The evolving health and human service landscape places a premium on new skills from all executive team members— and executives must take a pivotal role in the technology investment and transformation process. To effectively navigate the increasing complexity of these roles, today’s leaders must be informed, able to identify the financial impact of technology decisions, and willing to create strategies to ensure ongoing economic sustainability when it comes to tech their investments.
The OPEN MINDS Technology Investment Learning Path was meticulously designed to equip you with essential skills, provide valuable perspective, and offer practical solutions to some of the most challenging technology investment questions facing organizations as the industry embraces AI, value-based reimbursement, integrated care, and increased competition.
View featured courses and sessions below to get started!
Finding An EHR For Your Future: The 2026 OPEN MINDS Best Practices Seminar On EHR Selection, Implementation & Optimization
Sponsored By: 
Over the past twenty years, adopting electronic health record systems (EHRs) has changed how health services are managed and delivered. As the health care system has continued to evolve 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—including EHRs. For most executives, the EHR is a significant investment, and choosing the right system (or keeping the wrong system) can make or break any organization.
This essential seminar is for any executive considering a new EHR system—whether it is your organization’s first EHR or upgrading a system that isn’t delivering the functionality needed for sustainability. Also, OPEN MINDS Associates will guide you through a step-by-step process for selecting an EHR that fits all your organization’s needs. The seminar will cover:
- The 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 the 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.
Creating A Winning Tech Strategy: The 2026 OPEN MINDS Seminar On Building A Digital Transformation Roadmap
Sponsored By:
As the rate of technological advancements continues to progress, and an emphasis is put on consumer experience, much focus has shifted to digital strategies for health and human service organizations. These strategies involve a multi-pronged technology-driven approach that leads to streamlining processes and higher performance. While the post-pandemic era has accelerated the use of technology to support consumer access, using a technology strategy to assure business success goes beyond a consumer digital interface is essential. This seminar will focus on the key dimensions of digital transformation and provide a road map for executive teams to integrate and incorporate their entire organization. Attendees will gain insights into a digital-first approach focused on consumer experience, organizational efficiency, resiliency, growth, and sustainability.
Key objectives include:
- Â A road map for digital-first evolution and what it means to be a digital-first organization
- The eight dimensions of a digital-first framework for quality and performance
- Critical organizational competencies needed for leading-edge technology transformation
Sharon Hicks, MSW, MBA
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.
Protecting What Matters: How To Know If Your Organization Is Cyber Secure
As behavioral health organizations become increasingly digital, protecting sensitive patient, clinical and financial data has never been more critical—or more complex. Cyber threats, ransomware attacks, and evolving regulatory requirements place executive leaders at the center of data security and organizational risk.
This session will provide behavioral health executives with a how to guide to secure their whole environment, including data, systems, email, and the people they serve—empowering leaders to protect patient trust, ensure compliance and safeguard the long-term stability of their organizations. Â
Attendees will leave with:
- How to identify vulnerabilities across clinical systems, EHRs, third party vendors and remote work environments
- The ability to distinguish between perceived and actual risks; and ask the right questions of internal teams and technology partners
- Strategies for governance, accountability and incident-response planning to prepare for and prevent breaches
Chris Pallitto
From Cost Center To Growth Engine: How CEOs Are Using Technology To Drive Revenue
In today’s margin-constrained environment, technology is no longer just an operational tool—it’s a core driver of financial performance. This session explores how leading behavioral health organizations are leveraging data to unlock new revenue streams, optimize payer and value-based payment relationships, and improve service line profitability. From real-time analytics to smarter utilization management, executives will gain practical strategies to move beyond retrospective reporting and toward predictive, revenue-focused decision-making. Learn how to align your tech strategy with growth goals—and turn insights into measurable financial outcomes.
Attendees will take away:
- The use of data to improve rate negotiation and payer relationships
- The right technology and analytics to support value-based payment models
- The data-driven strategies to help create new service line development and organizational growth
AI That Pays Off: Where CEOs Are Seeing Real ROI & Where They’re Not
Artificial intelligence is everywhere—but where does it actually deliver value? This candid session cuts through the hype to examine real-world AI use cases in behavioral health, highlighting what’s working, what’s not and why. From clinical documentation and workflow automation to predictive modeling and patient engagement, we’ll assess where organizations are seeing measurable ROI—and where investments are falling short.
Attendees will walk away with:
- A framework for evaluating AI opportunities and prioritizing initiatives that deliver both operational efficiency and clinical impact.
- Benchmarks and real-world case study examples of what ROI was expected in an AI investment vs. what was actually realized
- A clearer picture of what AI tools are actually delivering value
Jeremy Brown, LPC
Jeremy S. Brown, LPC, is Vice President of Technology and Impact at Talbert House, a multi-program nonprofit behavioral health provider in Cincinnati, Ohio that serves mental health, addiction treatment, and child and family populations. He brings more than two decades of behavioral health experience to the role, with a career that has progressed from direct clinical and case management work to residential program leadership and hospital administration, including service as Assistant Chief Executive Officer at Summit Behavioral Health. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Miami University and a master’s degree in clinical counseling from Xavier University.
In his current role, Jeremy leads Talbert House’s work to turn everyday technology into operational capacity without adding headcount, pairing tools already inside the agency’s Microsoft 365 license with AI built in Microsoft Copilot Studio. At the 2026 Technology and Analytics Institute, he presents “AI That Pays Off: Where CEOs Are Seeing Real ROI and Where They’re Not.”
Melissa Fox, MHA, FACMPE, FACHE
Melissa Fox is a nationally recognized healthcare executive and systems strategist leading the transformation of community-based health systems through innovation, data, and emerging technologies. As Chief Operating Officer of Acenda Integrated Health, she oversees enterprise-wide operations spanning more than 150 programs across the state of New Jersey, including child welfare, behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, crisis services, supportive housing, and population health initiatives designed to address the social drivers of health.
Fox is widely recognized for building nimble leadership structures that align operational strategy with value-based care, health equity, and financial sustainability. Throughout her career, she has led complex organizational redesigns across various healthcare disciplines, launched integrated care models to expand services for vulnerable populations, and implemented data-driven performance systems to improve outcomes while strengthening organizational resilience.
A recognized national voice on healthcare transformation, Fox has advised and presented for organizations including Open Minds, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Public Health Association, and the USDA among others. She has contributed to initiatives addressing the opioid epidemic as a public health crisis, and advanced conversations on telehealth equity and violence prevention, including framing gun violence as a public health issue through science-driven community engagement. She serves on multiple advisory and academic boards, including the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy External Advisory Committee and the Peirce College Human Services Advisory Board. Additionally, she serves as the Chair for the Healthy NJ 2030 Access to Quality Care action team, and the Chair of the Board for the Center for Health Equity & Wellbeing, New Jersey’s first public health institute.
Her work focuses on helping healthcare organizations redesign care delivery through operational innovation, advanced analytics, and emerging technologies that improve access, strengthen financial sustainability, and produce measurable outcomes. She is a leading advocate for viewing artificial intelligence as organizational infrastructure rather than simply another technology investment, helping healthcare leaders build AI-enabled systems that augment workforce and processes while preserving the human relationships at the center of care.
How To Measure The Efficiency & Cost Effectiveness Of Your Tech Stack
Behavioral health organizations rely on an expanding technology stack to support clinical care, operations, compliance, and reporting—yet many executive teams lack clear visibility into whether these investments are delivering real value. Rising costs, overlapping systems, and underutilized tools can quietly erode efficiency and margins.
This session will provide executives with a framework for evaluating the efficiency and cost effectiveness of their tech stack. Attendees will learn how to assess utilization, integration and performance across EHRs, analytics platforms, revenue cycle management tools, and third party solutions; while identifying redundancies and hidden costs. Â
- Link technology spend to measurable clinical, operational and financial outcomes
- Strategies to address governance, vendor management and ROI measurement to support smart tech decision making
- Insights to optimize technology investments, improve operational efficiency, and ensure your tech stack supports strategic priorities
From EHR To Ecosystem: Building The Tech Stack For What’s Next
As the pace of innovation accelerates, behavioral health organizations must rethink the foundation of their technology infrastructure. This session dives into what a modern, future-ready tech stack looks like—from interoperable EHRs and data platforms to AI-enabled tools and patient engagement solutions. Hear how forward-thinking organizations are moving beyond fragmented systems to create integrated, scalable systems that support growth, improve outcomes, and enhance consumer experience. Gain insights into how to evaluate, prioritize, and future-proof your technology investments in an evolving landscape.
Key takeaways include:
- Understand the need to shift from an EHR-centric platform to a more encompassing tech ecosystem
- The integration capabilities and tools needed for a modern infrastructure that improves patient engagement
- Strategies to transition your organization from your legacy system to an ecosystem architecture Â
Health Care Beyond Medicine: How Highmark Is Reducing The Total Cost of Care Through Its Social Care Network
Health outcomes are influenced by many factors that go far beyond the walls of the clinical setting, and forward-thinking organizations are redefining their care delivery strategies accordingly. In this inspiring session, Nebeyou Abebe, Senior Vice President of Social Health at Highmark Health, explores how Highmark is leading the way by integrating social determinants of health into their core business and care delivery models to drive better outcomes through their Social Care Network.
Highmark’s Social Determinants of Health Department was created in 2019, starts with a 15-question assessment that screens for things like housing, physical and social environments, transportation, and income, and members/patients who screen positive for a health-related social need get referred to a curated network of community-based organizations who remediate the social barrier. Highmark’s home-grown social care network has seen significant results in terms of reducing the total cost of care as well as reducing avoidable inpatient and emergency department visits. During this session, Mr. Abebe will highlight how Highmark is addressing the factors such as food insecurity, finances, transportation and social isolation to significantly impact both physical and behavioral health outcomes, and why these interventions are increasingly essential as organizations transition to value-based care models.
The Future Of AI To Improve Analytics
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way behavioral health organizations collect, interpret, and act on data. From predicting patient outcomes to optimizing operational workflows, AI-powered analytics can provide unprecedented insight—but only when executives understand how to leverage these tools strategically.
The session will explore the future of AI in behavioral health analytics, highlighting practical applications that drive better clinical outcomes, operational efficiency and financial performance.
Attendees will learn how AI can enhance predictive modeling, automate routine reporting, and uncover actionable insights from complex datasets.
Key takeaways include:
- Understand AI applications in behavioral health analytics to identify practical ways AI can enhance data analysis, from predictive modeling to operational and clinical decision supportÂ
- Evaluate opportunities and challenges to recognize the benefits, limitations, and ethical/regulatory considerations of implementing AI toolsÂ
- Create strategies to leverage AI-driven analytics for informed decision-making and improved outcomesÂ
Cody Thomas
Using Data & Technology To Improve Recovery Outcomes
Despite ongoing investment in technology and digital infrastructure, many SUD providers still struggle with fragmented workflows, disconnected systems, and limited reporting and visibility into outcomes. These gaps can directly impact the ability to support long-term recovery.
This session will feature findings from Cantata Health Solutions’ 2026 national survey of SUD providers, highlighting how organizations are leveraging data, EHR functionality, and other digital tools to address operational complexity and strengthen care delivery. Attendees will gain practical insight into where providers are struggling the most today, which operational and technology investments are emerging as priorities, and how organizations are working to build more scalable SUD programs.
Christy Winter, LMSW
Creating Better Access Through Telehealth & Hybrid Care Models
Telehealth and hybrid care models offer major opportunities for addiction treatment providers, but they also introduce operational, clinical, regulatory and engagement challenges that make implementation complex. For addiction treatment executives, the difficulty is often balancing accessibility and convenience with consumer safety, compliance, and quality outcomes.
This session will explore how addiction treatment providers are leveraging telehealth to reduce barriers to care, extend services to underserved communities, improve consumer engagement, and create more flexible treatment pathways. Executives will hear lessons learned around technology adoption, regulatory considerations, workforce integration, digital engagement, and balancing virtual and in-person care to meet the changing needs of today’s consumers.
Philip Hutson
Accelerating Performance Through Your Technology Strategy
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. 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. She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.
Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, 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.
Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.
Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.
Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.