The ACHE of North Texas chapter and East Texas ACHE Forum join forces again, offering for the third year in a row, great quality education at an incredibly discounted price!

6 Hours of Face-to-face continuing education!!!!

Registration at 7:30am – 8:00am, First Session begins at 8:00am

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Panel 1: Physician Integration Approaches

Moderator – Scott Hurst, FACHE

Panelists:
Jennifer Beal
Roger Fowler, MD, FAAFP
Michael Hicks, MD, MBA, MHCM, FACHE

Panel 2: Customer Service in Healthcare

Moderator – Louise Thornell

Panelists:
Sherri Gould
Jennifer Blake
George Roberts, Jr., FACHE

Lunch will be provided onsite.

Panel 3: Executive Role in IT Decision

Moderator – Nick Kagal, FACHE, FHIMSS

Panelists:
Tim Pugsley, FACHE
Tom Cutler, RN, MBA, FACHE
Don Taylor, MHA

Panel 4: Executive On-Boarding

Moderator – Ekta Pathare, FACHE

Panelists:
Erich Koch, FACHE
Patty Boeckmann, RN, MHA, FACHE
David Helfer, FACHE, CMPE, MS, BA, R-CVT, EMT

Speaker Bios:

Jennifer L. Beal
Vice President Physician Integration and Shared Services
CHRISTUS Clinic Management Services

Jennifer joined CHRISTUS in 2015 and currently serves as the Vice President of Physician Integration & Shared Services for CHRISTUS Clinic Management Services.  Jennifer is responsible for recruiting physician and advanced practice providers, onboarding clinicians, supporting provider wellness and engagement, and supporting marketing for all practices. Additionally, she has assisted in keeping the organization’s key customers apprised of the ongoing status of CHRISTUS Physician Group, while also providing support to regional leaders to ensure clinic operations meet the needs of the organization and the communities they serve.  Prior to CHRISTUS, Jennifer was the Director of Physician Recruitment at Baylor Scott & White Health.

Jennifer Blake
Glenwood Site Executive Practice Manager & Women Health/Title X Project Manager
Tyler Family Circle of Care

Jennifer A. Blake is an Executive Site Manager of multiple Service Lines at the Tyler Family Circle of Care. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in Clinical sciences, with a minor in Public health from the Strayer University. She has over 17 years of experience in practice management and has held various management and leadership positions in the healthcare industry throughout her career.

She currently manages three sites, a Dental, Family Planning, and Woman’s Health programs. She is also responsible for assuring that the services delivered by Tyler Family Circle of Care are consistent with the organization’s mission and are accessible to all people in the communities we serve. She is respected by those she encounters and goes above and beyond, for not only the patients, but her coworkers as well. She is a member of the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and a Student member for ACHE, and Golden Key International Honor Society.

Patricia Boeckmann, RN, MHA, FACHE
Chief Operating Officer
Titus County Medical Center

Patricia Boeckmann, RN, MHA, FACHE, is a Chief Operating Officer who has a significant history of recruiting and onboarding executives in a variety of healthcare settings.

Before joining Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, Texas, Patricia was the COO for Straub Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, one of four hospitals of Hawaii Pacific Health. At Straub, Patricia was accountable for operations, business development and physician alignment for a 159 bed adult tertiary medical center with more than 200 employed physicians. Previously, Patricia served in various executive roles with Allina Health in Minneapolis, MN, a comprehensive health system of 11 hospitals, 85 clinics, 15 community pharmacies and 4 ambulatory surgery/diagnostic centers employing more than 23,000 employees, 5,000 physicians and 2,500 volunteers.

Patricia feels fortunate to have been called on to onboard executives new to organizations, as well as to coach and mentor established leaders moving up in organizations.

As much as Patricia enjoys her work, she appreciates family time with her 9 children (2 hers, 6 his, and 1 ours), and 10 grandchildren (and counting); outrigger canoeing on Lake Bob Sandlin, and trying to keep her daughter’s dog, Zeppelin, from chewing up all the garden hoses.

Thomas Cutler, FACHE, MBA, RN
Senior Manager Information Resources
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Thomas Cutler, FACHE, MBA, RN has been an information technology leader at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas for the past nine years. Prior to this he worked for seven years in Perot Systems Healthcare Division. He has over three decades of experience in various technology leadership roles. He has selected and implemented vendor supplied systems as well as lead teams to produce locally developed systems and interfaces. He has a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, a Master’s in Business Administration and is a Registered Nurse.

Roger Fowler, MD, FAAFP
Chief Medical Directgor of Population Health and Health Plans, CMO for the CHQCA and CLACOTrinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics

Roger began solo Family Medicine Physician in Kilgore, Texas, from October 1981 until November 1996. Provided full spectrum family medicine care. In 1996, he joined the newly formed Trinity Clinic, an employed physician group that incorporated 1 year earlier and part of the integrated Trinity Mother Frances Health System.

In November 2005, he moved practice to Lindale, Texas, practicing only ambulatory care. He ceased with direct patient care January 31, 2017, as he assumed present role with CHRISTUS Health.

While with the Trinity Clinic, he serve many roles including Trinity Clinic Board member for 9 years, serving the last 5 years as Chairman. He served on various committees including Finance, Customer Service and Quality. He provided medical leadership for the PCMH recognition for all of primary care in 2011. The Clinic achieved Level III PCMH recognition for all 120 primary care providers with re-recognition in 2014 and in process for 2017. He envisioned, launched and provided leadership for the department of Population Health for the Trinity Clinic in January 2015 until joining CHRISTUS Health in February 2017. He also served as Chief of Primary Care for 2 years until assuming full responsibility for Population Health for the CHRISTUS Health Trinity Mother Frances System.

Sherri L. Gould RN BSN
Executive Practice Manager- Pediatrics
Tyler Family Circle of Care FQHC

Sherri Gould joined Tyler Family Circle of Care in 2015 with 23 years of healthcare experience. Previous nursing leadership positions within the hospital, home health and/or hospice settings have led her to strive for the absolute best in patient outcomes, while maintaining compliance with regulatory agencies or federal guidelines. Mrs. Gould’s highlight of her career has been working in the FQHC forum of pediatric healthcare. Starting in 2015 with this current Executive Practice Manager position, she was asked to assist in the opening of a second clinic in Tyler for pediatrics. In 2016 she was also asked to assist in the opening of another clinic in Jacksonville, Texas, for family medicine/OB/GYN. She completed her BSN in 2015 at University of Texas at Arlington, and is currently a candidate for the Masters in Healthcare Administration with Grand Canyon University. She anticipates completion Fall of 2018.

Mrs. Gould is married for 19 years to Michael H. Belyeu, and has two children, Jason and Christina Gould, from a previous marriage (widowed), and two step-sons, Shawn and Michael S. Belyeu, who combined have given her 5 grandchildren.

Mrs. Gould’s hobbies are photography, boating, fishing, and the grandchildren, when she is not working on a school project or work related committee project.

She has joined with The American College of Healthcare Executives, and is a lifetime member of the Texas Nurses’ Association.

Mrs. Gould’s role at Tyler Family Circle of Care includes initial formalization of the Emergency Preparedness Plan for Tyler Family Circle of Care, along with the annual applications for FTCA malpractice grant for the business, and assisting in health fair events involving pediatrics. She also assisted in achieving the Patient Centered Medical Home III status for TFCC in 2017. She maintains a seat on the Advisory Committee boards for NETHealth Immunization Coalition and the Tyler Independent School District HEADSTART programs, and Region 7 ESC Headstart Home Services Advisory Committee.

Tyler Family Circle of Care is an FQHC with five clinics, three within Tyler, one in Jacksonville and one in Athens, Texas. Serving over 70,000+ visits to their combined clinics last year and having increased patient Medicaid and affordable healthcare population has added to their financially stable position in Smith, Cherokee and Henderson counties.

David Helfer, FACHE, CMPE, MS, BA, R-CVT, EMT
President
Texas Institute for Surgery at Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas Hospital

Dave is currently the President of the Texas Institute for Surgery at Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas Hospital, an acute care, for-profit partnered entity between independent physicians and Texas Health Resources system.  He owns a home and his family lives in Nichols, SC and he commutes to his current role.  Dave is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences both earned at National-Louis University in Evanston, IL. While Dave works in Dallas, he commutes from his family and home who live in Nichols, SC near Myrtle Beach.

He earned an Advance Leadership Certificate course at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.  He is a Board Certified Executive, Personal and Career Coach ( CCE) and an Associate Certified Coach ( International Coach Federation)   Dave has served as a mentor for the ACHE for many years both for individuals and groups and is often sought by colleagues to provide career counseling.  He is a member of the University of Texas-Dallas Executive Healthcare Council.

He possesses an extensive clinical background as Emergency Medical Technician license in TX and VA, is a Registered Cardiovascular Technologist, Certified Pulmonary Technician and managed numerous clinical departments ranging from cardiovascular, emergency and surgical services.

Dave has worked in healthcare for nearly thirty years as a clinician, manager, executive and consultant in small and large health systems throughout the US.  Before his current position, he was a  Sr. Vice President with a physician owned consulting company and before that, worked as a Divisional  Sr. Vice President and Executive Director with CHI St. Luke’s Health in Houston building and operating the Woodlands Hospital, Woodlands, TX.  At the same time, he had executive responsibilities within the St. Luke’s Medical Center flagship hospital accounting for nearly $400 M in operational revenue leading nearly 1000 employees.

Dave has conducted private consultation throughout the US and has participated in numerous teaching and coaching relationships, some under the purview of the ACHE and University of Texas, Dallas as well as Arlington.   He is the President-Elect for the Rotary Club of Dallas-Uptown and held officer roles including Secretary.  Dave has been named a Board member of the UTD Healthcare Executive Council.

Dave served in the US Army between 1973 and 1976 stationed in Fort Bragg, 82nd Airborne Division and worked as a helicopter electrician.  He was Honorably discharged as a Sergeant E-5. His first job in a hospital was as a phlebotomist drawing blood on patients working his way up to a President of a hospital.

Michael R. Hicks, MD, MBA, MHCM, FACHE
Executive Vice President, Health Partnerships & Clinical Affairs
University of North Texas Health Science Center
National Medical Director, HCA Ambulatory Surgery Division
Principal, The Leadership Frame
Senior Fellow, Texas Institute for Patient Safety
Attending Anesthesiologist, US Anesthesia Partners

I am blessed to work with several fantastic teams. At the University of North Texas Health Science Center I lead the clinical activities of the University’s health professions schools. This includes developing and managing the HSC’s relationships with the region’s health systems and clinical practice partners, leading the HSC’s clinical practice and its Institute for Patient Safety. I work closely with the Deans of the HSC schools to develop outstanding clinical educational experiences throughout North Texas. This includes the development of Graduate Medical Education opportunities for graduate physicians as well as Continuing Education for practicing health care clinicians and administrators.

I am also the National Medical Director for the Ambulatory Surgery Division of HCA. In this role I work with clinical teams of medical directors and surgeons, nurses, pharmacists and administrators that provide clinical care at over 130 ambulatory surgical centers that provide surgical services to approximately 800,000 patients annually.

With my multiple roles I am able to meld real world practical experience in health care delivery at HCA with the HSC’s vision of creating the clinical workforce of the future.

Previously I served as the CEO of EmCare Anesthesia Services, a division of Envision Healthcare Holdings (NYSE: EVHC) and as President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Pinnacle Partners in Medicine (now US Anesthesia Partners) which under my leadership became the largest anesthesiology practice in the US. In these and other roles I have been actively involved in health care industry consolidation activities including physician practice rollups, mergers, and acquisitions in both the private equity and public market environments. I have served as a consultant to many US and international health care companies providing a variety of health care services including a significant presence in the field of perioperative medicine. On a personal level I serve as a mentor for young careerists from both clinical and administrative backgrounds.

I am a lifelong learner. I have a degree in chemistry from West Virginia University and an MD from West Virginia University School of Medicine, an MBA from the University of Dallas and a Master of Science in Health Care Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I trained as an anesthesiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas as well as the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. I have board certifications in Anesthesiology from the American Board of Anesthesiology and in Clinical Informatics from the American Board of Preventive Medicine. I am a member of a number of professional societies and am a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

My wife Michelle B. Hicks, Ph.D., an executive coach and former college professor, and I live in Irving, Texas. We have three adult daughters: Katie who is a practicing attorney, Rachel who is an Emergency Medicine resident physician and Rebecca who is in the final month of a Master of Medical Science degree program in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling at Emory University School of Medicine.

Scott Hurst, FACHE
Project Leader, Clinical Decision Support
Methodist Health System

Scott currently serves as a Project Leader in Clinical Effectiveness & Patient Safety at Methodist Health System in Dallas, TX.  In this role, he is responsible for promoting and facilitating the assimilation and integration of clinical data across system resources in the pursuit of advancing quality or driving efficiency.

Prior to joining Methodist Health System, Scott spent four years with Children’s Health in Dallas, TX.  During his time at Children’s Health, he had direct oversight of the Physician Outreach and Physician Information teams, fiduciary oversight of multiple budgets and responsibility for the development of clinically integrated networks. In October of 2014, he shifted into a dyad management role over the Pediatric Partners, a clinically integrated network, focused on protecting the practice of independent medicine while standardizing evidence-based protocols and pathways. Scott and his team of integrated network advisors were committed to seeing Pediatric Partners go from a conceptual idea to a world class group of over 350 pediatricians and pediatric specialists committed to raising quality and lowering cost while delivering an exceptional patient experience.

All told, Scott has spent the last 18 years working in the health care arena. In addition to working at Children’s Health, Scott worked with Lone Star Pharmaceuticals,  EmCare, CHRISTUS Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi, TX and in retained physician search for multiple industry leaders including Goldfish Partners, Delta Physician Placement and Merritt Hawkins & Associates.

Scott resides in Lantana, TX with his wife Lisa who is an assistant principal at Guyer High School in Denton, TX. His stepson, Noah (22), is a student at Lamar University and a cycling coach, while his daughter, Anelise (15), participates in dance and art while enjoying the company of the two family Labrador retrievers, Amy and Kimmie.

Nick Kagal, MBA, FACHE, FHIMSS
Senior Regional Director
Premier, Inc.

Nick Kagal is the Southwest Informatics Senior Region Director with Premier Inc. He has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry,and has held leadership roles with several major DFW provider organizations including Parkland Health & Hospital System, HealthSouth & Medical Center of Plano. In his role at Premier, Nick has oversight for supporting Premier member hospitals achieve breakthroughs in operational & clinical performance improvement and engaging them in healthcare quality & safety collaborative efforts.

Nick also serves as the incoming President of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of HIMSS. He has extensive experience working with multiple healthcare providers supporting their technology and informatics strategies. He has previously served as Vice President of Business Development for MediServe Information Systems and Ormed Information Systems. Nick received his BA in Biology & Psychology from Austin College and an MBA from the Texas A&M University. He is a Fellow of both ACHE and HIMSS. Nick lives in Plano, Texas with his wife and two children. He is an avid sports fan, a weekend warrior athlete and an extremely amateur musician.

Erich Koch
Chief Financial Officer
Tyler Family Circle of Care

Erich Koch is the Chief Financial Officer of Tyler Family Circle of Care which is a 5 location, $17 million dollar FQHC serving over 21,000 unique patients for over 70,000 visits. Prior to assuming this role, Erich served for almost 3 years as Chief Financial Officer of Robeson Health Care Corporation located in Pembroke, NC, during which time he helped lead the organization through a turnaround. Before Erich got there, the company lost $900K, and after Erich left, the company had a profit of over $800K.

Erich has more than 18 years of combined healthcare financial management and general accounting experience. Prior to joining Family Circle of Care in Tyler, Erich also served as a Chief Financial Officer or Controller for a Critical Access Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, Acute Care Hospital, FQHC, and FQHC look-a-like. Erich specializes in FQHC’s and FQHC look-a-likes.

Erich is actively involved with the Health Financial Management Association (HFMA), the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and The Texas Association for Healthcare Financial Administration (TAHFA). Erich is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Erich is a graduate of Heriot-Watt University (MBA, November 2005), and Lakehead University (BA Administration, May 1998). Erich is also a Fellow with ACHE (FACHE), a Fellow with HFMA (FHFMA), a Certified Public Accountant from North Dakota (CPA – ND), and a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator from Alaska (NHA – AK).

Ekta Pathare FACHE, MBA, OTR, CHT
President
CGAIT Global LLC

A nationally and internationally renowned Healthcare Executive speaker with over 15 years of management and leadership experience. During her career, EKTA has proven experience in business startups, turnarounds, business development, business analysis, program development, collaboration, change management, navigating complex regulatory environments, people development & coaching, resource management, patient centered care strategies, budgetary & regulatory compliance, employee engagement, ensuring patient satisfaction, setting and achieving objectives in alignment with organizational objectives, developing and managing projects.

Ekta received her MBA from the University of Dallas (2002) and her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Bombay (1995). Ekta is also a Nationally Certified Hand Therapist and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Ekta is also active with ACHENTX, ACHE, AOTA, and ASHT.

Timothy J. Pugsley, MBA, CPHIMS, CHCIO, FACHE
Chief Information Officer
Titus Regional Medical Center

Tim Pugsley joined Titus Regional Medical Center in 2015 and has twenty-two years of experience in Information Technology with sixteen of those in Healthcare. His previous position was CIO at Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital, a physician owned specialty hospital focused on the total care of the orthopaedic patient. Before being a member of the senior leadership team at NOH, Mr. Pugsley was Director of Corporate Technologies with Student Resources, a division of UICI, a leading provider of insurance with annual revenues exceeding 2.1 Billion dollars. Prior to UICI, Mr. Pugsley was Vice President of Information Technology and Client Services for i-Trax LLC, a national telehealth nurse triage and disease management provider. He also has extensive experience in system design, analytics, and operations management.

Mr. Pugsley earned both his Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Bellevue University in Bellevue NE.

He is a Fellow with The American College of Healthcare Executives as well as holding certifications with College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHCIO) and Health Information Management Systems Society (CPHIMS).

Mr. Pugsley is married to his wife of sixteen years, Amanda Pugsley and they have three children, Jordan, Madelyn, and Emma. His hobbies are focused primarily on outdoor sports including golf, fishing, boating, and hunting.

Mr. Pugsley’s role at TRMC includes oversight for the corporate Digital Strategy and Development as well as Health Systems Support Services including Clinical Informatics, PACS/CPACS, Systems Management, Biomed, Information Systems, Human Resources, and Program Management.

Titus Regional Medical Center is a 174-bed multi-specialty hospital with over $180 Million in Annual Revenues. The hospital is located in Mount Pleasant, Texas and serves over 50,000 lives within 5 counties. TRMC is Joint Commission certified and is recognized as a premier Stroke Center in North East Texas.

George T. Roberts, Jr., FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
Northeast Texas Public Health District

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

Mr. Roberts has almost 40 years of health care experience, the majority of which was spent in hospital administration, having previously served at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, and Henderson Memorial Hospital in Henderson, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from SMU in Dallas and a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He currently serves on the Board of NACCHO as Vice President, the Episcopal Health Foundation, Carter Bloodcare, the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, and is the past Board Chairman for the Texas Health Institute Board of Directors. He is also a Past President of the Texas Association of City and County Health Officials (TACCHO). Mr. Roberts is active in a number of church, community, and statewide efforts. Mr. Roberts has been married to his wife Leslie for 30 years, and they have 2 children – Claire (25) and Travis (21).

Donald Taylor
Director of Southwestern Health Resources Integration
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Mr. Donald Taylor is currently the Director for Integration, Southwestern Health Resources at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. He provides project management and consulting in the development of an innovative clinically integrated health system. He also teaches healthcare leadership at UTSW. Previous to this, he served as the Associate Director at the North Chicago VA, which is the only fully integrated VA/DoD (Navy) federal health center. He has also supported the VA in El Paso and Phoenix. Mr. Taylor retired from the US Air Force in 2006 after serving in various positions across military medicine. He supported national federal health policy, international health strategy, and command positions at community hospitals and academic medical centers. He also served as the commander of the Air Force Theater Hospital (Trauma Center) in Balad Air Base, Iraq in 2006. He is also a member of the ACHE. A native of Lewisville, Texas, Mr. Taylor earned his Master of Healthcare Administration from Penn State University and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has also been on the Board of Directors of the National Air Force Association and founded their national Wounded Airman Program. He now serves as Chairman for the National AFA Veteran Retiree Advisory Council. He has been a volunteer leader in the community, serving as past chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee and the Economic Development Council. He is a Board member for Walking on the Glass Floor Foundation and a mentor for the North Texas Warrior Golf Association. He also is Chairman of the UTSW, Veterans Advocacy Group. Mr. Taylor authored his first book, “The Quite Heroes” in 2016 and is married to Judy Hoberman, the founder/CEO of both, Selling in a Skirt and Walking on the Glass Floor companies.

Louise Thornell, PhD Candidate, MSN, MsBA, RN, NE-BC
Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer
CHRISTUS St Michael Health System

Louise started her nursing career in Ireland over 37 years ago where she completed her initial training, she immigrated to the US in 1984. Louise describes her first love as a staff nurse in the Emergency Department. Louise has held a variety of leadership positions over the last 23 years in many areas and currently serves as the Vice-President/Chief Nursing Officer for CHRISTUS St Michael Health System.

Louise describes a life long journey in search of knowledge. This journey began with licensure in Ireland as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse and a Registered General Nurse, in the US she obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from University of Texas Arlington, Master of Science in Business Administration from Texas A&M- Texarkana, Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University, and is in the final stages of her PhD journey with a PhD in Nursing with a specialization in Public Health Policy.

Louise is a member of Emergency Nurses Association, American and Texas Organization of Nurse Executives, American and Texas Nurse Associations and American College of Healthcare Executives. She is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as Nurse Executive and in Bioethics by the National Catholic Bioethics Center.

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