East Texas ACHE Forums

Lunch & Learn: High-Yield Conversations
2023-06-28 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual
In our leadership roles, our words matter. How do we lead conversations that yield great results? We’ll look at coaching, managing meetings, and strategic discussions that will produce great value for our departments, clinics and systems.

Brian Brandt is President of Core Insights, a Tyler-based company providing training and facilitation for hundreds of businesses and non-profits throughout the country. With three decades of leadership experience, he has devoted his life to developing stronger organizations and leaders. He frequently speaks at conferences on human resources issues, leadership, change management, board development and engagement, and strategic planning. He recently co-authored a book entitled, The Ambassador’s Journey: A parable about nonprofit board leadership. They have previously published Blind Spots: What you don’t know CAN hurt you. Brian holds a Master’s Degree in Global Leadership as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.

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Healthcare Executive Leadership Networking Event - Texarkana
2023-06-21 17:30 - 19:30 | Northridge Country Club, 120 Bill Rogers Drive, Texarkana, TX, 75503
The East Texas ACHE Forum invites you to join fellow healthcare colleagues and making new acquaintances from throughout the East Texas area. Members and prospective members alike are welcome to register.

Hors d’oeuvres and two drinks will be complimentary.

Note: We will be meeting in the Northridge Country Club’s Formal Dining room.

Schedule of evening:
• Mix & Mingle: 5:30pm-6:30
• Brief Remarks: 6:30-7:00pm

A special thanks to CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System for hosting this event!

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Behavioral Healthcare: Approaches to Increase Value for the Organization and Meet Community Needs
2023-05-03 13:30 - 15:00 | TX
This panel has been approved for 1.5 Virtual ACHE Face-to-Face credits!

Historically, hospitals and health systems have not always embraced a role in meeting behavioral health needs in communities because managing behavioral healthcare and mental health is very complex. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year. The rate of youth with severe depression increased from 5.9% in 2012 to 8.2% in 2015. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder also meet criteria related to having a physical illness or substance abuse. Physical health and mental health issues occur together. For example, people with diabetes or cardiac conditions often develop depression as well. Being able to receive treatment for both conditions through an integrated behavioral health and primary care setting can be especially helpful since how we live our lives (behave) and our physical and mental health all interact with each other in complex ways.

Ultimately, the goals of behavioral health interventions are similar to those of other primary care treatment: helping people function so they can lead healthier, fuller lives. Receiving both behavioral health and primary care treatment in one integrated setting can help people continue to work or attend school, to engage with their families, to participate in their communities, and to be able to thrive. Managing co-morbidities can lead to an increase in cost and potentially a decrease in reimbursement. Mental Health America has reported that while most Americans have access to mental healthcare services through the affordable care act about 56% of individuals with a mental health disorder do not receive treatment. It is noted that in states with low workforce, there is a shortage of mental healthcare providers (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatric nurses). As hospitals and healthcare systems begin to make the movement away from volume toward value-based care healthcare executives need to implement best practices to align and coordinate high quality care, reduce utilization in the emergency room, address workforce composition, control costs and meet the ethnic and racial disparities of the community.

Moderator:
George Roberts, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer, Northeast Public Health District

Panelists:
Carol Henson, MS, MPA/HCA, BSN, BSW-IPR, CCM, CHWI, Behavioral Health Administrator, University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
Dr. Antionette Lenton, Behavioral Health Physician, Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System
Loretta Swan, Independent Consultant for various healthcare & legal organizations
Christopher Taylor, Executive Director, Mosaic Counseling Centers of East Texas

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Speakers Bios:

Carol Henson, MS, MPA/HCA, BSN, BSW-IPR, CCM, CHWI, is a registered nurse, social worker, certified case manager, community health worker instructor, and youth mentor. As the Behavioral Health Administrator for the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, she provides oversight for planning, coordinating, and administrative activities related to the clinical operations of the behavioral health service line. She also works collaboratively with the behavioral health educational programs in psychiatry and psychology, recruitment of staff and faculty, and external funding initiatives. As a mental health professional, she promotes accessible, available, and affordable mental health care in all communities, mainly rural communities. She thrives on challenges, particularly those that expand the boundaries and invokes change in the status quo regarding minority populations accessing health care timely.

Mrs. Henson attended college in Tyler, Texas, at Texas College and later the University of Texas at Tyler. She is a fellow of America’s Essential Hospital’s Adaptive Leadership Program and was recognized by the University of Texas at Tyler’s College of Nursing as the 2018 Outstanding Alumni. In 2022, she received the UT Health East Texas North Campus Leader of the Year award.

Community service plays an integral part in Mrs. Henson’s life. She participates in missionary activities like homeless outreach, serving meals at the Salvation Army, and providing toiletries to college students. In addition, she is a member of the Smith County Behavioral Health Leadership Team and the Smith County Jail In-reach project.

Antoinette Lenton, MD attended the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. During medical school, she commissioned into the United States Army as an Officer through the Health Professions Scholars Program. During her time in the military, she completed her Psychiatry residency program at Tripler Army Medical Center, promoted to the rank of Major and served in several leadership positions to include Substance Use Disorder Clinical Care Consultant, Medical Director of Behavioral Health Clinical Services, Chief Resident of Wellness, and Chief of Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit. She joined the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System in 2022 where she supervises a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner while also seeing her own panel of patients full time at Behavioral Health Clinic located at the Douglas Clinic.

George T. Roberts, Jr., has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) since November 2006. Services provided by NET Health include Community Outreach, Disease Surveillance, Environmental Health, Immunization, Tuberculosis Control, Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Regional Laboratory, Vital Statistics, and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Program. The Health District primarily serves Tyler and Smith County but also provides some services in 21 counties in East Texas. The WIC Program serves a 20 county area and Public Health Preparedness serves a 7 county region.

Mr. Roberts has over 40 years of health care experience, the majority of which was spent in hospital administration, having previously served at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, and Henderson Memorial Hospital in Henderson, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from SMU in Dallas and a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE), and he currently serves as President of the East Texas ACHE Chapter. He is a member of the Board of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, the Texas Health Institute, Carter BloodCare, the Piney Woods Regional Advisory Council, and the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. He is Past President of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Texas Association of City and County Health Officials (TACCHO), and the Past Chairman of the Texas Health Institute. Mr. Roberts is active in a number of church, community, and statewide efforts. Mr. Roberts has been married to his wife Leslie for 35 years, and they have 2 children – Claire (30) and Travis (26).

Loretta Swan has over twenty years of healthcare administration experience, including:
o Coordinating the creation of an FQHC clinic.
o Working as practice administrator for various healthcare facilities, including serving as the VP for healthcare operations for a system with over 350+ physicians and ~1000 employees and provided administrative supervision of operational activity for multiple clinics and strategic planning.
o Recruiting physicians.
o Collaborating with a team at various healthcare clinics to implement EMRs, including EPIC.
o Directing and implementing a billing service for out-of-state physicians.
o Spearheading multi-specialty physician group mergers and developing the central business office operations.
o Implementing medical coding auditing and training teams to ensure organizational compliance.
o Providing healthcare consulting services.
• Most recently, served as the Dean over the Professional and Technical Programs at TJC, training ~5000 students. The programs consisted of 42 degrees and certificates and had 14 Dept. Chairs.
• Currently and in the past, she has also served on various boards (healthcare, academic, religious and other community) and volunteer for CASA and at small healthcare clinics assisting with their revenue cycle.

Chris Taylor is a native Tylerite who currently serves as the Executive Director of Mosaic Counseling Centers of East Texas – a nonprofit organization that delivers therapeutic mental healthcare to East Texans across more than 35 counties. Mosaic focuses on improving affordability and accessibility of care by offering discounted fees based on household income as well as supervised care provided by qualified graduate interns. Mosaic also accepts most insurance and community partnerships, offering care in person and by secure video. Prior to this role, Chris served as the Executive Director of the Cherokee County Department of Public Health, and represented rural public health in Austin and Washington D.C. Chris was a founding member and first Secretary of the Texas Association of City and County Health Officials, and member of the National Association of City and County Health Officials, where he was chosen to complete a senior fellowship in public health leadership. Chris is currently the Chair of the Tyler Chamber of Commerce Medical Committee. Chris has a Master’s in Public Administration from UT Arlington and a Bachelor’s in Political Science form UT Tyler, and is also a credentialed mediator/arbitrator in the State of Texas. Chris and his wife Stephanie (Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Alliance of Smith County) have four children ages 13-22.

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Sustainability of Healthcare Organizations: A Plan of Action
2023-05-03 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual
This panel has been approved for 1.5 Virtual ACHE Face-to-Face credits!

Issues surrounding sustainability for healthcare institutions into the 21stcentury in the U.S., with regards to the era of healthcare reform, are very complex. Within the scope of priorities, this discussion will emphasize the necessity of understanding the key potential and existing operational and cost problem areas for healthcare system growth and sustainability as healthcare providers continue to face future operational, reimbursement, and environmental challenges. The primary goal of this discussion is to provide an overview of the models of current successes and solutions with a focus on a realistic plan of action.

Moderator:
Kerri Camp, Professor of Marketing, University of Texas at Tyler

Panelists:
Vicki Briggs, LFACHE, Retired CEO, UT Health Tyler
Dr. Roger Fowler, Chief Medical Director of Quality, Performance & Innovation, CHRISTUS Health
Jason Reinhardt, FACHE, Regional Vice President of Operations, Concentra

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Speakers Bios:

Vicki Briggs, MBA, and Lifetime Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives is an experienced healthcare executive with over 35 years of C-Suite experience in hospital and healthcare system administration in the not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare sectors. She retired as CEO of UT Health Tyler in October 2022 after joining UTHET in March 2018 when the joint venture was formed by UT and Ardent Health Services to acquire the ETMC Regional Health System.

Throughout her career, Ms. Briggs has had responsibility for 25 hospitals ranging from small rural, critical access, community, and specialty to large tertiary with teaching programs. She has held the positions of Division CEO, Market CEO, System COO, Hospital CEO, and Hospital CFO. She has worked with national healthcare systems including HCA, Ascension Health and Ardent Health Services.

While Ms. Briggs has broad experience in healthcare her most notable areas of expertise and results include organizational culture, employee engagement, physician alignment, women’s healthcare, compliance, clinically integrated systems of care, and operational excellence including LEAN. Her commitment to recognizing the importance of supporting employees at the bedside was acknowledged in 2022 and 2021 when she was recognized as Best Boss by the Tyler Telegraph Best in Town program.

Briggs earned her B.S. in Accounting from Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana, where she was recognized as a top 50 graduate during the 50th anniversary celebration. She completed her MBA at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama. She was named the Brock School of Business alumni of the year in 2013.

She has demonstrated her commitment to the communities where she has worked and lived through her involvement with not-for-profit organizations including the American Heart Association, United Way, March of Dimes, Red Cross, Salvation Army and Rotary. Nationally she served on and chaired the Board of the National Perinatal Information Center, was a member of the Regional Policy Board of the American Hospital Association and the Maternal Child Section. She has served as Chair of the Board of the Southeast Affiliate of the American Heart Association and served on the Audit and Quality Committees. She co-founded the Council of Women’s and Children’s Hospitals. She has been a speaker for the American Hospital Association, HFMA and ACHE.

Ms. Briggs’ experience in East Texas includes serving as CEO of Longview Regional Medical Center from 1998 to 2005 in addition of being CEO of UT Health Tyler. She has served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Texas Hospital Association and received the American Hospital Association Most Valuable Political Action Player Award.

Currently, Ms. Briggs serves on the Boards of Hospice of East Texas, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas and the Southwest Affiliate of the American Heart Association where she is chairing the Rural Health Summit being planned for later this year, which will focus on improving cardiovascular outcomes by engaging the broader community.

Dr. Kerri M. Camp is a Professor of Marketing and former associate dean at the University of Texas at Tyler. She has taught several courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, including healthcare marketing, healthcare management, and special topics in healthcare in UT Tyler’s online MBA in healthcare management and executive MBA in healthcare management programs. She holds a PhD from Texas Tech University, MBA in management from Golden Gate University, and BBA in marketing from Texas A&M University.

Dr. Camp has over seven years of industry experience in healthcare administration and marketing consulting for healthcare organizations and has served on multiple boards and advisory committees. She has been invited as a columnist for The Daily Sentinel, a media consultant for local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC news, and a guest speaker for numerous state and local organizations.

Her primary research focus is healthcare management issues including the role of patient satisfaction and value in healthcare. Her research has been published in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Journal of Retail and Consumer Services, Family Business Review, and the Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, among others. Dr. Camp is a co-author of the book Healthcare Marketing –Strategies for Creating Value in the Patient Experience and has a new book that will be released in 2024 on patient satisfaction. She has received numerous teaching awards including the 2017 Provost Excellence in Teaching Award.

Roger Fowler, MD, began solo Family Medicine Practice in Kilgore, Texas, from October 1981 until November 1996. He provided full spectrum Family Medicine care, including ambulatory, inpatient, emergency department, obstetrics including deliveries and c-sections, minor surgery, nursing homes, and home visits. In 1996, he joined the newly formed Trinity Clinic, an employed physician group that had incorporated 1 year earlier and was part of the integrated Trinity Mother Frances Health System.
In November 2005, he moved his practice to Lindale, Texas, to assist in opening a new concept “health park” for TMF and the Trinity Clinic, practicing only ambulatory care in Family Medicine as well as Urgent Care. He transitioned over the next 12 years away from urgent care to primary care, only. Then in 2010 began a new part-time administrative role. That role grew to 80% administrative time as Population Health and leading value based performance became more important within the Trinity Clinic. He ceased with direct patient care January 31, 2017, as he assumed a fulltime administrative role with CHRISTUS Health.
While with the Trinity Clinic, he served many governance and clinical leadership roles including Trinity Clinic Board member for 9 years, serving the last 5 years as Chairman. He served on various committees including Finance, Customer Service and Quality. He provided medical leadership for the PCMH recognition for all of primary care in 2011. The Clinic achieved Level III PCMH recognition for all 120 primary care providers.
He served as Chief of Primary Care for 2 years from 2012-2014, until assuming full responsibility for Population Health for the Trinity Clinic.
He envisioned, launched and provided leadership for the department of Population Health for the Trinity Clinic in January 2015 until joining CHRISTUS Health in February 2017 as Chief Medical Director of Population Health and Health Plans, CMO for the CHRISTUS Health Quality Care Alliance (ACO) and CHRISTUS Quality Network (CIN).
Beginning in November of 2019, Roger also became involved with the CHRISTUS Health Plan (CHP) and assumed leadership for the Pharmacy and Quality Improvement departments for the CHP. Subsequently, his role expanded in May of 2021 when the Medical Management Department also came under his leadership.
Finally, as of 12/31/2023, Roger has retired from full-time employment and is attempting to navigate “retirement.”
Roger is married to Patty Fowler for 35 years. Patty is now a “crafter” after a career as a Physical Therapist Assistant. We have a blended family of 3 boys and 1 girl with 3 grandchildren. We love spending time with family. For recreation, Roger spends time in pursuit of fitness, especially running for the past 43 years, and golf.
We have been Blessed and acknowledge our Christian beliefs. We worship in the Episcopal Church at Church of the Apostles in Coppell, Texas.

As an accomplished healthcare executive, Jason Reinhardt has more than 16 years of experience in healthcare administration. Jason currently serves as the Regional Vice President of Operations for Concentra, a division of Select Medical and the nation’s leading provider of occupational medicine. In his current role, Jason oversees the operation of over 100 medical centers and onsite clinics across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, and California. Prior to joining Concentra in 2019, Jason held a number of leadership roles with Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals & Clinics – now the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System – in Tyler, Texas and Baylor Scott & White Health in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Over the years, Jason has served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations. Jason served as board chairman for Junior Achievement of Tyler 2015-2016. In late 2016, Jason received the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Service Award for contributions made to the East Texas ACHE chapter. Jason currently lives in the Rockwall area with his wife of 16 years, Amber, and their two boys, Wade and Ben. He serves as a volunteer at his church in the youth ministry and coaches his sons’ sports teams in his free time.

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Healthcare Executive Leadership Networking Event
2023-04-18 17:30 - 19:30 | The Grove Kitchen & Gardens, 3500 Old Jacksonville Highway, Tyler, TX, 75701
The East Texas ACHE Forum invites you to join fellow healthcare colleagues and making new acquaintances from throughout the East Texas area. Please feel free to bring a guest.
Hors d’oeuvres and two drinks will be complimentary.
Note: The event will be held in “The Greenhouse” building
Schedule of evening:
• Mix & Mingle: 5:30pm-6:30
• Brief Remarks: 6:30-7:00pm

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Six More Rules for Career Life
2023-04-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us for our next East Texas ACHE Forum Lunch & Learn event!

In the Summer of 2022, Ed Fry, MBA, healthcare executive search consultant, Founder/CEO of FaithSearch Partners and Co-founder of HealthSearch Partners—brought us valuable insight on career coaching with a presentation entitled “The 12 Rules for Career Life.” These 12 principles were relevant reminders on how to leverage our personal brands for success. As a follow up to these 12 guidelines, Ed is adding an additional six principles to build off the foundation. Don’t worry if you missed last year’s discussion, this presentation will recap the original 12 guidelines and take a deeper dive into the new ones. The audience is sure to leave with valuable advice on career coaching, personal brand development, positioning for interview success, and more.

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Ed Fry, MBA, is a founding partner of HealthSearch Partners and serves on its board of directors.

Ed has successfully assisted healthcare systems, hospital boards and executive teams in securing visionary leaders for 30 years. Prior to founding FaithSearch Partners in 2007, he held senior/partner positions with two large, national healthcare and international executive search firms.

To date, he has managed more than 500 searches, including nearly 100 CEO-level searches. His clients have included more than half of the 20 largest healthcare systems in the country.

Ed holds an MBA from Dallas Baptist University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Southwestern Adventist University, where he is a member of the institution’s board of trustees. He also serves on the board of the Ardmore Institute of Health, a $70 million, faith-based national foundation promoting wellness and healthy living, recently completing a four-year stint as board chair.

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Leadership Leverage: The Principles Smart Leaders Leverage to Improve Team Performance
2023-03-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
It is common for healthcare leaders to feel they have to choose between an engaged team or a productive one. The work environment can either be peaceful and healthy or full of conflict and dysfunction. Smart leaders know there is a third way. In this session, we will examine the principles that foster both progress and peace within a team; principles that simultaneously deliver organizational growth and health.

Join us for our next East Texas ACHE Forum Lunch & Learn!

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Kevin Johnson is the founder of LeadTandem Consulting and Express Pros Training and is a distributor of the OAD Personality Assessment. He has decades of experience in Management, Business Development, Business Strategy, Consulting, Training, Speaking and Teaching. He’s worked on projects with companies like Northwestern Mutual, Clayton Homes, TechServ and BioMerics. He is a professional speaker for Vistage – the world’s largest executive coaching and peer advisory organization.

Kevin also teaches business courses as an adjunct professor at his local college and serves on its Business Management Advisory Committee. Kevin holds an MBA from The University of Texas at Tyler and a Graduate Certificate in Systems Thinking from Cornell University.

A voracious reader and an aspiring runner, Kevin shares his life and home in Tyler, Texas with his wife, two daughters, and three dogs.

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Explore ways you can take your leadership to the next level:
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www.expressprostraining.com
www.oadllc.com

An Overview of Health System Priorities for the 88th Texas Legislative Session
2022-12-15 18:00 - 19:00 | TX
Please join the East Texas ACHE Forum for this special (virtual) year-end event, where John M. Hawkins, President & CEO of the Texas Hospital Association will be providing us An Overview of Health System Priorities for the 88th Texas Legislative Session.

This is a complimentary event for all ACHE members and students!
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John M. Hawkins took the helm as president and chief executive officer of the Texas Hospital Association on Jan. 1, 2022. He is the organization’s sixth CEO since its inception in 1930. A longtime advocacy veteran, Hawkins has more than 35 years of experience in legislative, leadership and policy circles and has deep knowledge of health care and hospital funding issues. As CEO, he represents the Texas hospital industry locally and nationally and helps ensure hospitals have the resources they need to deliver the highest quality health care to all Texans.
Over the years, Hawkins has fostered critical relationships among business, consumer and medical communities and continues to position THA as a thought leader and single, powerful voice for Texas hospitals.
Prior to being named CEO, Hawkins served as THA’s senior vice president of advocacy and public policy since 2004. With a long tenure at the association, his team consistently secured important resources for Texas health care, including hospital Medicaid rates, funding for trauma and behavioral health services, funding for workforce training and protections for the state’s critical safety net Medicaid supplemental payment programs. Hawkins’ team also was an integral force during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to secure staffing, supplies, vaccines and flexibilities for hospitals to keep patients safe.
Before to joining THA, Hawkins had a key role in streamlining state agencies at the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, where he managed teams of analysts and testified on issues for the Commission. He also gained early experience as a legislative staffer in the Texas House of Representatives and as a legislative liaison at the Texas Department of Information Resources.
In 2020, Hawkins completed a six-month immersive hospital residency program at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest where he gained hands-on hospital operations experience, shadowing leadership, interacting with staff and participating in governing board activities.
Hawkins graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in government. He is married to Cami Hawkins, CEO of Marathon Kids, and they have two children, Madi and Jack.

Immediately following the presentation, there will also be a brief East Texas ACHE Forum annual meeting of the membership, to formally elect the 2023 chapter officers and new board members.

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Sustainability of Healthcare Organizations: A Plan of Action
2022-12-08 13:30 - 15:00 | Virtual
The panel has been approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits.

Issues surrounding sustainability for healthcare institutions into the 21stcentury in the U.S., with regards to the era of healthcare reform, are very complex. Within the scope of priorities, this discussion will emphasize the necessity of understanding the key potential and existing operational and cost problem areas for healthcare system growth and sustainability as healthcare providers continue to face future operational, reimbursement, and environmental challenges. The primary goal of this discussion is to provide an overview of the models of current successes and solutions with a focus on a realistic plan of action.

Our Panelists:

Donna Bowers (Moderator)
Regional Director for the Cardiovascular and Oncology Services Lines
UT Health East Texas Health System

Dr. Yele Aluko CMO, EY
Chief Medical Officer
EY Americas Health Advisory

Guy Cayo, FACHE, CEO, UT
Chief Executive Officer
UT Health Pittsburg (Ardent Health Services)

Dr. Suman Sinha
Chief, Pulmonary Medicine
CHRISTUS Health

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Speakers’ Bios:
Yele Aluko MD, MBA is Chief Medical Officer in EY Americas Health Advisory practice. He advises health system C-suite and senior executives on strategy and business operations and provides insight on megatrends confronting the health industry. He is a proven physician executive and corporate leader with astute understanding of strategy that develops competitive advantage for healthcare organizations. As Director of the EY Center for Health Equity he leads EY teams in the design of customized strategy, solutions and competency building for health sector value chain participants seeking to achieve Health Equity.

Prior to joining EY in October 2016, he practiced cardiovascular medicine for 25 years at Novant Health, a southeast regional integrated healthcare system where he led enterprise clinical integration strategy, operations management, and care delivery within the heart and vascular service line across the fifteen-hospital health system footprint.

He obtained his MBA from Wake Forest University School of Business, Interventional Cardiology Fellowship from University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Invasive Cardiology Fellowship from Cornell University Medical Center, General Cardiology Fellowship and an Internal Medicine Residency from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. He obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

He is certified by the American and Canadian Boards of Internal Medicine, and the American Boards of Cardiovascular Medicine and Interventional Cardiology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), and the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (FSCAI).

He is an Advisory Board member at Harvard Business Review, Honeywell Healthcare Solutions, Children’s National Hospital and is co-chair of the Health Equity Advisory Board at the International Well Building Institute.

Donna Bowers is the Regional Director for the Cardiovascular and Oncology Services Lines at UT Health East Texas Health System. She joined UT Health East Texas in June of 2020 as the executive responsible for both services lines. With a focus on person-centered care and quality improvement, she provides strategic direction to the health care system and establishes a cohesive organizational and governance structure that supports the UT Health East Texas care continuum. In addition, she provides oversight for clinical activities and programs; ensures the ﬁnancial viability of oncology and cardiovascular initiatives; and works to establish collaborative relationships among departments, physicians, medical groups, business partners and the community.

In her previous role with SCL Health System, she served for over five years as Vice President of Oncology and Cardiovascular Services in Colorado and Montana. Before joining SCL Health, she served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Service Lines with McKesson Specialty Health, where she greatly expanded hospital business, developed the oncology service line and strategy, and built a Proton Therapy Center, among a list of accomplishments. While at Baylor Health Care System for over 30 years, she held several leadership positions, leaving as the Chief Operating Oﬃcer of Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center and Vice President of Oncology.

Donna holds a Juris Doctorate from Texas A&M Law School, and a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management from Texas Woman’s University. She is a Licensed Attorney in the State of Texas, and a Registered Health Information Administrator. In addition, she is certified in Healthcare Privacy by the American Health Information Management Association, and is a Certified Mediator through the Dallas Dispute Mediation Services and Texas A&M Law School.

Guy Cayo, MHSA, CLSSGB, FACHE is the Chief Executive Officer at UT Health Pittsburg (Ardent Health Services).
Guy has 15 years of healthcare experience with expertise in hospital operations, strategic planning & execution, contract management, business development & physician relations, and human capital management. He has served his community by leading improvement in health, quality of life, and through volunteerism and philanthropy.

In 2021, Guy joined the UT Health East Texas region of hospitals as UT Health Pittsburg Chief Executive Officer. UT Health Pittsburg is a 25 beds critical access hospital (5 star CMS, level four trauma, level three stroke support) located in Pittsburg, TX. The campus is also home to a rural health/specialty clinic.

Guy is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He previously served as Chair of ACHE Community & Philanthropy Committee and Co-Chair of Network & Relations for ACHE South East Texas Chapter. He has one son, Cayden A. Scott. Guy has several hobbies including scuba diving, archery, swimming, and hiking. In addition, he believes he is nothing without God’s grace and favor on his life.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Dr. Suman Sinha earned a bachelor’s in biochemistry from the University of California – San Diego, a master’s in business from the University of Phoenix, a master’s in molecular biology from San Diego State University and his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine. Dr. Sinha is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care medicine.
Dr. Sinha is married with two daughters. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, reading and music.

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Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success
2022-12-08 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual
This virtual panel is approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face credits.
Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States at 220,000 to 440,000 people dying each year from preventable errors according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Clinicians and hospital staff face a devastating impact as a result of being involved with a medical error especially in organizations without a support system in place. Moreover, only 64% of staff who responded to the 2016 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture’s hospital comparative database felt that reported mistakes led to positive changes. To help healthcare leaders achieve total system safety across the continuum, ACHE, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement/National Patient Safety Foundation Lucian Leape Institute developed a guide “Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success”. This Blueprint is designed to help leaders shape, create and sustain the type of organizational culture needed to ensure patient and workforce safety and inspire healthcare leaders on the journey to zero harm.

Our Panelists:

Kenneth Rates (Moderator)
Director of Operations
McLaren Medical Group
Jonathan Baktari, M.D.
CEO
e7 Health and US Drug Test Centers
Catie Beasley
Coordinator of Quality & Safety Culture
Cook Children’s Health Care System
Richard Greenhill, DHA CPHQ, PMP, FISQua, FACHE
Assistant Professor
TTUHSC
Tracy O’Daniel
VP of Clinical Outcomes and High Reliability
Ardent

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Speakers’ Bios:

Dr. Jonathan Baktari, MD is the CEO at both e7 Health and US Drug Test Centers and the host of Baktari MD. e7 health is a preventative health and wellness company that has been called the “the Uber of preventive medicine” and was named the Best Technology Company in the Healthcare Space in 2019. US Drug Test Centers is a nationwide network of over 20,000 testing centers in the US and is revolutionizing drug and alcohol testing across the nation. Both of these groundbreaking technology companies were born out of a combination of Dr. Baktari’s expertise as a doctor, medical director and educator and his over 20 years of clinical, administrative and entrepreneurial experience. A former triple board-certified physician with specialties in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care medicine, being a healthcare CEO is only the latest chapter in Dr. Baktari’s life mission to help others by making integrative preventative medicine available to everyone.

Catie Beasley serves as the Coordinator of Quality & Safety Culture for Cook Children’s Health System and has over 14 years of organizational culture development experience. Her background is in public health and focuses on large scale interventions that shift behaviors and habits over time. She began her quality & safety journey in 2009 as the lead trainer for the implementation of Just Culture at Cook Children’s. When Cook joined with Solutions for Patient Safety in 2012 to continue developing their formal Safety Culture work Catie lead the roll-out and training courses that guide employees and leaders to understand the impact of culture, systems and behaviors on outcomes. Throughout her years of leading safety culture work at Cook Children’s she has created countless opportunities for individuals to deepen their understanding of safety science, the interaction of people and process, human factors integration, transformational leadership, the power of peer coaching and mobilizing learning opportunities. Catie holds an M.A. in Health Education from the University of Texas in Austin and a B.A. in Sports and Exercise Science from West Texas A&M University. She loves assisting other hospitals on their journey and has served as a regional subject matter expert for the state of Texas through Solutions for Patient Safety over the last 4 years.

Richard G. Greenhill, DHA CPHQ, PMP, FISQua, FACHE is internationally recognized for his expertise in healthcare quality. He draws from 30+ years of experience working in all facets of the care delivery continuum. Greenhill holds several industry and board certifications in quality, six sigma, and project management that highlight his commitment to excellence and life-long learning. His educational accolades include a Doctorate Health Administration from Central Michigan University, Master of Science in Data Science, Texas Tech University, Master of Science in Health Administration, Master of Business Administration, University of Maryland Global Campus and Bachelor of Science Health Care Management, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Greenhill is ACHE Faculty for quality strategy and improvement; board certified in healthcare management and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). He is Deputy Editor of the International Journal for Quality in Healthcare (IJCOMS), Communications and was named to the roster of International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) Experts in patient safety and quality improvement methodologies. In addition, he serves as a subject matter expert for hospital resilience and disaster preparedness for the World Health Organization (WHO).
He currently serves as Assistant Director for Graduate Certificates and Assistant Professor in the Department of Healthcare Management and Leadership – School of Health Professions – Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
He is a heavily sought-after speaker, moderator, & presenter for national and international conferences. When not traveling, he spends time hiking, painting, and enjoying community events with friends in the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex.

As vice president for clinical outcomes high reliability, Tracy O’Daniel leads the clinical outcomes and patient safety initiatives for Ardent’s Amarillo/Harker Heights and UT Health East Texas markets. She oversees the development of a quality strategy for each organization and works closely with the quality team and hospital senior leaders to achieve their strategic plan goals and objectives. In addition, Ms. O’Daniel is also leading the rollout of the “Mission Zero: Our Culture of Safety” high reliability organization (HRO) program which she was instrumental in developing for the UT Health East Texas market.

Most recently, Ms. O’Daniel led quality, risk, patient safety and performance improvement at UT Health East Texas in Tyler, Texas, first as director then as vice president. In addition to her work on “Mission Zero,” she achieved a significant improvement in quality outcomes through her focus on achieving the best possible outcome and experience for both patient and caregiver. Before moving to East Texas, she worked in quality and clinical operations for Intermountain Healthcare in Utah.

Ms. O’Daniel received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler, a Master of Science degree from Drexel University and a Master of Health Care Administration degree from Walden University. She is certified in Lean and Six Sigma, Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety.

Kenneth Rates is the Host of the podcast So You Want To Be A Healthcare Executive? His mission is to share the stories of highly successful executives in the hopes of striving you to achieve more in your career. He works in Ambulatory Care, currently holding positions at both Michigan Medicine and the University of Detroit Mercy. He is the current President-Elect for the Michigan Medical Group Management Association. Ken is a recipient of the American College of Healthcare Executives Early Careerist’s Regent Award in 2019.

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Multi-Chapter Event: Population Health Management
2022-11-17 13:30 - 15:00 | Virtual
This event has been approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits!

As reimbursements shift from volume based to value based, healthcare organizations are becoming more responsible for providing the resources necessary to meet the needs of a given population. Aligning quality of care with the appropriate level of care and services becomes pertinent to healthcare organizations’ bottom line. It is imperative for healthcare leaders to develop programs that offer underserved communities an opportunity for a healthier tomorrow.

Several pioneer organizations have developed population health improvement models such as Accountable Care Organizations that force them to take responsibility for the beneficiaries they are serving. As the acuity of care increases, healthcare leaders must coordinate equitable care and properly address social determinants of health. The focus is no longer treating patients, but proactively keeping patients out of the acute healthcare setting and providing care in the community.

Developing population health management into a tangible measure continues to be a challenge for all healthcare organizations across the country. How to properly reduce costs while improving the quality and access of care in communities that lack the resources and education to care for themselves and prevent acute health issues and substantive chronic disease continues to be a major hurdle in population health adoption.

Our panel for this virtual event will include the following guest speakers:

Jordan Holzbog
Director of Population Health & Partnership Services
Wise Health System

Byron W. Hunter, PhD, MPH, FACHE (Moderator)
Community/Population Health Strategist

Faith M Jones, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Director of Care Coordination and Lean Consulting
HealthTech

Frances A. Monroe, MHA
Director, Population Health & Wellness Strategy
Memorial Hermann Health System

Dr. Trevor Rohm
Chief Medical Officer
Hereford Regional Medial Center, Hereford, Texas

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Jordan Holzbog is the Director of Population Health and Partnership Services at Wise Health System in Decatur, TX, where she oversees population health programs, including ACO and Social Determinants of Health and their community health initiative, Healthy Wise County as well as several outpatient clinic locations in the metroplex. She obtained a Masters in Healthcare Administration from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and her undergrad from Southern Illinois University. Jordan is passionate about population health and improving outcomes while steering patients toward healthy living and resources to improve their overall health status. Jordan and her team lead the Healthy Wise County initiative, which unites healthcare providers and non-profit agencies to work together and impact patient outcomes outside the hospital and clinic settings within Wise County. She created Wise Gives Charitable Fair in partnership with Wise Health System and Acts4Others, serving 10,000+ people at the annual event in December, providing free services including food, social service assistance, haircuts, eye and physical exams, vaccines, lab work, coats and blankets, household goods and more – she even convinces Santa to make an appearance. Jordan is the chair of the Decatur ISD School Health Advisory Council, and President-elect for the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, and a founding member of Leadership Decatur. She and her husband have two sons and enjoy cooking together and spending time outdoors with their dog, Pepper!

Byron W. Hunter, PhD, MPH, FACHE is a public-health trained, hospital administrator with experience across multiple healthcare settings. Byron earned a BS in Public Health from Dillard University, which is one of the nation’s oldest HBCUs located in New Orleans, LA; a MPH from Yale University School of Public Health; and a PhD in Health Studies from Texas Woman’s University. He began his career as an Administrative Fellow and has risen through the ranks of inpatient and ambulatory leadership.
Byron currently works as a community/population health strategist and leads large-scale innovation projects to reduce cost, improve quality, enhance provider experience, and promote health equity among low-income and vulnerable patients. His research focuses on chronic disease prevention (overweight, obesity, and diabetes) among African American men. He is an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and is committed to community and public service.

Faith Jones is the Director of Care Coordination and Lean Consulting for HealthTech. She currently implements care coordination programs focusing on the Medicare population and teaches concepts related to care coordination and team-based approach to care nationally. Ms. Jones began her healthcare career in the Navy over 40 years ago. She has worked in a variety of roles in clinical practice, education, administration, and consulting. In her leadership roles she has been responsible for the operational leadership for all clinical functions across the healthcare system including ambulatory care and community networking. She has held a variety of leadership positions in the profession of nursing having completed 7 years of service on the American Nurses Association Board of Directors as a Director at Large and the Vice President. She holds a certification from the ANCC as a Nurse Executive Advanced, is a fellow of the American Nurses Advocacy Institute and the ANA-PAC Leadership Society and is certified in Advance Care Planning and Lean for Healthcare.
Frances Monroe is a system director of population health and wellness strategy for Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, Texas. She has over twelve years of experience in public health and hospital/clinic operations, with the last seven focused on population health strategy and operations. Frances is passionate about creating innovative strategies to expand Value-Based Care initiatives, address Social Determinants of Health, advance well-being offerings, and leverage technology and meaningful systems to expand access to healthcare services equitably. She holds a Masters in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University and a Bachelors of Science in Community Public Health from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Dr. Trevor Rohm currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Hereford Regional Medial Center in Hereford, West Texas. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Clinical Informatics. He serves as Medical Director for various organizations, including Medical Director and Board Chairman for the Texas Panhandle Clinical Partners Accountable Care Organization (tpcpaco.com). He is also the current CEO of the International Information Management Association (IIMA.org). He has various publications and was an integral part of helping Hardeman County Memorial Hospital successfully navigate Chapter 9 Federal Bankruptcy. His focus is value-based healthcare and using data analytics to push forward modern healthcare. He continues to see patients at the Hereford Health Clinic.

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Multi-Chapter Virtual Panel: Equity of Care
2022-11-17 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual
This virtual event has been approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits!

Quality of care should not vary on the basis of the patients’ socioeconomic, ethnic, gender, or geographic background. It is known however, that there is a healthcare divide in the U.S. especially in vulnerable populations including: those lacking health insurance (or are underfunded), low-income families, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ populations. The Affordable Care Act aimed to address access and equity of care issues by expanding health insurance coverage. Deficits in access to care changes the way healthcare is delivered and financed.
To embrace diversity is a core principle of the healthcare management profession and is also an ethical and business imperative. Healthcare organizations must ensure their staff is educated on disparities to appropriately address the needs of patients from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds to provide equitable high-quality care to all. It has been shown that patient-centered care improves clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction while reducing medical errors and costs. Eliminating healthcare disparities provides a strategic component to ensure organizational excellence and long-term financial viability.

Our panel for this virtual event will include the following guest speakers:

Chara Stewart Abrams, MPH (Moderator)
System Director of Community Health and Health Equity
CHRISTUS Health

Terika Richardson, MPH, FACHE
Chief Operating Officer
Ardent Health Services

Denzil K. Ross, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Northwest Medical Center Houghton

Vesta Sandoval, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Lovelace Medical Center

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Speakers Bios:

Chara Steward Abrams is the System Director of Community Health and Health Equity at CHRISTUS Health, where she is responsible for advancing their mission and vision by building the strategy for and operationalizing community health and health equity in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and international hospitals. She has over 18 years of experience in healthcare and public health administration. Chara is passionate about working with communities and healthcare organizations to foster strategic partnerships and align evidence-based initiatives to improve community health investment, ensure accountability, and dismantle systemic barriers to quality healthcare. Before joining CHRISTUS Health, she was the Administrative Director for the Department of Psychology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She led clinical and research administration operations, including leading an electronic health records committee to successfully plan and implement the conversion of over 3,800 electronic mental health records, resulting in workflow and efficiency by 35%. Before joining St. Jude, she was the Director of Outreach at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She led statewide programs to address cancer health disparities and provided a new direction based on Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles, patient navigation, and advancing health policy. Chara currently serves as the National Board Secretary of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE). Chara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Master of Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.

As chief operating officer of Ardent Health Services, Terika Richardson, MPH, FACHE, oversees the operations and strategic growth of 30 hospitals and more than 200 sites of care across six states. She leads the company’s efforts to build consumer-focused regional health networks and scale clinical and operational best practices across the Ardent system.
Richardson previously served as president of Advocate Aurora Health’s Central Chicagoland Patient Service Area where she oversaw the operations of hospitals, clinics and ambulatory operations. Under her leadership, the organization built out key service lines and developed innovative programs to address community health needs. Prior to joining Advocate Aurora in 2016, she was chief executive officer of Retreat Doctors’ Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, and served in various leadership roles for HCA and Northwell Health.
Richardson earned both an undergraduate degree in biopsychology and cognitive science and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan. A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, she serves on the board of directors for the American Hospital Association’s Innovation Committee and Institute for Diversity and Health Equity. She has been recognized as one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Minority Executives, among the Top 100 Women Leaders in Medicine of 2021 and Crain’s Chicago Business magazine’s 40 Under 40.

Denzil Ross, MBA is an accomplished healthcare executive who has successfully led both for-profit and nonprofit healthcare organizations. With his focus on cultivating relationships, building diverse teams, and delivering high quality patient care, Denzil is a proven and compelling leader in the healthcare systems and services industry.
Denzil is Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Medical Center Houghton, a new 150 bed hospital of the Northwest Health System in Tucson, AZ, which is part of Community Health System (CHS). Denzil was tapped to lead the opening of this hospital that will provide innovative care to patients on the east side of Tucson, a historically underserved community.
Healthcare Leadership Experience

Prior to joining CHS, Denzil served as the Chief Operating Officer of Lovelace Medical Center and the Lead Administrator of the Heart Hospital in Albuquerque, NM. In this role, he led the organization to be named to the Top 50 Cardiac Hospitals list in the US, as determined by the US World News and World Report as well as back-to-back Top Teaching Hospital recognition by the LeapFrog Group, amongst other accolades.
Prior to that, Denzil served as the Chief Operating Officer and Ethics and Compliance Officer of Metropolitan Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, TX, part of HCA Healthcare. Denzil led the organization to the top 10th percentile ranking for 5 consecutive quarters for patient satisfaction and the top 5% in the company.
Previously, Denzil served as the Associate Chief Operating Officer and Ethics and Compliance Officer at Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland Park, KS, another HCA Healthcare hospital, where he installed a Pediatric service line to the campus and achieved designation as a Level I, ACS verified Trauma Center.

Denzil received a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in Computer Science and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Healthcare Administration from Park University, Kansas City, MO. Denzil has served on the boards of Make A Wish of South/Central Texas and New Mexico, American Heart Association NM, APS Advisory Group, and Western Governors University Advisory Board.

Vesta Sandoval, M.D., is Chief Medical Officer of Lovelace Medical Center.
As an integral part of the Lovelace family, Dr. Sandoval has served as past Chief of Staff at Lovelace Medical Center, Chair of the Ethics Committee, and served as chair or member of Critical Care, Stroke, Peer Review and Credentials Committees. She also served as the Director of the intensive care unit (ICU) and Director of Respiratory services for Lovelace Westside Hospital, Lovelace Women’s Hospital and Lovelace Medical Center. She is on the Lovelace Medical Center hospital board of directors and serves as President of the Board of the Greater Albuquerque Medical Association. Dr Sandoval has served on the Medical Advisory Board to the Governor during the covid crisis to aid in vaccinations, treatment and patient transport as well as equipment and PPE distribution for the state of New Mexico. Dr. Sandoval has been a Fellow of American Chest Physicians since 2001. She was named a Top Doc by ABQ the Magazine in 2012.
Dr Sandoval was born and raised in New Mexico. Graduated from Los Lunas High School and attended collage on a basketball scholarship.
Dr. Sandoval received a bachelor of science degree from University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, TX and a master of science degree from University of Houston at Clear Lake in Houston, TX. She earned her degree in medicine from Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Lubbock, TX. Dr. Sandoval completed her internal medicine residency at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, as well as her fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine.

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Leadership Models and Applications to Build Your Organizational Culture
2022-11-02 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Please join us for our next East Texas ACHE Forum Lunch & Learn!
His presentation to us during our August Lunch & Learn was so successful, we wanted to once again tap into the expertise of Dr. Jerry Ledlow – this time to hear his perspective on leadership and building the culture within your organization that you desire.
Gerald (Jerry) Ledlow, Ph.D., MHA, FACHE
Professor, Healthcare Policy, Economics and Management
University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center
Dr. Ledlow is a board-certified healthcare administrator with over 35 years of successful practical and academic experience in leadership and management positions; his experience includes over eleven years in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, nearly three years in corporate healthcare and over twenty years in academia. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has led initiatives in healthcare supply chain, managed care, and population health integration with value-based care systems. He has successfully led multiple teams of diverse professionals, from over one hundred professionals to smaller teams, in military, corporate, education and academic programs. Dr. Ledlow has been a founding ‘architect’ or significant contributor to the development and launch of four (4) doctor level and seven (7) master level graduate programs in multiple delivery formats at three research universities in three states. He has co-authored nine volumes of texts/books to include a nationally recognized textbook on healthcare leadership, in 3d edition (earned a Doody’s Review Service 5 Star and 100 out of 100 score) with 4th edition in development and a national level textbook on the healthcare supply chain. Dr. Ledlow is the developer of the Dynamic Culture Leadership Model, the Inter-professional Team Model called PAARP, the Strategic Relationship Assessment Model called CAAVE with an assessment instrument called the CaT(c) used by the Vested Outsourcing Group(tm), and the Emergency Preparedness Assessment System called the GREaT(c) System. He was Dean of the School of Community and Rural Health, Health Science Center at the University of Texas at Tyler. Currently he is a Professor in the Healthcare Policy, Economics and Management Department, the International Chair of the Healthcare Supply Chain Standards Board (ISCEA), inducted in the Kenneth I. Shine, MD Academy for Health Science Education and was the former chair and member of the MD Anderson Cancer Center – UT Health East Texas System Quality and Metrics Group. He is married for 28 years to his wonderful wife Silke and is the father to three wonderful, intelligent, and caring daughters.

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Healthcare Executive Leadership Networking Event
2022-09-22 18:00 - 20:00 | The Grove Kitchen & Gardens, 3500 Old Jacksonville Highway, Tyler, TX, 75701
The East Texas ACHE Forum invites you to share an evening with fellow healthcare colleagues renewing old and making new acquaintances from throughout the East Texas area.

Date: Thursday, September 22, 2022
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: The Grove Kitchen and Gardens
3500 Old Jacksonville Hwy
Tyler, TX 75701
Note: The event will be held in “The Greenhouse” building

The event is come and go with brief comments at 6:45 p.m. Food and two drinks are complimentary. We ask that masks be worn when not eating or drinking.

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We would like to thank our host for this event:

Leadership: Revisiting Important Realities-Applications - Dr. Jerry Ledlow
2022-08-31 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us for another of our successful virtual lunch & learn sessions – offered during the lunch hour for your convenience.

Dr. Ledlow is a board-certified healthcare administrator with over 35 years of successful practical and academic experience in leadership and management positions; his experience includes over eleven years in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, nearly three years in corporate healthcare and over twenty years in academia. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has led initiatives in healthcare supply chain, managed care, and population health integration with value-based care systems. He has successfully led multiple teams of diverse professionals, from over one hundred professionals to smaller teams, in military, corporate, education and academic programs. Dr. Ledlow has been a founding ‘architect’ or significant contributor to the development and launch of four (4) doctor level and seven (7) master level graduate programs in multiple delivery formats at three research universities in three states. He has co-authored nine volumes of texts/books to include a nationally recognized textbook on healthcare leadership, in 3d edition (earned a Doody’s Review Service 5 Star and 100 out of 100 score) with 4th edition in development and a national level textbook on the healthcare supply chain. Dr. Ledlow is the developer of the Dynamic Culture Leadership Model, the Inter-professional Team Model called PAARP, the Strategic Relationship Assessment Model called CAAVE with an assessment instrument called the CaT(c) used by the Vested Outsourcing Group(tm), and the Emergency Preparedness Assessment System called the GREaT(c) System. He was Dean of the School of Community and Rural Health, Health Science Center at the University of Texas at Tyler. Currently he is a Professor in the Healthcare Policy, Economics and Management Department, the International Chair of the Healthcare Supply Chain Standards Board (ISCEA), inducted in the Kenneth I. Shine, MD Academy for Health Science Education and was the former chair and member of the MD Anderson Cancer Center – UT Health East Texas System Quality and Metrics Group. He is married for 28 years to his wonderful wife Silke and is the father to three wonderful, intelligent, and caring daughters.

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Lunch & Learn: Career Coaching and Branding
2022-07-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us for our next virtual lunch & learn session – offered during the lunch hour for your convenience.

Most of us are developing our own brand within our careers. Have you thought about what your brand is – and if so, are you satisfied with how you are perceived within your job and where you are headed with your career? Join us for our next East Texas ACHE Forum Lunch & Learn event, this time with career coach, Ed Fry, MBA, Founding Partner of HealthSearch Partners – and hear ways you can best take control over the future direction of your career.

Ed Fry is a founding partner of HealthSearch Partners and serves on its board of directors.

Ed has successfully assisted healthcare systems, hospital boards and executive teams in securing visionary leaders for 30 years. Prior to founding FaithSearch Partners in 2007, he held senior/partner positions with two large, national healthcare and international executive search firms.

To date, he has managed more than 500 searches, including nearly 100 CEO-level searches. His clients have included more than half of the 20 largest healthcare systems in the country.

Ed holds an MBA from Dallas Baptist University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Southwestern Adventist University, where he is a member of the institution’s board of trustees. He also serves on the board of the Ardmore Institute of Health, a $70 million, faith-based national foundation promoting wellness and healthy living, recently completing a four-year stint as board chair.

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Multi-Chapter Education Event
2022-06-24 08:30 - 16:30 | Baylor Scott & White Heart Hospital-Plano, 1100 Allied Drive, Plano, TX, 75093
Approved for up to 6.0 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits

Once again ACHE of North Texas, the East Texas ACHE Forum and the Texas Midwest Healthcare Executives are joining forces to offer our members great educational content and a tremendous cross-chapter networking opportunity.
Special thanks to Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital for hosting their venue and Aramark for hosting the food & beverages for this event!
Date: Thursday, June 24
Time: 8:30am-4:30pm
Location: Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano
1100 Allied Drive
Plano, TX 75093
Register Here
8:30-9am: Registration & Networking
9-10:30am: Panel 1: Improving the Health Status of Your Community
Panelists:
Vidya Ayyr, CHW; Director, Community Social Impact; Parkland Health & Hospital System
Kris Bolom, JD; Director of Behavioral Health Initiatives; My Health My Resources of Tarrant County
Danelle Parker, RN, BSN; Director of Community Health Improvement for Collin and Denton/Wise Counties; Texas Health Resources
Timothy Wilson; Senior Vice President, Population Health Management at P3 Health Partners
10:30-10:45am: Break
10:45am-12:15pm: Panel 2: Gender Equity and Intersectionality
Panelists:
Guy Cayo, FACHE; Chief Executive Officer; UT Health Pittsburg Chief
Bailey Farris RN, BSN, CEN; ER nurse; Texas Heath HEB
Suzanne Beauvoir Jackson, FACHE (Moderator); Vice President of Urgent Care Services; HCA Healthcare
Dawn Johnston, MBA, MSN, CFRN, LP; Administrative Director of Nursing and Clinical Services; CHRISTUS Flight For Life, Northeast Texas
Ajith Pai, Pharm.D., FACHE, President; Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne
12:15-1:15pm: Lunch
1:15-2:45pm: Panel 3: The Value of Developing and Implementing Alternate Care Models
Panelists:
Dawn Johnston, MBA, MSN, CFRN, LP (Moderator); Administrative Director of Nursing and Clinical Services; CHRISTUS Flight For Life, Northeast Texas
Mark S. Schnitzer, MD, CPHQ, CHCQM-PHYADV, FACS, FACHE; Surgeon, Educator, Physician Advisor, Medical Director, and Consultant
Juan Soto, FACHE; VP of Alternate Delivery; SCP Health
Michael Talley, FACHE; VP Clinical Ops; CHRISTUS Health
2:45-3pm: Break
3-4:30pm: Panel 4: Medical Staff Relations
Panelists:
Donna Bowers (Moderator); Regional Director for the Cardiovascular and Oncology Services Lines; UT Health East Texas Health System
Vicki L. Briggs, FACHE; Chief Executive Officer; UT Health Tyler, UT Health North Campus-Tyler, UT Health East Texas Rehabilitation Hospital & Services, UT Health East Texas LTAC
Madhura Chandak Bajaj, FACHE, MSPT, RHIA, CLSSBB; Vice President, Provider Documentation & Education; Envision Health
Dr. Suman Sinha; Physician; CHRISTUS Health
Speakers Bios
Panel 1: Improving the Health Status of Your Community
Vidya Ayyr leads high-impact interventions to address the social determinants of health, with a commitment to health equity and improving the lives and livelihoods of disadvantaged, marginalized, and vulnerable populations.
As the Director of Social Impact, she provides strategic oversight to Parkland’s community outreach investments, promotes innovation in data analytics, and mobilizes a team of Community Health Workers to drive an integrated approach to population health management. Prior to this role, Vidya was a part of External Affairs at Parkland where she developed public-private sector partnerships to support diverse, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Ms. Ayyr holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from University of Texas at Dallas and earned her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, in 2011.
Vidya serves on the national EPIC (EMR) Brain Trust, the Community Leadership Forum with the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC and is a Presidential Scholar with the George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson Foundations. Her work on social impact collaboration has been recognized by the National Root Cause Coalition, by the Institute for Patient and Family-Centered Care (IPFCC), and by American Essential Hospitals (AEH) for its merit as an innovative design framework.

Kris Bolom, J.D. is Director of Behavioral Health Initiatives at My Health My Resources of Tarrant County and has 8 years of public healthcare experience for behavioral and physical health organizations in Tarrant County. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Tulsa and his Juris Doctorate from Marquette University.

Danelle Parker is an RN, BSN and got her start at Parkland Health Systems in the Neonatal ICU. She moved to Texas Health Resources and started at the Plano Hospital in 2000 as a Community Education Manager and has been with the THR system for over 21 years, and is currently a Director of Community Health Improvement over the Collin, and Denton/Wise regions. In 2019, Texas Health began a new initiative called Texas Health Community Impact. This is where THR gets outside and upstream of the hospital walls to study why and what is sending people to our hospitals. “Your zip code should not make a bigger impact on your health than your genetic code.”

As Senior Vice President, Population Health Management at P3 Health Partners (P3), Timothy Wilson leads the continuous improvement efforts to help providers deliver the correct care our patients deserve, while maintaining affordability and driving down administrative costs. He believes that early intervention is key to delivering quality care to every patient, no matter the age.
Timothy, a 15-year health care veteran, has a proven record of analyzing and solving quality problems and strategically improving processes, including claims operations; systems configuration; provider services; vendor delegations; medical claims reviews; and audit and recovery.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Image Management and a master’s degree in Mass Communication and Media Studies, both from the University of Texas at Arlington. Timothy is a member of American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) of North Texas, and sits on the P3 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. While with UnitedHealth Group, he earned a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
In his spare time, Timothy enjoys spending time with his family and friends, as well as reading and exploring new cuisines.

Panel 2: Embracing a Dialogue about Gender Equity and Intersectionality
Guy B. Cayo has 15 years of healthcare experience with expertise in hospital operations, strategic planning & execution, contract management, business development & physician relations, and human capital management. He has served his community by leading improvement in health, quality of life, and through volunteerism and philanthropy.
In 2021, Guy joined the UT Health East Texas region of hospitals as UT Health Pittsburg Chief Executive Officer. UT Health Pittsburg is a 25 beds critical access hospital (5 star CMS, level four trauma, level three stroke support) located in Pittsburg, TX. The campus is also home to a rural health/specialty clinic.
Guy is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He previously served as Chair of ACHE Community & Philanthropy Committee and Co-Chair of Network & Relations for ACHE South East Texas Chapter. He has one son, Cayden A. Scott. Guy has several hobbies including scuba diving, archery, swimming, and hiking. In addition, he believes he is nothing without God’s grace and favor on his life.

Bailey Farris is a Certified Emergency Nurse with 10 years of patient care experience from both nursing and paramedicine. With a diverse background in emergency care, patient advocacy and lived experience, Bailey is now working from both bedside and academic perspectives to expand equitable emergency care access for LGBTQIA+ patients. As a vocal member of the Diversity Action Committee within the hospital environment, as a growing researcher within Emergency Nursing and as an MSN-Ed. candidate, Bailey is a rising voice in both patient care and nursing practice.

Suzanne Beauvoir Jackson, FACHE, is motivated by developing and executing strategies, leading and transforming organizations as well as scaling and managing enterprise wide operations, Suzanne is a seasoned multi service line healthcare executive with a proven track record of creating collaborative and integrated work systems.
As a result of her authentic action oriented leadership approach, Suzanne has successfully held progressive leadership roles including Chief Executive Officer of both specialty and general acute care hospitals, Chief Operating Officer, Associate Administrator, and Healthcare Consultant. Currently she is HCA Healthcare’s Vice President of Urgent Care Services; the leading hospital owned urgent care operator with over 200 urgent care clinics across 19 markets and 12 states.
Suzanne played a pivotal role in the organization’s national growth agenda increasing from 71 urgent care clinics to over 200 clinics, in addition to leading the organization in earning national quality and patient safety accreditation through the Urgent Care Association.
Additional accolades consist of past Gubernatorial Appointment to the Commonwealth of Virginia Governor’s Council for Women, ACHE District 2’s Regent At Large, Board Member for the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Institute for Diversity & Health Equity and a member of the AHA’s Equity of Care Awards Committee. Currently, Suzanne is the Chair of ACHE’s Programs, Products, and Services Committee, a Board Member of the North Texas Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, a Board Member of the Urgent Care Association Foundation and is serving on/establishing the inaugural Urgent Care Association Commission on Diversity.
Suzanne earned a certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida – Muma College of Business, is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and holds a Master’s degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan and Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. – Champaign.

Dawn Johnston has been in her Director role for CHRISTUS Flight For Life since October of 2018. With helicopter outposts at Mt. Pleasant, Wills Point, Palestine and Longview, Dawn provides clinical leadership for an amazing team of nurses and paramedics that provide critical care to the most seriously ill and injured patients in Northeast Texas while rapidly transporting them to definitive care. Dawn’s focus on organizational excellence enabled the well-respected agency to attain industry accreditation for the first time in 2021. Dawn served as Education Chair for the East Texas Chapter of ACHE in 2021 and became a Board member in 2022. She received her BSN from Western Michigan University and MSN in Nursing Leadership and Administration from Capella University. She also obtained her BA in Communications/Journalism from Truman State University, and MBA from California Coast University.
Previously, Dawn was Project Coordinator for Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan managing hospital-wide nursing communications, completing Magnet projects, and contributing to a number of Quality Improvement projects on multi-disciplinary teams. As a member of the Trauma Research Committee, Dawn also contributed to the requirements for meeting the hospital’s Level I Trauma designation. Dawn has a broad inpatient critical care background and was also a full-time flight nurse for West Michigan Air Care for over a decade. During this time, Dawn also became Air Care’s Marketing Coordinator, managing most aspects of the organization’s public relations in Southwest Michigan, in addition to providing education for the flight crew. She has been teaching since she became a nurse, first American Heart Association courses and then many critical care subjects. Dawn has provided public education through the media on community health initiatives and was instrumental in garnering support for the introduction of a legislative bill to curb dangerous methamphetamine labs in Michigan.
Dawn’s background includes firefighting, National Ski Patrol and community health education as a Crisis Pregnancy Coordinator for the Salvation Army. Serving as a “Big Sister” for many years, Dawn was also honored as Mentor of the Year for Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Battle Creek, Michigan in 2008. Dawn’s hobbies include writing and she has several publishing credits, including Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America and the International Medical Corps Training Manual, a resource for war-torn areas of the world, in which she was the Associate Editor. In addition, she has written and edited the company newsletter almost everywhere she has worked.
Dawn has been married to her husband Neal for 29 years, and they have one adult son – Harrison. She and her husband are members of Marvin United Methodist Church. Dawn resides in the Tyler area and enjoys running, traveling, writing and spending time with family, friends and neighbors. She is involved in Tyler’s Sunrise Rotary Club and Women in Tyler, which hosts an annual luncheon honoring influential women from the Tyler area.

Ajith Pai, Pharm.D., FACHE, became president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne in September 2018. Before joining Texas Health Cleburne, he was the professional and support services officer at Texas Health Kaufman.
Pai was born at Texas Health HEB and later began his career there in 1999 as a certified pharmacy technician. In 2011, he became the director of pharmacy at Texas Health Kaufman, where he oversaw the day-to-day operations and championed safe, quality-driven patient care through the implementation of best practices and improved clinical monitoring.
He received his Doctorate of Pharmacy from Texas Tech School of Pharmacy and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. He is also a graduate of Texas Health’s Talent Acceleration Program.
Pai is involved in his community through memberships on various committees including the Chamber of Commerce, Leadership North Texas, ACHE North Texas, and the ACHE Asian Healthcare Leaders Forum.
In his free time, Pai enjoys spending time and traveling with his wife Myriam, and their daughter, Elyse. He’s also an avid runner and has participated in more than 15 marathons across the country.

Panel 3: The Value of Developing and Implementing Alternate Care Models

Dawn Johnston has been in her Director role for CHRISTUS Flight For Life since October of 2018. With helicopter outposts at Mt. Pleasant, Wills Point, Palestine and Longview, Dawn provides clinical leadership for an amazing team of nurses and paramedics that provide critical care to the most seriously ill and injured patients in Northeast Texas while rapidly transporting them to definitive care. Dawn’s focus on organizational excellence enabled the well-respected agency to attain industry accreditation for the first time in 2021. Dawn served as Education Chair for the East Texas Chapter of ACHE in 2021 and became a Board member in 2022. She received her BSN from Western Michigan University and MSN in Nursing Leadership and Administration from Capella University. She also obtained her BA in Communications/Journalism from Truman State University, and MBA from California Coast University.
Previously, Dawn was Project Coordinator for Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan managing hospital-wide nursing communications, completing Magnet projects, and contributing to a number of Quality Improvement projects on multi-disciplinary teams. As a member of the Trauma Research Committee, Dawn also contributed to the requirements for meeting the hospital’s Level I Trauma designation. Dawn has a broad inpatient critical care background and was also a full-time flight nurse for West Michigan Air Care for over a decade. During this time, Dawn also became Air Care’s Marketing Coordinator, managing most aspects of the organization’s public relations in Southwest Michigan, in addition to providing education for the flight crew. She has been teaching since she became a nurse, first American Heart Association courses and then many critical care subjects. Dawn has provided public education through the media on community health initiatives and was instrumental in garnering support for the introduction of a legislative bill to curb dangerous methamphetamine labs in Michigan.
Dawn’s background includes firefighting, National Ski Patrol and community health education as a Crisis Pregnancy Coordinator for the Salvation Army. Serving as a “Big Sister” for many years, Dawn was also honored as Mentor of the Year for Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Battle Creek, Michigan in 2008. Dawn’s hobbies include writing and she has several publishing credits, including Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America and the International Medical Corps Training Manual, a resource for war-torn areas of the world, in which she was the Associate Editor. In addition, she has written and edited the company newsletter almost everywhere she has worked.
Dawn has been married to her husband Neal for 29 years, and they have one adult son – Harrison. She and her husband are members of Marvin United Methodist Church. Dawn resides in the Tyler area and enjoys running, traveling, writing and spending time with family, friends and neighbors. She is involved in Tyler’s Sunrise Rotary Club and Women in Tyler, which hosts an annual luncheon honoring influential women from the Tyler area.

Dr. Mark Schnitzer is an experienced Surgeon, Educator, Physician Advisor, Medical Director, and Consultant.
An interest in processes and mathematics led him to pursue an unlikely course of pre-medical study: electrical engineering. It was during his Ph.D. studies that he applied to medical school and completed his MSEE and MD concurrently. He completed his clinical training in neurological surgery and a fellowship in neurosciences critical care at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. His final year at Johns Hopkins was in the role of Assistant Chief of Service.
After fifteen years in solo, private neurosurgical practice and medical staff governance roles, he was recruited to Hawaii as the sole, full-time neurosurgeon for Kaiser Permanente with the mandate to set the groundwork for a completely internalized program. That experience led to his invitation to serve as the inaugural medical director of neurosciences and an ambitious project to unify the neurosciences programs across the government hospitals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Once this unification was well underway, the program was handed off to the Cleveland Clinic. Subsequently, he served as the inaugural CMO for a start-up telemedicine company in Dubai and as an adjunct associate professor in a graduate program for healthcare administration.
He returned to the USA after four years in the Middle East and took on the role of physician advisor for SSM Health. Initially accountable for one hospital, he was elevated to a regional, multi-hospital role where he was accountable for insurance denial management including education of clinicians in evidence-based medicine and responsible stewardship as well as holding numerous roles in quality improvement projects.
Most recently, he has taken on the role of medical director for a large accountable care organization based in Dallas, TX.
Dr. Schnitzer is board certified in healthcare quality and management by the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians with added qualification as a Physician Advisor. He is a certified professional in healthcare quality by the National Association for Healthcare Quality and is certified by the American Society for Quality as a Six Sigma Black Belt. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Dr. Schnitzer has provided a number of invited presentations in the areas of healthcare informatics, patient safety, and responsible stewardship and he serves as an examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Dr. Schnitzer considers himself an interface professional, like most clinicians who have transitioned into healthcare leadership roles. He maintains a state of constant inquiry and curiosity with the ever-present thought, “There is something I do not know, the knowing of which could change everything.”

Juan Soto currently serves as Vice President of Alternative Delivery for SCP Health, a physician-led company of clinical and operational experts. Juan has over fifteen years of healthcare consulting experience and has been a valued team member at SCP Health since July 2021.
In his current role, Mr. Soto oversees SCP Health’s Clinical Staffing and Advancement Solutions for partners that deliver care outside of the four walls of the hospital. Having consulted on several thousand projects across the healthcare spectrum, Mr. Soto uses his expertise to work with clients across a broad range of issues, from provider compensation to medical staff planning and process improvement. Mr. Soto has consulted with multiple healthcare organizations throughout the country regarding provider needs assessments, search strategies, demographic and healthcare market trends, compensation, contracts, retention, physician-hospital relations, compliance, and numerous other related issues.
Mr. Soto applies his healthcare experience to effectively assist his clients in achieving their strategic initiatives, without compromising the overall mission of the organization. He also keeps his clients apprised of the most recent industry trends.
Mr. Soto resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife Sarah and two children. He attended the State University of New York at Albany and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Michael Talley is the Vice President for Clinical Operations & Virtual Care for the CHRISTUS Health enterprise, an international health system headquartered in Irving, Texas. Mr. Talley started his career in healthcare as an intensive care Respiratory Therapist at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, his hometown. His administrative career got its inception at Mayo Clinic where he spent 10 years leading hospital operations, provider relations, and business development. During Mr. Talley’s time in executive leadership he’s built a reputation for driving clinical innovation, strategic operations, and system integration.

Panel 4: Medical Staff Relations

Donna Bowers is the Regional Director for the Cardiovascular and Oncology Services Lines at UT Health East Texas Health System. She joined UT Health East Texas in June of 2020 as the executive responsible for both services lines. With a focus on person-centered care and quality improvement, she provides strategic direction to the health care system and establishes a cohesive organizational and governance structure that supports the UT Health East Texas care continuum. In addition, she provides oversight for clinical activities and programs; ensures the ﬁnancial viability of oncology and cardiovascular initiatives; and works to establish collaborative relationships among departments, physicians, medical groups, business partners and the community.
In her previous role with SCL Health System, she served for over five years as Vice President of Oncology and Cardiovascular Services in Colorado and Montana. Before joining SCL Health, she served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Service Lines with McKesson Specialty Health, where she greatly expanded hospital business, developed the oncology service line and strategy, and built a Proton Therapy Center, among a list of accomplishments. While at Baylor Health Care System for over 30 years, she held several leadership positions, leaving as the Chief Operating Oﬃcer of Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center and Vice President of Oncology.
Donna holds a Juris Doctorate from Texas A&M Law School, and a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management from Texas Woman’s University. She is a Licensed Attorney in the State of Texas, and a Registered Health Information Administrator. In addition, she is certified in Healthcare Privacy by the American Health Information Management Association, and is a Certified Mediator through the Dallas Dispute Mediation Services and Texas A&M Law School.

Vicki Briggs, MBA, FACHE, is an experienced healthcare executive with over 30 years of
C-Suite experience in hospital and healthcare system administration in the not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare sectors. Currently she is serving as the Chief Executive Officer of UT Health Tyler, UT Health North Campus Tyler, UT Heath East Texas Rehabilitation Hospital and Services and UT Health East Texas LTAC.
Throughout her career, Ms. Briggs has had responsibility for 26 hospitals ranging from small rural, critical access, community, and specialty to large tertiary with teaching programs. She has held the positions of Division CEO, Market CEO, System COO, Hospital CEO, and Hospital CFO. She has worked with national healthcare systems including HCA, Ascension Health and currently Ardent Health Services.
While Ms. Briggs has broad experience in healthcare her most notable areas of expertise and results include organizational culture, employee engagement, physician alignment, women’s healthcare, compliance, clinically integrated systems of care, and operational excellence including LEAN.
Briggs, an American College of Healthcare Executives Fellow (FACHE), earned her B.S in Accounting from Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana, where she was recognized as a top 50 graduate during the 50th anniversary celebration. She completed her MBA at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama. She was named the Brock School of Business alumni of the year in 2013.
She has a demonstrated her commitment to the communities where she has worked and lived through her involvement with a number of not-for-profit organizations including the American Heart Association, United Way, Salvation Army, Girl Scouts, March of Dimes, Red Cross, and Rotary. Nationally she served on and chaired the Board of the National Perinatal Information Center was a member of the Regional Policy Board of the American Hospital Association and the Maternal Child Section. She is currently serves on the Boards of the Southwest Affiliate of the American Heart Association North East Texas Girl Scouts.
Ms. Briggs has recently to East Texas in March of 2018 when the joint venture between University of Texas and Ardent was formed to create UT Health East Texas. Her previous experience in Texas was as CEO of Longview Regional Medical Center from 1998 to 2005. While in Texas she served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Texas Hospital Association and received the American Hospital Most Valuable Political Action Player Award.

Madhura Chandak Bajaj’s life motto is “The grass is greener where you water it.” At Envision Healthcare, she leads strategy development and execution for the provider documentation and education function of the Medical Group.
Madhura is a data and results-driven professional with extensive clinical and business operations experience. She is passionate about service excellence, continuous quality improvement, clinical and technology integration. Prior to joining Envision she held various leadership roles in health systems, most recently serving as the Executive Director of Clinical Integration with JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas.
Madhura’s graduate degrees are in Physical Therapy and Health Services Administration. She is a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Madhura actively participates in the community by volunteering and serving in advisory roles. Born and raised in India, she pursues world travel and soulful music. She lives in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex with her spouse and eight-year-old twin boys.
A fun fact about her – “Will travel for good food!”

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Dr. Suman Sinha earned a bachelor’s in biochemistry from the University of California – San Diego, a master’s in business from the University of Phoenix, a master’s in molecular biology from San Diego State University and his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine. Dr. Sinha is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care medicine.
Dr. Sinha is married with two daughters. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, reading and music.

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Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Course
2022-05-07 09:00 - 18:00 | Virtual
The East Texas ACHE Forum Education Committee is excited to announce its partnership with Leaning Towards Change, LLC to offer a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification course!

The Yellow is healthcare specific, providing examples of real healthcare experiences. You will learn about lean six sigma, value vs. non-value added processes, and how to eliminate wastes, errors, and inefficiencies in healthcare environments, such as clinics or hospitals.
There will be a one-day, eight-hour Yellow Belt course on May 7th, 2022, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (including breaks).
(Be sure to watch future announcements for a Green Belt Certification Course as well. Note: You will need your Yellow belt first to be able to register for the Green Belt session.)
What’s included:

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Course e-book
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Exam
Simulated Project

Course Instructor: Tanya Stinson
Virtual Platform: Zoom

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Hi there! My name is Tanya Stinson, and I would like to tell you a little about myself. I have a Master’s degree in Healthcare Quality and Safety, a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, and 14 years’ experience in leading, coaching, and mentoring professionals in completing Lean Six Sigma, Quality, Compliance, Risk and Safety projects. I have a well-rounded and knowledgeable skill set, as I have worked in various industries, such as mining, utilities, manufacturing, technology, and healthcare. I am passionate about helping others by sharing with them what I have learned and creating positive changes within any organization.
I have been working for Texas Health Resources since June 2017. Currently, I am a Supervisor of Data Governance Support for THR and before my recent promotion, I was a Performance Improvement Engineer/Coach for 4 years. Since working with them, I have received several awards and accolades.
Here are just a few of the recognitions I have received:
• 2020 ACHE of North Texas Mentor of the Year
• Trailblazer Award – Texas Health Arlington Memorial, 2018 for Blood Culture Contamination Reduction Project
• Quality Award (2) – Texas Health Fort Worth, 2019 for Neonatal Extubation Process Improvement Project and “Let’s Get Moving” Patient Ambulation Improvement Project
• Discoverer Award – Texas Health Resources, 2019 for ED Discharge Scheduling Improvement Project
• Transformer Award – Texas Health Resources, 2020 for Interventional Radiology Throughput Improvement Project
Outside of work, I am a wife and mother of 4 handsome young men, and I love fishing, camping, and racing just to name a few!
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you are as excited about the upcoming classes as I am! I look forward to meeting every one of you and growing the passion for PI!
Many blessings,
Tanya Stinson

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New School of Medicine at the Health Science Center at UT Tyler
2022-04-20 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Please join us for this special East Texas ACHE Forum Lunch & Learn!

Register now to hear more about the projects in the works and the future plans for UT-Tyler’s new school of medicine.
Our guest presenters for this Lunch & Learn session will be:
Julie V. Philley, MD
Executive Vice President, Health Affairs, Vice Provost
Health Science Center at the University of Texas at Tyler
Brigham C. Willis, MD
Founding Dean, School of Medicine
Health Science Center at the University of Texas at Tyler
Speakers’ Bios:

Julie V. Philley, MD, is a professor of medicine and Executive Vice President of Health Affairs at the Health Science Center at the University of Texas at Tyler in Tyler, TX. She is board certified in internal medicine, critical care medicine, and pulmonary disease. She moved to Tyler in 2012 to continue her research efforts in nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease and also received a $2 million National Institutes of Health grant for convalescent plasma research. A native East Texan, Dr. Philley now leads UT Tyler health related endeavors, including the formation of a new medical school.

Brigham Willis, MD, is the newly appointed founding dean of the school of medicine at the Health Science Center at UT Tyler. A longtime educator, scholar, and leader in academic medicine, “Brig” earned his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and then completed his residency at Children’s Hospital and Research Center, Oakland. Dr. Willis finished his training in a fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, later serving as the Associate Fellowship Director for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern. Prior to his recent move to Tyler, Dr. Willis served as a professor of pediatrics and the senior associate dean of medical education at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.

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Outcomes of the 87th Legislative Session
2022-03-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Please join us for our next East Texas ACHE Forum Lunch & Learn event with John Hawkins – President & CEO, Texas Hospital Association

John M. Hawkins took the helm as president and chief executive officer of the Texas Hospital Association on Jan. 1, 2022. He is the organization’s sixth CEO since its inception in 1930. A longtime advocacy veteran, Hawkins has more than 35 years of experience in legislative, leadership and policy circles and has deep knowledge of health care and hospital funding issues. As CEO, he represents the Texas hospital industry locally and nationally and helps ensure hospitals have the resources they need to deliver the highest quality health care to all Texans.
Over the years, Hawkins has fostered critical relationships among business, consumer and medical communities and continues to position THA as a thought leader and single, powerful voice for Texas hospitals.
Prior to being named CEO, Hawkins served as THA’s senior vice president of advocacy and public policy since 2004. With a long tenure at the association, his team consistently secured important resources for Texas health care, including hospital Medicaid rates, funding for trauma and behavioral health services, funding for workforce training and protections for the state’s critical safety net Medicaid supplemental payment programs. Hawkins’ team also was an integral force during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to secure staffing, supplies, vaccines and flexibilities for hospitals to keep patients safe.
Before to joining THA, Hawkins had a key role in streamlining state agencies at the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, where he managed teams of analysts and testified on issues for the Commission. He also gained early experience as a legislative staffer in the Texas House of Representatives and as a legislative liaison at the Texas Department of Information Resources.
In 2020, Hawkins completed a six-month immersive hospital residency program at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest where he gained hands-on hospital operations experience, shadowing leadership, interacting with staff and participating in governing board activities.
Hawkins graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in government. He is married to Cami Hawkins, CEO of Marathon Kids, and they have two children, Madi and Jack.

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Execution in the Face of Challenge…CHRISTUS Health Northeast Texas
2021-12-08 18:30 - 19:30 | Virtual
An evening with Chris Glenney, FACHE

Please join your East Texas ACHE Forum colleagues for our special annual General Membership Event!

Topic: Execution in the Face of Challenge…CHRISTUS Health Northeast Texas
Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Time: 6:30-7:30pm
Featured Presenter: Chris Glenney, FACHESenior Vice President, Group Operations CHRISTUS HealthChief Executive Officer, CHRISTUS Health NETXPresident, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System

Chris Glenney, FACHE, is the Senior Vice President of Group Operations for CHRISTUS® Health and Chief Executive Officer of CHRISTUS® Health Northeast Texas, which includes CHRISTUS® Trinity Mother Frances Health System, CHRISTUS® Mother Frances Sulphur Springs, CHRISTUS® St. Michael Health System, CHRISTUS® Good Shepherd Health System and CHRISTUS® Trinity Clinic. Chris has been with CHRISTUS® Trinity Mother Frances since 1998 and has served in a variety of leadership roles.
Chris holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University. Additionally, he is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Chris loves his community and has an active role in volunteerism. He is an elder at Grace Community Church and is the school board chairman for Grace Community School. He has served on the following boards: Texas A&M School of Public Health Advisory Board, Encouragement FM, Leadership Tyler, Hospice of East Texas, Texas Care Alliance, Tyler ContinueCare Hospital, and various other boards within the CHRISTUS Health Northeast Texas system.
Chris has been married to Shannon for 24 years and they have three wonderful kids, Caleb, Josh and Kate. Chris is an Aggie and enjoys everything about Texas A&M, especially football. He loves the outdoors and spends his free time boating, grilling, skiing, and spending time with family.

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Key State Legislative Issues Facing Leaders and Potential Responses
2021-11-17 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtual
This virtual panel has been approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face credits!

Numerous public policy and legislative issues around healthcare delivery and public health affect healthcare organizations and demand involvement of their leaders to respond and adjust organizational policies and procedures. These issues often relate to improving population health, access and coverage through Medicaid and other programs, improving value, addressing consumer issues and workforce shortages, and more. Learning these issues and being involved in policy and organizational responses is important for healthcare leaders, regardless of how directly they may be involved.

Mona Gaw, MPA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, CPHQ, LSSBB, DNP (Moderator)
Associate Chief Nursing Officer
CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System
Chris Hall
Director of Government Affairs and Industry Relations
PHI Air Medical
Mary Elizabeth Jackson
Vice President
CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System
Butch Oberhoff
Director of Governmental Affairs
Acadian Ambulance Service of Texas
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Speakers’ Bios

Mona Gaw, MPA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, CPHQ, LSSBB, DNP is the Associate Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System (CTMFHS).
Prior to her current role, she served as Administrative Director of Nursing Professional Excellence at CTMFHS. Mona has served in various leadership roles such as Executive Director of Quality at JPS Health Network. In close collaboration with the Chief Quality Officer, she was responsible for driving the quality and patient safety agenda at Tarrant County’s Level 1 Trauma Center.
Mona also served in the role of Assistant Vice President of Clinical Excellence at Medical City Healthcare where she provided strategic direction for quality management, regulatory compliance, infection control, medical peer review, and education & organizational development. During her tenure, she successfully led the Pathway to Excellence® designation through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Prior to immigrating to the United States, Mona served in a variety of clinical, education and administrative roles in the Philippines where she developed robust educational programs as Dean of a College of Nursing.
Known for her strong work ethic and constant pursuit for excellence, Mona received awards throughout her nursing career such as the DFW Great 100 Nurse (Dallas Fort Worth Great 100 Foundation), The Frist Humanitarian award (Hospital Corporation of America), and teaching awards (Tarrant County College District). She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), American Nurses Association (ANA), Texas Nurses Association (TNA), Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, and the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL). She volunteers her time at local food banks and Filipino-American community events.
Mona’s professional career has been dedicated to creating high quality & patient-centered care; in addition to developing the next generation of nurses who will lead with excellence in the care of patients and communities. Level 1 Trauma Center.

Chris Hall is a strong advocate for medical transport having been with PHI Air Medical for the past 15 years. Now the Director of Government Affairs and Industry Relations for PHI Air Medical since 2012, Chris’ activities at the state and federal level have provided a rich tapestry of experience as legislative issues have unfolded in healthcare in recent years. Chris brings both a local and national expertise on legislative issues and frequently speaks on behalf of national organizations and boards that advocate on behalf of the air medical industry as well as patients.

Mary Elizabeth Jackson currently serves as the Administrative Advisor Vice President, Executive Office, Northeast Texas. Expanding the communication lines between rural service areas, local community leaders, and the health system’s leadership is a prime focus her current position.
Mary Elizabeth has worked in the public policy field helping entities to formulate policy, work on strategic planning, and to deal with conflict resolution in-group settings. With over 30 years of experience in advocacy work, she is now a volunteer for many organizations in developing communication plans and message development.
Jackson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at Tyler. She has completed additional graduate studies at the University of Oklahoma and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She has also completed the required course of study in mediation and mediation for family law.
As a community volunteer, she has served as a consumer member of the State Board of Nurse Examiners (RN) where she was elected chair (first consumer elected), former Council member for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Texas, Leadership Texas, former Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Governance Council for the Southern Rural Access Project for Texas, and past chair of the Tyler-Smith County Area Chamber of Commerce. She is currently on the Texas Association Board of Directors.

Butch Oberhoff serves as the Director of Governmental Affairs for Acadian Ambulance Service of Texas. A former frontline paramedic and career EMS professional, Butch has worked in EMS governmental affairs in Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as Texas. He also serves as the President-Elect of the Texas EMS Alliance or TEMSA. TEMSA was formed in 2015 to be the voice of Texas EMS agencies of all sizes and provider types and has led numerous legislative advocacy efforts to support the EMS industry.
Butch resides in San Antonio, Texas and is married to Cynthia, a neonatal nurse practitioner.
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Ethical Challenges in Healthcare Leadership
2021-10-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Please join us our October 13th virtual Brain Food event, Ethical Challenges in Healthcare Leadership, with CHRISTUS CMO Mark Anderson, MD.

Ethical challenges arise in all aspects of healthcare and service, from the bedside to the boardroom. Understanding the expanding paradigm of planning, creating, and maintaining an ethical healthcare organization is crucial to help identify strategies for implementing ethics initiatives within your own organization and how an organization has addressed ethical challenges. Healthcare leaders must “walk the talk” and demonstrate their commitment to ethics throughout their organization.
Dr. Mark Anderson holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. His background includes completing his residency in Emergency Medicine, serving as Chief Resident in Columbia, South Carolina followed by 3 years as Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado.
He moved with his family to Tyler Texas in 1991. Since then he has served the Tyler community and CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances as President Medical Staff, Chair Medical Executive Committee, Medical Director Emergency Care Center, Medical Director Flight for Life, Associate Medical Director Champion EMS, and Medical Director Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program. He also served on the CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Board of Directors for nine years and as Chairman CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Board for five years.
After working in emergency medicine for nearly three decades, in 2017 Dr. Anderson took over the role of Chief Medical Officer and Vice President Operations CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic at CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview. In January of 2020, he returned to CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System in Tyler and assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer of CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital where he has provided not only strong leadership but is responsible for driving performance to meet all system quality goals.

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Population Health Management: Justice, Access, and Financial Implications
2021-09-16 15:00 - 16:30 | Virtual
This panel has been approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits.

As reimbursements shift from volume based to value based, healthcare organizations are becoming more responsible for providing the resources necessary to meet the needs of a given population. Aligning quality of care with the appropriate level of care and services becomes pertinent to healthcare organizations’ bottom line. It is imperative for healthcare leaders to develop programs that offer underserved communities an opportunity for a healthier tomorrow.

Dr. Ashley Chassé
Clinical Pharmacist
Methodist Population Health

Stephanie Copeland MD, MBA, CPHQ, FAAP
Senior medical Director for Quality
OptumCare, DFW
WellMed/USMD

Charlene Kesee, FACHE (Moderator)
Clinical Department Administrator
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Nico Nguyen, MBA
Director Population Health
CHRISTUS Health
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Speakers’ Bios:

As a pharmacist, Dr. Ashley Chassé is committed to providing patient-centered care and the gift of education to her patients. Growing up in a first-generation household, she was always told that education is the key to success and that has been exemplified in her approach and interactions with patients.
She is currently the clinical pharmacist for the Methodist Patient Centered Accountable Care Organization (MPCACO) and Methodist Alliance for Patients and Physicians (MAP2), where she is responsible for collaborating with providers, health coaches and social workers to ensure patients are receiving appropriate outpatient follow up care.
Dr. Chassé serves as the Community Coordinator for the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy for the Dallas-Fort Worth area overseeing advanced pharmacy practice rotations for students in their final year. She has been an active board member of the Dallas Area Pharmacist Association for 6 years and is responsible for managing the annual scholarship program.
When she isn’t reading the latest Journal of the American Pharmacist Association or volunteering, you can find her dancing at a Zumba class or spending quality time with her husband and 3 children.

Stephanie Copeland MD, MBA, CPHQ, FAAP serves as the Senior Medical Director for Quality for the OptumCare North Texas/Dallas Fort Worth Region (including WellMed and USMD), a role she has held since the summer of 2018. She has been part of the company for 17 years through acquisition. She is also involved in various committees and projects throughout the organization.
Prior to that, she served as Chief Quality Officer at USMD Health System from 2013 to 2018 and served in various leadership roles at USMD/MCNT.
Dr. Copeland attended Abilene Christian University and graduated medical school at UT Southwestern in Dallas. She completed her residency at UT Southwestern in Dallas where she also served as chief resident. She completed a Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Texas at Dallas. She has also previously served as a volunteer private practice clinical assistant professor at UT Southwestern Medical School and previously served as the Past Chair of the AMGA Quality Improvement Council. She is also a member of the AMGA Board of Directors and the AMGA Foundation Board, where she serves as Treasurer. She is also the AMGA Quality Liaison for USMD/WellMed DFW. She also coordinates volunteers from her church for Many Helping Hands, a non-profit that ministers to the homeless in Irving, Texas.
She enjoys spending time with her husband, Benjamin, and her daughter, Isabella and their puppy, Luna. She also likes hiking, reading, writing, artistic endeavors, and traveling.

Charlene Kesee, DBA, FACHE, FACMPE is the clinical department administrator at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She is currently the senior administrative leader for a surgical department. She has 20 years of experience in healthcare administration. Prior to joining UTSW, her prior experience includes serving as an administrative leader at the University of Nevada School of Medicine for a multi-specialty internal medicine department and in an operations manager role at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
She is a veteran of the US Air Force, with 8 years in direct patient care as a paramedic and medical readiness instructor. She holds a doctorate in business administration as well as a Masters in Health Administration and Masters in Business Administration. She is board certified as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on the board of directors for the ACHE Nevada Chapter. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives.

Nico Nguyen, MBA. is the Director of Population Health at CHRISTUS Health where she oversees contracting, data analytics, operations, and network performance for the system’s accountable care organization and clinically integrated network. She is responsible for engaging a network of primary care clinicians to achieve the triple aim of healthcare: providing high quality, cost effective and patient-centric care. She is currently participating in CHRISTUS Health’s Leadership & Ethics Academy, a prestigious program made up of leaders across the organization.
Nico previously worked in consulting and was a policy advisor for a Texas state senator where she collaborated with public health agencies and elected officials to help make healthcare more accessible and affordable for all. She holds an MBA with a specialization in Healthcare Administration from Baylor University. She serves on the sponsorship committee for ACHE North Texas and is active in several scholarship organizations.
She has travelled to 29 countries and has a lifelong goal of visiting every country in the world (although this is on hold due to COVID restrictions). She enjoys hiking at national parks, playing badminton and trying new international food.
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Behavioral Healthcare: Approaches to Increase Value for the Organization and Meet Community Needs
2021-09-16 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
This panel has been approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits.

Historically, hospitals and health systems have not always embraced a role in meeting behavioral health needs in communities because managing behavioral healthcare and mental health is very complex. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year. The rate of youth with severe depression increased from 5.9% in 2012 to 8.2% in 2015. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder also meet criteria related to having a physical illness or substance abuse. Physical health and mental health issues occur together. For example, people with diabetes or cardiac conditions often develop depression as well. Being able to receive treatment for both conditions through an integrated behavioral health and primary care setting can be especially helpful since how we live our lives (behave) and our physical and mental health all interact with each other in complex ways.
Panelists:
Kyllan Cody, FACHE (Moderator)
Chief Executive Officer
Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital of City View

Theresa Murphy, LCSW
Director of Behavioral Health for the Family Medicine Residency Program
Methodist Health System

Capriana Oyedeji
Program Manager of Dept. of Psychiatry
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Sandy Potter, LCSW, MSSW, MBA
Vice President of Behavioral Health Services
Texas Health Resources
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Speakers’ Bios:

In her position as CEO, Kyllan Cody, FACHE oversees all day-to-day operations as well as patient care and quality at the 77-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Prior to her current role at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of City View, Kyllan served as a healthcare management consultant for NueHealth, where she provided management consultation to hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers in various areas including operations, regulatory compliance, physician partnerships, budgeting, and business development. Prior to her role as consultant, Kyllan served as Administrator for Cook Children’s Surgery Center, a joint venture between Cook Children’s Medical Center, NueHealth, and a group of physician investors. She also served as vice president of operations at Methodist Charlton Medical Center, and in various roles in both the for-profit and not-for-profit arena in Texas and Florida.
Kyllan is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from Cornell University and a bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Wake Forest University.
Kyllan and her husband, William, live in Irving, Texas and have two children.

Theresa Murphy, LCSW is a licensed therapist with a focus on integrated behavioral health. Murphy completed both her undergraduate and graduate education at Saint Louis University specializing in social work health and mental health. She spent two years post graduate in the United States Peace Corps serving as a health and mental health specialist in a rural village of Moldova. Upon arriving back stateside, Murphy worked in community mental health and quickly realized her passion for integrating mental health into a person’s healthcare home for timely, quality integrated care. Murphy is in her six year as the Director of Behavioral Health at Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program where she splits her time working directly with patients, researching, educating physicians on evaluating and treating mental health conditions and leading support groups for health providers in their own personal wellbeing and mental health. In her free time Murphy enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors and playing with her son and dog.

Capriana Oyedeji is currently a project manager in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Her role encompasses faculty recruitment, budget, clinical operations, and a partnership between UT Southwestern, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital. She has 11 years of experience in healthcare administration. Her tenure in healthcare administration started at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she spent the last 5 years as a department administrator where she was responsible for clinical operations, budget, adopt-a-family, and the patient assistance program. The remaining 5 years were spent in various other leadership roles at the organization.
She holds a master’s degree in business administration. She won the 2019 Distinguished Mentor Award at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is currently the 2021-2022 Toastmasters International President of the inaugural chapter at UT Southwestern. She is also an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Sandy Potter, LCSW, MSSW, MBA, Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at Texas Health Resources, has more than 30 years of experience and progressive responsibility in behavioral health and administration. She joined Texas Health Resources in 2018, where she is over the behavioral health service line. Prior to Texas Health Sandy was with Health Care Services Corporation (HCSC), where she was serving as divisional vice president – Government Clinical Operations. In this role she was responsible for clinical operations of Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP programs for New Mexico, Texas, Montana, Oklahoma and Illinois. Prior to HCSC, Sandy was chief executive officer and market president of ValueOptions of Texas. Earlier in her career, Sandy served as a clinical systems director at Dallas Metrocare Services and had administrative and clinical oversight of crisis and transitional services and four behavioral health clinics.
Sandy graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in social work and her master’s of business administration degree from Texas Woman’s University. She earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington.

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Ensuring Your Community’s Emergency Preparedness
2021-09-16 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual
This panel has been approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits.

In the best of circumstances, healthcare organizations operate in a complex environment. This can be exacerbated when a community faces a local or national emergency, either natural, human-caused, or technological, that thrusts the healthcare system to the forefront of response and makes it the focus of recovery efforts. It is critical that the local healthcare community be actively engaged in the development of comprehensive emergency preparedness plans, training, and exercises to ensure that local organizations communicate and coordinate their mutual support in service to the community.
Panelists:
Charles Brady
Chairman of Planning & Zoning
City of Arlington
Darrell Pile
Chief Executive Officer
Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council
Dr. Rohith Saravanan
Regional Chief Medical Officer
Steward Health for West Texas
Jared Shelton, FACHE
President
Texas Health Presbyterian Allen
Andrew B. Smith, FACHE (Moderator)
System Director of Business Operations
Baylor Scott & White Medical Group
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Speakers’ Bios:

Charles Evaristo Brady is a native Texan and 26-year resident of Arlington, Texas. Charles earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas – Arlington and his Juris Doctorate from Texas Wesleyan University. Charles a practicing lawyer and a partner in the law firm of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson LLP. In addition to his professional pursuits, Charles has been an active volunteer with the Arlington ISD, (Financial Futures Committee, 2 years as Chairman, Bond Steering Committees), the City of Arlington, (Planning and Zoning Commission, Teen Court volunteer Judge), The Salvation Army of Arlington/Mansfield (Council Member), Texas Health Resources (Health Exchange, Member) as well as numerous charitable and fundraising efforts throughout the Metroplex. Charles is married to Leanna and together they have four children.

Darrell Pile is CEO of the SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council based in Houston. He earned his Master’s in Health Care Administration from George Washington University in 1981 and served as a hospital administrator for nearly 27 years leading acute care, long term acute care, as well as rehabilitation hospitals. During that time, he also served as Chairman of the Northwest Houston Chamber of Commerce, and as a founding board member for Emergency Services District 11. Mr. Pile has also held board positions with the Texas Hospital Association Council on Policy Development, the NW Houston Chapter of the American Heart Association, the Arthritis Foundation, the Texas Trauma and Acute Care Foundation, the Klein Independent School District Foundation Board, and currently serves on the GETAC stroke committee, the Houston Better Business Bureau Foundation Board, and serves in a consultative role with the Harris County Medical Society Emergency Care Committee. Mr. Pile was also instrumental in the startup of SETRAC and served as vice-chairman under Dr. James “Red” Duke. Today, the unique SETRAC coalition is setting national examples for its work in disaster preparedness as well as with the care of cardiac, stroke, perinatal, and traumatically injured patients.

Dr. Rohith Saravanan is the Regional Chief Medical Officer at Steward Health for West Texas, overseeing Odessa Regional Medical Center and Scenic Mountain Medical Center. He has been part of the West Texas community for just over 2 years, and has had a significant, positive impact on the healthcare and business communities. During this pandemic, he has taken on a front and center role in educating the community on the facts and providing guidance to local leaders as they make decisions to protect our society. His credentials include an undergraduate degree from Canada, a medical doctorate from Grenada, two post-doctoral training certificates from New York State, an MBA from Buffalo, NY, and a Physician Executive certification from American Academy of Physician Leadership. He is a humanitarian at heart, and routinely participates in medical relief trips around the globe. He leads with passion, and describes his ultimate goal as being able to have a positive impact on society.

Andrew B. Smith, FACHE, is a System Director of Business Operations for the Baylor Scott & White Medical Group, focused on enhancing access for patients at clinics across the organization. He has been with Baylor Scott & White for over 10 years with prior roles in clinic operations for primary care and specialty clinics in the North Texas market. Andrew was born and raised in Dallas, and he completed his MHA at Saint Louis University. He is an ACHE Fellow, serves on the Young Benefactors Executive Board for The First Tee of Greater Dallas, and serves on the advisory board for the DISD Sunset High School Academy of Health Sciences. He is married to his wife Kelly, the general counsel of B29 Investments, and they have a 2-year-old son Benjamin and a 2-month-old daughter Katherine.

Jared Shelton, FACHE, serves as president of Texas Health Allen.
He has primary oversight of daily operations and responsibility for the 88-bed hospital’s annual operating plan.
Shelton previously served as vice president of Professional & Support Services for Texas Health Dallas, where he oversaw clinical ancillary and support departments, including Pharmacy, Radiology, Laboratory Services, Respiratory Therapy, Food and Nutrition Services, Rehabilitation Therapies and Medical Physics.
He completed his undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business and a minor in religion. He also earned a master’s degree in health care administration from Trinity University.
Shelton is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the North Texas chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In serving the local Allen community, he is the past-chair of the board of directors for the Allen Fairview Chamber of Commerce and serves on the president of the board of directors for the Allen Sports Association. He is a graduate of the Leadership Allen Fairview Class XXVIII as well as Allen ISD Leadership Academy Class II. He is also a former member of the vestry at the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas.
Outside of work, Shelton and his wife, Kathryn, enjoy parenthood with their young children – daughters, Mackenzie and Caroline, and son, Jack.

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Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success
2021-09-16 09:00 - 10:30 | Virtual
This panel has been approved for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits.

Lead & Reward a Just Culture & Establish Organizational Behavior Expectations

Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States at 220,000 to 440,000 people dying each year from preventable errors according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Clinicians and hospital staff face a devastating impact as a result of being involved with a medical error especially in organizations without a support system in place. Moreover, only 64% of staff who responded to the 2016 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture’s hospital comparative database felt that reported mistakes led to positive changes. To help healthcare leaders achieve total system safety across the continuum, ACHE, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement/National Patient Safety Foundation Lucian Leape Institute developed a guide “Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success”. This Blueprint is designed to help leaders shape, create and sustain the type of organizational culture needed to ensure patient and workforce safety and inspire healthcare leaders on the journey to zero harm.

Timothy Harris
Chief Medical Officer
Texas Health Denton
Patty Kallal, MBA, CCSSBB, CMQ/OE (Moderator)
Safety Committee Chair to Board of Directors
Boys and Girls Club
Todd Roberts, FACHE
Vice President of Quality & Patient Safety
OU Health
Laura Weber, RN, BSN, MBA/HCM, CPHQ
Vice President Clinical Effectiveness & Patient Safety
Methodist Health System
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Speakers’ Bios:

Patty Kallal, MBA, CCSSBB, CMQ/OE has 20 years of experience in a hospital setting with 15+ years of process improvement and leadership experience. As of June 2021, she is the Program Director, Quality Strategic Initiatives with Texas Health Resources. For the seven years prior, she was Director, Operational Excellence at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano. During her tenure at Texas Health Plano, she was instrumental in creating the culture of continuous improvement through training and facilitation of several process improvement initiatives to improve performance of KPIs, including Reliable Care Blueprinting, Sepsis, patient satisfaction, and operational efficiency. In addition to her tenure at THP, Patty serves as the Safety Committee Chair on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Collin County.
Patty earned her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. She also holds certifications as a Six Sigma Black Belt and Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence through the American Society for Quality. In addition, she is certified as an Advanced Manufacturing Specialist through the University of Missouri Rolla and Missouri Business Enterprise.
Patty is married to Mark and they are proud parents to two children (Cassie 28 and Randall 14) and first-time grandparents to their granddaughter, Hunter June. In her spare time, she enjoys Gigi snuggles, running, working out, playing bass guitar in the worship band at church, and spending time with her family.

Todd Roberts has served as Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety for OU Health since August 2019. Prior to OU Medicine, he was Vice President of Quality and Safety and Chief Quality Officer for Memorial Health System in Springfield, Illinois since 2010. Highlights of his tenure with Memorial include winning 8 Illinois Hospital Association Quality Excellence Achievement Awards between 2015-2019 for quality excellence and innovation, the American Hospital Association Quest for Quality Prize in 2016, runner-up for the International Hospital Federation for Quality and Safety and Patient-Centered Care Award in 2017, and the American Hospital Association NOVA Award in 2018. He has also consulted nationally with hospitals and healthcare systems on quality improvement and was appointed by Governor Bruce Rauner to serve on the Healthy Illinois 2021 legislative policy council. Todd is a graduate of Midland Lutheran College with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science and a minor in Psychology and received his MBA from Bellevue University. He is currently a PhD Candidate in Health Sciences at Rush University in Chicago. Todd is a member of the Institutional Review Board for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and has recently joined the faculty of the Fran and Earl Zeigler College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He has previously volunteered with the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Served as an Examiner for Illinois Performance Excellence, and coached youth sports in the community.

Laura Weber, RN, BSN, MBA/HCM, CPHQ serves as the system VP for quality & safety at Methodist Health System in Dallas, Texas. In her current role, Laura works across the health system to advance a culture of reliability, safety and performance improvement. Laura has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare and began her career as a bedside RN in critical care. Prior to joining MHS, Laura served in several leadership roles focusing on performance improvement, patient safety and quality improvement in both entity and system level positions. During her career, Laura has led initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired conditions, implementation of strategic quality improvement practices and transforming organizational culture to one of high reliability.
Laura has spent several years on the board of examiners for the National Baldrige Program, last serving as an alumni examiner in 2015. Laura also served on the Panel of Judges for the state-based Baldrige award program—Texas Award for Performance Excellence [TAPE] from 2013-2015.
In these roles, Laura has functioned as an examiner team lead and worked with senior leaders in several organizations to implement the Baldrige Framework into their operating systems and organizational culture.
Laura received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and holds a Master of Business Administration/Health Care Management degree from the University of Phoenix. Laura is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality [CPHQ].
When she isn’t working, Laura enjoys spending time with her family in both the beautiful mountains of New Mexico and on the beaches of the Caribbean.

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Maintaining Profitable and Sustainable Growth in Healthcare
2021-08-25 12:00 - 13:00 | TX
Join us for our next virtual East Texas ACHE Forum Brainfood: Lunch & Learn event, Maintaining Profitable and Sustainable Growth in Healthcare.

How do we maintain profitable and sustainable growth in health care? Our executive speakers will address a number of forces in play that are now having direct impacts on the industry including the expansion of virtual care and simultaneous challenges with broadband and the remote workforce. They will also explore the challenges presented by consumer-driven health, information management and cyber security.

Date: Wednesday, August 25
Time: 12-1pm
Our Presenters:
Mark S. Leitner, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
Henderson Memorial Hospital, Henderson, Texas
Timothy J. Pugsley, MBA, FACHE, FCHIME, FHIMSS, CHCIO, CPHIMS
Chief Information Officer
Titus Regional Medical Center, Mount Pleasant, Texas
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Speakers Bios:

Mark Leitner has over 30 years of senior-level experience in hospitals ranging from smaller regional to larger tertiary facilities, in both not-for-profit and for-profit settings.
In 2005, assumed the Chief Executive Officer position for Henderson Memorial Hospital, Henderson, Texas, a rural, 96-bed, 501(c)3, independent hospital. In 2018, joined the UT Health East Texas system of hospitals as UT Health Henderson and assumed additional responsibility serving as Chief Executive Officer for UT Health Carthage as well.
Earned a BSBA (’84) from the University of Arizona and a MHA (’86) from Washington University School of Medicine’s Health Administration Program in St. Louis. Completed a post-graduate residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. A Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Married Margaret in 1988. Two adult daughters, Sarah and Hannah.
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona.

Tim Pugsley joined Titus Regional Medical Center in 2015 and has twenty three years of experience in Information Technology with seventeen of those in Healthcare. His previous position was CIO at Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital, a physician owned specialty hospital focused on the total care of the orthopaedic patient. Before being a member of the senior leadership team at NOH, Mr. Pugsley was Director of Corporate Technologies with Student Resources, a division of UICI, a leading provider of insurance with annual revenues exceeding 2.1 Billion dollars. Prior to UICI, Mr. Pugsley was Vice President of Information Technology and Client Services for i-Trax LLC, a national telehealth nurse triage and disease management provider. He also has extensive experience in system design, analytics, and operations management.
Mr. Pugsley earned both his Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Bellevue University in Bellevue NE.
He is a Fellow with The American College of Healthcare Executives as well as holding certifications with College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHCIO, FCHIME) and Health Information Management Systems Society (CPHIMS).
Mr. Pugsley is married to his wife of nineteen years, Amanda Pugsley and they have three children, Jordan, Madelyn, and Emma. His hobbies are focused primarily on outdoor sports including golf, fishing, boating, and hunting.
Mr. Pugsley’s role at TRMC includes oversight for the corporate Digital Strategy and Development as well as Health Systems Support Services including Clinical Informatics, PACS/CPACS, Systems Management, Clinical Engineering, Information Systems, Laboratory, Pharmacy, and Program Management.
Titus Regional Medical Center is licensed as a 174-bed multi-specialty hospital with over $260 Million in Annual Revenues. The health system is located in Mount Pleasant, Texas and serves over 90,000 lives within 5 counties. TRMC is Joint Commission certified and is recognized as a premier Stroke Center in North East Texas.

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East Texas ACHE Forum Brainfood: Lunch & Learn Networking Opportunity
2021-07-14 12:00 - 13:00 | TX
The East Texas ACHE chapter is pleased to offer our next Brainfood: Lunch and Learn event, free of charge.

All are welcome! Special invites are being sent to the East Texas chapter membership, as well as the students and alumni of the University of Texas at Tyler Soules College of Business and LeTourneau University Masters of Healthcare Administration Program. However, please note this event is not just for students – whether you are preparing to start your healthcare career or already well on your way, this event is for you! The first 30 minutes will be geared toward early careerists and the second half-hour for mid-careerists.
This will be a virtual event, Zoom details will be provided upon completion of your complimentary event registration.
This will be a grand opportunity for the participants to interact and network with the presenters and each other. All attendees are asked to come to the meeting with a list of questions for our executives.

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Our panelists for this event include:

Monaliza Gaw, DNP, MPA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, CPHQ, LSSBB
Associate Chief Nursing Officer at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System
President, East Texas ACHE Forum

Elizabeth Mellon
Human Resources Director
CHRISTUS Health
East Texas ACHE Forum Membership Committee Chair

Chuk Ogobuiro, DNP, MBA, RN, PMH-BC, NEA-BC
Senior Manager for The Behavioral Health Services
UT Health East Texas
East Texas ACHE Forum Board Member

John Whittemore
Executive Director
East Texas ACHE Forum

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Brainfood: Lunch & Learn - Career Coaching and Branding
2021-06-16 12:00 - 13:00 | TX
Join us for an informative Lunch-and-Learn session June 16th on Career Coaching and Branding. John Self will provide pointers on taking your career to the next level with valuable insights from his experience.

Mr. Self is Founder and President and Managing Partner of JohnGSelf + Partners, Inc. He directs the firm’s career transition practice and advises a select group of healthcare clients on executive talent acquisition.
For more than 20 years he has advised a wide range of senior leaders and executives on career management issues, from job transitions to crisis career management events. He is a nationally recognized thought leader on the subject of interviewing skills. He is a member and a faculty member for the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) annual Congress where he teaches the highly rated rate course on interviewing skills for senior executives.
In executive search Mr. Self has led many high-profile engagements that have delivered exceptional results for his clients. He is recognized for his keen insights in candidate screening and selection and his ability to quickly master the needs and organizational culture of his clients.

Please join us for this outstanding Brainfood: Lunch & Learn session!

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