The Western Region Symposium is all about connecting individuals who work in hospitals, health plans, physician practices and others in healthcare settings by creating an environment to educate, connect and motivate!

EDUCATELearn from industry thought leaders and best-in class organizations.

CONNECTBeyond merely widening the circle of people you know, strong networks foster deeper learning and broaden your exposure across a range of issues. Simply put, our networks help us gain fresh perspectives, solve problems, focus on opportunities and possibilities and make decisions that accelerate progress.

MOTIVATEInspiration lets us grow. It improves persistence, effort, initiative, cognitive processing skills and overall performance.

FinanceStrategic

Planning and Reimbursement

RevenueCycle

DataAnalytics

CAH

NASBA Hours: Earn up to 21.5 credits

BREAKOUT SESSION TRACKS

Erik Rasmussen, Vice President of the Advocacy & Public Policy Group, Federal Relations Department American Hospital AssociationErik Rasmussen is responsible for representing AHA’s interests before the U.S. Congress. His primary goals are to promote hospitals’ interests with primary congressional committees with greatest importance to hospitals and will play a leadership role in developing AHA’s strategies and articulating AHA’s policies on assigned congressional committees.

Rudy Ruettiger, Motivational Speaker/AuthorAgainst all odds on a gridiron in South Bend, Indiana, Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger in twenty-seven seconds, carved his name into history books as perhaps the most famous graduate of the University of Notre Dame. The son of an oil refinery worker and third of 14 children, Rudy rose from valleys of discouragement and despair to the pinnacles of success. Today, he is one of the most popular motivational speakers in the United States. It took years of fierce determination to overcome obstacles and criticisms, yet Rudy achieved his first dream - to attend Notre Dame and play football for the Fighting Irish. As fans cheered RU-DY, RU-DY, he sacked the quarterback in the last 27 seconds of the only play in the only game of his college football career. In 1993, TRISTAR Productions immortalized his life story with the blockbuster film, RUDY. Rudy’s message will inspire you to overcome obstacles, stay on track, create magic to build momentum and reach your goals.

Ben Nemtin, Acclaimed Speaker and Best-Selling Author#1 New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? and star of MTV’s The Buried Life will share his story and hopefully empower you to make a difference and live courageously. It all started simple when Nemtin and three childhood friends decided to create the world’s greatest bucket list to recharge their lives. Every time they accomplished one of their dreams, they also helped a complete stranger cross something off their own bucket list. From playing basketball with President Barack Obama to helping reunite a father and son after 17 years, Nemtin’s quest has inspired millions to realize their true potential.

Sarah Kliff, Senior Policy Correspondent, Vox.comSarah Kliff is one of the country’s leading health policy journalists, who has spent seven years chronicling Washington’s battle over the Affordable Care Act. Recently, her reporting has taken her to the White House for a wide-ranging interview with President Obama on the health law, and to rural Kentucky, for a widely-read story about why Obamacare enrollees voted for Donald Trump. At Vox.com she focuses on the Republicans’ effort to repeal Obamacare, and what that will mean for the millions of Americans who rely on the law for coverage.

Jason Kotecki, CSP, Artist, Author, Professional SpeakerJason Kotecki is a professional reminder-er and permission granter who moonlights as an artist, author and speaker. Jason and his wife, Kim, founded the Cure Adultitis Institute and created Escape Adulthood, a company and lifestyle brand that helps people and organizations break free from the vile clutches of Adultitis in order to build better lives, businesses, and teams. Jason has offered real-world strategies and practical ideas to help individuals realize Adultitis-free lives, helping them beat burnout and become more innovative by breaking rules that don’t exist. His refreshing and relevant insights leave attendees encouraged, entertained, and motivated to explore new opportunities and strengthen the team dynamic to achieve success and accomplish what was once thought impossible.

KeynotE SPEAKERS

Shay Eskew, All American / All World Ranked TriathleteShay Eskew is an All American / All World ranked triathlete, former black bear researcher, burn survivor with scars over 65% of his body and sought out motivational speaker/author. At the age of eight, Shay was set afire by a neighbor’s child and credited with saving the life of his seven-year-old friend. Despite being told he’d never play sports again, enduring over 35 surgeries the last 36 years, Shay is a 4x IRONMAN, 4x member of Team USA, 25x IRONMAN 70.3, ranked top 1% of IRONMAN worldwide, and has competed in 10 triathlon World Championships in 7 countries on 4 continents.

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Breakup with Burnout; Living & Thriving Through Connection and Purpose!1:30 - 3:00 PMCally Christensen, Regional Development Director, Professional Credit & Joey Traywick, Professional Speaker, CMS-RNPayers, Providers and Patients and Partners are all aligned in the fight for the betterment of the industry- we’re fighting for the soul of the healthcare, and the struggle is real! We work in healthcare because we want to help people. We’re all challenged with change fatigue and doing more with less time, talent and resources. Burnout isn’t just a reality for our providers- we all are feeling the challenges. During this session we will explore the brain science behind

burnout and how men and women experience it differently, self-care strategies to break-up burnout, connect with others, and thrive with purpose and more.

General SESSIONSU

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Future of Analytics & Healthcare Disruptors9:15 - 10:15 AM Mark Lambrecht, Director, Global Health and Life Sciences Practice, SASIn the age of digital health, the healthcare ecosystem is going from disruption to transformation. Artificial intelligence is a hype and a reality – but what does it really mean in the context of healthcare? How can Analytics and AI help the physician, impact health care systems financially and operationally, reduce physician burnout, assist physicians in interpretation of medical images and optimize workflow? Digital healthcare data allows for vertical knowledge integration across manufacturers, payers and providers. It drives 360-degree insights into the patients (known as digital twins) and allows us to visualize benefits from behavioral, financial and system changes. During this session learn how you can embrace the new digital world from these techniques and maximize the potential that this new digital healthcare age has to offer.

CFO Panel8:00 - 9:00 AMJoin this year’s CFO panel for a discussion of current finance topics. Mergers & Acquisitions – The Highs and Lows10:45 - 11:45 AMSteve Clapp, President, Strategic Healthcare AdvisersJoin Steve as he provides an overview of various Mergers/Acquisition alignment strategies. During this session we will review case studies of both profit

and not-for-profit startup organizations and discuss the diligence needed to acquire healthcare entities and what makes acquisitions succeed and fail.

Who’s Afraid of Change? Lessons from Innovators in Healthcare10:45 - 11:45 AM Moderator: Jeff Helton, Associate Professor Health Care Management Interim Chair – Department of Health Professions, College of Professional Studies | Metropolitan State University of DenverPanelists: Dustin Taylor, West Region President, UHN; Michael RawdanCreating a culture of innovation is key to surviving in healthcare today. With the rapidly evolving technologies and methods, healthcare providers are creating new innovations that save time and resources and in turn, create a more financially sound organization. During this session a panel of healthcare providers

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Opioid Epidemic9:15 - 10:15 AMUnderstand the impact untreated Opioid Use Disorders have on healthcare systems and communities at large. Gain a broader knowledge of the fundamentals related to Medication Assisted treatment as well as the levels of care the patient receives treatment through. Moreover, the presentation will expose audience participants to recognize the barriers that exist for patients and healthcare provides that treat Substance Use Disorders on a macro and micro systemic level.

CAH/Medicare Regulatory Update 1:00 - 2:00 PMRalph J. Llewellyn, CPA, CHFP, Partner, Eide Bailly LLPThe constant changing of Medicare rules and interpretations makes it difficult to maintain compliance while also making sure the Critical Access Hospital is maintaining financial viability. This session will discuss recent and ongoing regulatory changes and issues impacting Critical Access Hospital and strategies organizations can consider for best addressing these issues.

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Critical Access Hospital (CAH) CFO Panel 2:15 - 3:15 PMModerator: Jesse Maier, CPA FHFMA CSBI CSMC, Providence St. Joseph Health, Senior Reimbursement AnalystPanelists: Kimberly Dalrymple, CFE, ACHE, CHFP, CCA, Director of Finance/Controller of Cascade Medical Center; Steve Febus, MBA, CFO of Pullman Regional Hospital; Richard Boggess, CFO of Morton General HospitalLearn what CFOs are doing at our Critical Care Hospitals to find success in transforming healthcare in their region. Find out how these leaders are handling the rules for transparency, funding projects for their facilities, and doing what you wish you could be doing at your hospital.

An Ethical Case for Excellence in Rural Healthcare Delivery 2:00 - 3:00 PM Benjamin Anderson, MBA, MHCDS, Chief Executive Officer, Kearny County HospitalAs the US grapples with the implementation of legislation that could afford all citizens access to healthcare coverage, rural communities face additional challenges. First, insurers are still paying generously through the Critical Access Hospital program for high-cost inpatient and emergency services with very little focus on incentivizing population heath. To make matters more difficult, rural healthcare delivery systems often lack the basic primary care and community-based infrastructure to properly manage the health of their populations. Put simply, even if insurers incentivized interventions that would lead to better overall outcomes for people, those services are not available in many rural communities. In this presentation, Benjamin tells the story of the rapid growth and transformation of Kearny County Hospital, a frontier healthcare delivery system in one of the United States’ most culturally diverse and medically underserved areas. He addresses the fatalism that has become common in rural communities, while referencing the Four Principles of Biomedical Ethics to make a compelling case for essential steps to effective, sustainable reform.

Integrated Behavioral Health Discussion12:45 - 1:45 PMJennifer Yturriondobeitia, MSW, DBH Candidate, Director of Behavioral Health Programs at Arete Provider NetworkDuring this session discuss how a grassroots movement can create systems transformation, understand how to create a statewide learning collaborative as well as identify key strategies to promote change in policies, payment models, and stakeholder engagement.

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Transforming Raw Data into Meaningful Analytics 1:00 - 2:00 PMLaurie Hindson, Senior Directory Business Analytics & Intelligence, SCL Health and Mitchell Schubert, Manager Data Architects, SCL HealthDuring this session we will cover what the role of an Analyst is and how they collaborate more on the front-end as part of a performance team. Analysts allow users to spend less time pulling data, are able to deliver the data faster and in a scalable fashion, can provide insights to users in the form of technical analytical models, can drill down to get the data to a granular or atomic level, aggregate all source system data into a single source and create visualizations that make data easily understood and consumed by a variety of audiences.

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Evolving to Higher Value Care: Using Variation Analysis to Lower Costs while Improving Outcomes in a Large Health System 2:15 - 3:15 PMKevin Fleming, Chief Operating Officer, Clinical Program Services, Providence St. Joseph Health and Caleb Stowell, Enterprise Director Value Based Care, Providence St. Joseph HealthFaced with declining reimbursements, as well as heightened expectations from payers and patients, health delivery systems struggle with containing care costs while delivering consistently good outcomes for every patient. One West-Coast health system has developed a systematic approach to delivering higher-value care by integrating cost and outcomes data, identifying drivers of variance, and engaging clinical champions to lead out in practice change with their colleagues. This session will discuss the strategies used to empower physicians and staff across a large geography to view the care they provide through a transformative lens that is promoting financial and clinical excellence.

What is Your Payment Data Telling You to Focus on for RCM Success? 12:45 - 1:45 PM Alan Nalle, Chief Strategy Officer, PatientcoThis session will address how healthcare leaders can begin using data to boost patient financial engagement, maximize payments and grow patient loyalty. Whether your organization’s revenue cycle has historically done very little with data, or you’re more familiar with data analytics, this session will prove valuable.

Big Data, Enterprise Data Warehouse Application 2:00 - 3:00 PMDr. Maia Hightower, Chief Medical Information Officer, University of Utah Health ScienceDr. Hightower will be sharing lessons learned as the University of Utah Health embarks on building a big data, high performance computing infrastructure, the process of selecting high healthcare value equation use cases and sharing a specific use case. We will address the importance of governance and how governance models must evolve to meet the ethical and technical challenges of big data in healthcare.

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How Health First Improved POS Collections with New Approach to Patient Estimating 2:15 - 3:15 PMMichelle Fox, DBA, MHA, CHAM, Director of Revenue Operations Patient Access, Health FirstIn its journey to put patients first, Health First created a plan to hardwire patient financial conversations, teaching staff to talk to patients about cost. This system implemented technology giving access to patient benefit information and began providing upfront estimates to every patient, regardless of coverage. Patient financial conversations are recorded to reinforce scripting and daily reports ensure completion of each step in the process. Outcomes include improvements in both patient experience and POS collections.

Revenue Cycle BREAKOUT SESSIONSM

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The Truth about Recourse – A Patient Financing Success Story 2:00 - 3:00 PM Moderator: Mark Huebner, Director, Health Services Financing, CommerceHealthcarePanelists: Rebecca Conen, Manager, Patient Financial Services, Deaconess Health System and Nikki Harper, System Vice President – Revenue Cycle, Hospital Sisters Health SystemHated or just misunderstood. Say the word recourse to a healthcare finance leader and you’re likely to receive a negative reaction. It’s time to set the record straight about recourse. With patient payment obligation growing, patient financing is playing a larger role in the healthcare revenue cycle. The stakes couldn’t be higher for providers. Capturing patient payments is a critical element of any financial growth strategy, impacting cash flow, collections, and patient experience. In this session, learn how revenue cycle leaders at Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) and Deaconess Health System leveraged a recourse-based patient financing program to solve one of their biggest challenges: patient liability. By retooling their patient payment approach, HSHS and Deaconess positively impacted days in A/R, point-of-service collections and patient satisfaction. Additionally, this patient-focused collection strategy enabled the system to align their healthcare revenue cycle with the patient experience.

Revenue Cycle1:00 - 2:00 PMModerator: Nick FricanoPanelists: Mark Norby; Gerilynn Sevenikar; Rick Lyman; Shaun RonanThis nationally recognized and very diverse panel of Revenue Cycle Leadership will present proven methods of success in managing the Revenue Cycle of today and the future. Their proven track record with some of the most prestigious organizations offer them the ability to provide best practices, practical advice and tools for each attendee to take back to their organizations.

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Work from Home Panel 12:45 - 1:45 PM Moderator: DeAnn CoplandPanelists: Pam Miller, Revenue Cycle Director, Mayo Clinic; Tammy Bickle, Director, Oregon Health and Sciences University Medical Group; Patrick Paiz, Director, Physician Services, Presbyterian Health ServicesThis session will provide insights on planning, implementing and managing a successful Work from Home strategy in a healthcare organization. Our panelists are revenue cycle leaders from major health systems who have been instrumental in helping their organizations develop Work from Home program.

Reimbursement Strategies – Surviving and Thriving Through Medicare, Medicaid and Other Payer Reimbursement Changes and Drive for Payment Innovation 1:00 - 2:00 PMBragg Hemme, Shareholder, Polsinelli; Ross Sallade, Shareholder, PolsinelliMedicare and Medicaid continue to keep providers’ full attention with the near daily deluge of updates, new payment models, enforcement efforts and more. Thinking strategically in this time of reimbursement innovation can be overwhelming. This session will analyze key changes to the reimbursement and enforcement landscape for a variety of provider-types in order to help you understand what is on the horizon, what is mandatory and voluntary, and how to structure internally and/or with other providers to succeed. While the Administration aims to lower provider burden, each change to Medicare and Medicaid programs requires you to reassess your strategy, participation and compliance efforts. This discussion will help target your strategic focus for the year to come. We will go beyond the standard payment updates and help look into the future for how your organization should think about reimbursement in this time of innovation.

Strategic Planning and Reimbursement BREAKOUT SESSIONS

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Strategic Planning & Reimbursement: Managed Care – Contracting Strategies to Avoid Disputes 2:15 - 3:15 PM Moderator: Emily WeyPanelists: Seres Sosnowski-Abueg, Michael W. Taylor, Vanessa Cavin, Liz BoileauProvider success hinges on the success of its payer contracts and its payer relationships. Increasingly, payers and providers are fighting over denials, payments, and other contract terms. These disputes are time consuming and expensive. This panel will be moderated by an alternative dispute expert specializing in the resolution and payer/provider disputes, who will help flesh out expert views from both the provider and the payer side on contracting strategies to succeed and thrive, and to avoid disputes.

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Claims Transparency: How Block Chain Technology is Transforming Medical Billing for Providers and Patients12:45 - 1:45 PM Emily Bailey, Product Development Director - Blockchain, Change HealthcareThis session will help those looking to find innovative solutions to solve some of the most troubling problems with today’s healthcare reimbursement system. Blockchain holds the promise to create a more secure, transparent, and efficient revenue cycle network. We will cover how a blockchain network can modernize how claims’ statuses are generated and made transparent to all parties, and how smart contracts hold the promise to automate transactions throughout the claim’s lifecycle.

Patient Engagement Strategies in a Value-Based World 2:00 - 3:00 PM Jonathan G. Wiik, MSHA, MBA, Principal Healthcare Strategy, TransUnion HealthcareHealthcare financing and delivery have changed significantly due to shifts in coverage, technology, payment patterns, and U.S. healthcare policy. As costs rise, and value-based care takes hold, stakeholders are drifting out of alignment. Hidden in this disruption is an opportunity and a call to action. Sending a paper bill in the mail on a mission of hope, after services have been provided, won’t work in the new patient-as-payer environment. Learn about loyalty and retention strategies that facilitate tailored, impactful healthcare experiences. See how organizations are engaging patients to create positive financial experiences for patient-as-payer.

Maximizing Industry Partnerships to Achieve Quadruple Aim 1:00 - 2:00 PMJeff Buehrle, CFO Arizona Rural Hospitals, Banner Health; Leah Braddell, Key Account Manager, IntuitiveThis session will focus on the performance, strategy and problems identified during the quest for the quadruple aim. Jeff from Banner Health will share lessons learned during their journey along with a roadmap that includes the resources they utilized for other organizations to follow.

Finance BREAKOUT SESSIONS

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Improvement is Good for Business. Waste is Not. Why is this Hard to Implement in Healthcare? 2:15 - 3:15 PM Peg Burnette, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Denver Health and Hospital Authority; Brad Membel, MBA, MHA, FACHE, Associate CFO, Denver Health and Hospital AuthorityEverywhere you look, there are initiatives in healthcare aimed at reducing waste, becoming more Lean and improving processes. But are we really doing it right? Why isn’t it moving faster? Why are many financial professionals skeptical about process improvement results and methods, and reluctant to invest in resources to achieve improvement? During this session learn about Denver Health’s solid financial results that have been achieved from process improvements and Lean methodology at the organization, hear what not to do and learn how to get started in a way that targets the low hanging fruit and doesn’t require a lot of investment.

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How to Build a “Risk-Ready” Healthcare Organization12:45 - 1:45 PM Dan Marino, Managing Partner, Lumina Health PartnersEffective contract negotiation and contract execution depend on the same set of capabilities. To succeed in risk-based contracting, providers need to build an infrastructure that supports every dimension of risk management—from risk modeling and contract design to population health strategy. In this presentation, Managing Partner Daniel Marino will explore these four capabilities and how they support the creation of a risk-ready healthcare organization.

340B Prescription for Success 2:00 - 3:00 PM Brian Bell, Managing Director, BKD; Claire Torrella, Senior Manager, BKDAs a stakeholder in the 340B drug pricing program, you are already aware of the significant benefit the 340B program provides to hospitals. This benefit allows hospitals to provide valuable services to those in their community and surrounding areas which would otherwise be unavailable or simply too costly to provide. To protect this benefit in the midst of increasing scrutiny, regulation, and complexity of the 340B program, covered entities must continually monitor compliance while adapting to significant changes in the healthcare environment. The 340B drug pricing program provides significant savings to 340B stakeholders. With these savings, there is a significant responsibility maintain compliance with the complicated 340B regulations. In addition to compliance, 340B operations are critical for optimized savings and compliance. Expansion has occurred year after year in regards to the program.

General INFORMATION

PARIS LAS VEGAS HOTEL AND CASINO3655 S LAS VEGAS BLVD., LAS VEGAS, NV 89109Western Symposium attendees have the opportunity to stay in one of the Burgundy Rooms at a significant savings! Spacious, bright and bold, the Burgundy Room combines classic European elegance with a modern flair. Splashes of vibrant burgundy complement the crisp brown-and-white color palette, creating a space that’s as warm as it is exciting.

Rate: $115.00 per night plus tax

Resort Fee: $25.00 per night (reduced from $37.00 per night)

Parking: Free

HOTEL INFORMATION

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

PROVIDERS

FIRST TIMER FREE

FIRST 300 TO REGISTER $300.00

ALERT: By NOT booking through our approved room block, YOU are providing your personal and financial information to a 3rd party who will most likely sell your data. We have no control over the volume of phone calls or solicitation e-mails that will most likely be a result of sharing your details with an unsecure vendor. You will also miss out on any items delivered exclusively to our attendees!

If you’re a health care product, business, or professional services firm that would like more noteworthy access to prospective customers in the world of health care or finance then the 2020 Western Symposium is the place to be!

New for 2020: • Redesigned exhibit hall to ensure good visibility for all exhibitors• Expanded provider incentives including both free and significantly discounted registration options• Face to face meetings with qualified providers• VIP networking reception• HFMA Corral with fun theme breaks to encourage traffic• And much more!

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BUSINESS PARTNERS

EARLY-BIRD MEMBER $620.00

EARLY-BIRD NON-MEMBER $720.00

Prices go up $110 after December 12, 2019

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