In a recent episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, Sr. Editor and host Daniel Williams spoke with Mitchell Ramsey, CHFP, CRCR, TMS Clinical Coordinator at Psychiatry Associates of Tallahassee and one of MGMA’s 2025 Future Five Award honorees. Ramsey shared his path from coaching lacrosse to working in mental health care, where he now leads efforts to improve patient access, streamline administrative processes, and enhance treatment outcomes through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). 

His story offers actionable lessons in leadership, empathy, and innovation for practice administrators navigating today’s evolving behavioral health landscape.

A Coach’s Path to Mental Health Care

Ramsey’s career in healthcare was shaped by both family and lived experience. “I’m the son of a nurse and a physician,” he said. “So it’s one of those things that growing up, it was always destined for the healthcare field.” 

But the moment that solidified his focus on mental health came years later — while coaching lacrosse at a low-income school in Tallahassee.

“I realized that working on more of the psychological aspect of sports in general — and really honing in on that mental health — the more I focused on that, the better my teams had success on and off the field,” he said. That realization led him to pursue a career where he could blend his passion for mentorship with the science of mental wellness.

He described having an “epiphany moment watching Good Will Hunting,” his favorite movie, deciding then that he wanted to move into the mental health sector. That combination of coaching, compassion, and curiosity continues to define his approach to care today.

Harnessing Neuromodulation: The Promise of TMS Therapy

At Psychiatry Associates of Tallahassee, Ramsey manages operations for a small but specialized team providing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive treatment for several mental health conditions.

“[TMS] is an alternative mental health treatment for those suffering from depression, OCD, where it’s rapidly starting to undergo some rigorous research for the brain diseases," he said. "Like Alzheimer’s, dementia, even PTSD.”

Ramsey oversees a four-person team — himself, two technicians, and a front office staff — under the larger umbrella of a psychiatric practice. “It’s very unique to get both realms of the psychiatry side,” he said, “and very fulfilling to be in what we call the neuromodulation field.”

Redesigning the Patient Experience

One of Ramsey’s most impactful contributions has been overhauling the patient intake and onboarding process at his clinic. When he first joined, the process relied heavily on a scripted consultation approach — a style that felt impersonal to patients seeking help for sensitive mental health issues.

“[I like] to look at everything from that 30,000-foot view,” he said. “We noticed we had a lot of patients who would come in for these initial consultation appointments just to learn a little bit about TMS, but for whatever reason," they would choose to take a different path. 

Ramsey decided to throw out the script and replace it with something more human-centered. “We overhauled how our lobby looked, how our consultation room looked,” he explained. “More importantly, we threw the official script out the window and had more of that storytelling approach to it — really got on that personal level.”

Having undergone TMS treatment himself, Ramsey is able to connect with patients from lived experience. “It’s really about saying, ‘Hey, I understand what you’re experiencing. I know what you’re feeling. Here’s how we can take that first step forward into progress.’”

Partnering with Payers for Faster Approvals

As many practice administrators know, prior authorizations can make or break timely access to care. Ramsey tackled that challenge head-on by cultivating stronger relationships with local insurers.

“In Tallahassee, we’re very fortunate to have a regional HMO organization that does a lot of the insurance coverage,” he explained. 

What had once taken two to three business weeks for prior authorizations was reduced after Ramsey’s team proactively contacted the payer to identify bottlenecks and ask what steps they could take on their end to help expedite the process. By taking on additional paperwork and maintaining consistent communication, Ramsey’s team helped cut approval times dramatically. 

“It really came down to building that rapport, building those relationships, and having that open communication line between provider and payer,” he said.

Data and Collaboration Drive Innovation

Ramsey’s clinic also plays a role in shaping the future of TMS therapy. The practice contributes anonymized patient outcome data to BrainsWay, the manufacturer of the TMS devices they use. 

“It’s something we’ve worked with them over the years to really have our outcome data that we collect at the end of each treatment course,” Ramsey said.

This data has supported expanded FDA approvals that make TMS more accessible to older adults. The clinic’s partnership demonstrates how community practices can drive research-based progress that ultimately benefits patients nationwide.

Building Community Partnerships Beyond the Clinic

Ramsey’s impact extends past the walls of his practice. He collaborates closely with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to help patients access resources regardless of financial barriers.

“We’ve been working with the Tallahassee chapter very significantly to spread awareness of the resources that NAMI supplies,” he said. “If we have someone come in and say, ‘Oh, I can’t afford the copayments or the time for TMS,’ we work with NAMI to say, ‘Here’s this peer-to-peer support group for you.’”

For Ramsey, that kind of coordination is vital to ensuring that “our community is really having those mental health needs met by any means necessary.”

Looking Ahead: Destigmatizing Mental Health

Ramsey sees steady progress in how society discusses and approaches mental health. “Every day, I certainly am optimistic in the fact that that stigma around mental health is slowly but surely breaking away,” he said. “There’s still work to be done in terms of making it more socially acceptable to have that vulnerability and say, ‘Hey, I’m actually not doing okay.’”

He hopes to see continued cross-specialty coordination in healthcare, where mental health is viewed as a core component of whole-person care. “Other specialties are becoming a little bit more cognizant of that mental health implication,” he said. “Every day seems to be getting a little bit better.”

Advice for Early-Career Leaders

When asked what advice he’d share with other early-career professionals in healthcare, Ramsey emphasized perseverance and perspective. 

“Whether you’re in that David position or that Goliath position, every little bit that you add to the healthcare sphere is always going to be positive way down the road,” he said. “Don’t get down in the dumps thinking that you’re in a small position, because every little bit adds to that snowball effect — and it’ll certainly lead to a very positive outcome.”

Resources

• MGMA Future Five Awards - Learn more about MGMA’s program honoring early-career healthcare leaders.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Explore peer-to-peer programs and mental health advocacy resources.
• BrainsWay TMS Therapy – Learn about transcranial magnetic stimulation and its FDA-approved uses for depression and OCD.