2026 Cocktails with the Chiefs: Transformation in Action

The biggest opportunity to expand access and improve performance isn’t building more, but using what you already have better. Healthcare organizations are under growing pressure to do more with less amid rising demand, workforce shortages, and financial strain. Yet for many, the true constraint isn’t resources — it’s fragmentation: siloed decisions, misaligned incentives, and disconnected operations across the enterprise.

Join industry leaders for an interactive panel discussion on how organizations are leveraging technology and real-time data to align operations, unlock capacity, shift cultures, and improve access and performance. Through a structured Q&A and peer dialogue, panelists will share diverse perspectives on how to break down silos and drive more coordinated, enterprise-wide decision-making with technology.

The discussion will focus on practical strategies across critical operational areas, including inpatient flow and surgical services, highlighting how organizations are improving throughput, optimizing utilization, and reducing delays. Panelists will also explore how AI-enabled insights are helping teams better anticipate demand, reallocate underutilized capacity, and standardize workflows, enabling measurable gains in access, efficiency, and financial performance without expanding physical infrastructure.

Designed to be practical and discussion-driven, this session will provide actionable insights and real-world examples that attendees can apply to implement technology, advance enterprise alignment, and drive operational performance within their own organizations.

Panelists:

Shannan Bradley is a registered nurse and healthcare executive with over 20 years of experience in hospital operations, care management, and patient flow optimization within large, complex health systems. She serves as the Vice President of Care Management and Post-Acute Services at Parkland Health, where she leads strategies to improve throughput, reduce length of stay, and enhance system capacity and patient access.

In her role, Shannan oversees care management, utilization review, and post-acute services, driving coordination across the continuum of care. Her clinical background as a registered nurse informs a practical, patient-centered approach to leadership, with a focus on removing barriers to discharge, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, and implementing data-driven, evidence-based practices.

Throughout her career, Shannan has led large-scale initiatives to optimize discharge processes, standardize workflows, and align clinical and operational stakeholders around shared performance goals.

Diana Gillogly, FACHE, is a Solutions Executive Director at LeanTaaS, where she leverages her extensive perioperative operations expertise to help health systems optimize their operating room performance. With a unique background that combines clinical operations, engineering, and technology development, Diana partners with hospital executives and surgical leaders across the country to implement data-driven strategies that improve OR utilization, increase surgical access, and drive measurable ROI. She is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in perioperative optimization, regularly presenting at industry conferences and leading strategic assessments for major health systems. Diana is based in Georgia.

Susan Grimwood, DNP, MSN, APRN-C, is Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s Executive Director of Capacity, Logistics and Patient Throughput. Susan is a seasoned leader who had a key role in the development of SMH’s Departure Lounge and Logistics Center, which have been cited by national experts as best practices. In recent years, as SMH has experienced an enormous increase in volumes, Susan has ensured the appropriate placement of hundreds of thousands of patients, developed and facilitated discharge processes throughout the system, and developed and implemented complex COVID-19 surge plans. Her expertise has been essential in system-wide efforts to serve the growing community.

Chris Hunt, MBA, MSHA, BSN, RN, CSSM, NEA-BC, is AVP of Perioperative Services at MultiCare Health System, an expert leader who builds strong teams and implements new and creative solutions that result in improved quality, lower costs, and a better experience. Chris is a results-oriented leader dedicated to building trust and transparency with over 25 years in healthcare. With a focus and specialty in Surgical Services, he exhibits thorough expertise in leading people, driving positive culture change, and facilitating hospital-wide improvement initiatives that deliver better quality and lower cost. Chris motivates others through honesty, integrity, collaboration, and mentoring.

He is experienced in working directly with C-Suite, departmental, and physician leaders in the formulation of operational improvement initiatives in both the perioperative environment and across integrated health systems. Known for his “rolling up his sleeves” approach, Chris excels at building and supporting teams to achieve organizational goals and vision. In addition to his work as a healthcare consultant, Chris has held leadership positions in both acute care and community hospitals worldwide, providing executive leadership and oversight for key clinical service areas and care redesign. Prior to entering the private sector, Chris proudly served in the US Navy, delivering high-quality, compassionate medical care to servicemen and women for 12 years.

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Host or Publisher ACHENTX & LeanTaaS