How To Optimize Technology: An OPEN MINDS Seminar On Getting The Most Value From Your Technology Investments
As technology becomes increasingly essential and the range of available technologies and tech-enabled functionality is rapidly growing, organizations are spending more on tech investments. Unfortunately, tech investments often fall short of meeting expectations. However, with proper planning and staff engagement, organizations can position themselves to optimize the value of their tech investments.
In this session, Paul Duck, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS will discuss what needs to addressed to ensure your organization is on the path to maximizing your tech investment, including:
- How to evaluate new technologies for your organization
- Engaging staff in a best practice technology evaluation process
- Determining anticipated financial and non-financial return-on-investments for the selected technology
- Go or No-Go: Moving beyond pilot to full implementation
- Ensuring implementation success
Paul M. Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Associate of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
The Non-Profit Mergers, Acquisitions, & Affiliations Summit: Collaborations For Sustainability In The Next Normal
No issue is more top-of-mind for executives of health and human service organizations than figuring out the strategic implications of the unstoppable flow of mergers and acquisitions announcements. Every day there is a new headline announcing a new partnership, leaving executives to consider their market position and ask new strategic questions: Do any of these affiliations create a “super competitor” that will be more attractive to our current consumers? Do any take away our current contracts with payers or health plans? Do any provide services “for less,” depressing our market rates and reducing our bottom line?
These are relatively simple questions, but the answers are quite nuanced—and, they vary by market, service, consumer type, payer, and geography. The OPEN MINDS Mergers, Acquisitions, & Affiliations Summit is designed provide non-profit provider organizations the tools they need to build a successful partnership strategy and overcome the challenges of making mergers and acquisitions work. This year, our focus is on understanding how different types of collaborations can provide different benefits and challenges for organizations—and helping executives to determine which opportunity is the best fit for their organization.
During this one-day experiential summit we will hear case study presentations from non-profit provider organizations who have participated in a merger, acquisition, or affiliation in different formats. From mergers driven by the desire to increase market share, to affiliation models—each of these case study presentations will review the ups and downs of the process and offer strategic advice for organizations exploring the same path. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to hear directly from the organizations leading the way in non-profit partnerships, network with organizations looking for collaboration opportunities, and learn best practices in the merger, acquisition, or affiliation process.
David C. Guth, JR
David Guth is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Centerstone, one of the nation’s largest behavioral healthcare providers. The non-profit organization, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, serves nearly 142,000 individuals in facilities in Florida, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, and nationwide through our national provider network.
Guth has served in the capacity of chief executive for Centerstone since 1991. With 40 years of behavioral healthcare experience, 32 in executive leadership, his experience and expertise comprise a vast number of areas, both business and clinical. He has presented extensively before national and international audiences on the adoption of information technology in the healthcare industry, the integration of behavioral and primary healthcare, and the importance of improving the field of behavioral health through research-driven protocols. His insights on these topics and others have been featured in numerous professional journals.
The National Council for Behavioral Health published Guth’s first book in 2013 (now available in second edition since 2014) on mergers entitled, “Strategic Unions: A Marriage Guide to Healthy Not-for-Profit Mergers.” He has provided merger presentations through both the National Council and state trade associations and has consulted extensively with not-for-profits exploring mergers and with both for-profits and not-for profits in the areas of managing growth and business development. He is currently working on his second book entitled “Nonprofit Governance.”
Under Mr. Guth’s guidance, in 2013 Centerstone announced a joint venture with Unity Physician Partners to improve patient care and enhance the quality of healthcare across the U.S., by creating an environment in which primary care and mental health providers operate within a collaborative and co-located clinical model. Unity Medical Clinics are embedded within select Centerstone facilities today offering coordinated, whole-health care.
He is the recipient of numerous recognitions including the National Council 2010 Visionary Leadership award, and is recognized as one of Health Care’s Power Leaders in the March 2013 Nashville Business Journal.
Guth received his BA in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University and his MSSW in Social Work Administration and Planning from the University of Tennessee.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.
Ken Carr
Ken Carr brings over 30 years of finance, technology, data analysis and reporting experience in the health and human service field to OPEN MINDS. He currently serves as a Senior Associate with the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. In this role, Mr. Carr serves as a subject matter expert in the OPEN MINDS consulting practice where he has led numerous engagements in strategic planning, merger and acquisition prospecting, business process improvement, managed care and value-based contracting preparedness, financial analysis of service lines, and technology selection.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Carr served as the Chief Financial Officer for Elite DNA Therapy Services, a mental health provider based in Fort Myers, FL. In this position, Mr. Carr led development of the strategic plan, identified opportunities to optimize the EHR, and restructured financial reporting and analysis by service lines and key metrics.
Prior to his role at Elite DNA Therapy Services, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of The Centers, a community mental health center in Ocala, Florida. In this position, Mr. Carr led a realignment of the organization’s financial management functions. This included revenue cycle management, EHR bill implementation and reporting, cash management enhancement, and strategic financial analysis.
Prior to his role at The Centers, Mr. Carr served as Chief Financial Officer of Guild Incorporated, an organization providing residential and community based mental health services in St. Paul, Minnesota. As CFO, Mr. Carr led the financial, billing, IT, quality, informatics, compliance, and facilities activities. During his tenure at Guild Incorporated, Mr. Carr used his expertise in change management and business process improvement to lead the EHR implementation team, align service data reporting and financial performance, and lead the financial and data capture activities for new service initiatives.
Mr. Carr has also held the positions of Administrative Director and Finance Director at the St. Paul National Testing Laboratory, a biomedical testing facility of the American Red Cross. In those positions he oversaw activities to enhance inventory management, align financial results to industry standards, and improve financial and facilities performance through problem analysis and quality management initiatives. He also was involved in directing human resource functions during laboratory closing near the end of his tenure.
Mr. Carr earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Sioux Falls Seminary. He maintains an active CPA license with the State of South Dakota.
Anthony DiFabio, Ph.D.
Dr. Anthony DiFabio’s vision for innovative care and strategic development has elevated him as a leader within health and social services. In July 2019, Dr. DiFabio orchestrated the merger of Robins’ Nest, Cape Counseling Services, and NewPoint Behavioral Health Care to form Acenda. Respected as a prominent voice within population health, Dr. DiFabio’s serves on several boards, including Children’s Home Society of America, New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, the New Jersey Alliance for Children, Youth and Families, and the Commissioner of Health’s Integrated Health Advisory Panel among many other county and regional committees and boards. At the national level, Dr. DiFabio is an active member of Mental Health Corporations of America, and the Child Welfare League of America.
Dr. DiFabio received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Loyola College of Maryland, Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Farleigh Dickinson University, and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vanderbilt University. He is married to Dr. Alicia DiFabio and is the father of four beautiful daughters.
Mike Lyons
Mike joined Mosaic in 2013. He brings more than 15 years’ experience in the regulatory and legal field. Prior to joining Mosaic, he served for 10 years as corporate counsel for a major health insurance company specializing in privacy and security issues, complex business arrangements and health care reform. In his role at Mosaic, Mike oversees the legal and compliance teams. He holds a bachelor of arts from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana and a juris doctor from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
Linda Timmons
Linda’s 33-year career began in high school working at Bethphage Village at Axtell, Neb. Through the years she has held numerous positions within the organization, working in Nebraska, Texas and Colorado. When Mosaic was formed in 2003, Linda was named Senior Vice President of Program Services. In 2006, she was named President and Chief Operating Officer. She became Mosaic’s President and Chief Executive Officer in 2008. She holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, in Kearney, Nebraska and a master of arts from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Linda is the past board chair of Lutheran Services in America and the Council on Quality and Leadership.
Laura H. Tyler, Ph.D., LPC
Laura H. Tyler, Ph.D., LPC, serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Ozark Guidance. When the Board of Directors chose her to lead the nonprofit community mental health center in 2017, it was a bit of a homecoming. Dr. Tyler was raised in Northwest Arkansas and attended the University of Arkansas for undergraduate and graduate studies. She started her professional career with Ozark Guidance in 1983 and worked with the organization for over 15 years.
She completed her doctoral work in Health Services Organization and Research at the Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to working exclusively in health care administration, she provided direct care services as a Licensed Professional Counselor. She has worked in a variety of behavioral health settings across her career and also has experience in service delivery to individuals with developmental disorders.
For approximately ten years before she became the Ozark Guidance Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Tyler worked for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Her most recent role at UAMS was that of Chief Integration Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor. While there, she had the privilege of working with the leadership team that launched the Psychiatric Research Institute, which offers traditional outpatient services, community-based services and brought general and specialized inpatient psychiatric care back to UAMS after a hiatus of approximately 30 years.
Prior to her time at UAMS, Dr. Tyler worked at Avita Community Partners in a 13-county service area at northeast Georgia. There she served as the behavioral health director, then chief executive officer.
Dr. Tyler has consistently advocated for individuals with mental illness and addictive disorders to be best understood as experiencing symptoms of health conditions that deserve an integrated treatment approach rather than segregation and stigmatization. While she has seen remarkable progress in treatment alternatives, she firmly believes there is substantially more advancement that needs to be accomplished to ensure compassionate quality care is accessible and delivered in a cost effective manner. Her philosophy is that this can best be accomplished by hard work, collaboration and an inter-professional team approach.
A native of Eureka Springs, Laura and her husband Mark, who teaches mathematics, have two adult sons.
Finding An Electronic Health Record System For Your Future: The OPEN MINDS Seminar On Best Practices In EHR Selection, Contracting, & Optimization
Sponsored by Credible Behavioral Health Software
Over the past twenty years the adoption of electronic health record systems (EHRs) has changed how health services are managed and delivered. But as the health care system has continued to involve with more value-based reimbursement, the push towards integrated care coordination, and the rise in consumerism - the technology infrastructure needed by provider organizations has changed and that has changed the role of the EHR and forced EHRs to evolve to keep up with the pace of change in the market. For most executives, the EHR is a major investment - and choosing the right system (or keeping the wrong system) can make or break any organization.
This seminar is for any executive who is considering a new EHR system—whether it is your organization’s first EHR, or your current EHR isn’t delivering the functionality you need to be sustainable in a changing market. This essential seminar will guide you through a step-by-step process for selecting an EHR that fits all your organization’s needs. The seminar will cover:
- A best practice model for assessing the tech functionality your organization needs for future success
- Steps for vetting vendors and their products and services
- Budgeting for EHR software and implementation
- Ensuring best value and performance in contract negotiating
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.
Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics. Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.
Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.
He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.
Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.
Welcome & Announcement Of The Results From The Tech-Enabled Provider Organization: The 2020 OPEN MINDS Health & Human Services Technology Survey
As the health and human services market shifts to value-based reimbursement with a focus on cost and quality, specialty provider organizations will need to adopt new technologies to survive. Increasingly there is a need for population health management, data exchange, and clinical decision support tools. For executives, linking technology investment to strategy is essential to success – performance, competitive advantage, and sustainability.
OPEN MINDS surveyed specialty provider organizations in the health and human services to determine where they are on the road to technology adoption. The survey provides information on:
- Technology adoption by market and organizational size
- The number of full-time IT employees by market and organizational size
- The size of IT budgets by market and organizational size
- Trends in technology adoption by market and organizational size
A free copy of The Tech-Enabled Provider Organization: The 2020 OPEN MINDS Health & Human Service Technology Survey is available to all readers due to the generous sponsorship of Credible.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.
Artificial Intelligence You Can’t Afford To Ignore
The tech giants—Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft—are all pushing into the health care sector with a wide array of applications that rely on Artificial Intelligence (AI). As a recognized as a leader in AI platforms for the health care information technology sector, Dr. McGrow will share several Microsoft’s AI-driven solutions for health and human service organizations that are in the application phase. She will discuss how Microsoft is advancing the Quadruple Aim—better health, better care, lower cost, and improved productivity—with capabilities from personalized care to care team collaboration, to remote patient monitoring, to operational analytics. Dr. McGrow will highlight the opportunities—and challenges—for provider organizations to use AI right now to up their game in four key areas: data-driven management, remote patient monitoring, operational efficiencies, and improving the consumer experience.
Kathleen McGrow, DNP, MS, RN, PMP
Kathleen McGrow, DNP, MS, RN, PMP, serves as Chief Nursing Information Officer for the Microsoft Health & Life Science Industry Team. In this role, Dr. McGrow advises organizations on how the innovative use of technology can support their digital transformation imperatives of consumer engagement, provider enablement, analytics for population health and cognitive computing to support a learning health system. Her expertise in data, analytics and artificial intelligence is used to educate organizations on how to enhance clinical, operational and financial performance, maximize capacity and patient experience, and transform to new care models and paradigms.
Dr. McGrow has led, planned and directed programs and strategic data initiatives for provider and payer organizations including implementation of an evidence framework for best practices. This framework is used to identify customer pain points and targeted outcomes and applied during engagements to assist the customer in developing success plans including quantifiable targeted outcomes such as return on investment and cost aversion. The framework was leveraged in both population health (care management) and quality improvement (QI) initiatives.
Dr. McGrow’s clinical background spans many years, with most of that time spent in trauma and critical care settings. She has worked at some of the premier medical centers in the United States, including Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Dr. McGrow is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice focused on Executive Leadership and Evidence Based Practice.
Thought Leader Discussion With Kathleen McGrow, DNP, MS, RN, PMP, Chief Nursing Information Officer, Microsoft Corporation
Join us for a follow-up session with our keynote speaker, Kathleen McGrow, DNP, MS, RN, PMP, Chief Nursing Information Officer, Microsoft Corporation. Use this time to ask questions and continue the morning’s discussion.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.
Kathleen McGrow, DNP, MS, RN, PMP
Kathleen McGrow, DNP, MS, RN, PMP, serves as Chief Nursing Information Officer for the Microsoft Health & Life Science Industry Team. In this role, Dr. McGrow advises organizations on how the innovative use of technology can support their digital transformation imperatives of consumer engagement, provider enablement, analytics for population health and cognitive computing to support a learning health system. Her expertise in data, analytics and artificial intelligence is used to educate organizations on how to enhance clinical, operational and financial performance, maximize capacity and patient experience, and transform to new care models and paradigms.
Dr. McGrow has led, planned and directed programs and strategic data initiatives for provider and payer organizations including implementation of an evidence framework for best practices. This framework is used to identify customer pain points and targeted outcomes and applied during engagements to assist the customer in developing success plans including quantifiable targeted outcomes such as return on investment and cost aversion. The framework was leveraged in both population health (care management) and quality improvement (QI) initiatives.
Dr. McGrow’s clinical background spans many years, with most of that time spent in trauma and critical care settings. She has worked at some of the premier medical centers in the United States, including Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Dr. McGrow is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice focused on Executive Leadership and Evidence Based Practice.
Are You A Tech Savvy CEO?
Executive Track
To maintain a competitive edge in today's environment innovation must be prioritized and, in most instances, this translates to some type of technology. CEOs don't necessarily have to know what goes into building or coding technology, but they should have their pulse on how technology is impacting their organization and have an understanding of the capabilities, applications, and the potential of emerging technologies.
In this session, Paul Duck, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS will provide attendees with the tools needed to becoming an effective tech savvy CEO!
Paul M. Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Associate of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
From Strategic Plan To Tech Strategy: Building Your Crosswalk
Executive Track
Every day a new tech development is announced. Policymakers, consumers, and even service provider organizations all have a clear blueprint for what the future state of technology looks like – instantly accessible consumer histories, e-health on every platform, and big-data driven personalized medicine. With of all the promise surrounding these new developments, how do executive teams prioritize their technology investments and make the best strategic decisions for their organizations?
In this session, we will cover the key steps needed to build your crosswalk from a strategic plan to an IT plan including:
- Best practice tech strategy development
- The scope of the IT plan and how to write the plan
- Factors to consider when developing a tech strategy
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.
Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics. Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.
Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.
He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.
Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.
A Debate On The Impact Of Direct Care Technology
Executive Track
As technology innovations gain traction in direct care, can they replace the value of personal connections and hands-on support? Will they facilitate, replace, or enhance direct care? Join OPEN MINDS senior staff to hear both sides of this debate and come prepared to join the discussion and voice your opinion!
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.
Sharon Hicks
Sharon Hicks, OPEN MINDS Senior Associate, has more than 20 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive experience and wide range of expertise in health plan management, in clinical operations management, and technology.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system and within its health plan division. Ms. Hicks served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral health organization. She was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. In addition Ms. Hicks managed the day-to-day operations of including human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served as the Vice President, Internet Strategy, UPMC Insurance Services Division and, since 2002, as the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, Inc. since May of 2002. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth of the company, profitability of the company, and the direction of software development.
Ms. Hick started her impressive health care career as a psychiatric social worker before being promoted to Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her executive promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburg. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
Paul M. Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Associate of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
What Staff Do You Need To Lead Technology In Today’s World?
Technology Track
Today’s IT staff needs to meet the growing and increasingly complex demands of an organization-from operations, to innovation to security. Being an expert in everything is impossible. Organizations need a well-rounded team of IT professionals who can strategically support technology to carry out their vision. But how do you know which IT roles you need to thrive and be competitive?
Join our panel of IT Executives who will share their insights on staffing and the qualifications needed to successfully lead an organization’s technology initiatives.
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.
Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics. Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.
Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.
He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.
Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.
Making Telehealth Profitable
Executive Track
The COVID-19 pandemic created a dramatic surge in telehealth utilization. A May 2020 report by McKinsey and Company suggests U.S. telehealth spending could increase from $3 billion to $250 billion per year. Many healthcare leaders now view telehealth as a viable strategy for improving patient access, reducing costs, raising patient satisfaction, and potentially improving patient outcomes. But establishing a profitable telehealth model will require careful thought and planning. The recent telehealth surge was fueled by payment equity during COVID-19, however the payment outlook for the future is unclear. In this session, we will focus on the economic and operational drivers that will contribute to the future success of a telehealth program.
Sharon Hicks
Sharon Hicks, OPEN MINDS Senior Associate, has more than 20 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive experience and wide range of expertise in health plan management, in clinical operations management, and technology.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system and within its health plan division. Ms. Hicks served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral health organization. She was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. In addition Ms. Hicks managed the day-to-day operations of including human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served as the Vice President, Internet Strategy, UPMC Insurance Services Division and, since 2002, as the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, Inc. since May of 2002. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth of the company, profitability of the company, and the direction of software development.
Ms. Hick started her impressive health care career as a psychiatric social worker before being promoted to Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her executive promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburg. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
The Payer Perspective: An OPEN MINDS Forum On Connectivity Between Payers & Providers
The health and human service market is steadily moving toward reimbursement based on some measure of performance or value. To make these value-based relationships work, both health plans and provider organizations need real-time electronic data exchange to optimize performance.
But there are challenges in making this happen. In this forum, our expert panel of health plan executives will share their experiences in making data exchanges work and will offer advice to organizations in how to leverage connectivity to build a true partnership for better consumer care.
Paul M. Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Associate of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
Digital Therapeutics For Behavioral Health: Anytime/Anywhere HealthCare
Digital therapeutics deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions to prevent, manage, or treat a broad spectrum of physical, mental, and behavioral conditions. They deliver clinical interventions without a clinical professional using sophisticated software, usually served up to consumers through an app and can address the workforce shortage, improving clinical outcomes, and increasing access to treatment.
In her keynote address, Dr, Marsch will provide an inside look at the current and future potential for digital therapeutics in specialty provider organizations and the added value they provide for all stakeholders.
Lisa Marsch, Ph.D.
Dr. Lisa A. Marsch is the Director of the Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, a designated “Center of Excellence” supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health.
She is also the Director of the Northeast Node of the National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network based out of Dartmouth and the Andrew G. Wallace Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. And, she leads a national “Science of Behavior Change” initiative supported by the National Institutes of Health with partners at Dartmouth, Stanford, Arizona State University, Drexel, and MIT.
The Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health (CTBH) is a national interdisciplinary Center housed at Dartmouth and includes affiliates within the Geisel School of Medicine, the College of Arts and Sciences, The Thayer School of Engineering, and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. CTBH also includes interdisciplinary partners across the U.S. and internationally.
This Center uses science to inform the development, evaluation, and sustainable implementation of technology-based tools (that leverage web, mobile, sensing and/or social media approaches) for behavior change targeting a wide array of populations and health behaviors. These tools are designed to deliver engaging and effective health monitoring and health behavior interventions and to collectively lead to transformations in the delivery of science-based health care.
In addition to directing this national Center, Dr. Marsch has personally been Principal Investigator on 35 grants, largely from the National Institutes of Health. She has led the development, evaluation and implementation of technology-based therapeutic tools for addiction treatment, HIV prevention, mental health, chronic pain management, substance abuse prevention, smoking cessation, and binge eating disorder. Her work in technology and addiction treatment has been particularly pioneering, as she is widely recognized as having led the development of one of the most widely tested and evidence-based mobile intervention for addiction treatment.
She additionally maintains a priority focus on mentoring investigators, including junior faculty as well as students and post-doctoral fellows.
Dr. Marsch publishes extensively and is a regular keynote speaker at national and international scientific meetings (including invited presentations at the White House, Congressional briefings, the World Bank, and for the US Surgeon General). She has served as a consultant to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organization. She serves on the National Advisory Council to the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. And, she serves on the Health Information Technology Policy Committee on Advanced Health Models and Meaningful Use for the U.S. Office of the National Coordinator.
She also led the development of a seminal book from Oxford University Press on the state of the science of leveraging technologies in transforming behavioral health care.
Thought Leader Discussion With Lisa Marsch, Ph.D., Director Of The Center For Technology & Behavioral Health, Dartmouth College
Join us for a follow-up session with our keynote speaker, Lisa Marsch, Ph.D., Professor Of Psychiatry, Center For Technology & Behavioral Health, Geisel School Of Medicine At Dartmouth College. Use this time to ask questions and continue the morning’s discussion.
Lisa Marsch, Ph.D.
Dr. Lisa A. Marsch is the Director of the Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, a designated “Center of Excellence” supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health.
She is also the Director of the Northeast Node of the National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network based out of Dartmouth and the Andrew G. Wallace Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. And, she leads a national “Science of Behavior Change” initiative supported by the National Institutes of Health with partners at Dartmouth, Stanford, Arizona State University, Drexel, and MIT.
The Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health (CTBH) is a national interdisciplinary Center housed at Dartmouth and includes affiliates within the Geisel School of Medicine, the College of Arts and Sciences, The Thayer School of Engineering, and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. CTBH also includes interdisciplinary partners across the U.S. and internationally.
This Center uses science to inform the development, evaluation, and sustainable implementation of technology-based tools (that leverage web, mobile, sensing and/or social media approaches) for behavior change targeting a wide array of populations and health behaviors. These tools are designed to deliver engaging and effective health monitoring and health behavior interventions and to collectively lead to transformations in the delivery of science-based health care.
In addition to directing this national Center, Dr. Marsch has personally been Principal Investigator on 35 grants, largely from the National Institutes of Health. She has led the development, evaluation and implementation of technology-based therapeutic tools for addiction treatment, HIV prevention, mental health, chronic pain management, substance abuse prevention, smoking cessation, and binge eating disorder. Her work in technology and addiction treatment has been particularly pioneering, as she is widely recognized as having led the development of one of the most widely tested and evidence-based mobile intervention for addiction treatment.
She additionally maintains a priority focus on mentoring investigators, including junior faculty as well as students and post-doctoral fellows.
Dr. Marsch publishes extensively and is a regular keynote speaker at national and international scientific meetings (including invited presentations at the White House, Congressional briefings, the World Bank, and for the US Surgeon General). She has served as a consultant to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organization. She serves on the National Advisory Council to the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. And, she serves on the Health Information Technology Policy Committee on Advanced Health Models and Meaningful Use for the U.S. Office of the National Coordinator.
She also led the development of a seminal book from Oxford University Press on the state of the science of leveraging technologies in transforming behavioral health care.
Meena Dayak
Meena Dayak brings over 20 years of experience in the health and human services field to the OPEN MINDS team. Ms. Dayak currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Market Intelligence. Her areas of expertise include organizational strategy analysis and execution, marketing plan strategy and management, media relations strategy development and implementation, and digital media planning and development.
Before joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Dayak served as Vice President of Integrated Media and Communications with the American Public Power Association in Washington D.C. In this role, she led strategic planning, branding, and corporate communications, enterprise-wide content management, and internal and external partnership development. Ms. Dayak participated in needs analysis and organizational decision making as part of the senior leadership team. She directed a high-energy team and external contractors in growing industry profiles, services, and impact through award-winning owned, earned, paid, and shared media. Ms. Dayak also directed content creation and dissemination to enable local community outreach by 1,200-member electric utilities.
Previously, Ms. Dayak served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications with National Council for Behavioral Health in Washington D.C. In this role, she directed member marketing, media relations, public education, conference programming, and publishing projects. Ms. Dayak built the department from one staff person to 10 communications and event specialists. She significantly raised the profile of subject matter experts among association staff, board, and members. She also managed relationships with corporate partners, including pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Ms. Dayak also served as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the National Council for Behavioral Health before becoming the Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
Before her time with the National Council for Behavioral Health, Ms. Dayak was the Senior Account Manager and a Copywriter for the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention in Rockville, MD. Ms. Dayak also served as an Account Manager and Copy writer for O’Connell Meier in Alexandria, VA.
Ms. Dayak attended Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education for Strategic Frameworks for Nonprofit Organizations. She also has an M.A. in Public Communications from the American University, Washington D.C.
Evaluating The ROI On New Era Technologies Transforming The Delivery System
Executive Track
Technology a big investment and choosing the right technology can make or break any organization. Making the right choice to gain a return on investment, financially and operationally, requires a thorough understanding of an organization’s goals, a clear budget and timeline, and a detailed action plan.
In this "how-to” session will cover:
- Factors that will affect the ROI
- Applying best practices in technology selection & budgeting
- Determining the ROI-financially and operationally
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.
Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics. Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.
Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.
He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.
Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.
Interoperability & Data Sharing: Expanding Access To Health Information
Technology Track
Most organizations have the ability to share consumer health information in some capacity, but what data is shared, how data is exchanged, who the data is exchanged with, and the ability to interpret this data for care coordination or for population health management varies widely. Whether you are partnering with primary care to develop a new integrated model of care, joining an accountable care organization, operating a health home or medical home, managing care coordination services with a health plan, or preparing to comply with the CMS proposed rule for consumer data sharing, your executive team should be planning how your organization will share data within the care network.
In this 90-minute session, Sharon Hicks, Senior Associate with OPEN MINDS will discuss:
- Differences between Foundational Interoperability, Structural Interoperability, and Semantic Interoperability
- The promise of Interoperability versus the outcomes to date
- Steps your organization should be taking to make a useful interoperability plan
- Determining your organization’s stance on consumerism and health professional led interoperability
- Technical issues versus data issues of interoperability
Sharon Hicks
Sharon Hicks, OPEN MINDS Senior Associate, has more than 20 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive experience and wide range of expertise in health plan management, in clinical operations management, and technology.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system and within its health plan division. Ms. Hicks served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a managed behavioral health organization. She was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. In addition Ms. Hicks managed the day-to-day operations of including human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served as the Vice President, Internet Strategy, UPMC Insurance Services Division and, since 2002, as the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, Inc. since May of 2002. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth of the company, profitability of the company, and the direction of software development.
Ms. Hick started her impressive health care career as a psychiatric social worker before being promoted to Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her executive promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburg. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
Does Your Organization Have The Right Technology To Be Successful With Value-Based Reimbursement?
Technology Track
Organizations who want to position themselves to be successful with value-based reimbursement need to identify ways to leverage technology to capture and analyze data to create a culture where staff use metrics to drive consistent, high-quality results. No matter where you are on the path to value, effectively using technology will help to quantify and demonstrate value and ensure patients are receiving quality care.
This session will focus on:
- Selecting the right technology to drive performance
- Data driven performance management
- Case study presentations from organizations who have developed a technology infrastructure to support VBR
Ken Carr
Ken Carr brings over 30 years of finance, technology, data analysis and reporting experience in the health and human service field to OPEN MINDS. He currently serves as a Senior Associate with the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. In this role, Mr. Carr serves as a subject matter expert in the OPEN MINDS consulting practice where he has led numerous engagements in strategic planning, merger and acquisition prospecting, business process improvement, managed care and value-based contracting preparedness, financial analysis of service lines, and technology selection.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Carr served as the Chief Financial Officer for Elite DNA Therapy Services, a mental health provider based in Fort Myers, FL. In this position, Mr. Carr led development of the strategic plan, identified opportunities to optimize the EHR, and restructured financial reporting and analysis by service lines and key metrics.
Prior to his role at Elite DNA Therapy Services, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of The Centers, a community mental health center in Ocala, Florida. In this position, Mr. Carr led a realignment of the organization’s financial management functions. This included revenue cycle management, EHR bill implementation and reporting, cash management enhancement, and strategic financial analysis.
Prior to his role at The Centers, Mr. Carr served as Chief Financial Officer of Guild Incorporated, an organization providing residential and community based mental health services in St. Paul, Minnesota. As CFO, Mr. Carr led the financial, billing, IT, quality, informatics, compliance, and facilities activities. During his tenure at Guild Incorporated, Mr. Carr used his expertise in change management and business process improvement to lead the EHR implementation team, align service data reporting and financial performance, and lead the financial and data capture activities for new service initiatives.
Mr. Carr has also held the positions of Administrative Director and Finance Director at the St. Paul National Testing Laboratory, a biomedical testing facility of the American Red Cross. In those positions he oversaw activities to enhance inventory management, align financial results to industry standards, and improve financial and facilities performance through problem analysis and quality management initiatives. He also was involved in directing human resource functions during laboratory closing near the end of his tenure.
Mr. Carr earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Sioux Falls Seminary. He maintains an active CPA license with the State of South Dakota.
How To Become A Data Driven Organization
Executive Track
Successful performance requires an organization to be data-driven. A data culture is not only about collecting data, but involves utilizing the data in a meaningful way to move your organization forward. How your organization manages data and how data manages your organization is more important than ever in today’s environment.
This session will focus on:
- The key elements needed to for a data-driven culture
- The OPEN MINDS model for becoming a data-driven organization
- Case study presentations from data-driven organizations
Paul M. Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Associate of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
Optimizing Clinical Decision Making With Technology
Technology Track
Clinical decision making is quickly becoming essential for providers. As the volume of available data increases alongside of the responsibility to deliver value-based care, technology is key to optimizing the collection and use of data. Clinical decision support can include any health IT system, workflow, or process intended to deliver the right information , to the right people , in the right intervention formats and at the right points in workflow. This may sound simple enough, but it is a challenge.
This session will focus on:
- Optimizing the use your EHR’s data
- Implementing clinical decision tools
- Case studies presentation from organizations utilizing technology for decision support
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.
Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics. Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.
Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.
He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.
Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.
Forecasting The Future Of Behavioral Healthcare Shaped By Technology
As we move to more “patient centric” health, payers demanding greater value, better outcomes, and lower costs; and consumers expecting a seamless experience, technology will be a key part of an organization’s move-forward strategy. Specialty provider organizations will need to re-think their technology initiatives to deliver solutions to meet these demands and the challenges of the “next normal.”
Monica E. Oss will discuss how executive teams can prepare for the future of behavioral health delivery models driven by technology, review the key “take aways” from the Institute, and share her perspective on the future of technology innovation in the health and human service market.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.