Schedule

Stephen Abresch is the Assistant Director of Government Affairs at the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), where his primary responsibilities include covering state legislative and regulatory activity and federal legislative activity. Prior to joining ASCA in 2019, Stephen got his start in state government affairs in 2010 when he was a staffer in the House Appropriations Committee in the Maryland House of Delegates: he later spent nearly seven years at the state government affairs firm Stateside Associates, covering a wide range of topics including digital privacy, financial regulations and state procurement issues.

Stephen earned his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Political Science and completed a Master’s program in Public Policy, with a focus on Social Policy, at the George Washington University in 2012.

Scott joined National Medical Billing Services in 2008 and has devoted his healthcare industry career advising surgical centers and practices on managed care contracting. His extensive knowledge of surgical reimbursement, coupled with his revenue cycle experience and his national perspective, enables him to devise solutions that are suited to the nuances of an ASC’s particular market.

Scott has a proven track record as a strategic advisor to National Medical’s clients by providing direction on payer contract issues, revenue implications associated with evolving payment systems and structures, and the financial impact of high acuity case migration to the ASC setting. Moreover, his expertise in RCM operations, reimbursement, and payment systems has been instrumental to his success securing payer contracts in surgical centers introducing and developing spine, total joint, and cardiology programs.

Scott earned a B.S. in Political Science from St. Louis University.

Jan is currently the Director of Clinical Education and Clinical Research for NCP, a provider of outpatient cardiovascular services. Jan is a certified healthcare safety professional and has been in the Ambulatory Surgery Center industry since 1985, spending the past 15 years assisting hundreds of ASCs with accreditation and regulatory support. Jan has served on ambulatory advisory panels for AORN, Joint Commission and the ASC Quality Collaboration, has authored a book over compliance with Joint Commission standards and has had several publications in the AORN Journal. Jan has served as an expert speaker on numerous nationwide audio and live conferences over quality, regulatory and accreditation issues.

Katja Auer has been part of the UVC industry for over 15 years. She is an expert in UVC EVS applications with a focus on infection prevention.

Katja is a member of ASHRAE’s TC 2.9 Ultraviolet Air and Surface Treatment from its inception and served as the TC 2.9 Secretary, Vice-Chair and Chair. Additionally, she served as Secretary on ASHRAE’s Standards Committees (ANSI) SPC185.1 and SPC185.2 She is the Vice-Chair of SPC185.3 "Method of Testing In-Room Devices and Systems for Microorganism" and Chair of SPC185.4 "Method of Testing In-Room Ultraviolet Devices and Systems for Microbial Inactivation on Surfaces in a Test Room."

She serves as Handbook Chair of ASHRAE TC2.9 and is a contributing author to ASHRAE Handbook chapters for both Fundamentals and Systems & Equipment. She is a member of ASHRAE’s Guideline Project Committee GPC37 Upper Room Ultraviolet. Additionally, Katja is a member of IUVA (International Ultra-Violet Association) and its Healthcare working group plus a voting member of ISO WG TC 142 and ISO USA Expert panel on UV-C.

Katja holds a Master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Arizona and an MBA from the University of La Verne and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership-Health Science at the University of Houston.

Kelly Bemis, RN, BSN, is the Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) for National Cardiovascular Partners (NCP), a subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care of North America (FMCNA). In that capacity, Ms. Bemis is responsible for the overall strategy, direction and oversight of all clinical aspects of the organization, to include facility certification, governance and regulatory compliance; physician relations; medical research; and the monitoring and reporting of comprehensive quality outcomes.

Ms. Bemis has spent her entire career in the healthcare, first in patient care, and later in a succession of high-level management and oversight roles. Ms. Bemis is a member of the Joint Commission’s Ambulatory Care Advisory Council, and represents NCP as a member of the Outpatient Endovascular and Interventional Society (OEIS). Her work has been published in several leading healthcare publications and national journals.

Lisa has over 30 years of experience in the ASC industry and has been doing infection prevention for over 25 years. She has developed programs to train new infection preventionists and is certified in sterile processing and holds the CAIP certification.

Lisa has worked in every area of the surgery center including circulating, scrubbing, safety officer, infection preventionist, business office manager, administrator and corporate clinical leader. In a previous role, Lisa was the epidemiologist for her county Health Department. In her current role, Lisa is Senior Director of Clinical Education & Training for SCA Health. In this role, she develops onboarding and training programs for the clinical staff at the corporate enterprise level. Lisa is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Lisa has a BSN from the University of Cincinnati and a MSN and MEd from Xavier University.

Terry is Vice President of Ambulatory Surgery Centers for Community Health Systems in Nashville, Tennessee. Terry served as President of the national ASC Association (ASCA) from 2014 to 2016 and as President of the California Surgery Center Association (CASA) from 2012 to 2014. Terry was Vice President of Operations for two national surgery center companies and has been Administrator of a large, multi-specialty ASC.

Terry is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and a Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC). He holds a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and an undergraduate degree in Accounting. He served as adjunct assistant professor at the University of Florida in the Masters in Healthcare Administration program. He retired as Commander in the United States Navy Reserve after 24 years of military service.

Joni has clinical, education and leadership experience in all aspects of perioperative care delivery to include preanesthesia patient optimization and education; preoperative patient preparation; regional blocks; moderate/conscious sedation administration; and PACU nursing.

She currently serves as Chair of the International Collaboration of PeriAnaesthesia Nurses Board of Directors (www.icpan.org), and is board certified in pain management and ambulatory anesthesia nursing. As an Inova System Nursing Professional Development Educator, Joni designs, delivers and evaluates programs to orient staff to patient care standards, performance standards, policies and procedures. She leads a systemwide perianesthesia nursing fellowship program designed for new graduate and advanced beginner RNs to introduce and ultimately transition new nursing practitioners into this specialty practice.

Alice has over 15 years of experience as an epidemiologist in both the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. She has a record of publications and presentations in the fields of infectious disease and epidemiological research. She has led programs and teams in the areas of regulatory affairs, surveillance, data analysis, and clinical research. As head of PDI Clinical Affairs, Alice is responsible for providing clinical strategy, elevating relationships with industry and government organizations, and supporting business development and innovation for PDI.

Alice earned a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology, a master’s degree in Public Health Epidemiology, and is a doctoral candidate in Health Sciences. She is certified in Infection Control and Epidemiology and Healthcare Quality. She is a Fellow of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and a member of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the American College of Epidemiology, and the American Public Health Association.

Eric Burger has 30 years of experience in healthcare with the past 15 years in healthcare leadership, primarily focused on surgical services. He has worked in a range of settings including large hospital systems and outpatient facilities. Eric started with Duly Health and Care (formally DuPage Medical Group) in 2019 and was an integral part of starting their first robotic program for their outpatient surgery centers. Eric has a Bachelor of Science in Project Management and a Master of Business Administration with a Leadership Concentration.

Maura Cash, RN, BSN, CASC, is currently the Vice President of Clinical Strategies at HST Pathways, the leading provider of a suite of ASC solutions under the “HST One+” membership offering. Under Maura’s guidance, the technology that HST provides is built with a clinical eye and thoughtfully designed for those who will actually be using them on a daily basis. Before joining HST, Maura was an OR Manager for 8 years and has 40+ years of nursing experience. Maura has extensive experience helping ASCs implement EHRs, is passionate about clinically designed healthcare software and ASC clinical trends and enjoys sharing her wealth of knowledge with the ASC community.

Rena Courtay is currently the AVP of Perioperative Ambulatory Surgery at Duke University Health System where she oversees the ambulatory surgery platforms for the Health System. Before this Rena was President of Solutions for Outpatient Surgery, an ASC consulting firm. Prior to this Rena was the Vice President, Executive Director of HSS (Hospital for Special Surgery) Florida. Rena has over 25 years of experience in the ASC industry and has been an operating room nurse, a DON, a surgery center Administrator and spent over 15 years as an RVP for HCA and Surgical Care Affiliates.

Rena served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Society for Ambulatory Surgery Centers for many years. She currently serves on the board of the North Carolina Ambulatory Surgical Center Association and also serves on the ASCA education committee

Rena earned her BSN from The Ohio State University and her MBA from Youngstown State University.

Pat Day is a former horse jockey, competing for over twenty years. Day had a legendary career, amassing 8,803 total victories, as well as nine Triple Crown Victories. Day competed in the Kentucky Derby 21 times, winning the event once in 1992. He is known for his gentle and laid-back riding style, as he does not push the horse more than he should, something that fans claim makes him so successful. His success over the years has earned him a plethora of awards, including the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockeys, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award, and many United States championships. Day has jockeyed several famous horses, with his favorite being reported as Easy Goer, which is known as one of the top racehorses of our generation. Day announced his retirement in 2005 after a hip injury forced him to miss the Kentucky Derby for the first time.

Peter Doerner joined North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) in early 2013 as Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer. He leads a talented team of professionals focused on growing the NAPA-related businesses in a nationwide expansion.

Peter is a proven senior executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare. Having led teams in large publicly traded companies as well as private equity-backed ventures, Peter has created significant new client value for healthcare customers as well as new organic and acquisitive revenue for the companies that he has served while increasing shareholder value in each of those organizations. With a combination of operating, marketing, business development, and board service skills and experience, he brings a unique approach to NAPA’s current and future healthcare clients as well as clinical partners.

Liz Even, BSN, MSN, RN, CEN currently serves as the Senior Associate Director of Clinical Standards Interpretation in the Division of Healthcare Improvement at The Joint Commission. In this role, she collaborates with the Standards Interpretation Group, providing guidance to organizations and Surveyors, and supporting the accreditation process.

Ms. Even has 2 decades of acute care hospital experience specializing in emergency medicine. She is committed to professional development, safe environments of care, and nursing leadership. Prior to joining The Joint Commission, Ms. Even served as the Patient Care Manager of Emergency Services at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She also held a leadership position within the department of surgical education at Northwestern University. She is BCEN certified in emergency medicine as well as trauma nurse certified and has served as one of the clinical leads in developing a 3-tiered security approach in response to violent traumas.

Lee M. Eaves is currently a security and risk consultant for Eaves Consulting, LLC. In this role Mr. Eaves provides services such as active shooter training, vulnerability risk assessments and consulting in the areas of security, risk and internal investigations.

Mr. Eaves was previously employed as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service tasked with the dual mission of protecting our nation's financial infrastructure and protecting our nation's leaders. Mr. Eaves also has previous experience in the medical field having worked as a flight paramedic in Birmingham, AL.

For the past six years, Mr. Fazio has been a senior director of financial analysis for the ambulatory surgery center division of Community Health Systems. Mr. Fazio's primary responsibilities in his current role include managed care analysis, case costing, and financial modeling for potential de novo projects or acquisitions. Prior to his current role, he spent more than eighteen years as a healthcare equity analyst for several Wall Street firms.

Jim Freund started his career in the ASC industry more than 30 years ago, starting with the very first software company in the space and eventually co-founding Source Medical (now SIS). He later served in leadership roles and as a principal with several industry leading firms before becoming a partner and now the managing director and president of ASCs Inc. Jim leverages the experience, knowledge and expertise gained from successfully completing hundreds of strategic transactions to help ASC owners and executives who are considering a strategic partnership and transaction realize the absolute best financial and non-financial results. He has been recognized as a Becker’s Healthcare “People to Know” numerous times, inducted into the SurgiStrategies ASC Hall of Fame, and has been a frequent speaker and contributor with ASC organizations and publications over the years.

Jocelyn Gaddie is the innovative leader behind one of the longest-operating ASC billing companies in the nation, in2itive Business Solutions. Eleven years ago, Jocelyn joined in2itive to be apart of an industry she believed had two things she was looking for: making an impact and substantial growth opportunity. Jocelyn was promoted to Vice President of Business Development at in2itive in 2014, then took on the role of President & CEO in 2018.

Jocelyn has lead both in2itive and the many Ambulatory Surgery Centers it serves to make sound, growth-minded decisions by understanding financial performance and taking calculated risks. Outside of her work at in2itive, Jocelyn enjoys spending time with her husband and their 4 children and continuing to spread her passion for health and fitness.

Ann has worked in the ASC industry for over 30 years. She has been responsible for every aspect of financial & clinical operations. She has been a surveyor for Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) since 2006. Currently, she is Chief Nursing Officer for Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies, which provides administrative oversight and consulting services to ambulatory surgery facilities.

Ann’s extensive clinical background is in the operating room, where she served in every capacity. She is an active member of AORN and ASCA and served on the Board of Directors of AAAHC. She is a member of AAAHC’s Surveyor Administration Committee. She serves as president of the BASC Board of Directors, which oversees the CASC and CAIP certifications.

Ann has an MS in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis. She is CASC & CNOR certified. She speaks at national meetings and contributes articles to several national journals. She wrote an e-book, Admin 101: What Every New ASC Administrator Needs to Know, available by request.

She enjoys world travel, mentoring up-and-coming ASC leaders, and public speaking.

Michelle George is Vice President of Clinical Services with Surgical Care Affiliates. Michelle has over 35 years of experience as a registered nurse. She has worked in various areas of nursing including critical care, emergency and trauma, and surgical services. Michelle has served in multiple hospital and ambulatory surgical center leadership roles, served on professional advisory boards, as affiliate faculty to a nursing program and professional speaker to professional and state healthcare organizations. She has authored various nursing journal articles and been contributing author to a healthcare textbook.

Michelle completed a Master’s in Nursing Administration program at San Diego State University and holds a Certified Administrator Surgery Center certification. She serves on the ASCA Education Committee, is a past-president for ASC Quality Collaboration Board of Directors and is the immediate past President for California Ambulatory Surgery Association.

Zach George is the Executive Director of Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation at The Joint Commission. On a mission to help ambulatory surgery centers achieve continued growth in the current healthcare environment, he is focused on how to maximize the ROI associated with accreditation and certification.

Over the years at The Joint Commission, Zach has led strategic initiatives affecting Ambulatory Surgery Centers. In particular, he led the commercialization of the the Total Hip & Knee Replacement and Spine Surgery certification in collaboration with American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), as well as initiatives to align payer distinctions such as Blue Distinction with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Institutes of Quality with Aetna with Joint Commission programs. In addition, he serves as a board member of the ASC Quality Collaboration, is an internal and external speaker for The Joint Commission, and works closely with partner organizations such as AAOS, American Joint Replacement Registry, American Spine Registry, and American Heart Association.

Prior to his time with The Joint Commission, Zach worked in strategic pricing, sales and marketing in the pharmaceutical industry, and achieved his MBA in from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

John Goehle is the Chief Operating Officer and partner with Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies, LLC - a Rochester, New York-based ASC management and consulting services company.

Prior to forming AHS, Mr. Goehle developed and managed two Rochester New York-based ambulatory surgery centers and provided management consulting services for a wide range of health care organizations, primarily in the Northeast.

Mr. Goehle has a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh Scotland, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Ithaca College in Upstate New York. He holds the prestigious Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) credential. He is also a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York. Mr. Goehle is also an accreditation surveyor with the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare (AAAHC).

Mr. Goehle is the host of the ASC Podcast with John Goehle available on iTunes and Google Play. He is also a frequent speaker on health care finance, technology and administration and has authored or co-authored eight books related to the ASC Industry including Ambulatory Surgery Center Governance - A Guide for Ambulatory Surgery Center Owners & Governing Body Members and The Survey Guide for ASCs – A Guide to the CMS Conditions of Coverage & Interpretive Guidelines for Ambulatory Surgery Centers. He is a former board member with the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association and one of the founders of the New York State Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers.

Nelson Gomes is an accomplished healthcare IT executive with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He passionately advocates for leveraging technology to enhance patient care while transforming the business of healthcare. Currently, Nelson serves as the Executive Vice President of Business Development at Medicus IT, where he spearheads business growth and development initiatives.

Nelson's journey in healthcare IT began with the founding of PriorityOne Group in 1997, a premier provider of healthcare IT services and solutions. Under his leadership, PriorityOne Group grew to become a recognized leader in the industry, pioneering innovative solutions that enabled healthcare organizations to utilize technology for improving patient care, optimizing operations, and managing costs.

In his current role at Medicus IT, Nelson is dedicated to helping healthcare organizations navigate the complex landscape of healthcare IT and to delivering innovative solutions that drive business growth and improve patient care. Nelson is passionate about cultivating strong business relationships with clients, partners, and healthcare industry leaders and values the opportunity to collaborate with the exceptional team at Medicus IT. His contributions reflect a deep-seated drive to revolutionize the healthcare landscape through the strategic use of technology.

Nelson Gomes is a highly sought-after speaker and thought leader in the healthcare IT industry. His expertise, frequently shared at conferences and events, spans a wide range of topics including healthcare IT trends, ambulatory practice consolidation, building frameworks for growth and scalability, cybersecurity, and innovative transformations.

His authoritative insights and deep understanding of the healthcare industry have earned him multiple invitations to contribute to industry-related articles and podcasts. Nelson's influence continues to shape the landscape of healthcare IT, further enhancing its growth and evolution.

Outside his professional sphere, Nelson's dedication to positive impact extends to his active involvement in various charitable organizations. He cherishes giving back to his community. When he is not working, Nelson enjoys spending quality time with his family, staying active, and rooting for his favorite soccer team. He savors great meals with friends and family, making every moment count.

Dr. Grant serves as the Division Chief of surgical services for Duly Health and Care, which is the largest multi-specialty group in Illinois. His passion for robotic surgery not only has been instrumental in guiding the growth of the robotic program in the community hospital he serves but also in the development and and execution of bringing this technology into the ASC setting. The Duly Surgical Center in Lombard Il was the first of its kind in the state of Illinois to offer robotic surgery in the ASC. With 24 years experience in general surgery and completion of over 1000 robotic cases, he brings a vast level of expertise to this discussion. Dr. Grant serves as the chair of the ASC QCC and is an ad hoc board member for his organization.

Involved in Hospital Facility Management for 27 years, the last 15 years as the Facility Maintenance Manager at a hospital. Retired from this position in November of 2020. Prior to working in Healthcare, I spent 10 years as an HVAC service manager. I have been working as a Life Safety Surveyor for a national accreditation organization for the last 6 years. I have been an active member of the New England Healthcare Engineers Society, the New Hampshire Society of Healthcare Facility Managers and the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) since 2006.

Vicki Heinz has 20 years of experience in talent management and acquisition, compensation, and as a human resources business partner. In her previous role, she was responsible for building a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy including a DEI Council, multiple employee resource groups, and achieving national awards for supporting active military, veterans and LGBTQ+ employees. In 2022, Heinz was recognized by Twin Cities Business as a Notable Leader in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Heinz is currently the interim Chief Human Resources Officer at SCA Health.

I have been an administrator for North Texas Team Care Surgery Center for the last 10 years. I have been in the OR since I was 17 years old. I started out as an orderly in the hospital and moved up to become a surgical tech. Graduated nursing school in 2005. I have been with my wife for 22 years. We have 3 children and 2 small dogs. My favorite hobby is playing competitive dodgeball.

Sandra Jones is President of Ambulatory Strategies, providing management, development, regulatory compliance, accreditation preparation, ASC licensing and CMS certification compliance consulting, and risk management services to surgical centers. Sandra is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management, Certified Administrator Surgery Center, Certified in Health Care Quality Management, and Fellow of the Health Care Financial Management Association.

She is a contributor on the subject of risk management, regulatory compliance and operational issues for several professional publications. Sandra is an AAAHC accreditation surveyor, serves on the Standards Development Committee for the AAAHC and is a former board member of AAAHC. For nine years, she served on the board of the ASC Association where she served on Governance, Strategic Planning, HIPAA Compliance and other committees.

She recently was on the board of the Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management and Patient Safety and now serves on the Advocacy and Education Committees.

Naya Kehayes is a Partner and Ambulatory Surgery Practice Leader at ECG Management Consultants. Prior to ECG, she was the Founder and CEO of Eveia Health Consulting. She has spent more than 25 years in the healthcare industry and 20 years in consulting. She has devoted her career to working with ASCs, surgical hospitals and surgeons, and has a proven track record as a strategic adviser to clients in ASC operations, managed care contracting, reimbursement, and financial analysis.

Naya is a member of the ASCA Government Affairs Committee. She is a board member, the Payment Policy Chair and past President of the Washington Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. She has numerous publications, is a national speaker and a lecturer at Yale University School of Public Health. Naya earned a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a Masters of Public Health from Yale University.

James Kendig is the Field Director for the Life Safety Code Surveyors/Engineers at The Joint Commission. In this role, he oversees half (approximately 40) of the surveyor cadre who specialize in surveying The Joint Commission’s life safety, environment of care, and emergency management standards.

Previously, Mr. Kendig also served as a Joint Commission Life Safety Code Surveyor. Prior to joining The Joint Commission, he was a Vice President and Safety Officer for a four-hospital system in Florida on the “Space Coast”.

Mr. Kendig maintains certifications as a Certified Healthcare Safety Professional, Certified Hazard Control Manager, Certified Healthcare Environmental Manager, and is a licensed Healthcare Risk Manager. He serves on the faculty of the University of Central Florida’s Licensed Risk Management Program.

Mr. Kendig holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania. He is currently a resident of Florida.

For over 20 years, Janie Kinsey has been serving and delivering excellence to the healthcare industry. She is a seasoned veteran who genuinely loves what she does. Her passion dates back to 1998 when she began her career as a surgical nurse. Janie later grew into an administrative role where she managed staff members and directly focused on patient satisfaction. With CASC credentials, Janie strives to provide progressive care by developing and implementing programs that improve patient experience.

Janie stays active in the healthcare community by attending conferences, speaking at events, and serving as a board member. Janie enjoys speaking on various topics and interacting with her peers in the healthcare field. She has served on the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association Board of Directors. Personally, she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Stephen Klein, M.D. is an associate professor of anesthesiology and division chief of ambulatory anesthesia at Duke University. He completed medical training at UMDNJ-Rutgers and his anesthesiology residency at Duke University. For the past 30 years, he has been practicing ambulatory anesthesia with a special focus on regional techniques and pain management. He and his colleagues helped pioneer the use of continuous peripheral nerve blocks in the outpatient environment, the reintroduction of paravertebral blockade for breast surgery as well as many other advances. He has authored over 100 publications and remains and active researcher.

Dr. Klein is currently a co-investigator, studying the use of methadone for analgesia in ambulatory patients, a project supported by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Klein helped establish the Duke Ambulatory Surgery Center, serving as its medical director for more than 15 years. Today as Chief of Ambulatory Anesthesiology for Duke University Health System, he and the ambulatory leadership team, are responsible for designing strategy, implementation and operations for Duke’s ambulatory surgery enterprise.

Jan Kleinhesselink, RN, BSHM, CPHQ is the Chief Quality Officer of Lincoln Surgical Hospital and associated entities. As CQO Ms. Kleinhesselink oversees the leadership of Health Information Technology, Laboratory services, Quality services and the Regulatory Compliance departments for the hospital and ASC. She has participated in the development and management of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and Specialty Hospitals.

Ms. Kleinhesselink has been a surveyor for Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) since 2009 and is a current member of the AAAHC Board of Directors; she has served on several AAAHC expert content committees. A seasoned professional, Jan has published several articles and has spoken at multiple national conferences including AAAHC Achieving Accreditation.

I have worked as a teacher, supervisor, professor, instructional designer, change leader, mentor, and facilitator. I have a bachelor's in Sociology and a Master's in Anthropology and in Information Science. For over 20 years I have helped teams develop and grow. I have certifications in DiSC, Change Style, Teamwork, coaching, facilitation and more. I have worked with non-profits, NGO's, government, higher education, and corporate groups to grow individuals, create team, and impact customer experience.

Kecia Norling, MBA, RN, CNOR, CASC has been an RN for 35 years with 22 of those in ASCs. She has led two de novo surgery center projects and functioned as a clinical director, administrator, director of operations, and consultant in the ASC industry. Kecia has experience in independent, surgeon owned centers, and joint venture centers between surgeons, corporate owners and hospital systems.

Kecia is a past president of the Oregon Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (OASCA), past vice president and board member of ASCA and a current board member of OASCA. Kecia is married with 7 children and 9 grandchildren. Her hobbies include golf and Oregon Ducks football.

Debbie currently provides consulting services to organizations for construction and renovation needs of ASCs. Assisting with survey readiness for state, CMS and accreditation. Prior to consulting, she was a VP of Operations for a management company overseeing the operations and development of ASCs and surgical hospitals. She has worked in the ASC industry in California since 1993, beginning as an Administrator of a surgery center.

Debbie served on the Board of the California Ambulatory Surgery Association for 15 years; including Past President. She continues to assist in developing Infection Control Seminars for many ambulatory surgery center organizations for over 13 years.

Kevin Makati, MD, FACC, FHRS, is co-founder of Fast Pathway, Inc, a health tech software suite aiming to optimize the patient experience while improving operational efficiencies and successfully navigate federal Value Based Purchasing Programs. As a founding physician partner board member of a system with a $4.9 billion operating budget, employing over 6,000 medical professionals, and performing over 80,000 outpatient surgical procedures, he has had a unique experience and understanding with healthcare delivery, payor contracting, and quality measure assessments. As a practicing cardiologist, he has had direct involvement with quality improvement programs including the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR®), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) as well as patient satisfaction improvement programs involving CMS vetted survey tools such as HCAHPS and OAS CAHPS.

My architectural firm, Marasco & Associates, has helped design/develop over 400 ASCs across the country, making our experience, thus expertise, unmatched in the industry.

I have lectured at AAASC, ASCA, Becker’s ASC, OOSS… & written for The Monitor, OR Today, SurgiStrategies, Outpatient Surgery… on ASC design/development. I was the first architect to be recognized by Today’s Surgicenter as a “Who’s Who in the Ambulatory Surgery Industry.”

Herman McKenzie is currently a Director in the Standards Interpretation Group at The Joint Commission. In this role, he manages all activities associated with the daily operations of the Physical Environment Department, provides standards interpretation and education to Joint Commission Surveyors and accredited organizations, reviews equivalency requests and survey reports, conducts surveys and Intracycle Monitoring conference calls, serves as faculty for educational programs, and is a speaker for national, regional, state, and local audiences.

Mr. McKenzie has over 30 years of health care experience having held managerial and director-level roles in Clinical Engineering, Plant Operations and Facilities Services throughout the Chicagoland area. Previously, he was a part of the team that opened the first new hospital in Illinois in over 25 years.

Mr. McKenzie is a certified healthcare safety professional (CHSP), and is a member of the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and the Healthcare Engineers Society of Northern Illinois (HESNI) serving as president from 2013 - 2014. Mr. McKenzie also serves as a Board Director for the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).

Mr. McKenzie earned his Master of Business Administration from Governors State University, University Park, Illinois, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Management from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois.

Will graduated from the University of California, San Diego, in 1986, and graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1989. Will is an Equity Partner with the San Diego, California, law firm of Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, LLP, and is the former Chairperson of the Firm’s Health Care Group (years 2011-2021). For the past 32 years, Will’s practice has included civil trial litigation, with an emphasis in the representation of healthcare clientele in both State and Federal courts.

Will represents healthcare clientele in their business litigation, administrative law, and medical malpractice matters; to date, he has represented both national, and state-wide, healthcare clientele in over 500 matters. His clients include Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Hospitals, Physicians, and other Allied Health Professionals.

John Mwangi serves as VP of Fintech Product Development at triValence. John has over 11 years of experience in various areas of product development, product management, and strategy. John currently leads triValence’s Fintech Product Development team responsible for all aspects of fintech products and strategy. Prior to triValence, John spent his career in multiple roles spanning product management and strategy at Mastercard and previously held various roles in multiple global organizations including PayPal, Deloitte, and Action Against Hunger.

John holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya.

Tammy graduated from Triton College with a certificate in Surgical Technology and an Associate degree in Science. Tammy also graduated with an Associate degree in Business from Sawyer Business College. Tammy received her Certification in 2001. Tammy has 20 years of experience in surgical scrubbing positions in Chicagoland. Tammy has spent most of her time working in the western suburbs at facilities including, Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and Northwestern Hospital in Winfield. Tammy has provided scrubbing expertise in General Surgery, Urology, Plastics, Gynecology and Obstetrics Procedures.

Tammy is currently the Robotic Lead at Duly Health and Care, where she championed the introduction of the Intuitive XI Robot for Urological, Gynecological and General Surgery Procedures. This is one of the few deployments of an Intuitive XI robot in surgical centers across the nation.

Kara Marshall Newbury serves as director, government affairs and regulatory counsel for the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), and through these roles spearheads ASCA’s federal advocacy efforts. Kara previously coordinated state legislative, regulatory and public affairs for the association. Before joining ASCA, Kara served as the assistant director, state government affairs at the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations and staff attorney and director of government relations for the Community Financial Services Association. Kara received her undergraduate and law degree from The Ohio State University.

Michael O'Neal has been consulting for Ambulatory Surgery Centers within the Nashville area for over 28 years. He has a vast knowledge of Medication Management and experience with surgical practice as well as regulatory affairs and provides a practical approach to this complex topic. He finds consulting to be an important bridge between the Best Practices of Pharmacy and the ASC space.

He enjoys life in Nashville with his wife and 4 children and an array of outdoor activities.

Cori Prisco, RN, DNP, MSJ has over two-decades of proven success in accreditation and regulatory survey preparation, compliance and management. She began her career by managing credentialing files through a successful Joint Commission survey and working in all areas of the business office prior to returning to nursing school and working as a quality manager, clinical director and current administrator. She is the current Vice President and member of the board of directors of the New Jersey Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, co-founder of The Primac Group and sits on several advisory committees and task forces for special projects.

She has previously presented on patient safety processes and implementing new service lines. Cori holds a master’s degree in science of jurisprudence with a focus on health law from Seton Hall Law School and master’s and doctorate in nursing from George Washington University. Cori is a skilled and experienced leader with a passion for business development and patient safety.

Dr. PJ Papadakos, MD, FCCM, FCCP, FAARC, has been at the University of Rochester since 1988 where he is a director of Critical Care Medicine and Professor with tenure in Anesthesiology, Surgery, Neurology, and Neurosurgery. He is an internationally known expert in Critical Care Medicine publishing extensively in the fields of ARDs, Sepsis, Mechanical Ventilation, Sedation in the ICU, and on the physiology of critical illness. He has authored several hundred papers, commentaries, book chapters and has edited ten textbooks.

Since 2000 he has also focused on professionalism in the digital era and how it impacts both the provider and the patient. He coined the term "Distracted Doctoring" and has been quoted in the international media including the NY Times, Washington Post, CNN, Fox, and ABC News. His work has led to schools and hospitals educating professional staff on the topic. He has also edited text Distracted Doctoring with Stephen Bertman.

Colin Park is a Managing Director at VMG Health and is based in the Dallas office. His focus has been on developing client relationships and providing valuation, transaction advisory, and operational consulting services in the healthcare services industry. Specifically, he has significant experience with ambulatory surgery centers, acute care and specialty hospitals, oncology centers, diagnostic imaging centers, dialysis centers, physicians groups, and numerous other ancillary healthcare service business segments.

In addition to the extensive valuation experience for transaction planning and financial reporting purposes, he has consulted on numerous development, feasibility, and denovo business development engagements. Clients include for-profit and not-for-profit health systems, ancillary services providers, development companies across several healthcare industry sub-specialties, and other publicly owned and privately held healthcare entities.

Salvatore Puccio is a Partner at Garfunkel Wild, P.C.. He is a member of the firm’s Employment Law, Cannabis, Litigation and Arbitration, Health Care and Appellate Groups. Sal's practice primarily focuses on advising and counseling health care providers on their day-to-day business operations.

Sal has particular experience in counseling clients concerning the employer-employee relationship including the defense of age, race, gender, national origin, disability discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits, compliance with workplace regulations and employment statutes, and wage and hour lawsuits.

Sal also focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation matters and has represented clients in breach of contract matters, managed care disputes, partnership disputes and breakups, antitrust matters, construction litigation, landlord/tenant disputes, and employment disputes.

Kevin Rau, Regional Supply Chain Officer with Community Health Systems. I'm originally from Philadelphia, but have been in middle TN for 35 years. I received my bachelors from Bethel university. I have over 30 years of clinical and supply chain experience in ASCs, acute care facilities, and corporate administration.

My passion is in developing leaders and advancing supply chain programs. I enjoy woodworking, photography, and volunteering.

Healthcare providers depend on Colbey Reagan to advise them on Stark and Anti-Kickback compliance, licensing and certification, HIPAA, reimbursement matters and other regulatory issues affecting the healthcare industry. Colbey also assists clients facing data breach and other government investigations.

Previously, Colbey was Deputy General Counsel of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc., where he was responsible for advising the company and its facilities regarding compliance with state and federal healthcare regulations, physician relationships, reimbursement disputes, licensing and certification, mergers and acquisitions, corporate litigation, and numerous other challenges faced in the day-to-day operation of a large healthcare company.

Over 12 years of experience in ASC Supply Chain Management with an excellent background in perpetual inventory management using EMR and contract negotiations. Proven experience in showing cost savings and effective materials management in various health care settings. Expertise in contract enforcement, GPO implementations and vendor management.

I am the Administrative Director of a multispecialty ambulatory surgery center serving pediatric and adult populations. Lines of service include Gastroenterology, Plastics, Dental, General, Urology, Orthopedics, and ENT. I serve in daily operations, risk management, governance, and financial management. My philosophy includes values and skills in the work environment that promotes creating a safe environment for the patient.

Therefore, reviewing and negotiating service contracts includes providing agreements that best serve the center and the patient. Understanding the various aspects of negotiating entails knowledge of the equipment, services your facility requires and financial knowledge. Significant time and energy spent evaluating and negotiating contracts can better serve your ASC.

As Founder and President (since 2003), Lisa oversees all aspects of the company with a particular focus on business development, client services, operations and developing an award-winning company culture.

Over 30 years of experience in managing operations for surgical organizations, Director of education and training, MAMSI Health Plans (United Healthcare), Named Titan 100; Most Influential Business Women in St. Louis and the Top Women Business Owners lists St. Louis Business Journal, and a national keynote speaker.

David Shapiro, M.D. is an anesthesiologist from Florida who has had extensive experience serving as a department chair, medical director, and board member of several ambulatory surgery centers. Dr. Shapiro currently serves on the Boards of both the Florida Society of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (FSASC) and the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) and is a Past President of ASCA. Additionally, he is the Chair of the Board of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), an organization for which he also conducts healthcare facility surveys on behalf of AAAHC and Medicare.

Dr. Shapiro is also on the Board of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Quality Collaboration (ASC QC), which develops, measures, and publicly reports national ASC quality data. Further, he serves on the Board of the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) and participates as a member of their Health Guidelines Review Committee (HGRC).

Daren Smith is the Vice President of ASC Solutions for Surgical Information Systems. In this role, Daren serves as a product and industry subject matter expert, frequently speaking at industry events and contributing to industry publications. Previously, Daren worked as the director of clinical services for Surgical Management Professionals (SMP), an ASC and surgical hospital management and development company. Daren has also held the position of director of outpatient services for Avera McKennan Hospital, administrator and CEO of Fremont Surgical Center, and nurse manager at Grand Island Surgery Center.

He is a graduate of Clarkson College and the University of South Dakota.

Nikia Smith serves as Diversity and Inclusion Manager for Tenet Healthcare, where she oversees diversity programming enterprise wide. She also serves on Tenet’s internal D and I Council and their external Supplier Diversity Council.

Prior to joining Tenet in 2022, Nikia served as Global DEI Program Manager for American Airlines. She has more than 25 years of experience working in leadership roles across healthcare, aviation, automotive and telecom, among other industries. Over the years, her landscape in various companies has allowed Nikia to leverage DEI from an innovative lens. This approach allows her to meet people where they are on their journey and curator a successful path forward.

Nikia is a graduate of Southern University A & M College where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and holds a MBA from Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee. She also holds a Six-Sigma Green Belt Certification.

I have 30 years of experience in healthcare facilities management ranging from assisted living facilities and skilled nursing facilities to large acute care hospitals. I have been a Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager since 2008 and a Certified Healthcare Safety Professional since 2016.

I have 7 years of experience as a Life Safety Code surveyor for AAAHC and currently perform mock Joint Commission Life Safety Code surveys for Medxcel at acute care hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. I am also the president and owner of Life Safety Solutions of West Florida, LLC, providing regulatory compliance services and consulting services for ambulatory surgery centers.

Debra Stinchcomb has over 30 years of health care experience including development, clinical, administrative, operations and sales. The last 23 years have been focused exclusively in the ASC industry.

Her responsibilities have included budget development/management, revenue/expense management, contract negotiation, licensing/certification/accreditation compliance, marketing, risk management, quality improvement and benchmarking.

Debra is a Registered Nurse having received her BSN and MBA. She is the founder/past President of Arkansas Ambulatory Surgery Association and has served nationally as a past board member of FASA and the ASC Association. She is currently the past President of the Arkansas Ambulatory Surgery Association. She received her CASC credential in 2002.

Debra was an AAAHC surveyor 2001 - 2007 and is Past Chair of the Ambulatory Joint Commission Professional and Technical Advisory Committee.

Debra participates on Quality Committee of ASCA as well as the BASC Board.

Highly efficient and responsive, Tom has been a trusted adviser to healthcare providers for more than 30 years. Tom brings a cost-effective, practical approach to helping healthcare providers navigate some of their most important legal issues, including medical staff privileges; healthcare contracts; state and federal self-referral and fraud and abuse prohibitions; professional and facility licensure; peer review privilege; healthcare litigation; certificate of public need matters; and managed care, Medicaid, Medicare, and third-party reimbursement and regulation.

Tom serves on the Health Law Section Council of the Virginia Bar Association. He is a past chairman of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar's Health Law Section and served as vice chair, secretary, and newsletter editor of the section. Among his many honors, Tom is consistently recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, which twice named him Richmond’s Lawyer of the Year for health care law.

Lori is a proven leader in the ASC industry. She has twelve years of experience as an ASC Administrator and has recently launched Stratify Management Solutions; an ASC management, billing, and consulting company. Lori has been successful in turning around underperforming organizations and is considered a valued resource in the industry. She is the founder of a national monthly Administrator call which provides peer support to Administrators around the country. She is also a mentor in the ASCA Administrator Development Program. Lori is also a regular speaker at ASC industry conferences and contributor to ASC publications.

Jamie Tuck has 20 years of nursing experience in the inpatient and outpatient surgical setting. Jamie began her OR career in St. Louis with an emphasis on Cardiac, IR Vascular, and General Surgery. In 2008, she moved to the Chicagoland area and started a career in outpatient GI procedures with Duly Health and Care at one of their Ambulatory Surgical Care (ASC) locations. Duly Health and Care’s ASC is an 11-room OR Multi-Specialty ASC that performs approximately 23,000 surgeries a year. For the last eight years, Jamie has been a clinical leader at the ASC and is currently serving the role of Clinical Manager. Jamie obtained her BSN from the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

Marc-Oliver Wright, MT (ASCP), MS, CIC, FAPIC is the clinical science liaison for the central region at PDI, Inc. He has an extensive work history in infection prevention including as corporate director of infection control and quality improvement for NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Illinois. He is a board certified in infection prevention and is a Fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) served as an officer and member of the board of directors for APIC. He has authored several book chapters, including in APIC’s “Surveillance Programs for Healthcare Settings” and SHEA’s “Practical Healthcare Epidemiology”. He has over 60 publications in the American Journal of Infection Control, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Emerging Infectious Diseases, among others and served as an editorial board member and section editor for the American Journal of Infection Control from 2009-2019.

J. Blake Peart RRT, CMAA

Blake has had the opportunity of an extensive and diverse career in healthcare for over twenty years. In the past ten years, he has served as CEO for multiple hospitals of Fortune 500 companies and CEO for several large Ambulatory Surgery Centers. In addition, his operations and business development knowledge has allowed him to experience the entire M&A process from start to finish focusing primarily on private equity transactions. Blake’s history as both a CEO and clinician provides a unique perspective based on years of experience and empathy when working with business owners seeking M&A advice. His expertise is in Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Physician Practices, and independent hospital businesses. He is here to support healthcare business owners who select the M&A direction as one who has walked in their shoes. Blake knows that every transaction is unique and tailored to a seller’s need in getting the best deal and providing a positive experience throughout the entire process.

Laurie has been in the ASC industry for over 25 years, serving 20 in leadership roles. Her certifications include Certified Nurse Operating Room (CNOR), Certified Registered Nurse First Assist (CRNFA(E)), Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC), as well as Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP). She is also a Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC).

Prior to relocating to Cape Cod Massachusetts, she served as an executive board member and secretary for the New Hampshire ASC Association.

Laurie has provided clinical and administrative leadership for both large and small multi-specialty ASCs. She currently is a deemed-status surveyor for AAAHC, sits on the education committee for ASCA, is the Director of Clinical Services and an Infection Prevention Consultant for a national ASC regulatory compliance company, provides legal nurse consultant expertise and is a proud mother and grandmother of amazing young women.

Stephanie Tarry is an Executive Vice President with ASCs Inc. and has been a recognized leader in the surgery center industry for more than 25 years. As a past senior executive with Nuehealth, Stephanie was directly involved in the rapid growth of the company: recruiting physicians, syndicating ASCs, surgical hospital and real estate partnerships, acquiring existing ASCs, and providing management to over 80 ASCs, surgical hospitals, MOBs, and real estate transactions. With her extensive background in finance, accounting, strategic growth and operations of surgical facilities, she brings a wealth of knowledge to help clients achieve continued growth and maximum monetary value. Stephanie resides in Missouri.

Gina Throneberry is the Director of Education and Clinical Affairs for the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA). In this role she educates members and non-members to the Medicare Quality Measure Reporting Program for ASCs. She also works with federal agencies (Medicare, CDC, FDA, OSHA) in regards to clinical, regulatory, and quality issues/concerns among the ambulatory surgery center industry. Ms. Throneberry is a board member of the Tennessee Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. She is also a surveyor with the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare (AAAHC).

I have been a nurse for 22 years and have served in roles such as a nurse manager and administrator of ASC's that specialized in GI Endoscopy. Served as a member of the ASGE Practice Management and Quality Committees for six years.

I have been a AAAHC surveyor for 9 years.

Scott J. Wiesenberger, MD, serves as Area Vice President for the State of Maryland for North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA).

Dr. Wiesenberger is a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology. He received his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University at Sinai Hospital and his anesthesia residency at the University of Miami at Jackson Memorial Hospital. His professional affiliations include membership in the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Maryland Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Wiesenberger is a Board Member of the Maryland Board of Physicians and is a Fellow of the Federation of State Medical Boards.

In 2018, Dr. Wiesenberger was recognized as a Top US Anesthesiologist Physician. He was recognized again in 2021 as a Top Maryland Anesthesiologist. And, most recently, in 2022 he was recognized as a Top Anesthesiologist for Excellence in Medicine in the State of Maryland.

Experienced nurse with front line through Executive level experience in the OR, Cardiac Cath lab, ICU and most recently the ASC. Current role includes insuring that managed ASCs demonstrate clinical excellence and that new ASC projects utilize appropriate space planning and design needs, equipment planning and operations as the Vice President of Clinical Operations for Surgical Management Professionals. The current role allows the marriage of experiences in the operating room with administrative responsibilities bringing perspective and insight to the boardroom. Experience with design teams, contractors and infrastructure vendors allow for the best opportunities related to new and remodeled ASCs.

Currently, Deb has assisted with the design development and equipment planning and successful Medicare surveys for 13+ new facilities. She is a frequent contributor on clinical and operational topics on ASCA, speaker and article contributor at Becker's, ASC Focus, OR Today, OR Manager and AORN.

Becky is an avid proponent of the ASC industry, is certified as a Surgery Center Administrator, and currently serves on the ASCA Board. She remains active in the ASC space, including serving as the Administrator of a multi-specialty, independent surgical center for thirteen years.

With a background in leadership, performance improvement including benchmarking, healthcare compliance, survey preparation, health information management, and revenue cycle management, her career expands the entire healthcare spectrum, encompassing acute care, long term care, psychiatric care, outpatient clinics, and outpatient surgery.

As a seasoned ASC professional, she has had extensive experience in clinical benchmarking and its use as a tool to be able to demonstrate the provision of clinical excellence (high quality, safe care).