2017

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

Monica E. Oss, M.S. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.

Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.

Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.

Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.

Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.

Welcome & Announcement of The 2017 OPEN MINDS Innovation Survey Results

Opening Remarks

Executive Vice President, Digital Center Of Excellence, Humana

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

9:00 am – 10:00 am CT

Humana’s Digital Transformation: Redefining The Consumer Health Care Experience

Keynote Address

As consumers are increasingly impacted by digital, health industry stakeholders need to be on the frontlines of innovation to improve health outcomes and ensure consumers remain actively engaged in their care. As an organization, Humana has become a consumer-focused health company dedicated to providing immersive integrated care experiences that make it easy for members to achieve their best health anytime, anywhere. To deliver on this ambition, Humana is leveraging digital innovation and transforming care experiences across the consumer journey to meet members where they are. Join Jeff Reid, Enterprise Vice President of the Digital Center Of Excellence at Humana to learn more about Humana’s unique approach to reshaping care experiences and leveraging digital to improve consumer health outcomes and experiences.

Jeff Reid

Jeff Reid

Executive Vice President, Digital Center Of Excellence, Humana

Jeff Reid, Enterprise Vice President of the Digital Center of Excellence, is an executive leader in the continued evolution of digital at Humana, including the web, mobile, and social platforms. Jeff is responsible for developing and executing Humana’s digital strategy by focusing on creating simple, connected and personalized digital experiences that empower our members to achieve their best health.

Before joining the Digital Center of Excellence in July 2014, Jeff was Vice President of Digital Marketing, Strategy and Channels for TIAA-CREF Financial Services, where he led enterprise digital efforts and achieved the highest channel customer satisfaction in firm history. Jeff also previously served as an executive at The Hartford. He held several roles related to digital, including management of the flagship website TheHartford.com, alongside mobile channels, and the employee intranet site iConnect. Prior to that, Jeff served 16 years at UPS, where he was responsible for managing UPS’s Global Digital Channel, including 104 country websites translated into 32 different languages. He defined UPS’s online channel strategy, execution and measurement.

Jeff holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. His expertise stems from over 21 years of digital marketing and channel experience in several diverse industries including healthcare, financial, and business services. He loves being a husband, a father to two, and taking care of his West Highland White Terrier, Cooper.

10:15 am – 11:30 am CT

Thought Leader Discussion Session With Jeff Reid

Breakout Session

Be part of the conversation! In this interactive discussion session attendees will have the opportunity to continue the discussion with keynote speaker, Jeff Reid. Mr. Reid will share more on his thoughts, experience, and insights about the field and take questions from the audience and OPEN MINDS Chief Executive Officer, Monica E. Oss.

Jeff Reid

Executive Vice President, Digital Center Of Excellence, Humana

Jeff Reid

Executive Vice President, Digital Center Of Excellence, Humana

President & CEO, Core Solutions, Inc.

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

Connecting The Dots From Data To Value

Knowledge Partner

Sponsored by Core Solutions

Data environments throughout the healthcare landscape are growing exponentially, evolving even before effective data collection strategies can be put in place. With new regulations and requirements mandated every year, healthcare organizations are challenged with developing data collection and evaluation processes that can be standardized not only across departments, but entire organizations. However, in this ever-changing healthcare climate, it is simply not enough for organizations to collect data for the sake of collecting data. In an industry that demands higher quality of care, improved outcomes and lower costs, knowledge sharing is truly the most powerful asset that we can use to bridge the gap between the data we collect and the value that it holds to those who can learn and benefit from it.

During this session, attendees will:

Learn the importance of embracing innovation and technology as they pertain to the use of data collection and knowledge sharing.
Gain an understanding of the “Internet of Things” (IoT) and its role in collecting and deciphering automated data.
Review several clinical tools that can be used to build and demonstrate data value.
Develop an understanding of what it means to communicate with data and the importance of data visualization in storytelling.

Ravi Ganesan

Ravi Ganesan

President & CEO, Core Solutions, Inc.

When Ravi Ganesan started Core Solutions nearly a decade ago, he began the venture as a developer of custom solutions for select organizations in behavioral health and human services. Since then, he has used his passion for entrepreneurship and a rich background in consulting and software development to grow the company into a premier provider for clients of all types and sizes across the country.
Prior to founding the company, Ravi was a systems architect and software developer with Management Concepts, Inc., an IT consulting firm. Before this, Ravi launched his career in the Greater Philadelphia region at New York Life, the nation’s oldest and largest mutual life insurance company. While there, he established a technical assistance program initially developed to help insurance agents integrate technology into their businesses, which evolved to include business consulting, marketing and related support activities.
Ravi received his M.B.A. from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

Adam Bauer

Senior Manager, Life Sciences and Health Care, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Adam Bauer

Senior Manager, Life Sciences and Health Care, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Adam is an engaging project leader with over fourteen years of consulting experience in the healthcare industry. He has broad exposure delivering strategic business and technology solutions to human and social services agencies, behavioral health providers, integrated delivery networks, community hospitals, long term care organizations, and payers. Adam holds a strong grasp of end-to-end project management and implementation methodologies across a range of business and clinical software solutions. His recent experience has focused on helping clients who serve the Intellectually / Developmentally Disabled population develop and execute Electronic Health Record selection, implementation, analytics, and optimization strategies.

Ken Carr

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Ken Carr brings over 20 years of finance, technology, data analysis and reporting experience in the health and human service field to OPEN MINDS. Before joining the OPEN MINDS team, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of The Centers, a community mental health center in Ocala, Florida. In this position, Mr. Carr led a realignment of the organization’s financial management functions. This included revenue cycle management, EHR bill implementation and reporting, cash management enhancement, and strategic financial analysis.

Prior to his role at The Centers, Mr. Carr served as Chief Financial Officer of Guild Incorporated, an organization providing residential and community based mental health services in St. Paul, Minnesota. As CFO, Mr. Carr led the financial, billing, IT, quality, informatics, compliance, and facilities activities. During his tenure at Guild Incorporated, Mr. Carr used his expertise in change management and business process improvement to lead the EHR implementation team, align service data reporting and financial performance, and lead the financial and data capture activities for new service initiatives.

Mr. Carr has also held the positions of Administrative Director and Finance Director at the St. Paul National Testing Laboratory, a biomedical testing facility of the American Red Cross. In those positions he oversaw activities to enhance inventory management, align financial results to industry standards, and improve financial and facilities performance through problem analysis and quality management initiatives. He also was involved in directing human resource functions during laboratory closing near the end of his tenure.

Mr. Carr earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Sioux Falls Seminary. He maintains an active CPA license with the State of South Dakota.

Readmission Prevention Programs: Service Innovation In A Managed Care Environment

Breakout Session

Readmission is top-of-mind for both health plan executives and hospital executives. Why? Because high readmission rates are a symptom of poor quality care – and they are expensive. Readmission rates are higher among consumers with multiple chronic conditions and consumers who need social supports. This is why readmission prevention programs present a market opportunity for innovative organizations. This session focuses on the current state of readmission rates in the U.S. and the innovations that are addressing this problem. Attendees will learn about:

Trends in hospital readmission rates
The range of approaches for health plans and hospitals to address readmissions
Examples of innovative readmission prevention programs

Jim Gargiulo

Principal & Consultant, Paul M. Duck, LLC

Jim Gargiulo

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Jim Gargiulo has more than 35 years of experience in the health and human services field. Mr. Gargiulo brings a strong background in information technology to OEPN MINDS customers. He has extensive background as both a developer of technology and an end user.

Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Gargiulo was an Executive Vice President at Netsmart Technologies Corporation, the largest provider of technology in the health and human services and integrated care space. In that role, he was responsible for the alignment of Netsmart solutions with its more than 1,500 client organizations. In this role he created, managed, and led a team of 50 associates across the country, helped integrate account teams from acquired companies, and represented the company as an industry expert on clinical workflow, revenue management, implementation strategy, medication management, and meaningful use.

Mr. Gargiulo joined Netsmart at its earliest stages of growth and held various positions during his more than 30 year tenure with the company. These positions included leadership roles in project management, solution consulting, product management, and business development. He was on the team that helped define company’s first EMR solutions and lead some of the company’s largest public sector implementations of the EMR solution – including onboarding of 35 different state agencies with the Netsmart. He also represented Netsmart in its early data standards initiatives with National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and led its Y2k conversion efforts. During his tenure with Netsmart, the company grew by more than 3,000% over 15 years.

Before working with Netsmart, Mr. Gargiulo was the Mental Health & MIS Director for the Delaware County Government. In this role, he deployed contract management and billing systems for the 50+ private non-profit agencies under contract with the County Department of Human Services. He has also held previous positions with the Veterans Administration and Resources for Human Development, conducting research on brain injury and the incidence and prevalence of mental illness in Pennsylvania. Mr. Gargiulo started his career as a residential counselor for children and adolescents with special needs at Elwyn.

As an involved community member, Mr. Gargiulo has participated in a number of industry governing boards. He served as an Executive Board Member for the Software and Technology Vendor Association (SATVA) and as a member of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2000 Data Standards Decision Support Committee.

Mr. Gargiulo received his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and his Master of Science in research and evaluation from Drexel University (formerly the Hahnemann Medical College).

Paul Duck

Paul Duck

Principal & Consultant, Paul M. Duck, LLC

Mr. Duck is a senior healthcare executive with over 25 years of experience in behavioral healthcare and has developed a deep understanding of the transformational changes taking place in the healthcare market. He currently serves as Vice President of Strategy and Development for Beacon Health Options – the nation’s largest specialty behavioral managed care company. Prior to joining Beacon, Paul was the Vice President of Business Development for Netsmart.

He is the past Chairman of the Board of Centerstone of Florida where he directed the affiliation and merger of Manatee Glens with the largest community mental health company in the United States, Centerstone of America.

He has previous senior executive experience serving as the CEO of a large outpatient radiology company in central Florida where he and the company were awarded by INC magazine as one of America’s fastest growing companies. In addition, he served as CEO of one of the largest orthopedic and ambulatory surgery center company’s in Florida where he was responsible for a massive turnaround.

Mr. Duck is known for his strong passion for our industry and is also renowned as a thought-leader to state and national audiences.

Melissa Larkin-Skinner, MBA, MA, LMHC

Chief Executive Officer, Centerstone of Florida

Melissa Larkin-Skinner, MBA, MA, LMHC

Chief Executive Officer, Centerstone of Florida

Melissa is the Chief Executive Officer at Centerstone of Florida, a $34 million non-profit behavioral health organization serving Southwest Florida for the past 62 years. Melissa has a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Counseling. She is a Licensed mental Health Counselor with nearly 25 years of experience providing services in all aspects of behavioral health. Melissa previously served as Chief Clinical Officer and Vice President of Inpatient and Residential Services. She has operated diverse programs serving children and adults of all ages and levels of care, including inpatient, residential, prevention, outpatient, crisis intervention, community based, and child welfare.

Jennifer Garber, MA, LICSW

Director of Clinical Operations and Community Initiatives, Medica Behavioral Health

Jennifer Garber, MA, LICSW

Director of Clinical Operations and Community Initiatives, Medica Behavioral Health

Jennifer Garber, MA LICSW is the Director of Clinical Operations and Community Initiatives for Medica Behavioral Health (MBH). Jennifer has been with MBH for 9+ years in the role of Director of Clinical Operations; during that time she has had the responsibilities for clinical activities for Commercial, Medicaid and Medicare products in addition to working on key initiatives with providers, community groups and MN DHS, as well as other leaders at Medica. Jennifer has had the privilege of working with mental health, as well as SUD providers, helping to identify any gaps in service delivery, and problem solving with the involved parties to work toward filling those gaps.

In 2014, the responsibilities for Community Initiatives and Government Programs also became part of Jennifer’s responsibilities. This set of added responsibilities moved Jennifer from being a participant in those community collaboratives, to being one of the primary owners of those activities for MBH. Those collaborations are key in the overall daily work and completely interface with the daily clinical operations.

An ongoing point of satisfaction that Jennifer values about the work being done at MBH is the focus on getting the individual the service that they will most benefit from, at the time that they need it, in a place that they can access it. Problem solving on behalf of members’ recovery is a privilege and an honor; working with the providers and collaborators is deeply satisfying and, at times, a bit like working on a jig saw puzzle. Seeing those pieces come together is one of the ultimate experiences of team work.

Jennifer appreciates that Medica wants to be innovative in working in providing care, and moving the dial on more effective as well as efficient service delivery for members. Being able to be creative in solutioning to bridge service gaps, and to move things forward for overall service delivery is a unique thing about working with Medica on behalf of their members.

Jennifer has a Master’s degree from Grace Theological Seminary, and an undergraduate degree from University of Iowa. Jennifer is licensed as an Independent Clinical Social Worker. As a practicing clinician, she has worked in an EAP setting, with SPMI adults, on an inpatient dual diagnosis unit with adolescents and their families, and did MH emergency room assessments for a number of years. Jennifer has also worked in another Health Plan setting as a clinical manager.

11:45 am – 1:00 pm CT

From Strategy To Action: How To Create & Implement A Great Strategy For Success

Breakout Session

In a turbulent market, the question that is top of mind for health and human service executives is – will we be here next year? The question of sustainability is where strategy comes in. Every organization needs three strategies – the ‘now’ strategy, the ‘future sustainability’ strategy, and the plan to get from one to the other. But, the best laid plans do not assure success. A great strategy needs a detailed implementation plan and management framework to assure its implementation. In this information-packed session, you will learn the field-tested, best practice models from the team at OPEN MINDS. In this session, we will discuss:

An overview of our ‘best practice’ strategic planning process
Implementation planning for taking plan to action – developing an accountable implementation process
Managing strategy implementation – and change – for success

Joe Dan Beavers, CPA, MHA

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.

Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics. Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.

Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.

He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.

Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.

President/CEO, LifeSkills, Inc.

Joe Dan Beavers, CPA, MHA

President/CEO, LifeSkills, Inc.

Joe Dan Beavers is the President/CEO of LifeSkills, Inc. a community mental health center based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. LifeSkills was founded in 1966 and serves over 26,000 individuals each year through mental health, substance use disorder and intellectual and developmental disabilities programs. In January of 2020 LifeSkills and the Pennyroyal Center merged, creating one of Kentucky’s largest community mental health centers. Later that year, LifeSkills helped lead the formation of the Community Health Network of Kentucky (CHN). CHN includes LifeSkills, Pennyroyal Center and three additional community mental health centers in the Commonwealth. Together CHN supports over 64,000 individuals annually through 55 programs across rural Kentucky. Joe Dan has a BS in Accounting from Western Kentucky University, a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Kentucky and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Together Is The Way Forward: Creating Successful Patient-Centered Outcomes Through Creative Payer & Provider Partnerships

Knowledge Partner

Sponsored by New Directions Behavioral Health

In order to change the status quo in health care delivery (paying more yet getting the same results), payers and providers must understand they are mutually dependent upon each other for success. The member/patient is relying on us. Not until payers are willing to disclose their pain points can a provider step up to help solve them.

In this session, a provider and payer will share with you the successes and lessons learned from their partnership. The goal of the session is to empower you to develop a solution around your organization’s strengths that solves your payer’s pain points.

You will hear firsthand how a payer and community health provider partnered to identify challenges, develop strategies and achieve mutual goals to produce positive outcomes for the patient/member. This interactive session will spark dialog to answer the following:

What are your solutions to payer’s challenges/needs?
How can we fill gaps in the system of care?
What does a successful Behavioral Health Home look like?
How can you deploy your resources to the commercial insurance sector?

Darryl Donlin, LCSW, MBA

Vice President of Network Operations, New Directions Behavioral Health

Darryl Donlin, LCSW, MBA

Vice President of Network Operations, New Directions Behavioral Health

Darryl Donlin, LCSW, MBA, is vice president of Network Operations for New Directions Behavioral Health®. He oversees all activities of Network Operations, including provider procurement, network expansion, value-based contracting and database management. Donlin leads network initiatives that shift the current volume-driven payment model to a value-driven model, which helps improve outcomes, enhance the member experience and drive down costs.

Donlin has served in leadership roles with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Aetna, CIGNA, and Oxford Health Plans for both behavioral and medical. He has also held positions in pharmacy benefit management and health care IT. His collective experience allows New Directions to develop a comprehensive and innovative network strategy to support company growth.

Donlin received a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Health Systems Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a Master of Social Work from Marywood College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology/Mass Communications from Lycoming College.

New Directions offers behavioral health care solutions and services, including Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), managed behavioral health care, organizational consulting and health coaching programs. The fast-growing company partners with large regional health plans, Fortune 100 companies, employers and labor groups, and third-party administrators to help people live healthy, balanced lives. For more information, visit ndbh.com.

Melissa Norris, BA

Executive Director, Psychamerica Behavioral Services, LLC / Big Bear Behavioral Health, Inc.

Melissa Norris, BA

Executive Director, Psychamerica Behavioral Services, LLC / Big Bear Behavioral Health, Inc.

Melissa Norris, BA, is the Executive Director of Psychamerica Behavioral Services, LLC / Big Bear Behavioral Health, Inc. in Maitland, Florida.

Management roles in the fields of behavior analysis, foster care case management, juvenile justice, residential facilities and community behavioral health have allowed her to identify the need for multi-agency collaboration and directly observe the successes of such practice.

Ms. Norris has spent the last ten years enhancing and designing programs, and developing staff who embody the philosophy of collaborative treatment to develop more independent, stable individuals. She is experienced with COA, CARF, JCO, DCF and Medicaid compliance.

A Central Florida native, Ms. Norris graduated from University of Central Florida in 1996. Professional recognitions include Office of Family Safety acknowledgement for positive program development and commendation by CARF reviewers as operating a “program to which we would send our own children.”

Timothy Snyder, Jr.

Executive Vice President, OPEN MINDS

Timothy Snyder, Jr.

Executive Vice President, OPEN MINDS

Timothy G. Snyder, Jr. brings a unique combination of marketing, business development, and online media expertise to OPEN MINDS. Since joining our team in 2008, Mr. Snyder has led over twenty strategic marketing and sales-focused projects, including comprehensive product launch initiatives, corporate re-branding/positioning projects, and website/online marketing programs for some of the largest and most influential pharmaceutical and technology organizations in the industry. In addition to his work in the consulting practice, Mr. Snyder currently oversees the marketing, public relations, and sales divisions of OPEN MINDS.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Snyder served as OPEN MINDS Vice President Of Marketing. During this time he was led the successful launch of multiple new product offerings, the re-design of the OPEN MINDS website, and the launch of PsychU.org – a free online community and resource center for professionals in the mental health community.

Mr. Snyder is a 2008 graduate of the AACSB Internationally accredited John L. Grove College of Business at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in both Marketing Communications and Business Management.

ACOs & Chronic Care Management: Opportunities For Behavioral Health Organizations In Population Health Management

Breakout Session

ACOs are providing health services for more and more of the population. There are now 689 ACOs covering almost 11% of the U.S. population. The majority of ACOs are owned by hospital systems. This poses a strategic challenge for specialty provider organizations, like those providing mental health and addiction treatment services. Will the hospital systems decide to ‘build’ or ‘acquire’ their own service delivery capacity or will they contract with existing organizations? In this session, our faculty will discuss:

The ACO landscape
Opportunities for serving the high-needs consumers in the ACO environment
Examples of specialty services in ACOs

Steve Ramsland, Ed.D.

Vice President of Development for Integrated Behavioral Health-East and Southwest Region, Prospect CharterCARE, LLC

Steve Ramsland, Ed.D.

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Steven Ramsland, Ed.D. has more than 25 years of experience in the development and delivery of health and human service programs. He has held senior leadership positions in the development of several innovative service systems including Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs, a primary care provider network, several national managed behavioral health initiatives, and innovative community programming.

Dr. Ramsland recently served as chief executive officer at Redwood Community Health, a network of 17 community health centers, with over 40 sites in northern California. The organization provides primary care, behavioral health and oral health to over 240,000 patients each year. While at Redwood he managed the implementation of an ACO, a capitated Medicaid managed care contract, and a pay-for-performance quality improvement program.

Prior to this, he was the executive director of Buckelew Programs, a leading provider of community-based, recovery-oriented behavioral health programs in Northern California. The organization provides supported housing and employment, and recovery supports, as well as two social enterprise businesses.

Dr. Ramsland was previously vice president and practice leader for United Behavioral Health’s Public Sector Practice (now Optum). In that role, he analyzed opportunities and implemented strategies to expand public sector business – and collaborated with executive leadership at United to design and build organizational capabilities in public sector behavioral health, disease management, and consumer-directed care to support revenue growth.

In addition to his work with Optum, Dr. Ramsland also served as the chief development officer and Public Sector President for Comprehensive Behavioral Care, and as vice president, Government Programs, for ValueOptions. He has worked with government policy leaders throughout the nation to develop new, recovery-oriented approaches to delivering behavioral health and integrated medical services. He was also the Chief Executive Officer of a community mental health center, SERV Behavioral Health in New Jersey.

Dr. Ramsland earned a Doctoral Degree in Psychology from Rutgers University, a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Duquesne University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and English from Trinity College.

Rebecca Plonsky, LICSW

Rebecca Plonsky, LICSW

Vice President of Development for Integrated Behavioral Health-East and Southwest Region, Prospect CharterCARE, LLC

Rebecca Plonsky, LICSW, Vice President of Development for Integrated Behavioral Health, East and Southwest Region works for Prospect CharterCARE, LLC. In her current role, Rebecca is results driven and provides system wide leadership and strategic direction for integrated behavioral health. She is responsible for integrated behavioral health business growth and development, quality and reporting oversight, and psychiatrist and physician recruitment for the east and southwest regions. Her efforts focus on enhancing clinical and operational excellence, driving innovative payment arrangements, and improving patient recovery capital and health outcomes. Over the past 18 months, Rebecca led the opening of a Long Term Behavioral Health Unit, an Outpatient Addiction Services Center, and 2 behavioral health integration sites in primary care. She also assisted in securing state approval for Prospect CharterCARE, LLC to be recognized as Accountable Care Organization.

Previously, Rebecca advised that state on integrated behavioral health programming for high risk, complex Medicaid members at the Executive Health and Human Services/Xerox Healthcare. She also held a behavioral health management role at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

Rebecca continues to work as an independently licensed clinician and maintains a private practice treating late adolescents and adults with mood disorders, substance use, and relational discord. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her 7 year old twin boys and running.

From Strategy To Action: How To Create & Implement A Great Strategy For Success

Breakout Session

An overview of our ‘best practice’ strategic planning process
Implementation planning for taking plan to action – developing an accountable implementation process
Managing strategy implementation – and change – for success

Joe Dan Beavers, CPA, MHA

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.

President/CEO, LifeSkills, Inc.

Joe Dan Beavers, CPA, MHA

President/CEO, LifeSkills, Inc.

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm CT

Improving Quality Through Consumer Engagement In MLTSS

Networking

Invitation-Only Lunch Sponsored by XtraGlobex, Inc.

As the market moves towards more value-based models of care for the delivery of long-term services and supports (LTSS), payer and provider organizations must think more holistically about care delivery – and consumer satisfaction and engagement is a key piece of that equation. Enhanced care coordination and service delivery models that take into account the consumer perspective result in a better consumer experience and better clinical and financial outcomes. In this “lunch and learn” town hall style session, we’ll review how the move to value-based care is changing the role of the consumer, how a focus on consumer engagement can improve clinical and financial outcomes, and how your organization can utilize innovations in engagement to improve the consumer experience. Recharge for the afternoon by joining us for an informative session, an engaging discussion, and lunch, hosted by XtraGlobex, Inc.

Fady Sahhar, Ph.D.

President, XtraGlobex, Inc.

Fady Sahhar, Ph.D.

President, XtraGlobex, Inc.

Fady Sahhar is President of XtraGlobex Inc., the company he founded in 2001 to assist healthcare providers, ACO’s and service organizations in building an exceptional and sustainable competitive advantage. The firm focuses on long term services and supports in the aging, physical and intellectual disabilities by leveraging healthcare strategy, policy, communications, and technology.

Before dedicating himself full-time to XtraGlobex, Fady was the Chief Administrative Officer with Liberty Resources, Inc. in Philadelphia, the country’s largest Center for Independent Living. During his long tenure there, Fady honed his policy and advocacy skills while managing operations serving more than 7,000 consumers annually. He led strategy and quality management and re-launched the Transitions to Freedom campaign to support consumers transitioning into the community.

Fady has over 30 years of senior management experience working with major multinational companies including Sara Lee, Mobil Oil, Progressive Insurance, Transitions Optical, PPG Industries and Essilor (France). His corporate responsibilities included new product development, strategic planning, marketing management, and global sales. He has developed several global communications networks and launched products in over 45 countries.

Fady holds an MBA in Marketing, and is a PhD candidate in Global Leadership and Economic Development. He teaches at the MBA level at several universities and conducts training seminars in global leadership, marketing management and business development. In addition to English, he is fluent in French and Arabic.

Ken Carr

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm CT

Lunch On Your Own

Networking

The institute hotel is located in the heart of the French Quarter, steps away from world class restaurants and local favorites. Stop by the registration desk for a list of the OPEN MINDS team’s favorite restaurants.

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm CT

The Changing Role Of Peer Support Services – A Look To The Future

Breakout Session

A Medicaid reimbursable service in 35 states, a SAMHSA-endorsed best practice, and a practice proven to reduce hospitalizations and improve consumer health outcomes – the use of peer support services is well established in mental health. With more integrated service delivery, value-based reimbursement, and population health management, the role of peer support services is shifting. In this session, we’ll discuss the role that peers play in the current health system and the impact that peer services can have on consumer outcomes. And, we’ll ask our expert faculty for a look to the future – how they see the role of peer services changing in both health plans and health systems.

Sue Ann Atkerson, MA, LPC

Ken Carr

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Chief Operations Officer, RI International

Sue Ann Atkerson, MA, LPC

Chief Operations Officer, RI International

Sue Ann Atkerson serves as Chief Operating Officer of RI International, a non-profit focused on bringing recovery principles and peer supports to bear in both crisis facilities and outpatient settings. Her primary focus is leveraging clinical innovation and best practices to maximize client outcomes. She is a seasoned behavioral health professional and MBA in-training who has worked in the non-profit public sector for more than twenty years. She has provided numerous presentations and trainings on peer support, co-occurring disorders, evidence-based practice, and behavioral health leadership.

Briana Gilmore

Director of Planning & Recovery Practice, Community Access

Briana Gilmore

Director of Planning & Recovery Practice, Community Access

Briana Gilmore is a passionate advocate for the transformation of the mental health system through public-health oriented reform. She is the recipient of the 2016 Advocacy Champion Award from the NYC Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies for her dedication to implementing a Self-Directed Service approach and for successful advocacy for Crisis Intervention Team training within the NYPD. Briana joined Community Access as the Director of Planning and Recovery Practice in 2015, where she provides management of peer training, supported education, and advocacy activities, and spearheads national and international technical assistance projects. Before her work in mental health, Briana worked to inform migrant and refugee policy with the United Nations, and gained her Research Master’s degree in International Development and Natural Resource Security from the University of Amsterdam. Briana’s commitment to her work is derived in part from her personal experience of survival of the mental health system.

Harvey Rosenthal

Executive Director, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services

Harvey Rosenthal

Executive Director, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services

Harvey Rosenthal serves as the executive director of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS), a peer-provider partnership that has been a state and national change agent for the past 3 decades. Harvey has over 40 years of experience working to promote public mental health policies and practices that advance the recovery, rehabilitation, rights, and full community inclusion of individuals with psychiatric disabilities and/or diagnoses. His advocacy has helped to transform state and national mental health systems, increase access to community-based housing, employment and peer support services, and advance numerous recovery and criminal justice related mental health reforms.

Harvey has helped create several nationally acclaimed and replicated self-help, employment, and transformational training innovations. He has also worked to fight stigma, discrimination, and human rights violations and to expand informed choice protections and cultural competence. Harvey’s work has been frequently recognized by numerous New York State and national groups, including the highest honors from Mental Health America, ACMHA: The College for Behavioral Health Leadership, the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, and the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery. His interest in his work is personal, beginning with a psychiatric hospitalization at age 19.

Providing Effective Collaborative Care In Major Depressive Disorder: Strategies & Resources From Otsuka’s Frameworks In Health & Quality Program

Knowledge Partner

Sponsored by Otsuka Frameworks

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is estimated to affect over 16% of the U.S. population over the course of their lifetime.ⁱ It is often co-occurring with chronic medical conditions like diabetes or cardiovascular disease, as well as with other mental illnesses such as anxiety and substance use disorders.^ii,iii Treating MDD with a collaborative approach has been shown to improve care quality and outcomes, and to reduce costs.^iv,v,vi

During this session, attendees will:

Understand the impact of MDD on consumer’s lives and their use of health care resources
Explore ‘best practice’ collaborative approaches to supporting consumers MDD –and how these approaches may improve care quality and outcomes
Participate in a discussion with our co-presenters on their experience addressing the needs of consumers

[i] Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, et al.
[ii] Gelenberg AJ, Freeman MP, Markowitz JC, et al, for the Work Group on Major Depressive Disorder, American Psychiatric Association. Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Major Depressive Disorder. II. Formulation and Implementation of a Treatment Plan. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 2004.
[iii] Chapman DP, Perry GS, Strine TW. The vital link between chronic disease and depressive disorders. Prev Chronic Dis. 2005;2(1):1-10.
[iv] Butler M, Kane RL, McAlpine D, et al. Integration of Mental Health/Substance Abuse and Primary Care. Evidence Reports/Technology Assessments, No. 173. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; October 2008.
[v] Katon W, von Korff M, Lin E, et al. Collaborative management to achieve treatment guidelines: impact on depression in primary care. JAMA. 1995;273;13:1026-1031.
[vi] Unützer J, Harbin H, Schoenbaum M, Druss B. The Collaborative Care Model: An Approach for Integrating Physical and Mental Health Care in Medicaid Health Homes. Hamilton, NJ: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Center for Health Care Strategies and Mathematica Policy Research; May 2013

Heidi Waters

Director of Outcomes Management, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies, U.S.

Heidi Waters

Director of Outcomes Management, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies, U.S.

Heidi Waters currently serves as Director of Outcomes Management/Health Outcomes at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. In that role, she partners with payers and providers to develop unbranded health services research to improve the process of care and optimize outcomes for consumers with serious mental illness and other conditions that Otsuka products help treat. Prior to joining Otsuka, Heidi worked for Ethicon as Global Franchise Director, Health Economics and Director, Health Economics for Centicor Ortho Biotech, both Johnson & Johnson companies. Heidi also has experience working in drug safety, both at J&J and Wyeth. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Heidi served as Quality Improvement Director for Magellan Behavioral Health, where she was responsible for conducting quality improvement initiatives, developing preventive health programs, and trending utilization data for both Medicaid and commercial lines of business.

Heidi has a PhD in Health Services from Walden University, a Master’s degree in Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from LaSalle. Heidi’s dissertation research focused on integrated care for consumers with serious mental illness.

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

Finding New Opportunities With Health Plans: How To Market To Managed Care

Breakout Session

Almost 76% of consumers in the U.S. get their health care services through some type of managed care organization – and that number is increasing. So the strategic questions for every health care provider organization executive are how to secure and optimize service agreements with health plans; how to move those agreements from fees to gainsharing; how to optimize the geographic footprint and utilization of those agreements. In this session, the focus is on how to do just that – How to develop and negotiate an innovative service contract with health plans, and how to assure its success. The session also features the perspective of health plan executives who are making those decisions.

Steve Ramsland, Ed.D.

Director, Network Strategy, Beacon Health Options

Steve Ramsland, Ed.D.

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Alyssa L. Rose, JD/MSW

Alyssa L. Rose, JD/MSW

Director, Network Strategy, Beacon Health Options

Bio coming soon!

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CT

What Do Payers Want? A Town Hall Discussion On The Innovative Proposals Payers Are Looking For From Provider Partners

Town Hall Discussion

The key to good health plan/provider partnerships is having a solid understanding of the problems that health plan executives are trying to solve – and developing a high-value solution to that problem. In this session, we’ll get a first-hand view of what health plan executives are looking for. OPEN MINDS Senior Associate Joseph Naughton-Travers will sit down with executive representatives from a select group of health plans to discuss

What payers need and expect from provider organizations in our current market
The challenges of developing new payer/provider partnership models
The future of innovation in health care

Sr. Director, System Transformation, Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.

Monica Collins

Monica Collins

Sr. Director, System Transformation, Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania

Monica Collins is the Sr. Director, System Transformation for Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania where she is responsible for leading the strategy and planning efforts in system transformation. Her responsibilities include engaging providers, state agencies and stakeholders in a collaborative approach to develop a high value service delivery system. She brings more than 20 years of behavioral healthcare experience to this role both from a provider and then a payer perspective. Monica earned her Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her Masters of Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. Unique qualifications include certification in Primary and Behavioral Healthcare Integration.

Paul Duck

Principal & Consultant, Paul M. Duck, LLC

Paul Duck

Principal & Consultant, Paul M. Duck, LLC

Mr. Duck is known for his strong passion for our industry and is also renowned as a thought-leader to state and national audiences.

Mark A. Refowitz

Former Director, County of Orange Health Care Agency & Former Board Chairman, Cal Optima

Mark A. Refowitz

Former Director, County of Orange Health Care Agency & Former Board Chairman, Cal Optima

Mark Refowitz was appointed to the CalOptima Board of Directors in February 2012, elected Chairman in May of that year and continues to serve in this critical capacity today. The county-organized healthcare system has grown in membership from 375,000 to more than 770,000 low-income children, adults, seniors and persons with disabilities since his appointment. The plan’s annual budget has more than doubled from $1.6 billion to over $3.6 billion in the same period. Under his leadership, the National Committee for Quality Assurance has rated CalOptima as its top Medicaid health plan in California for the past two years. Mark has been an actively engaged member of the Board’s Audit and Finance and Quality Assurance committees.

He serves on the Health Care Committee and the Healthy Counties Advisory Board of the National Association of Counties (NACo), assignments that require annual appointments by the California State Association of Counties. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Disability Directors, a NACo affiliate. Mark has served as the President of the California Mental Health Directors Association and as a member of their governing board for more than a decade. His background also includes a variety of roles on the boards of non-profit organizations.

He has further demonstrated his commitment to boardroom excellence as a National Association of Corporate Director’s Governance Fellow, having completed that organization’s comprehensive program of study for directors and corporate governance professionals. Mark further enhances these skillsets through ongoing engagement with the director community and access to leading practices.

Mark was appointed Director of the County of Orange Health Care Agency (HCA) in 2012, a department with approximately 2,700 full-time employees and an annual budget in excess of $620 million. HCA’s organizational structure includes five major service areas: Correctional Health Services, Public Health Services, Behavioral Health Services, Regulatory/Medical Health Services and Administrative Services. The organization has more than 120 funding sources in addition to a wide array of regulatory and direct service mandates. His appointment marks the pinnacle of a professional history with more than 30 years of top management experience in public sector healthcare and social services, including experience in state and county government as well as private managed care.

This experience includes the positions of Senior Vice President of Development with For Health, Inc. in Costa Mesa, California; Chief Clinical Officer with the Community Care Behavioral Health Organization in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Assistant Commissioner for Managed Care with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health in Boston, Massachusetts.

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm CT

Networking Reception In The Institute Exhibit Hall

Networking

7:30 am – 8:30 am CT

Executive Networking Breakfast In The Institute Exhibit Hall

Networking

8:30 am – 9:30 am CT

Keys To Success With Integrated Care Models For Consumers With Complex Behavioral Disorders

Keynote Address

There is a lot of discussion about the service coordination and care delivery models that work best for consumers with complex behavioral disorders – but there are very few working models with great performance data. In our keynote session, Dr. Ian Shaffer, Vice President & Executive Medical Director, Behavioral Health at Healthfirst, will share his experience in designing, developing, and managing a successful integrated care model within their health plan. Healthfirst is a non-profit, provider-sponsored health insurance company that serves more than 1.2 million members with all types of health coverage in downstate New York. In the programs developed by Dr. Shaffer, Healthfirst is now serving thousands of consumers with complex behavioral health conditions. In this presentation, he will share their model, their performance, and the challenges and opportunities in serving consumers with complex needs.

Ian A. Shaffer, M.D., MMM, CPE

Vice President & Executive Medical Director, Behavioral Health, Healthfirst

Ian A. Shaffer, M.D., MMM, CPE

Vice President & Executive Medical Director, Behavioral Health, Healthfirst

Ian Shaffer, MD, MMM, CPE is Vice President and Executive Medical Director, Behavioral Health for Healthfirst responsible for behavioral health program management. Prior to this he was Vice President Behavioral Health Program Design and Research for Health Net Federal Services responsible for behavioral health program design and research with a specific focus on the military and veteran populations and their families. Previously at Health Net, Inc. Shaffer was MHN’s Chief Medical Officer, responsible for setting the company’s clinical policies and guidelines and ensuring clinical excellence. Dr. Shaffer oversaw MHN’s quality improvement and disease management units, and was accountable for the coordination and quality assurance of clinical care.

In addition, Dr. Shaffer has overseen quality and outcomes monitoring for the Military & Family Life Consultant Program services and collaborated with his Health Net Federal Services colleagues to ensure optimal care and service delivery for TRICARE beneficiaries.

Prior to joining MHN in 2003, Dr. Shaffer served as executive vice president and chief medical officer of a national managed behavioral health organization, working closely with several Fortune 100 companies. He three times served as chairman of the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) (formerly the American Managed Behavioral Healthcare Association – AMBHA), and he has also served on several federal government committees, including a three-year term on the National Advisory Committee for the Center for Mental Health Services arm of SAMHSA. He remains involved in national behavioral health policy issues, including parity and autism.

As the President of Behavioral Health Management Solutions, LLC Dr. Shaffer has provided consultation to a variety of start up and ongoing behavioral health programs that have been redesigning to meet the changing needs of health care delivery and reimbursement.

Dr. Shaffer, a Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, is a psychiatrist board-certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine, and has received fellowship training in child psychiatry. He received his medical degree from the University of Manitoba and psychiatry and child psychiatry training at the University of Southern California. Dr. Shaffer, a Certified Physician Executive also holds a Master’s degree in Medical Management from Tulane University.

9:45 am – 11:00 am CT

Thought Leader Discussion Session With Dr. Ian A. Shaffer

Breakout Session

Join us for a follow-up session with our keynote speaker, Ian A. Shaffer, MD, MMM, CPE. This session provides an opportunity for further discussion and questions after the keynote presentation.

Ian A. Shaffer, M.D., MMM, CPE

Vice President & Executive Medical Director, Behavioral Health, Healthfirst

Ian A. Shaffer, M.D., MMM, CPE

Vice President & Executive Medical Director, Behavioral Health, Healthfirst

Market Intelligence Director, OPEN MINDS

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

The Inside Perspective On Specialty Medical Homes & Health Homes: Learning From The Experience Of Provider Executives

Breakout Session

Provider organizations are an essential key to making the health home concept work in any state. Yet successfully navigating this new system can be a challenge for even the most advanced provider – the process of developing a health home requires organizations to add a variety of new processes, track new metrics, and manage new populations in ways that most haven’t before. During this exciting session, OPEN MINDS health home expert, Athena Mandros will discuss the challenges and opportunities of operating a health home with provider organizations that have been there – from staffing and reimbursement, to treatment models and care coordination.

Athena Mandros

Athena Mandros

Market Intelligence Director, OPEN MINDS

Athena Mandros brings over five years of experience in research and publication to the OPEN MINDS team. She currently serves as the Director of OPEN MINDS Market Intelligence team. In this role, she is responsible for the research, analysis, and development of all special Market Intelligence Reports and resources produced by the OPEN MINDS team. Some of the topics of the briefing reports include non-traditional Medicaid expansion, State Innovation Model (SIM) Grants, and permanent supportive housing.

Ms. Mandros is also the editor of the OPEN MINDS Behavioral Health System State Profile series. The series is an annually updated market intelligence report on mental health and addiction treatment financing in each of the fifty states. The content of the profile series includes Medicaid managed care and fee-for-service enrollment numbers, top health plans, description of the Medicaid delivery system, behavioral health covered services and carve-outs, core coordination models utilized by the state such as health homes or ACOs, and a description of the dual eligible delivery system.

In addition to her work on these key market intelligence publications, Ms. Mandros serves as a resource for OPEN MINDS customers on state Medicaid policy, with a particular emphasis on behavioral health, developmental disabilities, long-term care, and corrections. Ms. Mandros tracks changes to state Medicaid programs, synthesizes state information to follow and analyze trends, and creates publications detailing state delivery systems and upcoming changes.

Lori A. Accardi, LMSW

Executive Director, Encompass Health Home & Catholic Charities of Broome County

Lori A. Accardi, LMSW

Executive Director, Encompass Health Home & Catholic Charities of Broome County

More information coming soon!

An Ounce Of Prevention…Strategic Planning With Confidence In Uncertain Times

Knowledge Partner

Sponsored by The Echo Group

Change for behavioral healthcare providers has been fast and furious. Looking forward, the future looks as clear as the Mississippi River. The challenge facing many organizations is planning while managing immediate challenges amid so many federal and state regulatory questions.

With a steadfast commitment to providing the best possible care, honest self-assessment, and an unwavering ability to execute, Heritage Behavioral Health Center in Decatur, Illinois has been able to navigate the murky waters of uncertainty. Heritage leadership recognized the need for more than a contingency plan. They developed a strategic plan that has allowed them to thrive now and, more importantly, position them to be able to pivot and transition to most any regulatory or legislative mandate they’ll need to accommodate.

A perfect companion session to From Strategy To Action: How To Create & Implement A Great Strategy For Success, Heritage will share insights, best practices, and the processes they adopted while developing their plan to be the best possible organization today and tomorrow.

Learning Objectives:

Assess existing services with an eye toward the future
Revenue, cash flow, and building cash reserves
Key elements of an effective and flexible Strategic Plan

Timothy Snyder, Jr.

Executive Vice President, OPEN MINDS

Timothy Snyder, Jr.

Executive Vice President, OPEN MINDS

Candace Clevenger

Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Behavioral Health Center

Candace Clevenger

Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Behavioral Health Center

Candace Clevenger has been employed with Heritage Behavioral Health Center for the past 26 years and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. In her previous role as Chief Financial Officer, Candi provided oversight of the business, human resources, building operations and IT functions of the organization. In each of these areas, Candi’s vision and core personal values have been instrumental in igniting a passion in others to make the changes necessary to promote growth and stability in our ever-evolving industry. Candi has presented at several national and regional meetings on compliance and system development. She holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from James Madison University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Marshall University.

Tim Macken

Chief Operating Officer, Heritage Behavioral Health Center

Tim Macken

Chief Operating Officer, Heritage Behavioral Health Center

Tim Macken has been employed with Heritage Behavioral Health Center for the past 21 years and currently serves as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer. In this capacity, Tim provides oversight and guidance to Heritage’s clinical operations with a more specific focus on MI and SA outpatient and medical services. Additionally, he provides a substantial amount of time in the training to of clinical staff throughout the organization. Tim has presented at national and regional conferences and trainings on topics related to clinical documentation requirements and the substantiation of medical necessity in service provision and documentation. For 11 years prior to his work at Heritage, Tim held a variety of clinical and administrative positions in the Michigan mental health system of care. He holds a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology degree from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Grand Valley State University.

Mary McClimon

Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Heritage Behavioral Health Center

Mary McClimon

Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Heritage Behavioral Health Center

Mary McClimon has been employed with Heritage Behavioral Health Center for the past 20 years and currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer. Mary plays a pivotal role in the design, development, and implementation of Heritage’s EHR, from the billing as well as clinical features of the record. As the key developer of reports, her efforts have significantly improved the efficiency, accuracy, relevance and use of data pulled from the EHR. Mary continually finds new and creative ways to look at and analyze data for improved internal auditing and monitoring. She has served on Heritage’s compliance committee since its inception in 2001. Mary has presented at the OPEN MINDS Technology & Innovation Conference and National Council for Behavioral Health, as well as being a regular presenter at The Echo Group’s annual conference.

The Inside Perspective On Specialty Medical Homes & Health Homes: Learning From The Experience Of Provider Executives

Breakout Session

Athena Mandros

Market Intelligence Director, OPEN MINDS

Athena Mandros

Market Intelligence Director, OPEN MINDS

Lori A. Accardi, LMSW

Executive Director, Encompass Health Home & Catholic Charities of Broome County

Lori A. Accardi, LMSW

Executive Director, Encompass Health Home & Catholic Charities of Broome County

More information coming soon!

11:15 am – 12:30 pm CT

The Shift From Residential: The Changing Addiction Treatment Landscape

Breakout Session

Addiction treatment – models, access, cost, and more – is getting lots of attention. The effects of parity, the increasing incidence of opioid addiction, and big investments in new addiction treatment centers are just some of the reasons. In this market, there are some fundamental changes – new treatment models and new technologies – that are changing payer and consumer preference. And that is changing how services are delivered. This session focuses on the changing addiction treatment landscape from both a health plan and provider perspective. The faculty will discuss:

Addiction treatment by the numbers – trends in prevalence, utilization, treatment models, and reimbursement
The emerging addiction treatment continuum
New treatment technologies for addiction treatment
Examples of innovative addiction treatment programs

Robert J. Budsock, MS, LCADC

President & CEO, Integrity House

Robert J. Budsock, MS, LCADC

President & CEO, Integrity House

Robert J. Budsock is the President and CEO of Integrity House, a nonprofit organization that provides a full range of addictions treatment and recovery support for individuals diagnosed with substance use disorders in the state of New Jersey. At its Essex, Hudson, Ocean and Morris County locations, Integrity House offers a holistic approach to addictions treatment that includes residential treatment, outpatient treatment, supportive housing, and prevention programs that are integrated with vocational and educational services as well as medical services that focus on health and wellness.

Robert has been with Integrity House since 1984, starting his career in clinical services. He has worked in all aspects of the Integrity House program and has a wealth of knowledge in both the clinical and administrative arenas. He possesses a passion for the life-saving work that is being done, and is a tireless advocate and persistent champion for individuals and families who struggle with addiction. In his span at Integrity, Robert has held vital roles including Director, Senior Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer.

As CEO, Robert has led major transformation efforts that resulted in strengthening Integrity’s financial stability and administrative infrastructure. His vision for expanding the reach of the Integrity’s work has been consistently demonstrated through his many efforts including facilitating the visit of President Obama in 2015, the collaboration with Rutgers University Medical School to form a psychiatric residency program, the implementation of a collegiate partnership with Essex County College and the continued growth and success of annual fundraising activities. In addition to his 30+ years of service at Integrity House, he has extensive experience working in the field of substance use disorders that includes consultancy work with the Barnabas and Trinitas Hospital behavioral healthcare systems.

Robert also serves as a Board member for various organizations including the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, World Federation of Therapeutic Communities, Healthy Greater Newark Accountable Care Organization and the Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition.

Anthony J. Mele, Psy.D.

Chief Clinical Officer, Sovereign Health

Anthony J. Mele, Psy.D.

Chief Clinical Officer, Sovereign Health

Dr. Anthony Mele, a licensed psychologist, brings almost twenty-five years of clinical expertise and executive leadership on both the provider and payer sides of behavioral healthcare. His wide range of clinical expertise includes the assessment and treatment of co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders in adolescents and adults. Dr. Mele is a frequent presenter on the co-occurrence of Borderline Personality Disorder and Substance Use Disorder and the integration of neuroplasticity and traditional psychotherapy to manage chronic behavioral health conditions.

Dr. Mele has extensive experience creating and leading start-up behavioral health organizations ranging from Medicare-certified networks to e-therapy companies and behavioral health managed care companies. Dr. Mele’s executive leadership experience in managed behavioral and physical healthcare includes serving as the founding Chief Clinical Officer of a national behavioral health managed care organization and as the national director of Wellness and Preventive Health for the nation’s largest health insurance managed care organization. In these positions, Dr. Mele integrated e-therapy and disease management / wellness initiatives.

Prior to joining Sovereign Health, Dr. Mele established a behavioral health company that grew into a network of outpatient geriatric behavioral health services and served as the company’s founding Executive Director. As the Executive Director, Dr. Mele led its expansion into a network serving patients across the lifespan in over 40 locations.

As Chief Clinical Officer for Sovereign Health, Dr. Mele provides Clinical and Executive leadership to a national network of behavioral health facilities who are transforming how behavioral health is conceputalized and treated through a state of the art behavioral health network serving hundreds of patients across the United States.

Sovereign Health, a national behavioral healthcare system accredited by the Joint Commission, believes that the brain’s ability to heal itself offers the best hope for a future free from addiction. Our clinical outcomes place us among the highest performing similarly accredited organizations. We offer a wide continuum of treatment levels, each of which is based on integration of developmental psychology, neuroplasticity, and neurobiology. We integrate cutting-edge research in brain wellness and remediation with traditional psychotherapy techniques. Sovereign serves a wide range of clinical conditions. We are separately licensed as a mental health organization in addition to providing dual diagnosis treatment. We serve individuals with eating disorders, elevated emotional dysregulation, and those in need of recovery from pain medication addiction. We provide special gender-specific treatment to men and women between the ages of 40 and 65. Our adolescent treatment centers serve boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 17 who have primary mental health or dual diagnosis conditions. We are particularly proud of our adolescent eating disorder program and our transgender/gender diversity program. While many programs offer Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and other similar cognitively-based interventions, Sovereign’s treatment approach deconstructs these techniques in order to align the patient’s cognitive capacity with the most efficacious application of cognitive interventions.

Jim Gargiulo

Market Intelligence Director, OPEN MINDS

Jim Gargiulo

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Does The Medicaid Health Home Model Work? The Payer Perspective On The Future Of Specialty Care Coordination Programs

Breakout Session

As health homes roll into their sixth year, the number of states utilizing health homes continues to shift – with some states developing new models, while others have abandoned their programs. In 2016 there were 20 states with health homes, which enrolled about 1.25 million consumers. But five years after the first health home programs were implemented, there still remain a lot of questions about this model. How do you measure success? Are consumer outcomes improving? Are states and health plans saving money? The bottom line is that there are still a lot of questions to be answered – and as more states begin new health home programs, the questions will continue to grow. In this session, we’ll hear from states that have successfully implemented health homes – and discuss their challenges, their outcomes, and their plans for the future. The discussion will include:

Trends in Medicaid health homes – enrollment, models, and more
An update on the performance data on Medicaid health homes
Payer perspectives on Medicaid health home success

Athena Mandros

Athena Mandros

Market Intelligence Director, OPEN MINDS

Steven Sehr, MD

Medical Director, Behavioral Health, AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa

Steven Sehr, MD

Medical Director, Behavioral Health, AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa

Steven Sehr, MD is the Behavioral Health Medical Director for AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa Medicaid health plan. AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa covers approximately 220,000 Iowa Medicaid members including those members with severe and chronic mental illness and members receiving services for disabilities such as intellectual disabilities and brain injuries. He oversees all health plan activities related to behavioral health issues and the integration of physical health and behavioral health services for the plan.

Steven Sehr is a board certified child psychiatrist with almost 30 years of experience in the Managed Behavioral Healthcare field. He was the CEO and Medical Director of Mesa Mental Health, a New Mexico based MBHO for over 20 years. He has also served as Medical Director for two Regional Behavioral Health Agencies in the Arizona Medicaid system, which included oversight of the Quality Management, Utilization and Care Management and Pharmacy Benefit Management for the plan.

He has been with AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa since April 2016, when the plan began formal operations.

Dr Sehr received his medical degree at the University of New Mexico. He also received his psychiatric training at the University of New Mexico. He is board certified in both General Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry.

Preparing Specialty Provider Organizations For Value-Based Reimbursement: An Overview Of Competencies Required For Success

Breakout Session

We’re seeing more value-based reimbursement among specialty provider organizations. The last OPEN MINDS national survey found that 15% of behavioral health and social service organizations are in some type of value-based payment arrangement. This shift to value-based reimbursement is changing the fundamental business models for financial sustainability. The challenge for most executives is answering the question – is my organization ready? In this important session, OPEN MINDS Senior Associate Ken Carr will review the competencies and infrastructure that provider organizations need in this changing reimbursement world, followed by a case study discussion about one organization’s experience in moving from plan to action, and the leadership skills required for making this organizational transformation. The discussion will include:

An update on value-based reimbursement for specialty provider organizations
An overview of the infrastructure and competencies required to succeed in value-based reimbursement
Case study of an innovative specialty program with value-based reimbursement models

Robert (Carl) Clark, M.D.

Ken Carr

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

President & Chief Executive Officer, Mental Health Center of Denver

Robert (Carl) Clark, M.D.

President & Chief Executive Officer, Mental Health Center of Denver

Dr. Carl Clark’s early experience with his father’s bipolar disorder sparked a commitment to helping people with mental illness regain their lives, hopes and aspirations. As President & Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Center of Denver, Dr. Clark leads the organization in “focusing on what people can do, not what they can’t do.” He has dedicated his career to improving the well-being of the Denver community and beyond through a focus on health promotion, wellness, resilience and recovery across the life-span.

Over ten years ago, Dr. Clark challenged the Mental Health Center of Denver to be “The Center of Excellence” with the best and most innovative mental health services in the country. Since then he has led the way in delivering strengths-based, person-centered, culturally-proficient services as well as employing trauma-informed, evidence-based practices.

Dr. Clark inspires a culture of well-being within the Mental Health Center of Denver. Under his visionary leadership, the Mental Health Center of Denver received the Denver Post Top Work Places Award the past four years in a row and was awarded the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Large Non-Profit of the Year in 2013.

Dr. Clark’s has extensive involvement at the local, State and national levels. Dr. Clark’s colleagues and the Denver community recognize his valuable contributions. Dr. Clark joined the Mental Health Center of Denver in 1989. He became the Medical Director in 1991, Chief Executive Officer in 2000 and President & CEO in 2014.

12:30 pm – 1:45 pm CT

Beyond Interoperability: Leveraging Technology & Networks For Information On Demand

Networking

Invitation-Only Lunch, Sponsored by Netsmart

In a value-based, integrated healthcare world, it’s important to think beyond traditional connectivity to more widespread, on-demand integration. This is emerging as an essential element to driving clinical and operational efficiencies, ultimately resulting in higher quality outcomes at a lower cost.

Care coordination and interoperability partnerships are driving and supporting this trend, including Carequality, a national public-private collaborative that facilitates connectivity across the healthcare ecosystem. Carequality links providers to one another and to Epic, eCW, NextGen, AthenaHealth and other entities outside HIEs. These networks can support the electronic exchange of referrals, progress notes, medication lists/allergies and lab results. Aggregate clinical and financial data can also be optimized for population health management and reduced risk.

AJ Peterson

VP/GM CareGuidance, Netsmart

AJ Peterson

VP/GM CareGuidance, Netsmart

AJ Peterson maintains an efficient client-focused model around connectivity and consumer-engagement technologies, and develops value-based connections among clients, suppliers and partners in the healthcare market.

Before joining Netsmart, AJ was an area operations director at Concentra Medical Centers, where he managed medical outpatient facility operations, sales development, customer relationships and personnel development. He has participated in the Office of the National Coordinator’s Data Segmentation for Privacy project, and currently serves on the Advisory Council for Carequality, which provides a national-level, consensus-built, common interoperability framework to enable exchange between and among health data sharing networks.

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm CT

Lunch On Your Own

Networking

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm CT

Best Management Practices In Integrated Behavioral Health/Primary Care Programs

Breakout Session

Both consumers and payers want integration of service delivery of primary care and behavioral health. Consumers want the convenience. Payers want the coordination. The challenge? How to manage an integrated practice and not lose money. This exciting session provides an overview of:

The range of integrated behavioral health/primary care service delivery models
Key ingredients for success of an integrated practice
Case study examples of successful integrated behavioral health/primary care service practices

Steve Ramsland, Ed.D.

Director of Integrated Behavioral Health, The Family Practice & Counseling Network, a division of Resources for Human Development

Steve Ramsland, Ed.D.

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Stacey Carpenter, Psy.D.

Stacey Carpenter, Psy.D.

Director of Integrated Behavioral Health, The Family Practice & Counseling Network, a division of Resources for Human Development

Stacey Carpenter, Psy.D., is a Licensed Psychologist and the Director of Integrated Behavioral Health for Family Practice and Counseling Network (FPCN). Dr. Carpenter obtained her doctoral degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and has experience working within medical settings providing brief therapy to adults and children with various diagnoses. During her fellowship, she was a mental health consultant who conducted social-emotional groups with preschoolers, parent skills training for the parents, and provided therapy for parents and children. Dr. Carpenter has a certificate in Infant Mental Health from Chatham University. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor at Arcadia within the Infant-Toddler Graduate Certificate program and taught at Cabrini University for eight years in the psychology department. Dr. Carpenter is a founding member and current President of the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health (PA-AIMH) which is a non-profit, state-wide organization that assists in educating and connecting providers who work with children (ages 0-5yo) and their families. For the last seven years she has organized PA-AIMH’s annual conferences that has grown to about 300 participants and includes nationally recognized keynotes and local expert speakers. Dr. Carpenter is dedicated to educating communities and providers on trauma informed care and improving the social-emotional development among children and families.

Allen Brown

Chief Executive Officer, Adult & Child Health

Allen Brown

Chief Executive Officer, Adult & Child Health

Allen Brown, MSSW, is CEO of Adult and Child Health in Indianapolis, a nonprofit agency employing 700 employees in central Indiana. Organized as a certified community mental health center and licensed child placement agency, Adult and Child is expanding into community health clinic services as an FQHC Look Alike program. Accredited by the Joint Commission, Adult and Child’s programs for the underserved include behavioral health, primary care, child welfare, supportive housing, and supportive employment. Prior to joining Adult and Child in 2014, Allen held managed care and community mental health leadership positions in Texas, Colorado, and Georgia.

Strategic Revenue Diversification: The HealthPath Commercial Health Home Case Study

Breakout Session

In a changing market, diversification is a key sustainability strategy for many organizations. In this session, OPEN MINDS Senior Associate Joe Naughton-Travers will discuss the link of diversification to strategy – and the best practice models for selecting a diversification strategy. To illustrate those principals, executives of Rhode Island-based HealthPath will present their journey to diversification. HealthPath was able to achieve their diversification goals by creating a collaboration with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of RI to develop the nation’s first health home program for commercially insured adults. Now in its third year, the program has shown positive results and is well positioned to achieve the triple aim of providing better care and better outcomes at lower costs. In this can’t-miss session we’ll hear from executives at HealthPath and Blue Cross Blue Shield about how the program was started, their performance outcomes, and their plans for the future.

Executive Director, Continuum Behavioral Health

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.

Ian Lang

Ian Lang

Executive Director, Continuum Behavioral Health

Ian Lang is Executive Director of Continuum Behavioral Health, responsible for developing and implementing programs and services for people who seek mental health care that are convenient, accessible, affordable and effective. Ian comes to Continuum from HealthSource RI, Rhode Island’s health insurance exchange, where he served as Director of Marketing and Communications. Previously, he served as Vice President for Advancement and External Relations at The Providence Center. Before joining The Providence Center, he was Campaign Manager for Chafee for Senate (2005-2006) and Chief of Staff for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He attended Trinity College where he received a bachelor’s degree. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from University of Rhode Island. He is Chair of the Board of Directors of HousingWorksRI.

Rena Sheehan

Director, Behavioral Health, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island

Rena Sheehan

Director, Behavioral Health, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island

Rena Sheehan, Managing Director Behavioral Health at BCBSRI, leads the development, implementation and oversight of behavioral health programs for BCBSRI. She works collaboratively with providers to create innovations within the behavioral healthcare system that facilitate cost effective, high quality services. Rena is spearheading behavioral health quality initiatives and is a consistent voice for behavioral health within the delivery system. Rena is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with 15 years’ experience working in the community mental health system; as both a practitioner and senior leader. In prior roles, she led the implementation and oversight of a federal grant to integrate primary care into a community mental health center and facilitated the execution of an open access model. In addition to her clinical roles, Rena’s experience includes: partnering with providers as a provider relations representative, managing an oversight team to facilitate compliance with CMS and NCQA and developing a behavioral health care management program. Rena’s business and behavioral health education and experience combined with a Six Sigma Green Belt certification, provides the foundation for her commitment to continuous improvement within the healthcare delivery system.

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm CT

There Is No “Plan B” Alternative To Value: Creating A Value-Focused Competitive Strategy In A Changing Market

Keynote Address

The move to value-based care is inevitable. While we can expect to see a lot of changes in the health and human service market in the coming years, there are some trends that have staying power – and value-based reimbursement is one of them. In this important session, OPEN MINDS Chief Executive Officer, Monica E. Oss, will close The 2017 OPEN MINDS Strategy & Innovation Institute with a discussion of the core elements for competing on ‘value’ and finding sustainable market positioning in an increasingly competitive and price-sensitive market.