Friday, Sept. 13
7 – 8 a.m.
Breakfast
8 – 8:30 a.m.
Opening remarks
- Sharon Hanson, Chair, HTNYS, and Secretary, Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo
Welcome
- Nicholas Henley, MPH, Executive Director, HTNYS, and Vice President, External Affairs, HANYS
- Kristen Phillips, Director, Trustee Education, HTNYS, and Director, Community Health Policy, HANYS
8:30 – 9:45 a.m.
Opening keynote
Redefining hospital strategy: Navigating the future of healthcare
1.25 credits
- Shawn G. DuBravac, PhD, CFA, Futurist, Trendcaster, The New York Times Bestselling Author
In the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, leaders face the critical challenge of understanding and adapting to the strategic imperatives reshaping hospital operations and patient care. It is essential for leaders to recognize the forces driving change — such as technological advancements, policy shifts, changing patient expectations and economic pressures — to effectively redefine their approach to healthcare delivery. Hospitals must not only ensure that their strategic focus enhances the financial performance of capital-intensive services but also acknowledge that traditional methods may no longer suffice in the future. This necessitates a forward-thinking mindset that embraces innovation, leverages new technologies and anticipates the needs of a changing patient demographic. By doing so, healthcare leaders can guide their organizations toward sustainable success, meeting the demands of the modern healthcare environment while maintaining excellence in patient care and operational efficiency.
9:45 – 10 a.m.
Break
10 – 11 a.m.
Renewing your board through increased engagement
- Pamela R. Knecht, President and Chief Executive Officer, ACCORD LIMITED
The healthcare field is complex, and continues to evolve quickly, so it can be difficult for board members to feel they are making a significant contribution. And yet, executives need their boards to fully engage with them as partners to help to improve the health of their communities.
This presentation focuses on how to renew and refresh board service so it is both gratifying to individual board members and helpful to their executive teams. The key is to ensure that each board member is truly engaged in and contributing to conversations and decision-making. This requires going beyond changing board structures and policies to improving how board members are selected, oriented, educated and ultimately involved in discussions. The board chair plays a critical role in ensuring board members are well-prepared for and involved in important decisions. This session will include practical methods for renewing the board by engaging each member.
11 – 11:15 a.m.
Break
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Breakout strategy sessions
Committee optimization: A critical component of world-class governance
Boards that want their governance to match their “world-class” organizations recognize that committees are important in optimizing board performance. Highly effective committees can significantly improve the board’s overall functioning by driving focused, efficient and informed board discussions on the issues that matter. Attendees will learn why committees can falter in performing their responsibilities and explore the key components of successful board committee structure and functioning. Practical examples, tips and tools for committee optimization will be shared.
Role of the hospital board in finance
- Eric K. Shell, CPA, MBA, Chairman, Stroudwater Associates
Hospital trustees’ fiduciary responsibilities include balancing focuses on financial oversight and quality. Rooted in good stewardship, high-performing boards ensure the best use of hospital resources. Yet, healthcare finance is complex and differs drastically from other industries. What knowledge and tools do board members need to ensure the fiscal health of their hospitals? What questions should they ask? In this interactive session, Shell will enhance trustees’ knowledge of key hospital finance concepts, including general accounting, key performance metrics, understanding financial statements and hospital reimbursement and value-based payment.
Private equity knocking at the door: Hospital responses and engagement strategies
1 credit
- Richard (Rick) Zall, Partner and Chair, Healthcare Transactional and Regulatory Practice, King & Spalding
This session will examine the increasing role of private equity in healthcare services and its impact on hospitals, physician services and other related sectors. We will address the latest market trends in PE investment in healthcare services and recent state and federal regulatory and legislative responses. We will discuss the possible threats to hospitals posed by PE’s investment activities and potential responses to those threats. In addition, the session will share opportunities for collaboration with PE and examples of a beneficial win-win collaboration.
12:15 – 1:30 p.m.
Luncheon and a discussion on the imperative for change with HANYS’ president and board chair
- Bea Grause, RN, JD, President, HANYS
- Thomas Carman, Chair, HANYS Board of Trustees and President and CEO, Samaritan Health System
Bea Grause will explore HANYS’ recent publication, The Case for Change, and its set of irrefutable facts related to New Yorkers’ projected future healthcare needs. She’ll discuss the four drivers pushing New York’s healthcare system to an existential cliff and talk about how HANYS is working with our members and partners throughout the healthcare industry to develop solutions that will build a sustainable healthcare system. She and Tom Carman will discuss their vision for this future healthcare system and what hospitals and trustees can do to help achieve it.
1:30 – 1:45 p.m.
Break
1:45 – 2:45 p.m.
Breakout strategy sessions
The new future of rural healthcare: Strategies for success
1 credit
As the healthcare industry transforms, rural hospitals face the challenge of preparing for success and sustainability in an environment that rewards value instead of volume. This journey becomes even more perilous as hospitals struggle to transition their delivery and payment systems simultaneously and must make strategic decisions around the future of their organization. Eric Shell’s presentation will take an in-depth look at the industry as a whole and at the particular struggle faced by rural and community hospitals, and outline strategies for these facilities to not only survive but thrive in the fast-approaching era of population health. This presentation is a valuable tool for healthcare leaders seeking the best strategy to guide their facilities from traditional to new models of reimbursement based on value and quality.
Putting the "success" in CEO and board succession planning
- Paul W. H. Bohne, Managing Partner, Healthcare, WittKieffer
- Susan M. Snyder, Executive Partner, Leadership Advisory, WittKieffer
Succession planning is one of a board’s key responsibilities, whether preparing for the organization’s next CEO or for its own future leadership and membership. While most boards recognize the importance of succession planning, for various reasons, too few do it — and do it well. Whatever the reason (such as competing priorities), succession planning isn’t prioritized.
If done right, succession planning has many benefits, including preparing your organization for transitions, establishing continuity and emphasizing executive development. It draws a direct connection between future board competency, profile needs and organizational strategy — putting the right people in the right roles at the right times.
This session makes the case for CEO and board succession planning as strategic imperatives, positioning them as ongoing, iterative processes with immediate and long-term benefits. Presenters will share fundamental succession planning best practices including how to align efforts with organizational strategic planning and make succession planning an ingrained part of a board’s governance competencies. Ample time will be dedicated to open discussion and audience Q&A.
Navigating the new Medicaid 1115 waiver: Implications for New York hospitals and health systems
- Colleen McVeigh, Lead Strategist, 1115 Waiver, HANYS
- Paul Milton, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ellis Medicine
Earlier this year, CMS approved New York state’s $7.5 billion Medicaid 1115 waiver amendment to strengthen access to primary care and behavioral health services, advance health equity and reduce disparities across New York. As part of this work, the waiver will fund health-related social needs services, address workforce shortages and support safety net hospitals. This session will inform trustees about the waiver’s objectives, specific programmatic components and what it means for New York’s hospitals and health systems. Presenters will focus on the role new social care networks will play and demonstrate the challenges of and best practices for collaborating with these entities and other community-based organizations. A HANYS member CEO who chairs the board of an organization recently selected as a social care network will share how his hospital is preparing to engage in the waiver, and what hospitals should know about social care networks.
2:45 – 3 p.m.
Break
3 – 4 p.m.
Artificial intelligence in Healthcare: What healthcare leaders need to know…NOW!
- Steven Berkowitz, MD, Founder and President, SMB Health Consulting
Hardly a day goes by without a story in the news about artificial intelligence and its impact on society. New advances in technology and applications — both exciting and scary — seem to be occurring exponentially. There is now evidence that AI can learn on its own and that it can “make things up” or even hallucinate. GPT is enabling technology that is increasingly human. Computer-brain interfaces can physically connect the mind to the computer.
How do healthcare leaders stay on top of the science and make knowledgeable decisions? Or do we just let AI take over the world? Might your new doctor be an AI hologram? This session will review basic AI models and concepts such as processing speed, machine learning and networks, with particular emphasis on their applications in healthcare. Dr. Berkowitz will discuss special interest topics such as GPT, brain-computer interfaces, emergent properties and the concept of singularity. He will examine the present and future impact of AI on healthcare systems, patients and providers.
Finally, with the recent “Pause” letter on GPT technology, he will discuss the moral implications of AI and the role of future regulations and compliance.
4 p.m.
Adjourn
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
After Hours at The Adelphi
(Extra fee)
Unwind after your education-filled day at the historic Adelphi Hotel. Indulge in cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and network with your colleagues in a relaxed, picturesque setting. It’s the perfect starting point for exploring Saratoga as you enjoy a night on the town.