Fourth Quarter Education Event

Agenda

3-3:30pm - Check-in & Networking

3:30-5pm - Panel 1: The Role of Data and Advanced Analytics in Transforming Healthcare

5-5:30pm - Break (food & beverages will be provided)

5:30-7pm - Panel 2: The Healthcare Organization's Role in Public Policy

Panel 1 Details:

The Role of Data and Advanced Analytics in Transforming Healthcare

Routine doctor’s visits are beginning to be replaced by regularly monitoring one’s health status and remote consultations. The inpatient setting is being improved by more sophisticated quality metrics drawn from an ecosystem of interconnected digital health tools. The care patients receive can be decided in consultation with decision support software that is informed not only by expert judgments but also by algorithms that draw on information from patients around the world, some of whom will differ from the “typical” patient. However, recent developments in data analytics also suggest barriers to change that might be more substantial in the health care field than in other parts of the economy. Despite the immense promise of health analytics, the industry lags other major sectors in taking advantage of cutting-edge tools. Most health care organizations, for example, have yet to devise a clear approach for integrating data analytics into their regular operations. This program will focus on the role that data and advanced analytics play today and the potential role they will play in the future to impact operations, patient care, quality, safety, engagement & wellness, and healthcare costs. Attendees will learn the type of data and analytics that are in use today at health systems, lessons healthcare can learn from other industries, the challenges health systems face in integrating vast amounts of disparate data in real time and how to make the insights useful to the right people at the right time. The panel will also discuss how to optimize existing data and analytics initiatives at their organization.

Moderator: Nick Kagal, MBA, FACHE

HX CSM

Press Ganey

Panelists:

Grace Baldauf

Director of Clinical Informatics

Medical City Plano

Michael Parris

Chief Data and Analytics Officer

Sound Physicians

Eric Stephens, MBA, PMP, FACHE

VP Data Analytics

Catalyst Health

Panel 2 Details:

The Healthcare Organization’s Role in Public Policy

As the movement continues from volume to value in healthcare, healthcare leaders must be knowledgeable about Medicare and Medicaid changes, and Federal, state and local healthcare legislation issues. Healthcare leaders also must consider critical issues that confront healthcare organizations daily, from access to care, patient safety, and population disparities. In addition, healthcare leaders must also be in tune with payer demands for cost containment and the regulations around transparency as well as innovative models to deliver healthcare in their community. How can your organization advocate and stay on top of the various public policy issues that clearly affect your community and healthcare providers? How important is it for healthcare leaders to become involved in policy issues at the local, state and national levels? Can your participation really impact how regulatory and fiscal decisions get made? What are the advantages or disadvantages to your organization in joining this kind of an advocacy effort?

Moderator: W. Scott Hurst, MBA, FACHE

President & Chief Executive Officer

Patient Physician Network

Panelists:

Charles Brady

Capital Partner

Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson, LLP

Marcus Mitias

Program Director, Government Affairs & Advocacy

Texas Health Resources

Steve Wohleb

SVP, General Counsel

Texas Hospital Association

Speakers Bios:

Dr. Grace Baldauf has been a nurse for 17 years this summer, with 11 of those years in clinical and nursing informatics. She began her nursing career in the operating room and spent part of her early nursing career in cardiac, surgical and medical ICUs. She has worked in all sizes of hospitals, from small start-ups to a Level 1 Trauma Center. She has been with Medical City Healthcare for five and half years. Currently serving as the Director of Clinical Informatics at Medical City Plano and Medical City Sachse, Dr. Baldauf is passionate about leveraging data to improve clinical workflows and decision-making. Her work centers on translating complex data into meaningful information for the bedside nurse to empower clinicians, enhance patient safety, and streamline care delivery. Her background includes supporting EHR implementation and optimization across diverse healthcare settings—from small hospitals to Level 1 Trauma Centers. A pivotal experience involving EHR spoofing and ransomware deepened her commitment to data integrity, system resilience, and proactive downtime planning to ensure the data is where it needs to be in a crisis to support safe, efficient patient care regardless of system status.

William Scott Hurst, MBA, FACHE is currently the President & CEO of Patient Physician Network (PPN), one of the largest Independent Physician Association’s (IPA) in North Texas with over 650 members encompassing multi-specialty physicians and advanced practice providers. In this role, he works with teams of dedicated physicians, staff, and caregivers to advance independent medicine and to prepare the market for changes that have to take place to ensure the future of independence.

Scott is known as an accomplished leader with over 24 years of experience in Physician Alignment, Payor Contracting, Quality Improvement, Operations, Provider Recruitment, Patient Experience and Value-Based Care Operations. At the end of 2024, Scott was honored to be nominated by D CEO and D Healthcare as one of five “Innovators of the Year” for his work around Libertatem.

Before being recruited to PPN in April 2020, Scott served as an Executive Director overseeing operations in Texas and Louisiana for naviHealth, an industry leader in value-based care operations for health systems and health plans servicing Medicare patients.

Over his career, Scott has been blessed to serve as a Project Leader at Methodist Health System; the Senior Director of Physician Networks at Children’s Health in Dallas; a Director of Physician Alignment at CHRISTUS Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi, TX and as a consultant for over 10 years to hospitals in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and Alaska. In addition, Scott had the honor of serving as the President of the North Texas chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2020.

Scott completed his Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Drury University (1995 / 1997) in Springfield, MO while working in the Athletic Department in Sports Information & Event Management. When he is not at work, Scott can be found hanging out with his wife Erica who is a research nurse at Texas Oncology and her daughters, getting updates from his soon to be graduating 21-year-old daughter who is finishing her degree in painting at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), assuming the role of “Grand Dude” for his new grandson, listening to live music around the Metroplex or refereeing high school basketball for the North Texas Basketball Officials Association.

Nick Kagal, FACHE, FHIMSS has three decades 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. Nick is a Customer Success Executive at Press Ganey, and was previously the Vice President of Marketing, Business Development, and Customer Success at SpinSci Technologies, a leading patient engagement solutions provider. Prior to this Nick served as the Senior Director of Customer Success with Premier Inc for the Western United States.

Nick received his BA in Biology & Psychology from Austin College and an MBA from the Texas A&M University. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) and serves on the boards of both ACHE of North Texas and DFW HIMSS. Nick has also been a national reviewer, moderator, and presenter for the Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, served on the HIMSS National Professional Development Committee, and currently serves on the Governance and Operations Chapter Task Force. Nick lives in McKinney, Texas, and is an avid sports fan, a weekend warrior athlete, a long-distance cyclist and plays guitar & bass in the local cover band Sonic Dissonance.

Marcus Mitias is a seasoned public policy and health advocacy leader with two decades of experience driving strategic initiatives across government and nonprofit sectors. As Program Director in government affairs and advocacy at Texas Health Resources, he champions bipartisan, innovative approaches to policy development, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.

Marcus works on public policy issues at the federal, state, and local levels of government to enhance health care delivery and strengthen the capacity of Texas Health Resources to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve. He serves as the bridge between the organization and legislative and regulatory entities across all levels of government. By monitoring legislative and regulatory developments, engaging with policymakers, and building coalitions across the health industry, Marcus helps to ensure the organization’s priorities are reflected in the public policy process. He also educates internal and external stakeholders on the impact of proposed laws and regulations and promotes evidence-based solutions that improve healthcare access, safety, and quality.

Marcus Mitias is a seasoned public policy and health advocacy leader with two decades of experience driving strategic initiatives across government and nonprofit sectors. As Program Director in government affairs and advocacy at Texas Health Resources, he champions bipartisan, innovative approaches to policy development, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.

Marcus works on public policy issues at the federal, state, and local levels of government to enhance health care delivery and strengthen the capacity of Texas Health Resources to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve. He serves as the bridge between the organization and legislative and regulatory entities across all levels of government. By monitoring legislative and regulatory developments, engaging with policymakers, and building coalitions across the health industry, Marcus helps to ensure the organization’s priorities are reflected in the public policy process. He also educates internal and external stakeholders on the impact of proposed laws and regulations and promotes evidence-based solutions that improve healthcare access, safety, and quality.

As a graduate of Leadership North Texas, Leadership Fort Worth, LeadingEdge and Leadership Arlington, Marcus is committed to personal development, community engagement, and supporting innovations that improve our community. He has also served on the Board of Directors for Clayton Youth Enrichment Services, which provides quality programs during out-of-school time that meet the diverse needs of communities’ children, youth and families, and has volunteered on the PTA Board at his children’s local elementary school.

Marcus holds a Master of Public Health in Health Management & Policy from the College of Public Health at UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, a Master of Business Administration from the Else School of Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and History from Millsaps College. Over the course of his academic pursuits, Marcus worked with various nonprofit organizations on numerous issues related to policy, coalition building, research, and advocacy. He served ten months in an AmeriCorps State and National Program in Atlanta, Georgia at the Atlanta Metro Taskforce for the Homeless. He worked as a research analyst for UNT’s School of Public Health in Fort Worth and also served as a public policy intern for the Texas Health Institute in Austin. Marcus remains committed to facilitating the enactment of sound public policy and fostering collaborative solutions that strengthen the health and well-being of communities.

Michael Parris is an industry leader in data, analytics and AI with a diverse background in process improvement across multiple industries. A trusted business partner to C-suite executives, Michael sets a strategic vision and leads high-performing teams to support growth, operations and customer experience for business functions that include finance, clinical, HR and supply chain. He creates organizational structure and connects foundational tools to be customer-focused while consistently showing ROI.

Eric Stephens, MBA, PMP, FACHE is an experienced healthcare analytics leader and executive who is passionate about the strategic application of analytics to drive results. He currently serves as Vice President of Data and Analytics at Catalyst Health Group, an ecosystem of primary care physicians, practices, professionals, and partners. Prior to Catalyst, he led analytics teams at GI Alliance, Nashville General Hospital, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and spent several years as an analyst in the music industry before entering healthcare. He also serves as Chair of the DFW Chapter of the Healthcare Data and Analytics Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the practice of healthcare analytics. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Tennessee Tech University and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics from the University of Tennessee. Eric is also recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), a Certified Analytics Professional-Expert (CAP-X®), and a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Stephen G. (Steve) Wohleb currently serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at the Texas Hospital Association. Prior to joining the THA in 2018, Mr. Wohleb spent his entire 25-year legal career primarily representing hospitals and other health care providers in a wide range of legal, regulatory, and transactional issues. Areas of practice included: health care transactions, including joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and contracts; general and professional liability litigation; medical staff, credentialing and peer review issues; Medicare reimbursement and other federal healthcare program issues; HIPAA; hospital licensing, regulatory, and enforcement issues; behavioral health licensing, regulatory, and enforcement issues; bioethical issues; and many other aspects of the healthcare legal and regulatory framework. Since 2018, Mr. Wohleb has served as General Counsel for THA, advising the organization on a wide range of operational and governance issues, supporting THA’s advocacy efforts in several policy areas, and serving as a resource to members on a wide range of issues.

Host or Publisher ACHE of North Texas