call us. You are not alone.  #peripheralarterydisease #padsupport #medicare #medicaredbilling #medicaredenials

    46 min

  7. JAN 24

    Dr. James Joye | Max T

    The Heart of Innovation with Kym McNicholas

    46 min

  8. JAN 17

    New Treatment For Your Pain In The Butt - Hemorrhoids

    Hemorrhoids are far more common than most people realize — affecting more than half of adults at some point in their lives — yet many suffer in silence or believe surgery is their only option.  In today's LIVE episode, we bring together gastroenterology and interventional radiology to discuss the newest minimally invasive treatment: hemorrhoidal artery embolization. Today's Experts • Misha Ginsburg — Interventional Radiologist • Zuhair Yaseen 🎙️ Hosted by Kymberlie McNicholas ⚕️ Co-host John Phillips is off today — on call saving legs and lives. What We're Discussing LIVE • How common hemorrhoids really are — and why they're under-reported • When hemorrhoids move from inconvenient to clinically significant • What hemorrhoidal artery embolization is and how it works • Indications for embolization vs. traditional treatments • How GI physicians and interventional radiologists collaborate to improve outcomes This is an honest, stigma-free conversation focused on education, options, and empowering patients to ask better questions.

    46 min
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About

All of us have the power to create change. The advances in technology are now such that if you have an idea, it's easier than ever to execute on it. "Kym McNicholas On Innovation" shares the journeys of successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors from around the world who will inspire you to create your own financial independence. The show also features some of the most advanced technologies you've never heard of that could be have an impact on your life, your business, and your career. Regular featured segments include "The Edge" which highlights businesses that are game-changing in the enterprise. Plus, each week in "HealthTech", you'll hear about a company that's creating better, safer, faster, and cheaper technologies that will improve patient care and lower costs. And in our "Female Seeking Startup" series hear the success stories of some of the most powerful women who are creating game-changing technologies. Produced and Published by The Innovators Network (http://TheInnovators.Network)

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