Craig Samitt
Founder and CEO, ITO Advisors
A nationally recognized leader in sequential health system transformations, Craig Samitt is the CEO and Founder of ITO Advisors, a healthcare advisory and investment firm. He was most recently the President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, overseeing the strategy and operations of the state’s largest health plan. As Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Anthem, Samitt guided the company’s Diversified Business Group, driving the growth of provider partnerships and increasing the delivery of value-based care. For six years, he served as a Commissioner at MedPAC, a nonpartisan independent legislative branch agency that provides Congress analysis and policy advice on the Medicare program. His successes in helping health systems deliver high-quality care led to him being named among the “50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders” by Modern Healthcare. Craig Samitt completed his Doctorate in Medicine at Columbia University and holds a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School.
Seema Verma
Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
A national health policy expert, Seema Verma was the longest-serving Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator in modern history. Confirmed by the Senate in 2017, she oversaw health insurance programs for over 140 million Americans; oversaw a budget of $1.3 trillion, almost a third of the federal budget; and over 6,000 employees. Verma was the architect of CMS’s strategic vision, implementing over sixteen tactical initiatives aimed at transforming the American healthcare system to lower costs, improve quality, and increase access. Seema Verma attended the University of Maryland, graduating with a B.S. in Life Sciences, and went on to pursue a Master in Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins University. Modern Healthcare ranked her as the “Most Influential Person in Healthcare” in 2019 and one of the nation’s Top 25 Women Leaders.
Mark Parkinson
President & CEO, American Health Care Association (AHCA)
Mark Parkinson is the President and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), which represents over 14,000 skilled nursing facilities and assisted living centers. Parkinson served as the 45th Governor of the State of Kansas. Prior to that, he was the owner and operator of long term care facilities in Kansas and Missouri. Under Parkinson’s leadership, AHCA focuses on delivering policy solutions to the Hill and CMS, with a special emphasis on quality care. AHCA is now the largest association in long term care and is at record membership. His vision has brought Parkinson recognition. He has been named a Top Association CEO by CEO Update and a top lobbyist for seven consecutive years (2013-2019) by The Hill, a leading Capitol Hill newspaper. Parkinson also has the distinction of being selected as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare in 2015. Most recently, Parkinson was named Top CEO in the small-employer category by The Washington Post 2019 Top Workplace survey.
Anne Tumlinson
CEO, ATI Advisory
Anne Tumlinson leads the nation in setting the direction of aging and disability policy. She is the Founder and CEO of ATI Advisory, a DC-based research and advisory firm that shapes public policy and business strategy to reform care delivery and financing for the nation’s frail and vulnerable adult population and their families. Tumlinson’s research and expertise are shared with a wide array of policy and business leaders, advising payer, provider, and financial leaders on strategic development and growth opportunities. Tumlinson also founded and runs Daughterhood, an online and in-person community that connects family caregivers with each other. She serves on several non-profit boards, including the Caregiver Action Network and Mary’s Center. Anne Tumlinson spent her early career working as the healthcare advisor to Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), then as the lead for Medicaid program oversight at the Office of Management and Budget. She has been named an “Influencer in Aging” by Next Avenue and is a Nexus Fellow.
Bernie McGuinness
CEO, Majestic Management
Bernie McGuinness is an experienced chief executive officer with a demonstrated history of working in the post-acute care industry. He is skilled in healthcare consulting, customer service, wound care, Medicaid and physician relations. He is a strong business development professional with over 20 years in the post-acute care industry. He works within an organization to define culture throughout.
Brian Deeley
President and CEO, Management and Network Services
Since 2014, Brian Deeley has served as the President and CEO of Management and Network Services (MNS) after several years on the MNS Board of Managers. Under his leadership, MNS has expanded its suite of value-added services available to SNF customers nationwide and worked extensively with various managed care organizations to reinforce SNF network quality initiatives. Deeley is an established specialist in driving growth through organic initiatives, strategic alliances, joint ventures, and acquisitions. He has more than 25 years of experience in strategic planning and development, with time spent at two Fortune 500 companies in the insurance and healthcare industries. Brian Deeley holds a Master of Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Brian Fuller
CEO, Integrated Care Solutions
Brian Fuller is the Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Care Solutions (ICS) and has held a variety of senior executive positions throughout his 20-plus year career in healthcare. His expertise is focused on value-based care, national consulting, and for-provider organizations that own and operate businesses across the post-acute, home, and community-based care continuum. Fuller is a strategist, skilled operator, and nationally-recognized thought leader on post-acute care in new healthcare reform environments. He is a leading expert on care integration and partnership development across the continuum, including evaluating and implementing new payment initiatives such as bundled payments and ACOs. He is one of a select few to have successfully led provider and convener organizations participating with CMS, and served as an expert panel member to CMS. In 2017, he was named one of “Healthcare’s Rising Stars” by Becker’s Hospital Review.
Clint Maun
President and Senior Partner, Maun-Lemke Speaking and Consulting
Clint Maun is the President and Senior Partner of Maun-Lemke, a speaking and consulting company that focuses on delivering leadership strategies and optimizing organizational effectiveness for healthcare operations. Since 1984, he has worked to change the healthcare industry by improving the outlook and optimism of those working within it. This includes addressing the pain points of healthcare organizations—including staffing and customer satisfaction issues, to name a few—with an acclaimed leadership process and innovative solutions that have been put to work in thousands of organizations across the nation. Clint Maun has a proven track record of motivating individuals to enact positive, results-oriented change that improves care delivery and the quality of life for those delivering that care.
Dava Ashley
President, Covenant Care
Dava Ashley is President of Covenant Care, a leader in the post-acute industry, which operates 30 skilled nursing and four assisted living facilities in two states. Her leadership includes oversight of Covenant’s home health operation, Elevate Home Health, and Affirma Rehabilitation, a nationwide provider of rehabilitation services. She has a proven track record of implementing contemporary and forward-thinking healthcare trends throughout her career in the industry that spans over three decades. Her keen insights and leadership have guided interdisciplinary teams of physicians, board executives, insurance providers, and others to successfully resolve complex issues with creative solutions. Dava Ashley received her bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University and holds a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Healthcare Administration.
Ephram Ostreicher
COO, National Health Care Associates
Ephram Ostreicher has been a healthcare executive specializing in post-acute and long-term care for over 18 years. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of National Health Care Associates, overseeing the operations of its skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in 6 states in the northeast, and is a co-founder of SRX and Synergy Healthcare Alliance. He has also helped develop integrated, ancillary services companies, including home health, hospice, mobile diagnostics, and co-founded a technology-enabled care coordination company focused on managing risk under a variety of value-based care programs for hospital systems, physician partners, ACOs and payers. Ephram is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University where he received his MBA, with a Graduate Certificate in Seniors Housing and Care.
Erik Johnson
Senior Vice President & National Practice Lead, Value-Based Care, Optum Advisory Services
Erik Johnson is Senior Vice President and National Practice Lead for Value-Based Care at Optum Advisory Services. His broad experience in designing population health strategies for an array of providers informs his current work at Optum, helping clients develop value-based care strategies and operating models that rely on risk-sharing between payers and health systems. He also oversees the development of Medicare ACO and Medicare Advantage strategies and the design of post-acute care networks. Before joining Optum, Johnson was Senior Vice President at Avalere Health, leading its Healthcare Networks consulting practice and new product development. He has held several leadership positions in the health IT space, most recently Managing Director at Manatt Health Solutions where he led projects applying health IT to address clinical challenges. Before working in the private sector, Erik Johnson was Deputy Branch Chief for Health Finance in the Office of Management and Budget. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
George Sauers
Chief Managed Care and Strategy Officer of Rockport / Founder and President, Post Acute Collaborative Partners
George Sauers has a seasoned career in managed care that spans decades and now serves as the Chief Managed Care and Strategy Officer at Rockport Healthcare Services. For over 30 years, Sauers has been instrumental in developing programs with private and state entities, payers, and providers that benefit the interests of all parties involved. His wealth of experience as a collaborator and partner with internal and external clients throughout his career informs Sauers’ work as the President of Post-Acute Collaborative Partners, dedicated to aligning payer and provider models since the passing of the Affordable Care Act. George Sauers began his career as a budget analyst at KHP Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Pennsylvania Blue Shield, and quickly advanced to executive leadership roles, joining Integrated Health Services as Area Vice President of Sales and Managed Care. Before joining Rockport Healthcare Services, he served as the Vice President of Managed Care at SavaSeniorCare. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Millersville University of Pennsylvania.
Jeremy Earl
Partner, McDermott, Will & Emery
Jeremy Earl is the co-leader of McDermott Will & Emery’s Managed Care practice area and represents a broad range of healthcare organizations. His clients include insurers, HMOs, provider organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, and administrative service providers to managed care organizations. As the line between health plans and providers continues to blur, Earl helps healthcare organizations launch innovative managed care arrangements by providing a deep understanding of the marketplace and applicable legal and regulatory requirements. He represents his clients on various transactional matters, including joint ventures, complex service agreements, and value-based reimbursement arrangements between health plans and providers or intermediary entities. Jeremy Early received his Juris Doctor degree from Duke University School of Law.
Judy Walsh
Regional Director of Population Health, Constellation Health Services
Across the care continuum, Judy Walsh has led with a passionate focus on improving how patients manage their long-term health following care stays in a variety of settings. As Regional Director of Population Health at Constellation Health Services, Judy Walsh works with Impact Health’s telehealth division to improve access to medical care while patients remain safely at home following an acute or skilled nursing stay, providing additional support with tools and education. Impact Health is a Nurse Practitioner practice that has provided on-site consultation and on-call support for skilled nursing facilities since 2018. For over two decades, Judy Walsh has provided exceptional leadership in acute care, skilled nursing / long-term care, and most recently in home health and hospice settings. She is exceptionally skilled as a hands-on leader, developing innovative ways to successfully care for patients and support their ability to manage their long-term health.
Pamela Pelizzari
Principal and Senior Healthcare Consultant, Milliman
Pamela Pelizzari is a Principal and Senior Healthcare Consultant with the New York office of Milliman. She has comprehensive experience in integrated delivery system administration and healthcare payment reform, having worked in both clinical and payer settings. Her expertise lies in the analysis of healthcare claims and the development of episode-based payment definitions and benchmarking methodologies. Pelizzari has instituted both prospective and retrospective payment processes, in particular, developing gainsharing methodologies, claims adjudication techniques, and quality monitoring programs. She was responsible for developing novel payment processes while at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that transformed healthcare delivery and payment, including the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative. Pamela Pelizzari has published highly cited articles in academic journals such as The Lancet and the American Heart Association’s Circulation. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a concentration in Healthcare Policy and Administration.
Renee Cummings
CEO, Access Companies
Renee Cummings is CEO of Access Companies, including its affiliates Access Advantage, a post-acute care (PAC) network, Access Innovations, a venue for progressive and new PAC opportunities, and Access Elite, a consulting firm that provides tailored services and project management oversight. She leads Access Advantage’s latest endeavor, implementing performance metrics and digital infrastructure to help small PAC providers thrive in the managed care marketplace. By using Big Data, Access Advantage sees narrow networks, bundled payments, and increasing payer care coordination within PAC populations as emerging opportunities. Renee Cummings has been working in the managed care space since 1986 with a focus on creating mutually beneficial payer-provider partnerships and was formerly Managed Care Director at LeadingAge Ohio for several years.
Dr. Robert Moskowitz
Corporate Medical Director, Contessa
As Corporate Medical Director of Contessa, Dr. Rob Moskowitz applies his experience as a practicing emergency physician to seamlessly partnering with health system leaders to develop, deploy, and monitor industry-leading hospital care-at-home programs. He is passionate about ensuring patients receive high-quality care that is timely, accessible, and comprehensive. Dr. Rob Moskowitz has been practicing emergency medicine for over two decades and has been Medical Director or Regional Medical Director for multiple emergency departments in Nashville, TN and Miami, FL. He was formerly Chief Medical Officer at Satchel Health. He studied Medicine at the University of Rochester and completed his residency at The Ohio State University. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
Dr. Steve Flatt
President, National HealthCare Corporation
Dr Steve Flatt is CEO and Inside Director of National HealthCare Corporation (NHC). He joined NHC as Senior Vice President in 2005, later serving as its President. NHC is one of the country’s largest senior care companies in the United States, operating 75 skilled nursing facilities, 24 assisted living communities, and five independent living centers in 10 states. Under Flatt’s oversight, NHC manages 35 homecare agencies in three states and 29 hospice agencies, operating as Caris Healthcare, LP in four states. Today, approximately 14,000 people work within NHC. Dr. Steve Flat received his Bachelor’s Degree from David Lipscomb College and a MS and Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.