Leaders in provider network management gathered in Austin, TX, on September 10-12 for three days of learning, engagement, networking and fun. The conference provided an opportunity to share ideas, best practices and insights all with the goal of elevating the health of our communities.

Stay tuned for more details on VQ25 in the coming months.

Julie Scherer, PhD

Chief Data Scientist at Motive Medical Intelligence: Practicing Wisely

As Chief Data Scientist at Motive Medical Intelligence: Practicing Wisely, Julie leads the development and production operations for Motive’s products and services. In this role, Julie works directly with health care provider and payer organizations to optimize the integration of Motive’s solutions for leveraging data-driven insights to reduce costs and improve outcomes.

Prior to joining Motive, Julie led teams in the development of software and analytics solutions focused on performance measurement and improvement in the education, training, and health care markets. In addition to leading internal teams, she worked closely with customers to integrate and evaluate the performance assessment and improvement programs her teams developed.

Julie earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.

Leah Brucchieri

Healthcare Consultant; Former Director, Medicare Research and Innovation at Humana

Leah Brucchieri is a Healthcare Consulting Executive with over 18 years of health insurance industry experience. Leah’s background includes medical cost and trend analytics, provider contracting, network adequacy and access analytics, insurance operations, health related social needs interventions, and innovative benefit design. This experience has instilled Leah with a passion and drive to improve the health of the communities her clients’ serve by championing access to basic needs services alongside affordable, easily accessible healthcare services.

Whitney Martinez

Medicaid Provider Services Manager, Louisiana Department of Health

Whitney is the Medicaid Provider Services Manager with the Louisiana Department of Health, responsible for provider networks, provider relations, and provider enrollment. Her professional employment history in the medical field spans over twenty-five years as a Clinic Administrator, Reimbursement Manager and Operations Manager for pediatric and multi-specialty physician groups. She is a certified professional coder through the American Academy of Professional Coders and taught medical coding and medical management for five years at Louisiana State University. Whitney currently chairs the Administrative Simplification Committee and is a speaker for other organizations. She has received several awards from provider associations recognizing the work performed at the Louisiana Department of Health.

Tobey Carrel

Senior Director Network Analytics & Reporting, UnitedHealth Group

With an impressive career spanning over three decades with UnitedHealthcare, Tobey Carrel stands at the forefront of network data analytics. As the Sr Director of Network Data Analytics and Reporting, Tobey has cultivated a deep expertise in leveraging data to drive innovation, optimize performance, and deliver strategic insights across complex network infrastructures.

Throughout her career, Tobey has demonstrated an exceptional ability to translate data into actionable intelligence, helping UHC enhance operational efficiencies, drive innovative solutions to achieve strategic objectives, and build robust provider networks for Commercial, Medicaid, Medicare, and Individual Family Plans that ensure compliance with access and adequacy regulatory requirements.

Tobey has been a pivotal figure in the field of data analytics and network adequacy, beginning her career 30 years ago at GeoAccess. Through her partnership with Quest Analytics, she continues to drive the transformation of emerging solutions in technology leveraging her strategic vision and forward-thinking approach.

Steve Levin

CEO, Quest Analytics®

As a strategic entrepreneur in healthcare, Steve has more than two decades of experience leveraging data and workflow technology to drive innovation in healthcare. He brings a broad range of experience working with providers, health plans and health systems, initially as a management consultant, then as founder and CEO of a pioneering predictive analytics company, and most recently as head of strategy and mergers & acquisitions for a leading revenue cycle technology platform. Steve is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School and is a member of the board of directors of LifePoint Health.

Sam Glenn

Motivational Speaker, Author & Artist

For nearly three decades, Sam Glenn’s inspirational and artistic speeches have impacted audiences of all sizes – some audiences as large as 75,000 people at stadium events. Sam has spoken for just about every industry you can imagine. When it comes to attitude – nobody is excluded. Attitude is the driver of everything and Sam knows exactly how to recharge and rekindle that positive spark that empowers leaders to give, do and be their best.

Sam Glenn has been honored by being named Speaker of the Year on several occasions by meeting and event organizations and won two national awards for his training videos. He is the author of more than 30 books based on his research. Hundreds of organizations use Sam’s videos – weekly to kick off their staff meetings and cultivate positivity in the workplace. Sam’s Motivated by Art © Training has become the new buzz in creating engagement in the workplace. Not only does his creative art bring energy to the walls in any workplace, but the art is used for training purpose to enrich the quality of personal and professional performance.

Sam Glenn is an expert at igniting personal and professional positivity. Sam’s most rewarding title in life is being called Dad by his three kids and husband by his super awesome wife. They currently reside in Indianapolis. However, Sam is originally from Minnesota.

John Weis

Co-Founder at Quest Analytics

 

John has brought visionary solutions to the healthcare market for decades. He pioneered the industry’s first accessibility tools and developed partnerships with federal, state and commercial markets. He has evolved the idea of simple access standards to comprehensive automated network adequacy solutions that connect the dots between network adequacy and data accuracy. His foresight focuses on giving our customers a competitive advantage in the market with new tools and services.

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Dr. Bill Lewis

Senior Telemedicine Consultant

 

Dr. Bill Lewis is currently a Senior Consultant for Telemedicine for Fortune 500 companies, CDO’s, and Telemedicine companies. He is currently on multiple Advisory Boards and is working with PE and VC entities entering the E-health marketplace.

 

Through Wellmedcare he contracted with the Office of the CMO in Humana and was involved in the launch and implementation of many of Humana’s Telemedicine programs nationally form 2014 – 2020. He has assisted with TM Product development for provider groups like Optum’s Wellmed and employer programs like ADP. He served as the Chair of the ATA/CHQI Telemedicine Accreditation Committee which was sold to URAC 1/20 after successfully launching and Accrediting most of the top 20 National programs. He served for 2 years as the CMO of GlobalMed a national Telemedicine equipment and infrastructure company with presence around the world until 1/18.

 

Dr. Lewis served as the Senior Vice President of Medical Operations for Concentra Health Services and within Humana and Select Medical for 20 years and has supervised over 400 physicians in ten states with 140 clinics as well as over 200 Worksite & Wellness clinics in 40 states in this role. He obtained his Boards in Emergency Medicine and practiced emergency medicine and urgent care for twelve years prior to obtaining an MBA and practicing Urgent and Occupational medicine. In his current roles, as Senior Medical Consultant for corporations and practice groups through WellMedcare, he provides strategic and implementation support for Urgent Care, Telemedicine and Wellness products. Dr. Lewis received his medical degree at the Ohio State University and did his emergency medicine residency at the University of Oklahoma.

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TK Keen

Administrator, Oregon Division of Financial Regulation

 

TK Keen is the administrator of the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation. A lawyer by training, TK has been with the division in a number of high profile legal, policy, and compliance roles since 2012. TK leads the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s PBM Subgroup and is heavily involved in the division’s efforts around health equity. TK recently led the division through the process of creating its first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan and is currently involved in operationalizing the plan with a dedicated division committee. Additionally, TK has taken a lead role in the state’s response to COVID-19 and Oregon’s statewide wildfire emergency. TK is a graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School and enjoys spending his free time hiking with his son and daughter on the trails of Oregon.

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Rita Johnson-Mills

Founder and CEO, RJ Mills Enterprises, LLC and Former Healthcare CEO

 

Rita is an Independent Director serving on the Boards of Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. (BKD) and Quest Analytics LLC. Rita is a former C-suite business to consumer healthcare executive and business unit CEO for UnitedHealthcare and Centene Corporation. Rita’s background and experience include a combined 30 years of federal, state and private industry experience of which 15 years she was directly accountable for profitability of health care organizations. Rita is Founder and CEO, RJMills Enterprises, a Nashville, TN based professional services firm.

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Kyla Hoskins, M.P.H, M. EDL

Colorado Option Director

 

Kyla Hoskins is the Colorado Option Director at Colorado’s Division of Insurance. In her current role she leads the implementation of the Colorado Option, which is a first in the nation state-based public option program that will offer better coverage at a lower cost for individuals, families and small businesses.

 

Kyla previously served at AcademyHealth in Washington DC, a nonprofit health services research and policy organization, and at Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s health insurance exchange, as Director of Policy and Research. Kyla has also served as a Board Member for the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative for six years prior to joining the Division. She holds a Masters of Public Health in health policy from The George Washington University, a Masters of Education Leadership from the Broad Center (now at the Yale School of Management), and a Bachelor’s of Science from Creighton University

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Jason Gargotto

Director, Network Adequacy and Governance, Humana

Jason Gargotto is the Director of Network Adequacy and Governance at Humana. In his current role he oversees analytics, governance and implementation procedures in support of network build, maintenance and strategy.

Jason has 22 years of Healthcare experience, most of it focused on provider networks. Prior to his current role, Jason led Humana’s Physician Performance Management department, which focused on developing programs to leverage efficiency and effectiveness measures in the provider network space. Jason launched Humana’s Care Highlighttm program, a first of its kind transparency program aimed at the Medicare Advantage population. Jason also has years of experience in direct provider contracting, contract maintenance, contract loading, provider call operations, and financial modelling.

Jason lives in Louisville with his 2 daughters, and his dog Lily.

Kate Dzurec

Asst General Counsel, DC Exchange

 

Katie Dzurec is Assistant General Counsel for the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority. A former regulator, Katie was Senior Advisor to Commissioner Jessica Altman at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department for over four years and served as acting director of the Department’s Bureau of Managed Care as well as acting director of the Health Market Conduct bureau. Focused on healthcare reform and mental health parity, Katie helped lead the Department’s efforts related to health policy and innovation, bringing various state agencies and stakeholders outside of government together to address these critical issues. In addition, Katie directed inter-agency and inter-state collaboration on mental health parity enforcement and compliance efforts. She is regarded as a subject matter expert in the areas of healthcare reform, mental health parity, and health market conduct examinations.

 

Katie has held various policy and advisory roles across the insurance industry arena, including Vice President of Regulatory and Policy Affairs at Healthsperien, LLC, in Washington, D.C., where she advised national health insurers on policy and business strategy relating to health reform, as well as conducting statutory and regulatory analyses across federal healthcare programs. Prior to that she served as Compliance and Enforcement Division Director, Oversight Group, for the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight in the federal Department of Health and Human Services. She also served as Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Director for Maine Community Health Options, Communications Director for the Maine Bureau of Insurance, and was an assistant research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.

 

She holds a B.A. degree in linguistics from the University of Oregon, a law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law, and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Maine. She is currently engaged in coursework toward Master of Laws in Insurance at the University of Connecticut. Ms. Dzurec commits much of her free time to running with her family members. She currently splits her time between DC and the Harrisburg-area, where she lives with her daughter, and their dogs, Beezus and Dave the Dog, and a COVID rescue cat called Einstein.

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Stephanie Dekemper

Director II & Chief Operating Officer, Amerigroup, TN.

 

Stephanie has over 30 years of executive-level experience in government-sponsored health programs, and Medicaid managed care. She has expertise in developing initiatives for high-risk minority populations, specifically maternal child health and is a subject matter expert in Health Disparities, Cultural Competency, and Population Health Management SDOH. She has worked with state governments to: develop statewide health disparities initiatives, privatize home and community-based services, plan and design programs for CHIP beneficiaries, and design and launch a statewide chronic disease management program targeting ABD populations.

 

Before joining Amerigroup of TN, she was the President of a small consulting firm, the Meja Group, a consulting firm supporting managed care organizations, state Medicaid Agencies and International Technical Consulting firms. Throughout her career she worked with law makers to shape Medicaid and health policy. Stephanie’s passion for serving diverse and high-risk populations is best demonstrated during her tenure as Founding President and CEO of the Indiana Minority Health Coalition, succeeded by nine years as Vice President for Centene Corporation where she launched and served as the President of the Centene Foundation for Quality Health Care and moving on to lead as the National VP of Strategic Initiatives to identify and grow minority businesses in the Medicaid space.

 

Stephanie has an extensive background in program and strategy development to reduce health disparities. Her work in Medicaid includes health plan operations, government relations that included policy analysis, contact management and lobbying. She has managed the daily health plan operations serving over 350,000 members and has consulted on market expansion and program development in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Nebraska, Georgia, Louisiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Alabama. She has worked with State Medicaid Agencies and led readiness assessments of managed health plans. She has presented at numerous conferences over her career and featured in Modern Healthcare, for the article “Growing the Ranks in Minority Nurses.” Stephanie is a published author, with several co-authored articles in “CorrectCare” magazine and two published fictional novellas.

 

She a graduate of Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, Southern Police Institute UofL, Ky and holds numerous certifications. She is the proud mom of six sons and seven grandchildren.

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Karen Decaran-Voigt

SVP of National Networks, Molina

 

Karen is a growth leader and change agent with more than twenty years opening new markets and expanding products across the health insurance industry. She is currently leading the enterprise Provider Network Strategies for Molina Healthcare’s Medicaid-Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Special Needs Plans. With a deep understanding of network development, strategy, product expansion, population health and managed care operations, Karen has helped bring healthcare to every state, but one, across the USA.

 

Karen holds a BA and MBA from Baldwin-Wallace University. In her spare time she volunteers as a Coach for the Special Olympics in Standup Paddle Sports.

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Dr. Caroline Carney, MD, MSc, FAPM, CPHQ

President, Behavioral Health and Chief Medical Officer, Magellan Health

 

Dr. Caroline Carney is a board-certified internist and a board-certified psychiatrist. She joined Magellan Health in 2016 and serves as Magellan Health’s President of Behavioral Health and Chief Medical Officer. Her previous experience includes the role of SVP Chief Medical Officer of Magellan Behavioral Health and Magellan Specialty Health. She served as the chief medical officer for regional health plans where she gained experience in Medicaid, Medicare, Exchange, and commercial populations.

 

She has served as the medical director for the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning, helping to launch the Medicaid expansion product as well as the behavioral health transformation for the state’s community mental health services. While in Indiana, she served on the Governor’s Mental Health Commission. She is a frequent speaker about behavioral health services, integrated and collaborative care, and the importance of self-care during the pandemic.

 

Dr. Carney is a published author and co-author for over 100 peer and non-peer reviewed publications focusing on issues surrounding comorbid medical and behavioral health conditions. She was a tenured associate professor of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at Indiana University.

 

She started her medical and academic career at the University of Iowa where she earned her medical degree, as well as a master’s degree, and directed the Med-Psych residency program. She continues to engage in regular clinical work through supporting the behavioral health team at a federally qualified health center.

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Beth Bierbower

Experienced healthcare executive, former Segment President for Humana

Beth is a strategic leader with more than thirty years of executive-level experience in the health insurance industry. With a deep understanding of both traditional managed care and value-based care, Beth spent more than 18 years at Humana in several leadership roles including Segment President and a member of Humana’s Executive Management Team, President of the Group and Specialty Segment, Chief Operating Officer of Humana’s Specialty Benefits division and Enterprise Vice President leading Humana’s Product Development and Innovation teams. She currently serves on the Boards of Quest Analytics®, BlueSprig and the American Telemedicine Association.

Michelle Gielan

Happiness Researcher and Speaker, Bestselling Author

 

Michelle Gielan has spent the past decade researching the link between happiness and success. She is the bestselling author of Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change and was named one of the Top 10 authors on resilience by the Harvard Business Review.

 

Michelle is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” on PBS and a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course. She formerly served as anchor of The CBS Morning News, and her research has received attention from dozens of media outlets including The Washington Post, FORBES, and The New York Times.

 

Michelle holds an advanced degree in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. from Tufts University in Computer Engineering.

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William Frist, M.D.

Former Majority Leader, U.S. Senate

 

Senator William H. Frist, MD, is a nationally recognized heart and lung transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, founding partner of Frist Cressey Ventures and special partner and chairman of the Executives Council of the health service investment firm Cressey & Company. He is actively engaged in the business as well as the medical, humanitarian, and philanthropic communities.

 

As a U.S. Senator representing Tennessee from 1994 -2006 (the first practicing physician elected to the Senate since 1928), Dr. Frist was elected Majority Leader of the Senate, having served fewer total years in Congress than any person chosen to lead that body in history. His leadership was instrumental in the passage of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act that established Medicare Advantage and the historic PEPFAR legislation that provided life-saving treatment globally to 20 million people.

 

Senator Frist graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Medical School, and completed surgical training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Stanford.  As the founder of the Vanderbilt Multi-Organ Transplant Center, he performed over 150 heart and lung transplants, authored over 100 peer-reviewed medical articles, and published seven books on topics such as bioterrorism, transplantation, and leadership.  He is board certified in both general and heart surgery. He continues to serve as an adjunct professor of surgery at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

 

As a leading authority on healthcare, Senator Frist speaks nationally on health reform, government policy, global health, and education reform. In 2019, he launched “A Second Opinion” podcast, which addresses challenging healthcare issues of today from three distinct vantage points: policy, medicine, and innovation.

 

He is Founder & Chairman of community health collaborative NashvilleHealth, the Tennessee-based State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), and global health non-profit Hope Through Healing Hands, as well as Co-Chair of the Health Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. His board service includes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and publicly-traded companies Select Medical, Teladoc Health, Smile Direct Club, and GS Acquisitions Holdings Corp II.  Senator Frist is one of only two individuals to rank in the top ten of each of the five inaugural Modern Healthcare Magazine annual surveys of the most influential people in healthcare in the United States.

 

Dr. Frist and his wife Tracy live on a farm in Franklin, Tennessee.

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Matt Warren

Matt was born in Nashville, TN. Warren made his professional staff writer debut onto Music Row’s elite published songwriter scene when he signed his first deal with House of Fame in Muscle Shoals, AL. Matt’s first cut as a House of Fame writer was “Puttin’ Memories Away”, co-written with Gary Allan & featured on the Oprah Winfrey show when Gary was her guest. Warren is the recipient of 2 ASCAP Awards for most spins in a year (2009, 2013). In 2009, he won the ASCAP award for the top 10 hit “Learning How to Bend”. In 2013, he co-wrote the ASCAP award winning #1 smash hit & all-time biggest selling Gary Allan single ever, “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)”, which was also nominated for the 2014 ACM song of the year award.

Dave Pahanish

Dave is a 30 year veteran of the music industry working as a musician, artist, songwriter, singer, performer, and producer. Dave is a three time #1 hit Billboard Country songwriter and a hit producer with 6 charting singles. Dave penned Tobey Keith’s “American Ride”, Keith Urban’s “Without You” and Jimmy Wayne’s “Do You Believe Me Now?” (co-produced by Dave as well)

Brice Long

Brice has enjoyed a successful 25+ year music career. As a songwriter he has had over 100 of his songs cut with artists such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Hank Williams Jr, Randy Houser, Josh Turner, Reba McEntire, Gary Allan, Cody Johnson, Chris Young, Jon Pardi, The Grascals, Casey James, Darryl Worley, Randy Travis, Gretchen Wilson, John Michael Montgomery, Porter Wagoner and many more.

Brice’s songwriting hits include the #1 singles “Heartache On The Dance Floor” by Jon Pardi and “Nothing On But The Radio” by Gary Allan. Randy Houser’s “Like a Cowboy”,a song that also garnered Brice a CMA nomination for Song of the Year. Other recent chart toppers are Randy Houser’s debut single, “Anything Goes”, “Today” from Gary Allan, Casey James’ “Let’s Don’t Call It A Night” and Jon Pardi’s, “What I Can’t Put Down”. Learn more.

Jordan Barry

Jordan Barry, an Alpharetta, GA native bought a guitar and followed her love of performing and songwriting dreams to Nashville. Influenced by artists like Brandi Carlile, Amy Winehouse, Dolly Parton, and Kacey Musgraves, Jordan developed a sound that is at the same time unique and familiar.

Charlie Argo

Charlie Argo was born and raised in Selma, AL. In 2017 he moved to Nashville to pursue his lifelong dream of a music career. After being heard by local Nashville bar owners, while sitting in on honky-tonk gigs with friends, the soul singer with the unique bluesy style suddenly became in high demand in Nashville’s live circuit. Within a few months, Charlie was playing up to 5 gigs a week, attending other artists shows, scheduling and fulfilling co-writes, all while maintaining his major corporate job as a regional manager. ‘In the Name of Love’, a 6 song EP project, is a collection of musical stories, mostly written in Nashville by Argo, and based on the struggles and trials he faced leading up to his move to Music City. ‘In the Name of Love’ debuted #1 on the Itunes ‘Blues’ chart and reached the Top 150 of the Itunes ‘All Genres’ chart.

Matthew Resnick, MD, MPH

Chief Medical Officer, Embold Health

 

Matthew Resnick, MD, MPH serves as Chief Medical Officer of Embold Health, a data analytics company creating a new standard for healthcare quality. In this capacity, he measures provider, group, hospital and health system performance as well as guides provider engagement efforts to translate data insights into measurable improvements in the value of care delivered within local communities.

 

In addition to his role at Embold Health, Resnick remains on faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he maintains an active health services research program.

 

Dr. Resnick attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also completed residency training in general surgery and urology. He then completed a clinical fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and advanced training in health services research and performance improvement as a Department of Veterans Affairs National Quality Scholar. Resnick holds master’s degrees in both public health and healthcare management from Vanderbilt University.

Sean Larrow

Manager, Credentialing and Provider Data Quality

 

Sean Larrow is the Manager of Credentialing. Responsible for overseeing Provider Credentialing Operations, Provider Directory Maintenance, and Provider Network Adequacy Reporting for Highmark Wholecare, based out of Pittsburgh, Pa.

 

Sean has spent the last 15 years specializing in Provider Data Operations, particularly in the Managed Care arena. He has held positions focused on Provider Credentialing, Delegated Credentialing Oversight, Provider Data Analytics, Network Adequacy Analysis, Directory Database Administration, and Provider Operations Leadership.

 

Prior to entering the Managed Care landscape, he served as a US Navy Hospital Corpsman primarily assigned to Co. K, 4th Marine Division, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines and had the privilege of serving in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The blended disciplines received from the US Navy and US Marine Corps allowed for a smooth transition to the unique set of regulatory and compliance benchmarks required of Managed Care Organization Provider Data Management, Credentialing, Network, and Directory Teams.

 

In his spare time, you will most likely find Sean catching an early morning gym session, biking or hiking with his wife, or studying the latest and greatest in nutritional science.

Jason C. Goldwater

President & Chief Operating Officer for Laurel Health Advisors, LLC

 

Jason C. Goldwater is currently the President and Chief Operating Officer for Laurel Health Advisors, LLC, a small-women owned health care consultancy focusing on health care innovation, health care quality measurement, and health equity Mr. Goldwater has been in the field of health information technology (health IT) for 26 years and has led a number of projects on the utilization of health IT for improved health care delivery. He has been involved in the field of telehealth for the past seven years, having initially evaluated telehealth services across large urban and rural health networks as part of a peer-review panel for the Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCN) sponsored by the Health Care Resources and Services Administration. Mr. Goldwater also served as a Principal Investigator for a grant funded by the California HealthCare Foundation on the use of telehealth modalities for chronic disease care and care coordination. He also served as a Principal Investigator for a Commonwealth Fund grant exploring the various ways different health care entities, including payers, hospitals, long-term care networks and others used technology-driven solutions, such as health care, to drive value-based care and chronic disease management. Mr. Goldwater has written extensively in the area of telehealth, and how it can impact populations such as the homeless and the chronically ill. He also serves as a peer reviewer for article on telehealth for journals such as Health Affairs and the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. While at the National Quality Forum (NQF), he served as the Project Director for the development of a measurement framework that provides a foundation for the development of objective measures to assess the value of telehealth and its impact on clinical care.

 

Mr. Goldwater has also served as a Health IT Project Manager for NORC at the University of Chicago, where he served as the Principal Investigator for a number of projects, including an evaluation of the Strategic Health Advanced Research Projects (SHARP) program and a Study and Report on the Use of Open-Source Health information Technologies for Safety-Net Populations. Mr. Goldwater also worked for SRA International, a systems integrator based in Fairfax, VA, where he led a project to examine the use of clinical decision support systems within the Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VisTA) EHR system. Mr. Goldwater also spent a decade with the Federal Government, design software applications to assess the quality of care for older adults in nursing homes and hospitals; examining how State Medicaid data could be used for public health; and how to incorporate public health initiatives, such as immunizations, into State Medicaid programs. Mr. Goldwater has both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Emerson College and a Master’s of Public Administration degree from Suffolk University.

Clay Farris

Founder and Practice Lead, Client Solutions


Clay has advised CMS administrators, state Medicaid Directors, health plan CEOs, technology COOs and a wide range of other clients in the healthcare industry. His unique blend of management consulting, project management, policy making and analytics help deliver on-time, actionable results for a wide array of business challenges. His Weekly Medicaid Roundup is read and loved by more than 10,000 professionals in the Medicaid industry.
His experience includes policy making at both the federal (CMS) and state levels (State of Georgia), management consulting for large organizational change initiatives, big data solution sales and implementation and cutting-edge analytics.
He currently leads key project components related to consultation design, Medicaid subject matter expertise and project management. He has a masters in Health Policy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg of School of Public Health and is a Certified Internal Auditor.

Michael Conway

Colorado Insurance Commissioner
Division of Insurance, Department of Regulatory Agencies

 

Michael Conway was appointed as Colorado Insurance Commissioner by Governor Jared Polis on December 21, 2018, and was confirmed to this position by the Colorado State Senate on January 22, 2019. Prior to this, Conway served as interim Commissioner, a position he was appointed to by Governor Hickenlooper in January 2018. As Commissioner, Conway serves as the chief executive of the Division of Insurance and oversees the regulation of the insurance industry in Colorado. His role brings together consumers, the insurance industry and other stakeholders to create an inclusive, firm and fair regulatory approach to all lines of insurance such as auto, health, homeowner, life, property and casualty, title and workers’ compensation.

 

Prior to his appointment, Conway served as the Division of Insurance Deputy Commissioner for Consumer and Compliance Services since March 2016. In this time, he was instrumental in developing and guiding the Division’s strategies regarding health insurance during what was a tumultuous time for that industry in Colorado and the nation. He advised the previous Commissioner and the Governor’s staff regarding the possible implications of federal changes to the regulation of health insurance here in Colorado.

 

Conway’s duties also entailed appearing before state legislative committees to advocate for the Division’s positions regarding insurance and its regulation. He cultivated relationships with consumer groups and the insurance industry to create a regulatory environment that helped Colorado consumers but was a fair, level playing field for the industry. He also worked within the Division to establish objectives that provided for better protection of insurance consumers.

 

Before joining the Division, Conway was an assistant Attorney General for the Colorado State Attorney General’s Office from 2010 to 2016, where he represented the Division of Insurance in all facets of the regulation of the insurance industry including mergers and acquisitions of insurance companies, insurer rehabilitation/liquidation, and producer and company licensure litigation. He served three Commissioners of Insurance during that time. While in the Attorney General’s Office, he worked with the Colorado Attorney General Pro Bono Family Law Clinic, advising clients on matters of divorce and child custody.

 

Conway has also worked as an attorney for Colorado Legal Services, advocating for indigent clients regarding housing rights, homelessness prevention, evictions and subsidized housing.

 

With the exception of three years he spent in Miami for law school, Conway has called Colorado home for nearly 20 years since moving to the state to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Adam E. Block, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Public Health


Division of Health Policy and Management at the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College (NYMC)

 

Adam E. Block, Ph.D. is currently an Associate Professor of Public Health in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College (NYMC). He is a health economist with deep experience in the hospital, health plan and government sectors. He has research interests in how individuals make decisions in healthcare markets and his research activities focus on patient selection of hospitals, patient selection of insurance plans, and diffusion of innovation in the market, as well as evaluations of medical technology.

 

Prior to joining NYMC in 2017, he worked developing contracting models for value-based purchasing for a major hospital system and has worked extensively performing financial analysis and evaluation of medical management programs for a large Medicaid managed care plan. Dr. Block spent several years developing the legislation on the Affordable Care Act as an Economist at the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation and subsequently wrote regulations and regulatory impact analyses for key parts of the Affordable Care Act.

 

Dr. Block teaches health economics, as well as a doctoral seminar in government regulation in markets and advises dissertations. In addition, he regularly guest lectures on all aspects of the U.S. healthcare system at local universities and hospital departments.

Grace Arnold

Minnesota Department of Commerce Commissioner

 

Commissioner Grace Arnold leads the Minnesota Department of Commerce. She was appointed by Governor Walz in April 2021 and re-appointed in January 2023.
As overseer of state industries that provide financial security to Minnesotans and energy policy in Minnesota, Commissioner Arnold is committed to ensuring Commerce’s regulated markets are fair and accessible to all Minnesotans, and that Minnesota is a leader in creating a clean energy economy.
Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, she served as the Department’s Deputy Commissioner of Insurance. She also spent nearly a decade at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She also led product development for individual and family plans at Bright Health, a Minneapolis-based health insurer.

Roger Holstein

Chairman at Quest Analytics and Managing Director, Digital Media Head for Vestar Capital Partners

 

For more than 30 years, Roger has been a transformative force leading healthcare into the digital age, empowering consumers and physicians alike with transparent access to the information they need to make informed decisions. Since 2006, Roger serves as Managing Director at Vestar, where he has led investments in healthcare information services companies, including Quest Analytics, Healthgrades, and Press Ganey. Currently, Roger serves on the Board of Directors of Friday Health Plans, Accanto Health and the Chairman of the board of Quest Analytics.

 

Matthew Zachary

Healthcare Advocate, Documentarian, Podcaster and Provocateur

 

Matthew Zachary builds communities, creates national movements, and mobilizes millions of disenfranchised people crushed by the American Healthcare System to force systemic change from our government, the medical establishment, and the healthcare sector.

 

Matthew is passionate about putting the patient at the center of every conversation. Why? Because he is one. Diagnosed as a college senior with brain cancer, Matthew wasn’t sure back then he’d make it to his next birthday. That was 27 years ago.

 

With a 20+ year career in entertainment, advertising, marketing, nonprofit, digital health, public policy, life sciences, and broadcast media, he is considered one of the healthcare sector’s most respected, influential, and visionary voices.