The 2022 OPEN MINDS I/DD Executive Summit
The OPEN MINDS 2022 I/DD Executive Summit: Innovations In Care Delivery For Consumers With I/DD & Complex Care Needs is the “must-attend” summit event for executives at organizations serving people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD). It is designed to provide both practical and cutting-edge ideas for executives who are growing their organization despite the turbulence of the past two years. This information-packed event will include ways to innovate, integrate, and coordinate services catered to the complexities of this consumer population while laying out a clear picture of the future in I/DD services.
Throughout the day, we will hear case study presentations led by payer and provider organizations who will discuss service delivery in a value-based model, care coordination options for I/DD support organizations and payers, the complexities of dual diagnoses of I/DD with behavioral health, and the intersectionality of I/DD and justice-involved individuals. Attendees will be able to dialogue with presenters, ask questions about challenges & opportunities, and discuss perspectives on the future of I/DD care.
Agenda
8:00 am - 9:00 am — Executive Networking Breakfast
9:00 am - 9:15 am — Welcome/Opening
Faculty:
Peggy Terhune, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer, Monarch & Advisory Board Member, OPEN MINDS
Ray Wolfe, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
9:15 am - 10:30 am
For I/DD Services, “Managed Care” Is Not A Bad Word: How United Healthcare Is Expanding Services To Meet This Growing Need
Providing services to complex consumers like those living with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) can be tricky at best. Between care coordination across disparate entities, figuring out who provides what services for the dual-eligible (Medicare and Medicaid) population, and navigating differences in information systems, it is easy to see why the consumer may become lost in the middle. United Healthcare may have the solution in managed care for the I/DD population. Specialty provider groups and individual providers have often thought of “managed care” as a bad word, but by leveraging the resources and technology that United Healthcare has at their disposal, they are able to serve more consumers living with I/DD, and well. Hear how the state of managed care at United Healthcare started, how it’s going, and where it’s headed as it attempts to expand services for growing needs in the I/DD healthcare space.
Faculty:
Tonya Copeland, MBA, Vice President, Solutions Partner, UnitedHealthcare
10:30 am - 10:45 am — Break
10:45 am - 12:15 am
Care Coordination Models For The Most Complex Consumers with I/DD
Complex consumers require comprehensive care planning and coordination, and this is especially true with the intellectual and developmental delay (I/DD) population. Medically and behaviorally this population can be challenging to support, especially when the community resources and provider infrastructures are not fully prepared. The rapid expansion of retail health care, increasing health plan investment in primary care practices coupled with behavioral health, and changing care delivery models enabled by technology and data are all contributing to shifting perceptions about where and how care is delivered for specialty populations. In the current health and human service environment, the payer focus is on integration and on reducing the spend on the complex consumer population by increasing integrated models of care coordination across medical, behavioral, pharmacy, and social support systems. In this session we will hear:
- Best Practices for an integrated model of care coordination serving the I/DD population
- Implications of the market shift for specialty provider organizations
- Case studies from organizations that have developed specialty care coordination models for complex consumer populations
Faculty:
Melissa Covert, Vice President, Clinical, Complex Health Solutions, CareSource
Melissa Richards, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations, The Columbus Organization
Peggy Terhune, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer, Monarch & Advisory Board Member, OPEN MINDS
12:15 pm - 1:15 pm — Lunch
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Designing A Service Delivery System For Consumers With I/DD & Complex Medical Needs
Those living with an intellectual or developmental disability are more likely to experience chronic conditions such as obesity, thyroid conditions, and premature aging. This coupled with the potential need for mental health services creates a slice of the population that have higher specialty needs from providers in multiple areas. In an evolving managed care marketplace new payer service delivery requirements and expectations for care coordination and the ability to “do it all” are changing the way community mental health provider organizations deliver traditional mental health services, as well as the way that primary care delivers services. Being an organization that can provide the right (multiple) levels of cares of care in an integrated manner for this complex consumer is becoming increasingly important and to be successful, provider organizations must be positioned as a “preferred provider” in this competitive market, especially as we see more primary care groups entering the behavioral health space. When you add consumer’s increased adoption of digital technology in their health service continuum, the demand for, and sustainability of, traditional models of service delivery will decrease. Executives need a proactive plan to integrate digital technologies into their service system, as well as a strategic plan to ensure they are partnered in a way that allows for comprehensive care for this specialty population, which helps increase consumer preference for their services and decrease service cost. And what are these service models that work for the most complex of consumers? Join as we delve into:
- The best practice model for service line evolution and on-going program performance management
- An overview of the market trends driving the increased use of treatment technologies
- How organizations have created innovative solutions for service delivery in the physical and mental health space
Faculty:
Karen Lindgren, Chief Clinical Officer, The Bancroft Group
Mark Treat, Chief Strategy Officer, Upward Health
Anubhav Kaul, Senior Vice President - Medical Affairs, Upward Health
Ray Wolfe, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm — Break
3:15 pm - 4:45 pm
The Criminal Justice System & The Consumer With I/DD — Innovative Programs
Individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) can become involved with the criminal justice system in many ways, but face a lack of understanding, fear, and prejudice are key contributors. This can be compounded with un and mis- diagnoses, and those with I/DD are often victimized and discriminated against at high rates, and yet our legal systems remain outdated and lacks an understanding of due process and appropriate representation for this sector of the population. And yet, there are organizations out there that are meeting this seemingly ignored need and offering innovative approaches to answer the call. These organizations are attempting to appropriately integrate this complex consumer back into the community at large, and ensure their needs are not being ignored through innovative approaches. You can expect to:
- Understand the intricacies of how this population becomes justice-involved, and the challenges they face
- Identify systemic changes that are in place, or need to change, in order to accommodate the I/DD population
- Hear about innovative case studies happening at the cross-sectionalism of criminal justice and the individual living with I/DD
Faculty:
Amy Gaddor, Assistant Director, Clinical Services, Mountain Lake Services
Sarah Louer, Director, Clinical Services, Mountain Lake Services
Wayne Young, Chief Executive Officer, The Harris Center
Peggy Terhune, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer, Monarch & Advisory Board Member, OPEN MINDS
The 2022 OPEN MINDS Mergers, Acquisitions & Affiliations Summit
We saw a record number of mergers, acquisitions, and affiliations among organizations serving the complex consumer market in 2020-2021. As the landscape continues to shift in the health and human services space, we will continue to see more activity in this area for specialty provider organizations. As we look back– did these collaborations work? As we look forward – will they work? Strategic partnerships and growth plans will inform the future success of your organization. Join us for an information packed day examining lessons learned from previous mergers, the future of private equity firms, and collaborations and affiliations serving the complex consumer. Learn from industry experts to position your organization for sustainability and growth as we move forward into the “next normal.”
8:00 am - 9:00 am — Networking Breakfast
9:00 am - 9:15 am — Welcome/Opening
Ken Carr, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
Joseph P. Naughton Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
9:15 am - 10:45 am
The Investor Perspective — The Trends & Future Of Investment In The Complex Consumer Market Space
The complex consumer market – mental and behavioral health, addictions, chronic disease management, aging services, children’s services, autism, disability support – was not traditionally a market space that has been attractive for venture capital and private equity investments, until now. These new, well-capitalized entities have the ability to invest in new services, technology, and geographic expansion. From investments in new care management companies and provider organizations, to new treatment approaches and technology solutions, there is a robust and growing group of organizations with private investments fueling the development and growth of specialty provider groups and healthcare companies. In this session, we’ll discuss:
- What investors are looking for in partnership opportunities
- Perspectives of what private investors see as opportunities in this market space
- The investor’s views of the future landscape of specialty provider care
Faculty:
Eric Keen, General Partner, Council Capital
CJ Burnes, Partner, WindRose Health Investors
Matthew Pettit, Founding Partner, Seven Hills Capital
Ken Carr, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
National Specialty Provider Organizations — Current Developments & Future Trends
In the current health and human service market, payers are focused on reducing the spend on the complex consumer population by increasing integrated models of care coordination across medical, behavioral, pharmacy, and social support systems. As this paradigm shift expands throughout the market, behavioral health and other specialty provider organizations are being challenged to reinvent their market positioning and build a new business model to succeed. You need to be able to build a strategy for success in a market focused on integration. Innovation to improve consumer care is not without its challenges for every stakeholder. And for innovations to achieve their intended positive return, planning and leadership are essential as is market strategy. Join us as we:
- Discuss the current challenges facing national specialty provider organizations
- Unravel the key strategic issues for specialist organizations as they navigate our current integration-focused health system
- Hear what these experts see as the future of specialty care
Faculty:
Darren Hodgdon, CEO, Beacon Specialized Living
Charles McLister, President & CEO, Elwyn
Joseph P. Naughton Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm — Lunch
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Affiliation Without A Merger — Perspectives From Executives Who Are Making It Work
It seems like every day there is a new headline announcing a new partnership, leaving executives to consider their market position and ask new strategic questions: Do any of these affiliations create a “super competitor” that will be more attractive to our current consumers? Do any take away our current contracts with payers or health plans? Do any provide services “for less,” which depresses our market rates and reduces our bottom line? The pace of mergers, acquisitions, and affiliations among health and human service organizations has quickened over the past few years. There are many drivers of these combinations – growth, scale, and diversification to name a few. But how to find the ‘right’ organization? And do you need to merge in order to attain sustainability, or can this be achieved with strategic alignment of like-minded organizations? These executives will share their best practices in:
- Identifying (and courting) prospective organizational partners
- Challenges they faced during the process
- How they have created successful affiliations
Faculty:
Guy Signor, President & Chief Executive Officer, Journey Health Systems
Tine Hansen-Turton, President & Chief Executive Officer, Woods Services
Roy Leitstein, Chief Executive Officer, Legacy Treatment Services, A Woods Affiliate
Lori Plunkett, Chief Executive Officer, Brian's House, A Woods Affiliate
Karen Coleman, Chief Executive Officer, Tabor, A Woods Affiliate
Ken Carr, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
3:15 pm - 4:45 pm
Making Mergers & Acquisitions Work — Perspectives From Executives Post-Mergers
Mergers can seem overwhelming at best to those who have not lived through one. And these mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can spring from differing needs. From mergers driven by the desire to integrate with primary care, to acquisition of a “competitor” —each of these case study presentations will review the ups and downs of the process and offer strategic advice to organizations exploring the same path. During this session we will hear case study presentations from provider organizations who have participated in a merger or acquisition recently, and how they’ve made it work. You can expect to:
- Discuss how to overcome the challenges of making mergers and acquisitions
- Review the challenges of managing a bigger and more diverse organization after the merger
- Hear case study presentations from executives who have made their mergers and acquisitions work
Faculty:
Nicholas Riehl, General Counsel & Development Officer, ncgCARE
Joe Dan Beavers, President & Chief Executive Officer, LifeSkills
Eric Embry, Chief Operating Officer, LifeSkills
Joseph P. Naughton Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
4:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Break Down — 10 Things Not To Do When Thinking About MA&A
Ken Carr, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
Joseph P. Naughton Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS
Making The Right Technology Investments For Your Organization: An OPEN MINDS Executive Seminar On Technology Strategy, Budgeting & Planning
This Executive Seminar will also be held virtually June 9 | 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET
As technology takes a more central role in the strategy development and sustainability for health and human service organizations, it brings new issues for executive teams to grapple with: What technology to invest in to support the organization and deliver a competitive advantage? How much to spend on technology infrastructure? Who is responsible for technology purchasing, implementation, and optimization?
These are big questions. The range of available technologies and tech-enabled functionality that shape and support strategy is large and growing rapidly. In this session, we will cover the big challenges facing executives as they lead their organization on the path to a tech-driven future, including:
- How to develop a technology strategy that aligns with your organization’s strategic plan.
- How to establish a technology budget that allows your organizations to meet its strategic goals.
- How to apply best practices in technology selection, implementation, and optimization.
Sharon Hicks, MSW, MBA
Sharon Hicks has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive experience and wide range of expertise in health plan management, in clinical operations management, and technology.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system and within its health plan division. Ms. Hicks served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral health organization. She was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. In addition Ms. Hicks managed the day-to-day operations of including human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served as the Vice President, Internet Strategy, UPMC Insurance Services Division and, since 2002, as the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, Inc. since May of 2002. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth of the company, profitability of the company, and the direction of software development.
Ms. Hick started her impressive health care career as a psychiatric social worker before being promoted to Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her executive promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
Carol Clayton, Ph.D.
Dr. Carol Clayton is a licensed, practicing psychologist with 30 years of healthcare experience in the public and private sector, including non-profit and private practice work. She currently works as the Translational Neuroscientist for Relias, specializing in healthcare solutions targeting workforce development and population health outcome improvement. Before joining Relias, Dr. Clayton was the CEO of Care Management Technologies, a health IT data analytics company. She also served as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Community Programs from 2000- 2006. The NC Council is the predecessor organization to i2i.
How To Optimize Technology: An OPEN MINDS Executive Seminar On Getting The Most Value From Your Technology Investments
This Executive Seminar will also be held virtually June 23 | 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
As technology becomes increasingly essential and the range of available technologies and tech-enabled functionality is rapidly growing, organizations are spending more on tech investments. Unfortunately, tech investments often fall short of meeting expectations. However, with proper planning and staff engagement, organizations can position themselves to optimize the value of their tech investments.
In this session, Carol Clayton, Senior Associate at OPEN MINDS will discuss what needs to be addressed to ensure your organization is on the path to maximizing your tech investment, including:
- How to evaluate new technologies for your organization
- Engaging staff in a best practice technology evaluation process
- Determining anticipated financial and non-financial return-on-investments for the
selected technology - Go or No-Go: Moving beyond pilot to full implementation
- Ensuring implementation success
Carol Clayton, Ph.D.
Dr. Carol Clayton is a licensed, practicing psychologist with 30 years of healthcare experience in the public and private sector, including non-profit and private practice work. She currently works as the Translational Neuroscientist for Relias, specializing in healthcare solutions targeting workforce development and population health outcome improvement. Before joining Relias, Dr. Clayton was the CEO of Care Management Technologies, a health IT data analytics company. She also served as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Community Programs from 2000- 2006. The NC Council is the predecessor organization to i2i.
Sharon Hicks, MSW, MBA
Sharon Hicks has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive experience and wide range of expertise in health plan management, in clinical operations management, and technology.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system and within its health plan division. Ms. Hicks served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral health organization. She was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. In addition Ms. Hicks managed the day-to-day operations of including human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served as the Vice President, Internet Strategy, UPMC Insurance Services Division and, since 2002, as the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, Inc. since May of 2002. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth of the company, profitability of the company, and the direction of software development.
Ms. Hick started her impressive health care career as a psychiatric social worker before being promoted to Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her executive promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
Thought Leader Networking Reception
Grab a beverage and unwind with our Summit speakers and attendees as well as the OPEN MINDS team!
Guided Meditation: Mindfulness Meditation & Leadership
This session is open to all who are curious and have never practiced meditation to experienced practitioners. This session will introduce basic techniques of awareness and mindfulness through a guided meditation of 20-25 minutes. We will also explore how our role as leaders can be informed and enhanced by the integration of these practices.
Brad Howell, MA
Brad Howell, MA, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Waystone Health and Human Services, a Massachusetts based regional human services agency supporting people with disabilities and significant challenges.
He previously served as the CEO of Career Resources Corporation in Haverhill, MA for 13 years. In January of 2019 Career Resources merged with Waystone Health and Human Services (formerly Fidelity House) and Brad was appointed President and CEO.
He sits on the board of directors of the Association for Developmental Disabilities Providers, the Northern Essex Community College Human Services Department Advisory Board, and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commissioner’s Advisory Council. In 2021, Brad completed the LEADS program, an executive education course taught by Harvard Business School faculty. Brad is a meditation teacher with the Natural Dharma Fellowship and sits on their Ethics Committee.
Brad has been practicing meditation for more than 30 years. He has attended numerous retreats and received instruction and guidance from many other meditation teachers. He has been facilitating meditation sessions for several years and is providing consulting on how to integrate awareness practices into leadership as well as within diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
Education and Training
Brad graduated from West Virginia University with a BA in Psychology and holds a MA in Clinical Psychology from Towson University.
Personal
Originally from Erie, PA, Brad has been living in North Andover, MA since 1999. He is married to Laura and has two sons ages 20 and 24. Brad enjoys meditation, mountain biking, basketball, golf, and beekeeping.
Executive Networking Breakfast
Start your day with coffee and conversation. Join us for an executive networking breakfast where you will have a chance to connect with other executives, and your own team.
Welcome & Announcements Of The 2022 OPEN MINDS National Innovation Survey: Innovation Adoption Among Specialty Provider Organizations
During this opening session, OPEN MINDS Chief Executive Officer, Monica E. Oss will kick-off the institute by sharing the results of The 2022 OPEN MINDS National Innovation Survey.
An innovation is defined as a new idea that can be translated into service that creates value (either by improving consumer outcomes or lowering costs). For executives of provider organizations, choosing from the long list of innovations available can be daunting. As a result, OPEN MINDS surveyed executives of provider organizations to understand what program and treatment innovations are gaining the most traction in the field and what innovations can help organizations gain competitive advantage.
The survey looks at program innovations—telehealth, colocation, hospital or ER diversion programs, etc.—and treatment innovations—medication assisted treatment for addiction, peer support specialists, and eCBT, etc. It explores trends in adoption compared to 2021, by market."
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. 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. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, 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.
From Obscurity Into The Spotlight–Telehealth’s Evolutionary Path In Behavioral Health & How Beacon Continues To Light The Way
Telehealth has had an explosion of popularity given the necessity of its use throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It has evolved from an obscure tool seeped in skepticism and only used in a select market to a central and essential aspect of our health care delivery system, and now especially in behavioral health. The current applications of telehealth are many, but can be distilled into two current main uses within the behavioral health world: the member journey as they seek different types of virtual services as needs change, and utilizing tele-behavioral health to address the opioid epidemic or support health equity of historically underserved populations (e.g., LGBQT, rural etc.) What are the anticipated future directions of tele-behavioral health from Beacon’s perspective? Hear from our keynote presenter as he discusses an increased emphasis on behavioral and physical health integration and whole person care, care coordination and collaboration across disparate behavioral health services, model-based clustering and predictive data analytics, and support for network adequacy and access.
Hossam Mahmoud, M.D.
Dr. Hossam Mahmoud is Regional Chief Medical Office at Beacon/Anthem, overseeing a large regional team of medical directors, psychologists and pharmacists, dedicated to supporting behavioral health programs across multiple states. Dr. Mahmoud leads the overall direction of the regional strategy to optimize behavioral health, improve whole person health outcomes and implement innovative approaches and digital solutions to enhance behavioral health care access.
Prior to joining Beacon/Anthem, Dr. Mahmoud was the Medical Director for Behavioral Health at Cambia/Regence, where he provided medical leadership, strategic direction and clinical oversight for behavioral health services across all lines of business within the health plan. Dr. Mahmoud has also served as medical director and senior vice president at Array Behavioral Care, a national telehealth organization, focusing on implementing clinical telehealth programs and expanding access to BH services across the country.
Dr. Mahmoud is a board-Certified psychiatrist, Past President of the Illinois Psychiatric Society and Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He earned his Medical Degree and Master of Public Health at the American University of Beirut. He worked as a Medical Officer at the World Health Organization before completing his residency training at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago. Dr. Mahmoud holds an academic appointment at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr Mahmoud has worked in inpatient, outpatient and consultation/liaison psychiatry and telepsychiatry, and he is passionate about increasing access to high quality behavioral health services nationally.
Thought Leader Discussion With Hossam Mahmoud, M.D., Regional Chief Medical Officer, Beacon Health
Join us for a follow-up session with our keynote speaker. This is a great time to ask questions and continue the conversation.
Hossam Mahmoud, M.D.
Dr. Hossam Mahmoud is Regional Chief Medical Office at Beacon/Anthem, overseeing a large regional team of medical directors, psychologists and pharmacists, dedicated to supporting behavioral health programs across multiple states. Dr. Mahmoud leads the overall direction of the regional strategy to optimize behavioral health, improve whole person health outcomes and implement innovative approaches and digital solutions to enhance behavioral health care access.
Prior to joining Beacon/Anthem, Dr. Mahmoud was the Medical Director for Behavioral Health at Cambia/Regence, where he provided medical leadership, strategic direction and clinical oversight for behavioral health services across all lines of business within the health plan. Dr. Mahmoud has also served as medical director and senior vice president at Array Behavioral Care, a national telehealth organization, focusing on implementing clinical telehealth programs and expanding access to BH services across the country.
Dr. Mahmoud is a board-Certified psychiatrist, Past President of the Illinois Psychiatric Society and Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He earned his Medical Degree and Master of Public Health at the American University of Beirut. He worked as a Medical Officer at the World Health Organization before completing his residency training at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago. Dr. Mahmoud holds an academic appointment at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr Mahmoud has worked in inpatient, outpatient and consultation/liaison psychiatry and telepsychiatry, and he is passionate about increasing access to high quality behavioral health services nationally.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. 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. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, 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.
Do Complex Care Needs Require An Inpatient Stay? Evaluating Health-At-Home-Models
With an aging population and expanding number of Americans with disabilities, there are opportunities to introduce new models of in-home support. While clinical capabilities of in-home care remain limited, some providers are already looking to expand health-at-home programs alongside their acute care models. However, as staffing shortages and reimbursement uncertainties continue, some are questioning the long-term viability of patient care inside the home. In this session, we’ll examine the variety and complexities of health-at-home models, and how the pandemic has accelerated the public’s acceptance of, and preference for home health services.
This session will cover:
- A review of health-at-home models and the positives and negatives of each
- Which types of organizations would most greatly benefit from health-at-home model implementation
- Case studies from organizations who have advanced health-at-home models and the lessons learned
Mag VanOosten
Mag VanOosten joined UnityPoint at Home in June 2016 as VP, Chief Clinical Officer with her focus on driving performance through collaboration and sharing of best practices between home care affinity groups and creating a clinical environment in which collaboration is valued and excellence in clinical care, education, and research is promoted.
In 2018 she was promoted to President and Chief Clinical Officer, leading UnityPoint at Home Clinical and Business Operations. Prior to joining the UnityPoint at Home Senior Executive Team, Mag served in several key executive roles throughout the country in Home Care, Hospice, Palliative Care, Infusion Therapy, HME, and Public Health industries.
As a proven executive leader her hallmarks include:
• Commitment to patient centered care with strong quality outcomes
• Strategic and organizational planning and execution
• Driving positive organizational culture, high employee satisfaction and leading through change management
• Successful growth practices including: mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, de novo and organic growth
• Entrepreneurial spirit
Through high-level strategic planning and innovative care delivery models Mag helps drive UnityPoint at Home’s
clinical, financial, and organizational place as a cutting-edge leader in the Home Care industry. UnityPoint Health
was nationally recognized with the Circle of Life Award in 2013 for innovation in Palliative Care from the American
Hospital Association.
Mag received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Clarke College.
Mark Treat
Mark is the Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for sales and strategic development. Mark is the founder of Nalari Health LLC, acquired by Upward Health in 2017.
Prior to founding Nalari Health, Mark led a strategic solutions group at SAIC, where he was responsible for the inception, solution design, planning and contracting for new programs. Prior to SAIC, Mark co-founded a bioinformatics company, co-founded a cell-based screening company, and supported the Johns Hopkins Center for Computer Based Surgical Systems. He is a nationally recognized expert in business process management (BPM) and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practices at the Brown University School of Public Health. Mark is a graduate of Babson College.
Troy Caraway
Troy Caraway serves as president of WellSky’s post-acute care division, overseeing applications and services for home health, hospice, long-term care, rehab and respiratory, home infusion, specialty pharmacy, and HME/DME. He is responsible for cultivating customer relationships through integrated platforms, analytics, services, and strategic consulting solutions. Troy brings more than two decades of executive leadership in health care, including large-scale payer, provider, and technology organizations. He has a proven track record in Fortune 30 employers, benefit consultants, managed care organizations, hospital systems, and provider groups. Prior to WellSky, Troy served as Senior Vice President for UnityPoint Health, one of the nation’s most integrated health systems. While at UnityPoint Health, he served as CEO of its health plan, Physicians Plus Insurance Company. Troy also served as Senior Vice President for Optum, the health services platform of UnitedHealth Group. Troy earned his bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University.
Kimberly Bond, MS
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT, brings more than 30 years of experience providing behavioral health treatment in the public and community settings to the OPEN MINDS team. She currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Business Development. In this role, Ms. Bond focuses on growing the OPEN MINDS client portfolio across all nine verticals of OPEN MINDS business.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Bond served concurrently as a Program Coordinator III and Clinical Manager of Adult Services and a Program Coordinator II and Clinical Manager of Recovery Services for the Ozark Guidance Center. In these roles, Ms. Bond was responsible for the administrative and clinical oversight of the adult outpatient and adult intensive mental health services on the Springdale Campus as well as the adult recovery/co-occurring services, including domestic violence and anger management treatment.
Prior to joining the Ozark Guidance Center, Ms. Bond served as the Executive Vice President of Center Point, Inc, a large substance abuse provider agency in California. In this role, Ms. Bond was responsible for the clinical and administrative supervision of all community-based programs as well as the women and children residential programs. In addition, Ms. Bond also managed budgets, interacted with funding agencies, and built positive relationships with all stakeholders. Ms. Bond was also in charge of proposal and grant writing, staff management, and training, facilities’ licensing and certifications renewals. Additionally, she prepared and submitted monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports to various funders.
Previously, Ms. Bond served as the President and CEO of Mental Health Systems, Inc. Ms. Bond was very instrumental in growing the agency from $12 million in annual revenue to more than $100 million and becoming one of the largest providers of behavioral health services in California. In this role, Ms. Bond was responsible for the strategic, clinical, financial, and administrative health of the agency, including direct supervision of Senior Executive Staff. In addition, Bond ensured contract compliance of the agency’s 125 different contracts across federal and state agencies and eight counties.
Ms. Bond received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, with honors, and her master’s degree in counseling education from San Diego State University. She is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in both California and Arkansas.
Telling Your Story To Inform Your ROI: The Diversus Health Case Study On Building Marketing Infrastructure
Marketing is more than shiny objects and bringing cookies. Now, to be marketing savvy, and remain competitive you need data. Understanding how to build the appropriate infrastructure as a part of your organizational strategy that helps inform your spend in an efficient and targeted manner. Incorporating a reputation management system, knowing which metrics you are collecting and utilizing, and being able to tell your story as an organization become the driving forces for a successful marketing infrastructure that will positively benefit your organization, and the individuals you serve.
In this session you will takeaway:
- What mechanisms you can use to compete
- The importance and strategy for incorporating marketing infrastructure in your organization
- Understanding how targeted marketing can have a positive impact on your bottom line
Elario “EJ” Rickey
E.J. Rickey oversees marketing and communications across Diversus Health and was responsible for overseeing the development of the Diversus Health brand, in addition to overseeing the brand’s implementation. Mr. Rickey joined the Diversus Health team in July of 2019 and has largely focused on modernizing communication systems and strategy to enhance the experience of Diversus Health stakeholders. Mr. Rickey’s approach to marketing, branding and communications is stakeholder centric and driven through a desire to leverage various mediums and platforms to provide quality content and education around services.
Adam Roberts
Adam Roberts currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diversus Health, a community mental health center with operations across El Paso, Park, and Teller Counties. Mr. Roberts has held his current role since May of 2019. During his tenure at Diversus Health, Mr. Roberts has focused on developing a vision and strategy, restructuring the organization, improving internal and external stakeholders experience, and improving service delivery and operations. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Roberts oversaw the organization’s shift to a telehealth model of outpatient services in a span of 48-hours, minimizing the disruption of services to communities.
Linda Leonard
Linda Leonard brings over 25 years of marketing experience to the OPEN MINDS team Ms. Leonard currently serves as a Senior Associate for the OPEN MINDS consulting department.
Prior to her role at OPEN MINDS, Ms. Leonard was the Senior Global Marketing Manager at Carlex, where she implemented fast paced, front end ‘innovation sprints’ responsible for identifying over 150 new concepts, including a unique, self-funded near-term opportunity with a projected first year forecast of $3M, and a total 5YR projected $18.5M. Additionally, she was responsible for the cultural transformation and development of the Carlex “Mission, Vision and Values”. She coached cross functional leaders while deploying several initiatives designed to dissolve work silos, inspire inventive thinking and improve employee engagement. Within less than a year, Ms. Leonard achieved a significant 18% reduction of cost associated with poor quality, and tracked a 44% YOY increase in employee engagement.
Prior to her time at Carlex, Ms. Leonard served as the Director, US Skin & Wound Management, Brand Strategy & Marketing for Cardinal Health, where she led the brand marketing team for the acute medical and consumer/patient segments During this time she turned around the Cardinal Health ‘Hospital Quality at Home’ initiative focusing on consumer-retail, LTC, direct to patient & e-commerce channels. She delivered marketing and content strategy for digital, social, mobile, to drive clinician, customer, caregiver and patient engagement. Through strategic marketing investments and leveraging internal resources, the business tracked from -$5M operating loss in FY16 to achieving financial profitability in FY18.
Ms. Leonard also served as the Brand Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing for Cardinal Health, where she realigned strategic marketing plans surrounding the relaunch of Cardinal Health’s B2C product line, Hospital Quality at Home™; spanning 6 product segments, and over 160+ skus. This endeavor achieved the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval™ for 28 products. Ms. Leonard also led tactical marketing work streams related to the development of clinical and patient messaging, preparation for retail including all levels of packaging, interactive merchandising and trade investment, and creation of a patient web site with detailed instructions for use.
Prior to her time at Cardinal Health, Ms. Leonard served as the Senior Product Manager at Evenflo, where she was a global business leader accountable for strategic development, financials, and implementation of key initiatives within five product categories – including strollers, travel systems, high-chairs, play yards, and soft carriers.
Ms. Leonard received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Marketing/Advertising Research from Cleveland State University.
Leveraging Technology For Growth Of Services & Margins
Growth is critical for any organizations’ sustainability. One strategy to accomplish successful growth has been expanding and/or enhancing your current service lines. While sounding simple, this task requires a lot of work and strategic planning and is made easier with the use of technology. But how do you assess your current services? How do you know what to trim or grow? How do you know what services to add? Join us for this insightful and highly educational presentation to:
- Learn how to accurately assess your organizations service lines and technology
- Hear how your peers have successfully expanded and grown their organizations and service offerings
- Understand when it's time to close down service lines
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
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.
Lunch On Your Own
Post Lunch Pick Me Up
Mental Health For All Members: A Scalable, Digital-First Solution For Health Plans
Learn how you can drive member engagement and lasting mental health outcomes with Koa Health's flagship app, Foundations. Ranked as the number one mental wellbeing app by expert mental health reviewers ORCHA and OneMind’s Psyberguide, this self-help toolkit boasts top user ratings across app stores, and has clinically proven health outcomes in sleep, resilience and overall wellbeing in just two weeks. Built by leading experts in neuroscience, psychiatry, behavioral therapy and digital therapeutics, Koa Health’s solutions leverage evidence-based programs such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), positive psychology, mindfulness, meditation, relaxation techniques, psychoeducation, emotional regulation, and acceptance and commitment training (ACT) to support long-lasting behavior change. Powered by a proprietary AI recommendation engine, employees have access to a rich library of exclusive, bite-sized educational content, tools, interventions, activities and games designed to provide an engaging member benefit for all of your unique populations.
Jennifer Gendron
Jennifer Gendron brings more than a decade of experience in global health and wellbeing SaaS solutions for employers and health plans. Prior to being Chief Commercial Officer at Koa Health, she most recently served as Head of Development, Innovations for the EX® Program, a digital tobacco cessation solution, and has held leadership positions with Virgin Pulse, MeYou Health, and E4 Health. Gendron’s expertise in high-growth technology is complemented by 10 years of experience as a provider in clinical behavioral health and in behavioral health academia.
Carol Clayton, Ph.D.
Dr. Carol Clayton is a licensed, practicing psychologist with 30 years of healthcare experience in the public and private sector, including non-profit and private practice work. She currently works as the Translational Neuroscientist for Relias, specializing in healthcare solutions targeting workforce development and population health outcome improvement. Before joining Relias, Dr. Clayton was the CEO of Care Management Technologies, a health IT data analytics company. She also served as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Community Programs from 2000- 2006. The NC Council is the predecessor organization to i2i.
Models For Integration Of Primary Care & Specialty Provider Organizations–Evaluating The Options
As executive teams of specialty provider organizations continuously look at how best to stabilize their revenue base and gain competitive advantage in the "next normal," adding primary care services is one of the options on the table. With 68% of adults with mental disorders also having chronic health disorders, the market need is growing. In this session, we'll take a discerning look at what factors drive the important decisions by specialty provider organizations when adding primary care to their service lines, and how best to evaluate the options. This session will cover:
- Enlightening case studies from specialty provider organizations with experience in adding primary care
- The methodology to best evaluate service line options
- Lessons learned to optimize the addition of a primary care service line
Tracy Rawls, MSW, LICDC
Tracy Rawls MSW, LICDC is the CEO/Founder of eXclusive Services. Mrs. Rawls is responsible for recognizing the significance of Integrated Health Services. She has spent the last several years training her staff in comprehensive therapeutic approaches, ready to combat the many facets associated with addiction, and has dubbed them her “Universal Soldiers”. This program strategy is one of a kind, integrating medication assisted treatment with primary care and a full spectrum of behavioral health services, the focus of which is whole-person recovery and wellness. Mrs. Tracy, as she’s known to her clientele, attained her 2nd Master’s degree in social work administration at the University of Cincinnati in 2011. Mrs. Tracy has worked in the social service field for the past 25 years. She has worked with various programs, including Drug Court, suicide hotlines, residential treatment programs, medication assisted treatment clinics and numerous volunteer projects across the tri-state area. After 20 years of direct practice, Mrs. Rawls finds her expertise is most useful at the executive level, where she brings others’ dreams to life. Mrs. Rawls is a walking clinical and business resource, and a “jane-of- all-trades”; she is also a respected authority on state & federal policies and procedures. Additionally, Tracy carries on her family legacy which includes catering services and feeding the therapeutic community. You will find Tracy reading, dancing, spending time with family, or touring the world.
Benedict Njoku, M.D.
Joseph Reis, ARNP
Joseph Reis, ARNP, has served in many healthcare leadership roles since 1991. First as a career Officer in the United States Army and most recently as the Chief Medical Officer at Peninsula Behavioral Health. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mr. Reis obtained his undergraduate nursing degree at Kent State University and an Adult Nurse Practitioner Master’s degree from West Virginia University and a Post Master’s in Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner from Washington State University.
In addition to Mr. Reis’ executive leadership role as Chief Medical Officer, he is heavily engaged in full-spectrum clinical care at his agency. This includes outpatient behavioral health care, procedures, supportive therapy, and medication management. He is interested in clinical workforce needs, cross-institution collaboration, integrated health, and exploring innovations in behavioral health care
Ray Wolfe, J.D.
Raymond “Ray” Wolfe, J.D. brings over 40 years of experience in the health and human services sector to the OPEN MINDS team. Mr. Wolfe currently serves as a Senior Associate, a position in which he utilizes his expertise to successfully lead varying projects for OPEN MINDS. His areas of expertise include financial analysis and management, mergers and acquisitions, performance improvement, and strategic planning.
Before joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Wolfe served in a 22 year tenure with Pittsburgh Mercy Health System in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, Mr. Wolfe served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) where he was responsible for oversight of all system operations, strategic planning, and performance management. Under his direction Pittsburgh Mercy achieved over $850K in value-based reimbursement contract quality bonus awards, integrated three organizations through merger/acquisition, and adopted a new performance management program for managers.
Before acting as Pittsburgh Mercy’s COO, Mr. Wolfe served as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and was responsible for the development of internal costing methodologies, contract rate negotiations, and financial forecasting activities. In addition, he coordinated an integrated care program with local partner hospitals to develop a series of diversion and respite programs, as well as, specialized primary care, integrated care management and high utilizer teams, while maintaining 15 straight years profitability.
Mr. Wolfe was promoted to CFO after serving as the Director of Fiscal and Information Security/Compliance for the health system. In this role, he was responsible for managing the transition of service contracts from fee-for-service (FFS), leading all compliance activities, and implementing a next generation electronic health record (EHR) system.
Prior to his time at Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, Mr. Wolfe served as Chief Fiscal Officer with the Summit Center for Human Development in Clarksburg, West Virginia, where he was responsible for reporting and budgeting functions and preparing Summit Center’s programs for FFS billing.
Previously, Mr. Wolfe served in billing and collections for two Pennsylvania-based hospitals. First, as an Accounts Receivables Manager for Brownsville General Hospital in Brownsville, PA, where he managed the accounting and billing system transition systems. Later as a Patient Account Manager for St. Francis Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA, where he improved collections to hit 95% rate through the implementation of new billing software and department reorganization.
Prior to working in the health and human services market, Mr. Wolfe spent five years practicing as a Lawyer with at Law Offices of Arch A. Moore in Moundsville, WV. In this role he provided general legal practice, created and established bylaws for multiple corporation, and handled West Virginia licensing of first vision insurance plan.
Mr. Wolfe earned his Juris Doctor from the West Virginia University School of Law in Morgantown, WV and his Bachelor’s degree with a focus in Political Science and Sociology from West Liberty University, in Wheeling, WV, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
How Big Is Big Enough? Is Your Organization The Wrong Size?
A question many executive teams in health and human services are grappling with is whether their organization is 'big enough.’ Organizations need scale for many reasons, including market share, unit cost control, and capital for expansion. But how big is “too big” or “big enough?” In this session, provider organization executives will walk through the process of using strategic planning to answer the question of scale — and identify the best tactics for long term sustainability. This session will cover:
- The strategy/scale connection
- Positioning for mergers, acquisitions & affiliations
- A best practice for MA&A model
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
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.
Preparing For CalAIM – Developing A Strategy For Sustainability & Success For Specialty Care & Primary Care In A Changing Medi-Cal Market
The California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative will implement broad reforms to California’s Medicaid delivery system, programs, and payment methodologies. The policy goals of CalAIM are to reduce system complexity, increase flexibility, improve quality of care, and drive system transformation through the use of value-based initiatives, payment reform, and integrated approaches for behavioral health, addiction treatment, and primary care for complex populations. In the multi-year implementation, some of the provisions go live on January 1, 2022 including new contracts with specialty provider organizations to deliver Enhanced Case Management and Community Supports (In Lieu of Services) for adult SMI populations. The final provisions are projected to go live by 2027.
One big question for executives of specialty care and primary care organizations is how to approach developing a sustainable strategy within the changing Medi-Cal market. As CalAIM unfolds, the fundamentals of sustainability will change for most organizations–including the services delivered, the contracting process, and reimbursement models. Executive teams need to monitor financial strength and service line portfolio performance–and create plans for developing new services for the changing market landscape and addressing issues of capital and scale needed for success.
The session will cover:
- New service line opportunities for specialty provider organizations and primary care organizations under CalAIM
- Best practice models for developing strategies for sustainability in a changing Medicaid landscape
- A panel discussion of executives of specialty and primary care organizations on their strategic planning and service line development initiatives
- A case study with Bayless Integrated Healthcare (Centene) – an integrated primary care and behavioral health organization based in Phoenix, Arizona, that provides comprehensive clinic-based and virtual care services for clients throughout the state. They provide a “whole person” approach to health and promote collaboration among a team of primary care providers and specialists. Their unique service integration of primary care, behavioral health, addiction medicine, and wellness has achieved better health outcomes for the clients they serve.
Silvia Garcia
Silvia L. Garcia is a first-generation Arizona native committed to creating change to improve the quality of life in Arizona. She is passionate about serving communities of diverse backgrounds and bridging social gaps that deter equity.
Silvia has over 10 years of experience in the social service arena with specialized skills in project management as well as experience in directing, coordinating, and overseeing the development, implementation and execution of Statewide initiatives that address detriments of health.
Working in both public and private environments, Silvia has a vast understanding on how to deploy a professional, results-driven management system that tracks and improves performance every day. As a leader, Silvia fosters an environment of teamwork and ensures that strategy is clearly defined while overseeing performance and maintaining morale.
Silvia’s education includes a Bachelor degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from the Arizona State University where she graduated from with honors. Silvia continued her education at the Arizona State University and obtained two Master’s degree, one in Social Work and the other in Public Administration.
As co-founder of a club soccer organization, Silvia likes promoting sports among youth and engaging communities to become actively involved in supporting youth reach their full potential. During her spare time Silvia enjoys spending quality time with her four children and loving husband. Her favorite pastimes are traveling, outdoor activity, and reading a good book.
Graham Johnson
Graham Johnson joined Bayless after working with Deloitte & Touche for 15 years in the Phoenix market, where he lead audit engagements working with Technology, Real Estate, Consumer Business and Healthcare clients. During this time his clients included companies ranging in size from venture capital-backed start-ups to public multinational companies. He assisted these companies with initial public offerings, acquisitions, secondary offerings, internal control assessments and various accounting matters ranging from accounting for various equity matters to revenue recognition. This background brings a wealth of knowledge, best practices, and insights that will help Bayless as it continues to grow and expand its operations.
At Bayless Graham is responsible for managing the finance department, managing vendor relationships, budgeting, forecasting, and overseeing the Company’s IT needs. He works with Justin on the strategic vision and the implementation of appropriate policies, procedures and controls as Bayless continues to expand its service offerings in the community. Graham earned both a BS degree in accounting and a Masters of Accounting from Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management. After graduating he passed all four parts of the Uniform CPA Examination in his first sitting. Graham enjoys spending quality time with his four children and beautiful wife. He is actively involved in mentoring youth through his volunteer efforts with the Boy Scouts of America where he currently serves as a Venturing Coach and has previously held positions as a Charter Organization Representative, Scout Committee Chairman, and Cub Master. He is the president of a young men’s organization that teaches, encourages and mentors approximately 50 young men between 12 and 18 years of age.
Dr. George Orras
Dr. Orras joins the Bayless team with nearly 30 years of experience in administration, marketing, mental health program development and direct mental health service provision.
Prior to joining Bayless, Dr. Orras served as President and CEO for Windstone Health Services, which provides behavioral health care to more than 400,000 geriatric medicare advantage and commercial members throughout Southern California. He is a well known industry expert in behavioral health clinical program development, assisting in standardizing data definitions and reporting formats, as well as utilization management.
Dr. Orras has also served as the National Vice President of Clinical Operations for Value Behavioral Health’s Public Sector Division and he has independently contracted with a variety of regional and corporate companies including Century Health Care of California and College Health Enterprises, Charter Medical Corporation, and Community Psychiatric Centers.
Dr. Orras received a doctorate degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California, Masters Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University. He is currently licensed as an LCSW in both Arizona and California.
Richard Louis III
Richard Louis, III has extensive experience as a behavioral healthcare administrator, business development specialist, and innovator of new service lines for behavioral healthcare organizations and currently serves the Vice President – Western Region at OPEN MINDS.
Previously, Mr. Louis was the Director of Development – Behavior & Addiction Medicine at Southern California Healthcare Systems Inc. / Prospect Medical. There, he was involved in many consulting projects focused on health care integration, developing new service lines, and health plan contract development. Most recently, he pioneered the development of a series of innovative and profitable integrated behavioral health treatment and population health management solutions that target high cost and complex behavioral health populations. These solutions have shown to reduce payer spend while improving client outcomes for acute care hospital systems, health plans, managed care organizations (MCO), managed service organizations (MSO), managed behavioral healthcare organizations (MBHO), medical groups (IPA) and social service agencies.
Mr. Louis was also the Executive Director of Strategic Development and Planning at Pathways – Molina Healthcare, a national for-profit behavioral healthcare company operating in 23 states. In this role, Mr. Louis developed and launched population health management program strategies that included in-community care management and in-home coordinated care services to reduce hospital readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits, and improve HEDIS scores for national health plans and Managed Care Organizations.
Mr. Louis is also a former Psychiatric Hospital Administrator and Assistant Director of Mental Health for San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health in CA, where he was responsible for behavioral health program management, clinical operations, strategic alliances, and outcome-based service delivery models for complex adult and youth populations.
Mr. Louis also served in various positions at College Health Enterprises (CHE), a Los Angeles based for-profit hospital system, most notably serving as Vice President of Government Operations. While in this role, he created the first public sector division for CHE by establishing new service lines, contracts, and new profit/revenue streams. His responsibilities included business and program development as well as administration of inpatient, outpatient, and residential continuums of care for public payers (i.e. county mental health systems, state department of developmental disabilities, county jail, state prison, and federal government agencies).
Mr. Louis is in his 32nd year as an active duty reserve police officer (volunteer) currently holding the rank of Captain, City of Monterey Park Police Department in Los Angeles County. He has worked closely with police, county sheriff’s departments, and healthcare systems to educate and craft “treatment versus incarceration” collaborations promoting treatment and cost-effective crisis triage interventions for persons with mental illness.
Mr. Louis graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Whittier College and is a Police Academy Graduate from Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California.
Integrating Consumer Apps Into Your Service Delivery System: A Case Study In Success
Mobile health care apps are revolutionizing the health care ecosystem by improving communication, efficiency, and quality of service. Health care apps can be advantageous to the medical industry. Providers and patients can reap the benefits of this technology. Mobile health care apps can be used for online assessments, consultations, diagnosis, appointments, consumer engagement, and patient monitoring. With the increase in smartphone adoption, proliferation of wearables like smart watches and pedometers, and the introduction of powerful technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and IoT in health care apps, numerous provider organizations are evaluating integration of health care apps into their service delivery strategy. In this session, we'll look at:
- How mobile apps can benefit health care businesses
- Popular technology trends that provider organizations should consider for health care mobile app implementation
Vincent Bemmel, Ph.D
Dr. Vincent Bemmel is the Director of Technology and Innovation at Catalight. He has over 20 years experience with the R&D of emerging technology solutions. For the past 4 years he has been with Catalight where he is leading investigation into the benefits of leveraging consumer-grade tech to improve the wellbeing of their client population.
Lindsey Sneed, Ph.D, BCBA-D
Dr. Sneed is the Vice President of Clinical Excellence at Catalight, has been with the organization for 10 years, and has 15 years of experience working with autistic people and people with developmental disabilities. Dr. Sneed conducts applied research relating to behavioral health treatment, developmental disabilities, and treatment outcomes.
Paul Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 25 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
Developing A Hybrid Service Delivery Model – Planning For Virtual, In-Clinic & In-Home Services
Post-pandemic service delivery is likely going to be a hybrid combination of virtual, in-clinic, and in-home services. Is your organization ready? How does an organization assess where it is with service delivery and strategically identify how to align resources for sustainability to weather change and drive organizational growth? In this session, we'll discuss the hybrid method to patient care and how it goes beyond just the virtual visit and should provide a more personalized, flexible, and seamless patient journey. We will cover:
- Models of hybrid service delivery
- Assessment of service gaps to help plan a hybrid service delivery infrastructure
- Technologies that will best support and advance hybrid models
Sharon Hicks, MSW, MBA
Sharon Hicks has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive experience and wide range of expertise in health plan management, in clinical operations management, and technology.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system and within its health plan division. Ms. Hicks served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral health organization. She was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. In addition Ms. Hicks managed the day-to-day operations of including human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served as the Vice President, Internet Strategy, UPMC Insurance Services Division and, since 2002, as the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, Inc. since May of 2002. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth of the company, profitability of the company, and the direction of software development.
Ms. Hick started her impressive health care career as a psychiatric social worker before being promoted to Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her executive promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
Using Advanced Analytics, Workflows & AI To Decrease Provider Burden, Improve Quality Care & Maximize Revenue
In this session Michael Lardieri, LCSW, Sr. VP, Strategy at Core Solutions will speak to the use of advanced 
analytics, artificial intelligence and advanced workflow tracking that supports an organization's readiness to participate in new value based reimbursement initiatives, allowing providers to spend more time with clients and maximize revenues. He will discuss what executives need to know about these new technologies, why they are important and what they should do strategically to position their organization for success.
Michael Lardieri, LCSW
Michael R. Lardieri serves as Senior Vice President – Strategy at Core Solutions. Mr. Lardieri has over 30 years of health care experience in inpatient, outpatient and managed care settings and was behavioral health administrator for one of the largest Federally Qualified Community Health Centers (FQHCs) in the nation. He has extensive experience in health plan operations, network development, population health, implementing electronic health record and other health information technologies, treatment of opioid addiction, and integrating behavioral health and primary care. His managed care experience includes senior positions in clinical and provider relations areas.
Prior to joining Core Solutions Mr. Lardieri was Chief Operating Officer at Kaden Health a virtual MAT startup and Assistant Vice President, Strategic Program Development at Northwell Health (formerly the North Shore-LIJ Health System), the 14th largest health system in the nation. In this capacity, he oversaw the use of technology in the integration of physical and behavioral health care, including a health information exchange, patient portals, clinical quality measures, use of smart phone technologies and population health. Prior to Northwell, Mr. Lardieri was Vice President, HIT and Strategic Development at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
Mr. Lardieri’s national experience includes work with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Mr. Lardieri is engaged with community behavioral health organizations, FQHCs, health center controlled networks, health information exchanges, Primary Care Associations, the National Health Information Network and other health information systems to advance the field of health information technology and exchanges. He was responsible for developing strategy and in assisting with behavioral health centers across the nation, implementing various HIT strategies to improve quality care.
In addition, as an experienced and licensed mental health professional, Mr. Lardieri not only provides consulting services in the fields of mental health and substance abuse but also in integrating these services with various medical fields. Mr. Lardieri is a Member of the National Quality Forum (NQF) Behavioral Health Measures Subcommittee. He serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Morehouse School of Medicine Health Policy Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (TCC) for Health Disparities Research in Atlanta and the Georgia Health Information Technology Extension Center (GA-HITEC). He is an Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Certified Health Information Technology (HIT) Clinician/Practitioner; in 2014, Mr. Lardieri was selected The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology as a member of the ONC HIT Policy Committee (HITPC) Workgroup on HIT Implementation, Usability and Safety and has also served on the ONC HIT Policy Workgroup on Voluntary Certification for Technology companies serving providers not eligible for Meaningful Use Incentives. Mr. Lardieri was a lead participant in developing the Patient Engagement Framework under the ONC and is a national presenter and educator in the areas of behavioral health technology, meaningful use, telebehavioral health and integrated care. He also previously served as a Board Member of the National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC) and the National Research Institute (NRI).
Linda Leonard
Linda Leonard brings over 25 years of marketing experience to the OPEN MINDS team Ms. Leonard currently serves as a Senior Associate for the OPEN MINDS consulting department.
Prior to her role at OPEN MINDS, Ms. Leonard was the Senior Global Marketing Manager at Carlex, where she implemented fast paced, front end ‘innovation sprints’ responsible for identifying over 150 new concepts, including a unique, self-funded near-term opportunity with a projected first year forecast of $3M, and a total 5YR projected $18.5M. Additionally, she was responsible for the cultural transformation and development of the Carlex “Mission, Vision and Values”. She coached cross functional leaders while deploying several initiatives designed to dissolve work silos, inspire inventive thinking and improve employee engagement. Within less than a year, Ms. Leonard achieved a significant 18% reduction of cost associated with poor quality, and tracked a 44% YOY increase in employee engagement.
Prior to her time at Carlex, Ms. Leonard served as the Director, US Skin & Wound Management, Brand Strategy & Marketing for Cardinal Health, where she led the brand marketing team for the acute medical and consumer/patient segments During this time she turned around the Cardinal Health ‘Hospital Quality at Home’ initiative focusing on consumer-retail, LTC, direct to patient & e-commerce channels. She delivered marketing and content strategy for digital, social, mobile, to drive clinician, customer, caregiver and patient engagement. Through strategic marketing investments and leveraging internal resources, the business tracked from -$5M operating loss in FY16 to achieving financial profitability in FY18.
Ms. Leonard also served as the Brand Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing for Cardinal Health, where she realigned strategic marketing plans surrounding the relaunch of Cardinal Health’s B2C product line, Hospital Quality at Home™; spanning 6 product segments, and over 160+ skus. This endeavor achieved the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval™ for 28 products. Ms. Leonard also led tactical marketing work streams related to the development of clinical and patient messaging, preparation for retail including all levels of packaging, interactive merchandising and trade investment, and creation of a patient web site with detailed instructions for use.
Prior to her time at Cardinal Health, Ms. Leonard served as the Senior Product Manager at Evenflo, where she was a global business leader accountable for strategic development, financials, and implementation of key initiatives within five product categories – including strollers, travel systems, high-chairs, play yards, and soft carriers.
Ms. Leonard received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Marketing/Advertising Research from Cleveland State University.
How Retail Medicine Innovation Practices Are Informing Partnership Opportunities
Retail health care services are on the horizon and the companies that operate them continue to innovate, grow, and expand. Retail clinics appeal to consumer desire for convenience and offer a low-cost, high-quality service. While there were few retail clinics a decade ago, today there are more than 3,000 clinics in 44 states and Washington, D.C. More than 50 million patient visits are done annually by mainly nurse practitioners and physician assistants in retail pharmacies, big box retailers, and larger supermarket chains with pharmacies. They continue to grow and innovate with new players in the marketplace like managed care and large hospital systems and are looking for innovative partnerships within the community.
During this session you will:
- Meet the leadership of this continuously disruptive industry and learn more about their role moving forward and how they see the role of organic and inorganic partnerships as key to their success.
- Gain a preview of in-the-pipeline program innovations from national health plan executives
- Learn how payers & providers can better partner to deliver next generation care
George Barakat
George Barakat is the Co-founder of Jack Nathan Health®. Named after his son Jack Nathan Barakat.
George served as CEO of Jack Nathan Health® for the past 15 years. He is also Past President and CEO of Laila’s Inc. (art publishing and manufacturing), and a proud partner of Walmart® for more than 28 years.
A longtime believer in empowering customers, patients and associates. George created strategic partnerships taking Jack Nathan Health from a lean start-up, to a national leader in healthcare, servicing over 2 million patients across Canada and expansion into Mexico. With a clear “Patient First” vision. He has helped redefined the face of healthcare by improving access to quality healthcare for all communities utilizing retail and digital environments.
George excels at working with business leaders in different organizations to facilitate change and acceptance of new approaches.
Today, he possesses a comprehensive knowledge and understanding for retail healthcare and manufacturing, with a clear vision on how to implement related business strategies. He has travelled extensively nationally and internationally building and sustaining important global relationships and partnerships. George maximizes business growth by creating effective operational strategies, while delivering an unparalleled customer experience.
Nate Bronstein, MPA, MSSP, MsED
Nate Bronstein currently serves as the chief operating officer of the Convenient Care Association. Nate is a former teacher from North Philadelphia; he earned his Masters in Education, Public Administration and the Science of Social Policy respectively, from the University of Pennsylvania. Nate has extensive experience as a consultant on state-wide policy initiatives as well as political initiatives as well as political campaign strategy and management. He has spent the last five years working as both the Co-Founder and CEO of one DC-based startup and one Philadelphia-based startup working to solve inefficiencies in how people connect, organize and manage their resources. Nate has extensive experience in the social good company from a for-profit, non-profit and governmental perspective.
He has successfully launched two companies and consulted on many others, as well as having actively participated in 19 unique leadership and business development incubators and accelerators. Nate has written for the chronicle of social change and is currently serving on the board of Philadelphia's oldest and largest music school.
Michael Clark, MPA
Mike Clark leads the Alternative Media and Social Finance Expert is a systems entrepreneur. He has researched, published, and worked in the areas of collective impact, financial innovation, impact investing and social entrepreneurship. Mike is the lead researcher and policy analysist regarding the social impacts of paying direct service workers low wages forcing them to be dependents upon society through public benefits and reducing the quality of care due to high staff attrition and increased stress levels. Mike also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Scranton, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government.
Angela Patterson, DNP, FNP-BC, NEA-BC, FAANP
Dr. Patterson is an advanced practice registered nurse, Vice President at CVS Health, and Chief Nurse Practitioner Officer of CVS MinuteClinic. In her current role, Angela is accountable to providing clinical and professional practice governance for more than 3,100 Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants who staff the organization’s more than 1,100 retail health clinics located across 34 states and the District of Columbia. Key responsibilities include leading the organization’s Clinical Quality Program, Clinical Practice Training & Education, Professional Practice Advancement, and Provider Workforce Development programs. Angela also has broader organizational and enterprise responsibilities including senior level membership on key governance committees including Strategic Growth, Enterprise Patient Safety, and Strategic Diversity Management.
During her more than twelve years with the organization, CVS/MinuteClinic grew from several hundred to more than 1,100 clinics and has increased care delivery volume from less than one million to more than 45 million patient visits. In addition, the organization successfully achieved ANCC Pathway to Excellence® designation for nursing practice excellence. Angela was the recipient of the 2018 AANP Sharp Cutting Edge Award for her exemplary work in nursing organizational leadership and inducted in 2019 as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Angela received her BSN from Simmons College in 1985 and worked as an RN at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. In 1988, she received her MSN and certification as a Nurse Practitioner from Simmons College with distinction. Angela received her Executive DNP from MGH Institute of Health Professions in 2016.
Prior to joining CVS MinuteClinic, Angela spent 20 years as a primary care provider and clinical director in an urban-based, family medical practice which she co-owned. She also served for 10 years as a principal lecturer and clinical instructor for the Family Nurse Practitioner program in the School for Health Studies at Simmons College in Boston. Currently, Angela holds board member appointments for the Convenient Care Association, the Rhode Island State Nurses Action Coalition, and the Rhode Island Nurses Institute Middle College.
Marc Watkins M.D., MSPH, FACOEM
As Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs, Dr. Watkins oversees all medical-related aspects for The Little Clinic. This includes enterprise-wide leadership through the development and implementation of media programs and the strategic direction for all health and wellness solutions, including emerging digital and tele-health initiatives.
Dr. Watkins has a bold and passionate commitment for delivering quality healthcare by combining health, wellness and nutrition solution with a focus on simplifying the decision-making process for patients, customers, and employers in a rapidly changing healthcare ecosystem.
Prior to joining the leadership team at The Little Clinic, he served in various physician leadership roles with Concentra Health Services. Most recently, in his role as National Medical Director- Clinical Account Management, he provided strategic operational and clinical program development to major employers across the country.
Dr. Watkins earned his medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN on a U.S. Navy scholarship. After training, he served almost exclusively with the U.S. Marines, where he was twice awarded the Navy Commendation Medal (2) in direct support of combat operations while assigned in Iraq. Dr. Watkins is board certified in Occupational & Environmental Medicine and earned distinction as a Fellow of the American College of Occupational & Environmental Medicine. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and American College of Physician Executives. He is a board member of the Nashville Health Care Council and executive board member of the Convenient Care Association. He is also Adjunct Clinical Faculty in the Division of Occupational Medicine/Family Medicine at Meharry Medical College.
Tine Hansen-Turton
Tine Hansen-Turton is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Woods, a leading advocacy and service organization for people with exceptional challenges, disabilities and complex needs. Ms. Hansen-Turton formerly served as the Chief Operating Officer at Public Health Management Corporation, where she oversaw and led corporate strategy, operations, business development and M&A. Additionally, Ms. Hansen-Turton served as CEO of the National Nurse-led Care Consortium, a non-profit organization supporting the growth and development of over 500 nurse-managed and school health clinics. Ms. Hansen-Turton still serves as the founding Executive Administrator for the Convenient Care Association (CCA), the national trade association of over 2200 private-sector retail clinic industry, serving 25 million people with basic health care services across the country. Ms. Hansen-Turton also teaches public and social innovations, leading nonprofits, health policy and the social innovations lab at University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government and School of Nursing. Ms. Hansen-Turton is founder and publisher of a social impact/innovation journal and has co-published eight books. She received her BA from Slippery Rock University, her Master of Government/Public Administration from University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute and her Juris Doctor from Temple University Beasley School of Law.
Brian Slusser
Brian Slusser is the Founder and Chief Executive Chairman of Health in Motion. Mr. Slusser has a distinguished career in Healthcare that spans over four decades. Prior to founding Optimized Care Network, Brian was the Chief Strategy Officer for a break-through telemedicine start-up in Columbus in 2010.
Mr. Slusser has earned numerous industry awards over his career. Brian currently sits on several boards of directors with various health care associations.
Mr. Slusser was previously the CEO of Retail Pharmacy Assets (RPA), a national aggregation business for pharmacy, managed care network development and group/payer contracting. RPA, dba, ServAll and Strategic Health Alliance represented over 3500 pharmacies and over 2.5 million managed patient lives in the combined businesses. Under Brian’s leadership, RPA was recognized as a Fast Fifty Company for 8 consecutive years and Brian was the finalist for the Ernst-Young Entrepreneur in 1999.
Mr. Slusser sold the business to McKesson Corporation in 2003. The business is still operated, has grown significantly, and led by Mr. Slusser’s previous executive team to this day.
Mr. Slusser was retained as a senior business consultant for Paul Julian, McKesson Executive Vice President, Group President, PHRMA until 2008. Between 2008 and 2010, Mr. Slusser served as an industry consultant and was retained as expert witness for several prominent industry court cases. He continues to work closely with various industry leadership organizations to seek out market opportunities and enhanced business strategies.
Between 2010 and 2012, Mr. Slusser worked in strategic advisory capacity for a telemedicine start-up. In 2012 to Present, Mr. Slusser founded Optimized Care Network (OCN). OCN is a breakthrough virtual care solutions business. Under Mr. Slusser’s leadership, OCN has established themselves with key market leaders in a high growth industry.
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
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.
Executive Networking Reception
Grab a beverage and unwind with Institute speakers and attendees as well as the OPEN MINDS team!
Executive Networking Breakfast
Start your day with coffee and conversation. Join us for an executive networking breakfast where you will have a chance to connect with other executives, and your own team.
Filling In the Gaps: How Evernorth Is Driving Better Health For Complex Consumers
While Evernorth views themselves as a start-up, they come with over forty years of experience serving those with complex care needs. The aim of their program is to fill in the care gaps, by taking predictive modeling and turning it into a tailored program for their members. By attempting to cover the entire spectrum of mental health needs, they can eliminate the care gaps and improve access for complex consumers. As health plans face challenges in the years ahead, Evernorth is poised to be able to meet the behavioral, cognitive, chronic disease management, and social support needs of their consumers – hear how they plan to tackle this challenge, and how your specialty provider organization plays a major role in the development of creating a comprehensive health system.
Douglas Nemecek, M.D.
Dr. Doug Nemecek is the chief medical executive for behavioral health quality, integration, and clinical operations. He helps ensure network access and availability, patient safety, compliance with clinical guidelines, customer and provider satisfaction, and utilization management. Additionally, he works directly with customers and clients to mold operations and provides clinical expertise in new and existing behavioral health and integrated program development.
Dr. Nemecek has helped establish workflows, protocols, and collaborative procedures to create a unified medical management team across the company. He leads clinical initiatives and provides thought leadership to key issues such as the national opioid epidemic, and loneliness. Additionally, he continues to develop unique relationships with our network providers to ensure our customers and providers achieve optimal total health outcomes.
Dr. Nemecek previously served as Executive Medical Director for Allina Behavioral Health Services in Minneapolis, overseeing five outpatient clinics and four inpatient mental health units with over 80 mental health providers. He also has 10 years of clinical experience with an inpatient and outpatient psychiatric practice in Minneapolis.
Dr. Nemecek received his M.D. and completed his psychiatric residency at Washington University in St. Louis. He is recognized as a Distinguished Fellow with the American Psychiatric Association, is board certified by the America Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians and holds an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Dr. Nemecek currently serves on the Board of the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness. He also serves on the Scientific Board for Shatterproof, a national non-profit organization dedicated to ending the devastation that addiction causes families.
Thought Leader Discussion With Douglas Nemecek, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Evernorth
Join us for a follow-up session with our keynote speaker. This is a great time to ask questions and continue the conversation.
Douglas Nemecek, M.D.
Dr. Doug Nemecek is the chief medical executive for behavioral health quality, integration, and clinical operations. He helps ensure network access and availability, patient safety, compliance with clinical guidelines, customer and provider satisfaction, and utilization management. Additionally, he works directly with customers and clients to mold operations and provides clinical expertise in new and existing behavioral health and integrated program development.
Dr. Nemecek has helped establish workflows, protocols, and collaborative procedures to create a unified medical management team across the company. He leads clinical initiatives and provides thought leadership to key issues such as the national opioid epidemic, and loneliness. Additionally, he continues to develop unique relationships with our network providers to ensure our customers and providers achieve optimal total health outcomes.
Dr. Nemecek previously served as Executive Medical Director for Allina Behavioral Health Services in Minneapolis, overseeing five outpatient clinics and four inpatient mental health units with over 80 mental health providers. He also has 10 years of clinical experience with an inpatient and outpatient psychiatric practice in Minneapolis.
Dr. Nemecek received his M.D. and completed his psychiatric residency at Washington University in St. Louis. He is recognized as a Distinguished Fellow with the American Psychiatric Association, is board certified by the America Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians and holds an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Dr. Nemecek currently serves on the Board of the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness. He also serves on the Scientific Board for Shatterproof, a national non-profit organization dedicated to ending the devastation that addiction causes families.
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
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.
Emerging Models For Addiction Treatment
As we see substance use climb, we are also seeing emerging models of treatment utilizing innovative methods. Our panel of specialty provider organization executives will discuss best practice models for new hybrid addiction treatment programs. As addiction treatment services shift into a blended model of onsite and online, we are seeing a change in how we look at substance use disorder and availability of treatment models. This discussion will also cover how best to measure treatment effectiveness using the metrics and data needed to assess the efficacy of a blended approach to care, and best practices in leveraging technology to deliver care in the "next normal." In this session, you'll take away:
- An understanding of emerging addiction treatment models that best address hybrid needs in the "next normal."
- How to maintain patient engagement through online and onsite treatment
- How to best partner with payers leveraging a hybrid model of addiction treatment
Tracy Rawls, MSW, LICDC
Tracy Rawls MSW, LICDC is the CEO/Founder of eXclusive Services. Mrs. Rawls is responsible for recognizing the significance of Integrated Health Services. She has spent the last several years training her staff in comprehensive therapeutic approaches, ready to combat the many facets associated with addiction, and has dubbed them her “Universal Soldiers”. This program strategy is one of a kind, integrating medication assisted treatment with primary care and a full spectrum of behavioral health services, the focus of which is whole-person recovery and wellness. Mrs. Tracy, as she’s known to her clientele, attained her 2nd Master’s degree in social work administration at the University of Cincinnati in 2011. Mrs. Tracy has worked in the social service field for the past 25 years. She has worked with various programs, including Drug Court, suicide hotlines, residential treatment programs, medication assisted treatment clinics and numerous volunteer projects across the tri-state area. After 20 years of direct practice, Mrs. Rawls finds her expertise is most useful at the executive level, where she brings others’ dreams to life. Mrs. Rawls is a walking clinical and business resource, and a “jane-of- all-trades”; she is also a respected authority on state & federal policies and procedures. Additionally, Tracy carries on her family legacy which includes catering services and feeding the therapeutic community. You will find Tracy reading, dancing, spending time with family, or touring the world.
Benedict Njoku, M.D.
Dr. Joseph Garbely
Dr. Garbely is the Chief Medical Officer and the Executive Vice President for Medical Strategy, Education and Research at Caron Treatment Centers. He is also the Program Director for the Tower Health (Caron-Reading Hospital) Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program.
Dr. Garbely spearheaded a high-level initiative to train physicians in Addiction Medicine through the establishment of the Resident Training Program at Caron Pennsylvania. He also established an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program at Caron Pennsylvania and Reading Hospital. Dr. Garbely is a member of the American College of Academic Addiction Medicine and a Clinical Associate Professor at Penn State College of Medicine. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Drexel University College of Medicine and a member of the medical staff at Reading Hospital (Tower Health).
Dr. Garbely is the Chairman of the Physician in Training Committee of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), an ex-officio member of the ASAM Board, and a distinguished Fellow of ASAM. He received his board certifications through the American Board of Preventive Medicine, (Addiction Medicine Subspecialty), the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Prior to his current position, Dr. Garbely served as the Vice President of Medical Services and Medical Director of Caron Pennsylvania. With over two and a half decades of addiction medicine experience, Dr. Garbely has an extensive background in treating substance use disorders, including substance use disorders in healthcare professionals, executives, and pilots. He has worked to develop treatment programs for psychiatric patients involving a 12-Step philosophy. Dr. Garbely has won a myriad of teaching awards on the local and national level, including the American Psychiatric Association’s Helen Ruske, MD Award for Excellence in Medical Student Teaching.
Sharon Hicks, MSW, MBA
Sharon Hicks has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive experience and wide range of expertise in health plan management, in clinical operations management, and technology.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system and within its health plan division. Ms. Hicks served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral health organization. She was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. In addition Ms. Hicks managed the day-to-day operations of including human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served as the Vice President, Internet Strategy, UPMC Insurance Services Division and, since 2002, as the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, Inc. since May of 2002. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth of the company, profitability of the company, and the direction of software development.
Ms. Hick started her impressive health care career as a psychiatric social worker before being promoted to Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her executive promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
The CFO As Innovator – Strategies & Tools For Improving The Financial Performance Of A Service Line
The increasing pressure on the bottom line of specialty provider organizations requires executives who understand and can adeptly apply the basic principles of effective financial and operations management. To ensure success in today's environment leaders must simultaneously improve quality and service while reducing expense. In this session, we'll share proven effective tips, tools, and techniques accumulated from real-world challenges and best practices learned to improve the financial performance and profitability of service lines. In this how-to session we'll cover:
- How best to assess the financial health of your current service lines
- How to identify financial performance restrictions
- Tools and methodology to assist in improving service line profitability
Ray Wolfe, J.D.
Raymond “Ray” Wolfe, J.D. brings over 40 years of experience in the health and human services sector to the OPEN MINDS team. Mr. Wolfe currently serves as a Senior Associate, a position in which he utilizes his expertise to successfully lead varying projects for OPEN MINDS. His areas of expertise include financial analysis and management, mergers and acquisitions, performance improvement, and strategic planning.
Before joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Wolfe served in a 22 year tenure with Pittsburgh Mercy Health System in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, Mr. Wolfe served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) where he was responsible for oversight of all system operations, strategic planning, and performance management. Under his direction Pittsburgh Mercy achieved over $850K in value-based reimbursement contract quality bonus awards, integrated three organizations through merger/acquisition, and adopted a new performance management program for managers.
Before acting as Pittsburgh Mercy’s COO, Mr. Wolfe served as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and was responsible for the development of internal costing methodologies, contract rate negotiations, and financial forecasting activities. In addition, he coordinated an integrated care program with local partner hospitals to develop a series of diversion and respite programs, as well as, specialized primary care, integrated care management and high utilizer teams, while maintaining 15 straight years profitability.
Mr. Wolfe was promoted to CFO after serving as the Director of Fiscal and Information Security/Compliance for the health system. In this role, he was responsible for managing the transition of service contracts from fee-for-service (FFS), leading all compliance activities, and implementing a next generation electronic health record (EHR) system.
Prior to his time at Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, Mr. Wolfe served as Chief Fiscal Officer with the Summit Center for Human Development in Clarksburg, West Virginia, where he was responsible for reporting and budgeting functions and preparing Summit Center’s programs for FFS billing.
Previously, Mr. Wolfe served in billing and collections for two Pennsylvania-based hospitals. First, as an Accounts Receivables Manager for Brownsville General Hospital in Brownsville, PA, where he managed the accounting and billing system transition systems. Later as a Patient Account Manager for St. Francis Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA, where he improved collections to hit 95% rate through the implementation of new billing software and department reorganization.
Prior to working in the health and human services market, Mr. Wolfe spent five years practicing as a Lawyer with at Law Offices of Arch A. Moore in Moundsville, WV. In this role he provided general legal practice, created and established bylaws for multiple corporation, and handled West Virginia licensing of first vision insurance plan.
Mr. Wolfe earned his Juris Doctor from the West Virginia University School of Law in Morgantown, WV and his Bachelor’s degree with a focus in Political Science and Sociology from West Liberty University, in Wheeling, WV, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Ken Carr
Ken Carr brings over 20 years of finance, technology, data analysis and reporting experience in the health and human service field to OPEN MINDS. He currently ia a Senior Associate with the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. In this role, he served as a subject matter expert in the OPEN MINDS consulting practice where he has led numerous engagements in strategic planning, merger and acquisition prospecting, business process improvement, financial analysis of service lines, and technology selection.
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.
A Reflection On The Past & A Look To The Future Of The Health & Human Services Market
In 2021, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI) released The Third Edition Of Trends In Behavioral Health: A Reference Guide On The US Behavioral Health Financing & Delivery System (The Guide). This release focused on the OPEN MINDS survey results that came from interviews of 1,132 health plans. Top payer executives provided information on COVID-19, their current and future reimbursement strategies, digital technology strategies, consumer engagement, care coordination, and much more.
In 2022 OPEN MINDS and Otsuka look to see how much their predictions came to fruition. Areas such as digital therapeutics and whole-person care continue to make strides. Staffing shortages affected many organizations in a more pronounced way than anticipated. We see new avenues of competition from retail health and health plans themselves as “payviders”.
As OPEN MINDS and Otsuka prepare The Fourth Edition of The Guide, a 2022 Supplement has been released. The 2022 Supplement looks at the payer interviews in 2021 and holds them to the state of health care in 2022. The 2022 Supplement also identifies new trends not previously anticipated. Join OPEN MINDS and Otsuka in a conversation about the impacts and the future of health care. They will open with an overview on the current broad impacts of the health and human services market. Then they will revisit the 2021 payer survey results and explore how much the learnings from those are playing out today. Finally, the speakers will predict the future for 2022 and 2023 while seeking discussion with the audience.
*Paul Duck is a paid consultant of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC). Dr. Shurtleff is an employee of OPDC.
Madeline Shurtleff, PharmD
Dr. Shurtleff is a clinical pharmacist with experience in managed care and retail pharmacy. She has extensive knowledge in Medicaid and Medicare pharmacy operations and regulatory requirements. Dr. Shurtleff received her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Business Minor, and Leadership Minor from the University of Rhode Island. She is a licensed pharmacist in Illinois and Arizona.
Paul Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 25 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
Lunch On Your Own
Harnessing The Power Of Digital Therapeutics In Pediatrics
In this discussion, EndeavorRx, a digital therapeutic indicated to improve attention function in children ages 8-12 years old with primarily inattentive or combined-type ADHD, who have a demonstrated attention issue will be reviewed. The session will begin with an overview of Akili Interactive and focus on Prescription Digital Therapeutics engineered to treat cognitive impairments, that represents an entirely new category of medicine. This will be followed by a review of the key clinical attributes of EndeavorRx, relevant to the management of pediatric ADHD. Finally, the results of pivotal studies, including study design, key clinical endpoints, and safety profile of EndeavorRx will be presented.
Chris Meyer, MBA
Stephanie Roberts
Linda Leonard
Linda Leonard brings over 25 years of marketing experience to the OPEN MINDS team Ms. Leonard currently serves as a Senior Associate for the OPEN MINDS consulting department.
Prior to her role at OPEN MINDS, Ms. Leonard was the Senior Global Marketing Manager at Carlex, where she implemented fast paced, front end ‘innovation sprints’ responsible for identifying over 150 new concepts, including a unique, self-funded near-term opportunity with a projected first year forecast of $3M, and a total 5YR projected $18.5M. Additionally, she was responsible for the cultural transformation and development of the Carlex “Mission, Vision and Values”. She coached cross functional leaders while deploying several initiatives designed to dissolve work silos, inspire inventive thinking and improve employee engagement. Within less than a year, Ms. Leonard achieved a significant 18% reduction of cost associated with poor quality, and tracked a 44% YOY increase in employee engagement.
Prior to her time at Carlex, Ms. Leonard served as the Director, US Skin & Wound Management, Brand Strategy & Marketing for Cardinal Health, where she led the brand marketing team for the acute medical and consumer/patient segments During this time she turned around the Cardinal Health ‘Hospital Quality at Home’ initiative focusing on consumer-retail, LTC, direct to patient & e-commerce channels. She delivered marketing and content strategy for digital, social, mobile, to drive clinician, customer, caregiver and patient engagement. Through strategic marketing investments and leveraging internal resources, the business tracked from -$5M operating loss in FY16 to achieving financial profitability in FY18.
Ms. Leonard also served as the Brand Manager, Brand Strategy & Marketing for Cardinal Health, where she realigned strategic marketing plans surrounding the relaunch of Cardinal Health’s B2C product line, Hospital Quality at Home™; spanning 6 product segments, and over 160+ skus. This endeavor achieved the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval™ for 28 products. Ms. Leonard also led tactical marketing work streams related to the development of clinical and patient messaging, preparation for retail including all levels of packaging, interactive merchandising and trade investment, and creation of a patient web site with detailed instructions for use.
Prior to her time at Cardinal Health, Ms. Leonard served as the Senior Product Manager at Evenflo, where she was a global business leader accountable for strategic development, financials, and implementation of key initiatives within five product categories – including strollers, travel systems, high-chairs, play yards, and soft carriers.
Ms. Leonard received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Marketing/Advertising Research from Cleveland State University.
The New Workforce Landscape–A Playbook For Optimizing Workforce Recruitment Performance
According to a recent estimate from SAMHSA, nearly 4.5 million more behavioral health professionals are needed in the U.S. to provide adequately staffed care for the current population with chronic mental health issues. Adding to the staffing crisis, the current workforce is more likely than ever to 'test the waters' for a dream position. So how can health & human service organizations recognize the age of shorter tenures and cultivate a work environment that empowers staff, incorporates cutting-edge technology, and maximizes the time they do have with their current staff? In this case study, hear from a prominent provider organization as they share:
- Best practices in recruiting and retaining a longer haul staff
- Tools to train, empower, and reward your current staff
- How to create an 'employer of choice' environment to help attract the best and brightest
Alexis Chamberlin
Alexis is deeply committed to educational equity and expanding access to opportunities.
As a member of the 2013 Teach for America corps in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she taught elementary school, received her Master of Arts in Education, served as a Mentor Teacher, and was one of three finalists nominated for Milwaukee Charter School Advocates Elementary Teacher of the Year award. Following her time in the classroom, she joined Teach For America's Recruitment Team, working to identify and inspire the most promising undergraduate leaders to join this network of 62,000 corps members and alumni working towards equity across sectors.
In her current role as Senior Manager of Recruitment with Children's Institute, Inc., Alexis oversees the vision and day-to-day operations of CII’s Recruitment Team. CII seeks to engage candidates committed to healing and growth for children and families in Los Angeles communities affected by underinvestment and racist policies that have led to trauma and diminished opportunities.
Jesus Parra
Jesús has served in various roles throughout his 17 years at CII. He initially provided direct service to children and families as a therapist, and has also served as a Clinical Supervisor, Regional Director for Clinical Services, Program Manager for the Select Home Visiting Program, and as a Senior Behavioral Health and Wellness Program Manager providing support for all 0-5 mental health services. As Vice President of Behavioral Health and Wellness, Jesús oversees the early childhood and school-based programs throughout CII’s service areas and has responsibility for expanding CII’s reach and impact. Parra is an LMFT and earned his BA in Philosophy from St. John’s College and an Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Loyola Marymount University. He is a graduate of the prestigious UC Davis Napa Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship where he developed his capacity to more deeply understand the impact of trauma and neglect on the developing brain, as well as the importance of healthy relationships as a path for healing.
Paul Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 25 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
Technology For Innovation: How Do You Know What You Need?
For specialty provider organizations figuring out which EHR to use, and then the implementation of said EHR, may have felt like a hard-fought war that may even still be waging. However, the speed at which technology is moving is opening even more opportunities for organizations to figure out what components and tools can be useful and easily adopted, and what problem the solution is attempting to solve. This session is focused on the discovery of non-EHR technology solutions and the bundling of technology components for efficiency gains. Join us as we delve into how two organizations:
- Examined the how and why behind a purchase
- Measured the investment, and return on investment related to the problem they were attempting to solve
- Are looking at what opportunities lie in the future for advancement of the technology solution purchased, or what comes next
Pamela Agee-Lowery
Ms. Pamela Althea Agee-Lowery, MSN, RN (Nurse Leader Executive) is the Nurse Manager at Douglas County Youth Center (DCYC) in Omaha, Nebraska. DCYC is a 144-bed juvenile detention facility used to house high-risk youth, age 12-19, who have been detained by a juvenile judge for criminal offenses. Pamela has been employed at the Douglas County Youth Center for 16.5 years. Her responsibilities at the youth center range from the oversight of patient/behavioral healthcare, workflow processes and staffing balance to budget planning and policy writing. Amongst her staff, comrades, colleagues, cohorts and kids, she is affectionately known as Nurse Pam.
Prior to employment at DCYC, Nurse Pam was the Director of Nursing (DON) at a Long-Term Care (144 bed skilled nursing facility) Center for 5 years. She was responsibility for patient care, staffing levels, staff training, the clinical budget, annual surveys and a wide range of other duties to vast to outline. Before becoming a DON, Nurse Pam was a Charge Nurse, an Infection Control Nurse, a Nursing Training Coordinator as well as a nursing assistant during nursing school.
Nurse Pamela attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) – Lincoln, College of Nursing (1997) for her Bachelors of Science in Nursing and UNMC – Omaha, College of Nursing (2012) for her Masters of Science in Nursing, specializing in Nursing Leadership/Executive. Pamela is also the daughter of a retired Marine and a United States Army Veteran herself.
In her spare time, she serves her community through advocacy. She advocates on behalf of Black women and girls by serving as the 2nd Vice President and 1st Vice President consecutively of the National Coalitions of 100 Black Women, Greater Omaha Chapter (NCBW, GOC). In addition, Nurse Pam served as Madam Chairwoman for the coalitions Mental Health Summit for 3 years, consecutively. Clinically she volunteers as a Nebraska Emergency Systems Healthcare Professional and a CPR instructor for the American Red Cross. Given this and all the aforementioned, her strengths are maximizer, learner, relator, input and empathy according to Franklin Coveys Strength Finders Assessment Tool.
For fun Pamela maintains her expert marksmanship, exercises, reads, cooks, dances and travels the Continental U.S. and abroad.
Julie Sjordal
Julie Sjordal is Chief Executive Officer of St. David’s Center which is a multi-disciplinary nonprofit organization providing a range of children and family services in Minneapolis, MN. St. David’s Center’s team of 450 professionals serve over 4000 children, families, and adults with special needs at two clinic locations, in 30 co-located partner sites and in hundreds of family homes across the metro community. The services in St. David’s Center’s portfolio include autism treatment, pediatric therapies, mental health services, early childhood education, parent-child home visiting and disability services. In addition to being St. David’s Center’s CEO, Julie has led many collaborative, community-wide projects and has served on several advisory boards and councils, including two gubernatorial appointments. In 2018, Julie was recognized by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a Women in Business honoree for her professional achievements, leadership, and contributions in the Twin Cities.
Carol Clayton, Ph.D.
Dr. Carol Clayton is a licensed, practicing psychologist with 30 years of healthcare experience in the public and private sector, including non-profit and private practice work. She currently works as the Translational Neuroscientist for Relias, specializing in healthcare solutions targeting workforce development and population health outcome improvement. Before joining Relias, Dr. Clayton was the CEO of Care Management Technologies, a health IT data analytics company. She also served as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Community Programs from 2000- 2006. The NC Council is the predecessor organization to i2i.
Sharon Hicks, MSW, MBA
Sharon Hicks has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive experience and wide range of expertise in health plan management, in clinical operations management, and technology.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system and within its health plan division. Ms. Hicks served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral health organization. She was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. In addition Ms. Hicks managed the day-to-day operations of including human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served as the Vice President, Internet Strategy, UPMC Insurance Services Division and, since 2002, as the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, Inc. since May of 2002. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth of the company, profitability of the company, and the direction of software development.
Ms. Hick started her impressive health care career as a psychiatric social worker before being promoted to Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her executive promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
Metrics Matter – Utilizing Quality Measures & Key Outcomes As Performance Drivers
It's been said "if you can't keep score, you can't be in the game." But which success measurements are most effective and useful? With increased competition, value-based reimbursement requirements, and the need to show value to health plans, establishing the right performance metrics mix is paramount. An effective performance indicator (KPI) system captures financial and non-financial measures and is driven by structured data based upon an organization’s strategic objectives. This session will cover:
- Ensuring you have the right data to analyze and turn into meaningful metrics to improve performance
- A review of the different metrics, and how to prioritize which are most effective
- How to create a timely and accurate reporting dashboard
Isamu Pant
Coming soon
Dominick DiSalvo, MA, LPC
D
Dominick DiSalvo is the Corporate Director of Clinical Services for KidsPeace. He completed his Graduate and Post Graduate education at LaSalle University earning a MA in Clinical Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. He has been an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Lehigh Carbon Community College. Dominick has worked in the mental health field in numerous capacities for over the past 15 years. Dominick was offered the opportunity to become one of the first in the state of Pennsylvania to become nationally certified as a Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) therapist which occurred in 2013 and first in the nation to be re-certified in 2018.At KidsPeace, Dominick has developed clinical programming with the emphasis on Trauma-Informed, Family/Youth Lead, Data-Driven, and Evidence-Based to help lead longer lasting success and improvement in total quality of life of the whole family. This leads to the residential program becoming designated as an Evidence Based Program by an independent provider (EPIC) for the use of TF-CBT. His work in Trauma and past experiences in RTF, has led to looking at ways to incorporate more holistic approaches in the treatment of adolescents, and helping to ensure all needs of families can be addressed.
Tammy Pearson
Tammy Pearson, M.A., is the Associate Director for the Center of Excellence for Recovery at Marshall University, where she oversees multiple behavioral health initiatives. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and worked with WV’s System of Care for over 18 years, serving both as evaluator and later program director. Through this project she worked statewide with mental health providers, juvenile justice and the Department of Health and Human Resources. She has served on many statewide committees that serve children in the state of WV. She continues to work with the state on training, technical assistance, project management, data collection and evaluation. She over-sees the following projects: Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management, Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, Developing a Trauma-Sensitive Workplace in West Virginia, Wraparound Fidelity and Sobriety, Treatment and Recovery Teams. She is the lead evaluator for the two Regional Partnership grants in WV.
Carol Clayton, Ph.D.
Dr. Carol Clayton is a licensed, practicing psychologist with 30 years of healthcare experience in the public and private sector, including non-profit and private practice work. She currently works as the Translational Neuroscientist for Relias, specializing in healthcare solutions targeting workforce development and population health outcome improvement. Before joining Relias, Dr. Clayton was the CEO of Care Management Technologies, a health IT data analytics company. She also served as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Community Programs from 2000- 2006. The NC Council is the predecessor organization to i2i.
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
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.
Social Media & Health Care: A Look At The Health Care ‘Presence’ On Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & TikTok
Health care has seemingly embraced social media, and it has been incorporated into several health care strategies. Public health leaders realize they can build comprehensive public health care initiatives through social media platforms and social media-driven strategies. This session will look at the current health care presence across each of the most-popular social media platforms, and how that's impacting the provider-patient experience. In this session, you'll learn:
- The benefits and challenges of social media in health care
- Popular uses of social media to build provider practices and improve patient experiences
- How the future of health care might be influenced by social media
Paul Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 25 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
Deanne Cornette, MHA, GPC
Deanne Cornette, MHA, GPC, brings over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field. Ms.Cornette currently serves as a Senior Associate for OPEN MINDS and brings to the OPEN MINDS team noted expertise in strategic planning, grant writing and revenue development.
Previously, Ms. Cornette was the Vice President of Strategic Development for Tampa Family Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center. In this role, she managed grants, contracts, front desk operations, training, quality assurance special assignments (risk assessments and responses to complaints), credentialing and billing functions. In a very short time period, she successfully procured funding to integrate behavioral health services, brought a system of processes to track health indicators and improve value-based care payment and service and became proficient in utilizing HRSA’s reporting portals.
As Counsel for Strategic Development at Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc. (ACTS) and Vice President of Business Development for Gracepoint (merger), Ms. Cornette directed strategic development, contract negotiations, revenue development, marketing and grants. In this capacity, she targeted funding sources and built a lucrative cash flow that provided needed services to vulnerable populations in need of behavioral health treatment.
Some of her most successful negotiations created best practice services for veteran’s programs, women’s services, as well those involved with the criminal justice system. Her portfolio includes a wide array of awards from a multitude of agencies including, but not limited to: SAMHSA, HUD, Centers for Medicaid, and the Department of Transportation and collaborations with private, non-profit and government entities. Most recently, she worked with Gracepoint to develop Hillsborough’s Centralized Receiving Facility, one of the first funded in the State of Florida. From a system of care for jail diversion to evidence based practices for individuals who are homeless with behavioral health needs, her awards have netted over $80 million dollars to our community.
In addition, Ms. Cornette served as the Vice President for the National Contract Management Association Suncoast Chapter, Vice President of ACTS Affordable Housing Board of Directors, Vice President of ACTS Foundation Board of Directors, and was a member of Hillsborough County Health Care Advisory Board. She is the recipient of University of South Florida’s 2018 Florida Outstanding Women of the Year in Public Health. Her Centralized Receiving Facility collaborative won a 2018 WEDU PBS Be Brilliant / Innovation Award. Her concept of Housing, Engagement and Retention Tenancy (HEART) program won the 2018 Heart for Homeless award through the Housing and Education Alliance.
Ms. Cornette received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Masters Degree in Health Administration from the University of South Florida.
Raffle Prize Drawing
Paul Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 25 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
The Sustainability Challenge – Strategies For Capitalizing On Emerging Market Opportunities For Serving High-Needs Consumers
There are many forces ‘redrawing’ the lines in the health and human service landscape - particularly for organizations serving consumers with high needs and complex conditions. Executive teams need to focus on developing new business models that will be sustainable in a whole-person, value-based, hybrid future. Join OPEN MINDS chief executive officer, Monica E. Oss for an up-to-the-minute look at the changes in the landscape effecting strategy and key considerations for successful strategy development.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. 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. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, 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.