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SUMMARY:Best Practices in Adapting to Local Regulations\, Markets and Trends
DESCRIPTION:This panel has been approved for 1.50 ACHE Virtual Interactive Education Credits.\n\n\n\n\n  \nThe combination of national and state legislation\, and local economic conditions\, market trends and health condition trends influence organizational strategies. Healthcare executives are challenged with understanding and addressing the various needs of the population in the community and factors that influence the financial status of the organization. Healthcare executives must lead the organization to adapt to ever-changing situations as well as developing strategies to achieve future goals. \n\nNkem Okafor\, FACHE\nDirector of Commercial Execution\, Novo Nordisk\nClaire Hammer\, MHA\, FACHE\nExecutive Department Administrator\, Acclaim Health\nKevin Rash\, FACHE\nManaging Director\, Healthcare Performance Improvement\, Forvis Mazars\nJennifer Tomasik\, SM\, FACHE\nVice President and Principal\, CFAR\n\n  \n\nRegister Here\n  \n\nSpeakers’ Bios: \nClaire Hammer\, MHA\, FACHE is the Executive Department Administrator at Acclaim Health\, the multi-specialty medical group within JPS Health Network. She oversees operations and financial performance for a $260 million portfolio supporting more than 500 providers across multiple clinical service lines. Working closely with physician leaders and executive leadership\, Claire focuses on improving operations\, expanding access to care\, and supporting high-quality patient outcomes. \nOne of her most significant accomplishments has been leading optimization efforts across the Primary Care and Surgical service lines\, helping increase patient access by an estimated 250 additional visits each week through operational improvements and better use of provider capacity. \nWith more than 10 years of healthcare leadership experience in Tarrant County\, Claire has built her career leading complex operational initiatives and supporting physicians and clinical teams. Before joining Acclaim Health\, she served as Manager of Behavioral Health Business Operations for JPS Health Network\, where she oversaw operations for a comprehensive behavioral health service line that included a 20\,000-visit psychiatric emergency center\, inpatient behavioral health units\, and integrated behavioral health services within primary care clinics. \nClaire earned both her Master of Healthcare Administration and Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Physiology from the University of Iowa. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified. \nNkem Okafor\, FACHE is a healthcare executive\, strategist\, and transformation leader with more than 17 years of experience leading enterprise strategy\, growth\, execution\, and organizational transformation. She currently serves as Director of Commercial Execution at Novo Nordisk\, where she leads commercial execution strategy and implementation across multiple states\, partnering with sales\, market access\, marketing\, and operations to advance enterprise priorities and improve execution. \nPreviously\, Nkem served as Vice President of Strategy and Transformation at Independence Blue Cross\, where she led enterprise strategy\, growth initiatives\, and strategic execution. She also served as System Vice President of Strategy and Planning at Methodist Health System in Dallas and held multiple leadership roles at Houston Methodist\, including global operations\, system integration\, population health\, business development\, and operational improvement. \nNkem is also the Founder of Vieve Enterprises\, a business strategy consulting firm supporting corporate\, not-for-profit\, and government entities with strategic planning\, growth strategy\, business model development\, and operational transformation. She earned her Master of Public Health in Health Management from Yale University and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nkem is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been recognized as a Top 15 Business Woman of Dallas and an Exemplary Trailblazer. She is a national speaker on business strategy\, leadership\, healthcare transformation\, health equity\, and organizational growth. \nKevin Rash is a Managing Director in the Healthcare Performance Improvement practice\, leading the Operational\, Labor\, Staffing\, and Margin Transformation initiatives. He applies extensive clinical and executive experience to help healthcare organizations enhance performance\, improve operational efficiency\, and manage major initiatives without disruption. His work includes margin improvement\, workflow productivity optimization\, cost structure management\, and clinical and operational strategy. \nHe brings experience from two specialty hospital builds—orthopedic and rehabilitation—and has led multiple surgery center developments and surgical excellence programs across various care settings. \nBefore joining Forvis Mazars\, Kevin served in hospitals\, trauma centers\, integrated health systems\, and physician clinics. His 30+ years in healthcare include roles as a physical therapist\, service line program leader\, and vice president of operations for a large integrated system\, where he oversaw surgical services\, supply chain\, rehabilitation operations\, surgical clinics\, and anesthesia\, in addition to leading systemwide improvement initiatives. \nKevin is a frequent speaker operational and margin improvement\, workforce strategy\, and surgical services excellence. He is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is board-certified in healthcare management as a Fellow (FACHE). \nJennifer Tomasik\, SM\, FACHE is a Vice President and Principal at CFAR\, a boutique management consulting firm where she serves on the Board of Directors and is the Healthcare Market Leader. Jenn has been actively engaged in ACHE at the national level and in the Rhode Island Chapter for almost two decades. She is a past President of ACHE RI\, served on the ACHE Council of Regents and has been invited to chair or participate in numerous ACHE committees. As a consultant\, Jenn partners with clients across academic medicine and the healthcare ecology. She is a deep believer in the power of systems-thinking and the role of active engagement of people across all levels of an organization to shape\, own\, and contribute to their strategic future. She is proud to work with some of the most prestigious health systems and academic medical centers in the country and helps her clients move from ideas to action\, whether that be through individual or team-based coaching\, leading large-scale strategy and change work or advising boards on governance. \nJennifer is deeply committed to improving healthcare\, leadership and education in her home state of Rhode Island\, where she resides with her husband and daughters. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and was elected to represent the state on ACHE’s national Board of Regents. She is a recipient of the Regent Awards for Early Careerist and for Senior Healthcare Executive for ACHE of Rhode Island\, where she serves as a member of the Board. She is the Immediate-Past President of the Board of Trustees of the French American School of Rhode Island\, where she led strategic planning\, search\, transition and governance efforts. She also serves on the Board of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute. Jennifer is a member of the Omicron II class of Leadership Rhode Island. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Tufts University and holds a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. \n\n\n  \nRegister Here\n 
URL:https://achentx.org/event/best-practices-in-adapting-to-local-regulations-markets-and-trends/
LOCATION:Virtual
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SUMMARY:Risk Issues We Face in Our Daily Lives
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\nThis panel has been approved for 1.50 ACHE Virtual Interactive Education Credits.\n\n\n\n  \nSince 2000 and the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s seminal work To ERR is Human\, the healthcare community has placed an increased focus on patient safety issues. Organizations such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement\, the National Quality Forum\, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)\, and the Joint Commission have all focused on strategies to improve quality of patient care and to reduce the risk of harm. Organizations are now driving towards “zero harm” initiatives that involve the entire organization to be onboard with the concept to succeed. In today’s challenging healthcare environment\, organizations face many types of risk such as quality and safety\, financial\, competition\, care for the uninsured\, resources for technology\, workforce shortages\, the political and economic environment. The purpose of this program is to explore the impact of the identified risk issues for hospitals. \n\nHerron Mitchell\, MBA\, FACHE\, SSGB\nChief Operations Officer\, Foremost Family Health Centers\nBarrett Hunter\, JD\nDirector of Payor Relations\, Compliance\, and Contract Integrity\, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences\nAjith Pai\, PharmD\, MBA\, FACHE\nPresident\, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth and Texas Health Hospital Clearfork\nAshley Vertuno\, FACHE\nChief Executive Officer\, Arizona Market\, Healthcare Outcomes Performance Company (HOPCo)\n\n\nRegister Here\n  \nSpeakers’ Bios: \nBarrett Hunter is the Director of Payor Relations\, Compliance\, and Contract Integrity at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences\, home to Oklahoma State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and academic clinic system. He also serves as the institution’s Privacy Officer. \nBarrett’s path to healthcare began after graduating from the University of Tulsa\, where he played basketball\, and then earning his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He began his legal career as Assistant General Counsel at the Oklahoma Tax Commission but always intended to move into healthcare. After a few years in state government\, he joined OSU Center for Health Sciences as its first Director of Compliance and Risk Management. \nAt OSU-CHS\, Barrett’s work spans compliance\, privacy\, risk management\, internal policy development\, conflict of interest oversight\, payer relations\, and clinical contract integrity. In 2020\, he was asked to manage the institution’s COVID-19 response\, including its testing and vaccine sites\, while helping develop processes and mitigation strategies to keep patients\, students\, and employees safe. \nIn his current expanded role\, Barrett negotiates terms and reimbursement rates with third-party payers and manages the institution’s clinical contracts. Outside of work\, he continues his connection to basketball by helping coach the Cascia Hall High School Girls Basketball Team with a former college teammate. Barrett and his wife\, Rachael\, have three children and recently welcomed their first daughter earlier this year. \n  \nHerron Mitchell\, MBA\, FACHE\, SSGB is a healthcare executive with over 20+ years of leadership experience spanning both the automotive and healthcare industries. He currently serves as Chief Operations Officer at Foremost Family Health Centers\, where he oversees patient access\, revenue cycle\, facilities\, and strategic growth initiatives to expand care in underserved communities. Prior to this role\, he spent more than a decade at Parkland Health leading multi-site ambulatory operations\, advancing access\, and driving system-wide performance improvement through Lean Six Sigma. Herron began his career with General Motors\, where he built a strong foundation in operational excellence and process improvement. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Lecturer at the University of Virginia\, dedicated to advancing health equity and high-performing care delivery systems. \n  \nAjith Pai\, PharmD\, MBA\, FACHE leads Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth with a steady focus on excellence\, collaboration\, and community impact. Since assuming the role of president in July 2022\, he has guided the hospital through a period of remarkable achievement and growth. Under his leadership\, Texas Health Southwest earned recognition as the #9 hospital in Dallas–Fort Worth in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings\, was named the #1 hospital in Fort Worth and #19 in Texas on Newsweek’s 2025 America’s Best-in-State Hospitals list and was honored as a Premier Top 100 Hospital. The hospital also recently embarked on a transformative $223 million expansion\, including a new five‑story patient tower slated to open in 2028. \nBefore joining Texas Health Southwest\, Ajith served as President of Texas Health Cleburne\, where he built strong partnerships with physicians\, strengthened operational performance\, and fostered a culture centered on safety\, quality\, and engagement. Across his leadership roles\, he has remained committed to advancing patient care while nurturing meaningful relationships with employees\, medical staff\, governance leaders\, and the broader community. \nAjith’s professional foundation blends clinical expertise with business acumen. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy and later completed his Master of Business Administration at The University of Texas at Dallas. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives\, he served as the 2025 Chapter President of ACHE of North Texas. His belief in the power of advocacy has shaped his service beyond the hospital walls—most recently as the 2025 Chair of the Texas Hospital Association Political Action Committee (HOSPAC)\, as a member of the Texas Hospital Association Board of Trustees\, and as a representative on the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board 7. \nAway from his professional responsibilities\, Ajith finds his greatest joy in time spent with his family—his wife\, Myriam\, and their three children\, Elyse\, Nikhil\, and Yvette. \n  \nAshley Vertuno is an award-winning healthcare executive recognized for leading large-scale organizational transformation\, accelerating growth\, and building high-performing cultures across complex healthcare enterprises. With more than 15 years of executive leadership experience\, she has established a reputation for driving measurable results through operational excellence\, physician alignment\, strategic vision\, and disciplined execution. \nAs Chief Executive Officer of HOPCo’s Arizona Market\, Ashley provides executive leadership across one of the nation’s premier musculoskeletal care platforms. She is responsible for market-wide strategy\, operations\, physician alignment\, growth\, and performance across The CORE Institute\, Elevation Surgery Centers\, and The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital (CISH). Her leadership spans physician practices\, ambulatory surgery centers\, specialty hospital services\, ancillary care offerings\, and strategic growth initiatives throughout Arizona. \nAshley is known for her ability to align physicians\, executive leaders\, and clinical teams around a shared vision while translating strategy into measurable outcomes. Through a physician-partnership model\, she focuses on integrating care delivery\, improving patient outcomes\, strengthening organizational culture\, and driving sustainable growth across the continuum of care. \nPrior to joining HOPCo\, Ashley served as Chief Executive Officer of HCA Florida JFK North Hospital\, where she led a significant organizational transformation. Under her leadership\, operating margin increased from 1.8% to more than 15%\, EBITDA grew at a 37% CAGR\, and the organization expanded key clinical service lines while strengthening physician partnerships and workforce engagement. The hospital earned national recognition from Healthgrades as a Top 100 Hospital for Orthopedic Surgery and Spine Surgery\, as well as Patient Safety Excellence distinctions four consecutive years in a row. \nAshley has built her leadership reputation on the belief that exceptional performance is achieved when culture\, accountability\, and vision align. Her ability to connect strategy to execution has enabled organizations to navigate growth\, transformation\, and increasingly complex healthcare environments while maintaining a relentless focus on quality\, service\, and outcomes. \nA nationally recognized thought leader\, Ashley frequently speaks at leading healthcare conferences and executive forums\, including the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)\, Becker’s Healthcare\, and healthcare leadership events across the country. Her areas of expertise include physician engagement\, healthcare transformation\, leadership development\, workforce strategy\, organizational culture\, and building high performing healthcare organizations. \nHer professional honors include the 2024 Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Healthcare Executive of the Year from the American College of Healthcare Executives\, the 2024 Baldrige Foundation Award for Healthcare Leadership\, recognition as a Modern Healthcare Emerging Leader\, and inclusion among Palm Beach County’s Top 100 Business Leaders. \nAshley serves on multiple nonprofit and professional boards and remains actively committed to mentoring the next generation of healthcare leaders. She currently serves as Forum Officer for the YPO Healthcare Business Network\, helping foster collaboration and leadership development among healthcare executives around the world. \nAshley is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and a certified Six Sigma Green Belt. She holds a Master of Health Administration from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.
URL:https://achentx.org/event/risk-issues-we-face-in-our-daily-lives/
LOCATION:Virtual
ORGANIZER;CN="ACHE of North Texas":MAILTO:info@achentx.org
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SUMMARY:Summer 2026 AI in HealthCare: Leadership Essentials – Fundamentals
DESCRIPTION:ACHE of North Texas is excited to be partnering with the ACHE Southeast Texas Chapter to offer you this special opportunity! \nEarn a certificate\, a digital badges\, and up to 20 hours of qualifying ACHE credits in an increasingly valuable area with this program – “AI in Healthcare: Leadership Essentials– Fundamentals”.  GREAT VALUE!\nThis comprehensive AI in Healthcare virtual course\, taught by a faculty of experts\, is designed for healthcare administrators and emerging leaders seeking to understand and guide the integration of artificial intelligence across their organizations. AI has a rapidly expanding influence on clinical operations\, administrative efficiency\, and patients outcomes. This course equips participants with the knowledge to improve long-term strategic direction and lead confidently in an AI-driven healthcare environment. This course will employ a combination of foundational instruction\, hands on application\, and cohort based didactic sessions to give participants a deeper understanding of AI terminology\, data and infrastructure requirements\, risk management\, governance\, and implementation strategy. The course consists of 10 virtual sessions (Thursdays from 6:30-8:30PM CT starting July 23rd\, 2026) and will result in participants constructing their own AI implementation plan tailored to the use case they selected. By the end of this course\, participants will be prepared to evaluate\, design\, and oversee AI initiatives within their organizations. They will emerge capable of navigating the operational\, technical\, regulatory\, and ethical complexities of AI in healthcare. \nThroughout the course\, participants will:\n\nGain a clear understanding of core AI concepts\, terminology\, and technologies and how they apply within healthcare settings.\nIdentify\, assess\, and prioritize AI use cases that address meaningful organizational challenges and strategic opportunities.\nAnalyze real-world AI applications in healthcare to understand impact\, feasibility\, ROI\, and key success factors.\nDevelop a comprehensive business case for a selected AI initiative\, including problem definition\, value proposition\, ROI modeling\, and stakeholder alignment.\nEvaluate data readiness\, technical infrastructure needs\, and integration requirements to support effective AI deployment.\nAssess and mitigate clinical\, ethical\, regulatory\, operational\, and organizational risks associated with AI adoption.\nCreate a full implementation roadmap and governance strategy—including milestones\, communication plans\, and change management—to support responsible and successful AI adoption within their organization.\n\nTopics covered include:\n\nFoundational AI concepts\, terminology\, and healthcare-specific applications\nIdentifying\, evaluating\, and prioritizing AI use cases within healthcare organizations\nReal-world examples of successful AI implementations and their impact on quality\, efficiency\, and ROI\nBusiness case development for AI initiatives\, including value definition\, cost considerations\, and stakeholder alignment\nData readiness\, interoperability\, infrastructure requirements\, and vendor assessment\nClinical\, ethical\, regulatory\, operational\, and organizational risks associated with AI\nGovernance models\, oversight structures\, and strategies for responsible AI adoption\nChange management\, communication planning\, and leadership strategies for successful implementation\nDevelopment of a complete AI implementation plan and actionable roadmap\n\nClick HERE to see the Spring 2026 course agenda. The Summer 2026 agenda will be available soon!\nMeet Our Summer 2026 Instructors!\nPRICING INFO:\n$450 => ACHE Member\n$650 => Non-member ($200 rebate if you join ACHE!)\n$250 => ACHE Student Member or Early Careerist ACHE Member \n*Please note that we will verify ACHE membership if registering as such. \n  \nRegister Here\n 
URL:https://achentx.org/event/summer-2026-ai-in-healthcare-leadership-essentials-fundamentals/2026-08-27/
LOCATION:Virtual
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