2024 Mid-South Critical Access and Rural Hospital Conference

A U G U S T 1 4 - 1 6

2024 MID-SOUTH

CRITICALACCESS&RURAL HOSPITALCONFERENCE AGENDA

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14

RECEPTION

Continental Ballroom 4:45 PM - 6:00 PM

Join us for a reception to welcome fellow rural and critical access hospital leaders to the 2024 conference.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15 6:30 AM - 7:30 AM

VENDOR REGISTRATION & SET UP

Grand Ballrooms C, D, E, & F

REGISTRATION, BREAKFAST, & VENDORS

Ballroom Lobby & Grand Ballrooms C, D, E, & F 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM

WELCOME

Grand Ballrooms A & B 8:00 AM

COMMUNICATION AND VERBAL DE-ESCALATION

TRISTA SIMPSON, MA

Senior Training and Development Specialist, HSS, a Tarian Company

This engaging session will explore the proprietary HSS team approach to communication that will allow attendees to become adept at de-escalating challenging situations by delving into the subtleties of nonverbal cues Additionally, a review of case studies will allow participants to apply what they have learned about communication and classifying behaviors to real world scenarios 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Senior Associate Director of Payment Policy, American Hospital Association (AHA) LEGISLATIVE & REGULATORY UPDATE 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM

SHANNON

WU, PHD

Important rural health care legislative and regulatory updates, including activities happening related to site neutral payments, rural health program extenders, workforce issues, commercial insurer accountability, and the 340B programs. The session will also include a discussion of advocacy and policy efforts by the AHA on rural health care issues.

THE LANDSCAPE OF RURAL HEALTH

BROCK SLABACH, MPH, FACHE

Chief Operations Officer, National Rural Health Association

In the last decade, there have been major changes in the landscape of health care delivery in America –both challenges and opportunities This session will focus on the potential impact of federal policy on providers of care and their communities, with emphasis on value-based care and population health, by exploring the impact of workforce shortages, providing regulatory and legislative updates, and by outlining innovations in rural health 10:00 AM - 10:30 PM

BREAK WITH VENDORS 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

HEALTH EQUITY

CHYCHY SMITH, DRPH, MPH, MCHES

Director of the Office of Health Disparities

Elimination, Arkansas Department of Health

LUNCH WITH VENDORS

KEITH JACKSON

Health inequities exist across patient populations due to social determinants that negatively impact health outcomes By making health equity a core priority, health systems and providers can help eliminate disparities and make quality care accessible to all Focusing on helping patients feel understood and respected by their care providers encourages open communication and better-managed health care. 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Former NFL Star and Founder & President of P.A.R.K.

BREAK WITH VENDORS

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

ACHE IN-PERSON LEARNING PANEL:

The Future of Health Care Financing: The Transition to Rural Emergency Hospital Status 2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

MODERATOR

BILL JOLLEY

Vice-President, TriStar Health Alliance

LAURA BAILEY, JD

FARRAH JONES, BS, RRT, CPFT

Director of Respiratory Care and QA, DeWitt Hospital and Nursing Home

QUENTIN WHITWELL, JD

CEO and Founder, Progressive Health Group

With budgetary pressures on Medicare and Medicaid, pay for performance, and federal expectations for investment in technology without regard to costs, executives must constantly monitorthefinancinglandscape Ithasbecomeabundantlyclearthathavingconcretestrategies andacomprehensivefinancialplaninplaceiscriticalforhospitalsandhealthcaresystemstostay afloat Thispanelwilldiveintoeachpanelist'sfacility’sdeterminingfactorsdrivingsustainabilityfor continuedhealthcareintheircommunities

This panel was developed in partnership with ACHE of Arkansas, formerly the Arkansas Health Executives Forum.

BREAKFAST & VENDORS

Grand Ballrooms C, D, E, & F

WELCOME

Grand Ballrooms A & B

YOU’RE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER BOAT:

Preparing for the Next Pandemic

JAMES LAWLER, MD, MPH, FIDSA

Associate Director of the Global Center for Health Security & Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

8:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Emerging infectious diseases have been occurring with increasing frequency over the last few decades, and the threat of a pandemic of equal or graver severity to COVID-19 is a real possibility in our lifetimes This session will discuss potential pandemic threats, lessons learned from COVID-19, and how the nation and world must do better to protect lives and livelihoods next time.

BREAK WITH VENDORS 8:00 AM - 8:15 AM DAY ONE ADJOURNS 4:15 PM

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

INCULCATING A CULTURE OF QUALITY AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE 9:45 AM - 11:00 AM

RICHARD CURTIS, RN, MS, HACP

Chief Executive Officer, CIHQ

This session will provide practical, real-world strategies that have been shown to be effective in establishing a culture that supports continuous ongoingcompliancetoregulationsandimprovementin quality

Topics will cover the importance of culture, the difference between formal and informal culture, barrierstocreatingasuccessfulculture,andhowtoinculcateadesiredcultureintothestructural fabricofanorganization

ADJOURN

11:00 AM

SPEAKERBIOS

LAURA BAILEY, JD

POLICY AND REGULATORY CONSULTANT, HCA HEALTHCARE

Lauraisresponsibleforadvisingseniorexecutivesongovernmentpayerpolicy.Recently,sheled the regulatory effort to convert TriStar Ashland City Medical Center to a Rural Emergency Hospital.

As a seasoned professional with more than 30 years of reimbursement experience, Laura is a highlyvalued,trusted,andrespectedvoiceinpolicycircles,regularlycontributingtothediscourse shaping national health care policy. Foremost in that pursuit is her commitment to the care and improvementofhumanlife

Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Columbus College and a law degree from Nashville School of Law She is based at the HCA Corporate Office in Nashville, Tennessee.

LauraismarriedandlivesinThompson’sStation,Tennesseewithhersixchildrenandamultitude offarmanimals Sheisanavidbeekeeper

KEITH JACKSON FORMER NFL STAR AND FOUNDER & PRESIDENT OF P.A.R.K.

Keith, born April 19, 1965, in Little Rock, Arkansas, philanthropist and former NFL player A standout athlete from a young age, he excelled in football and basketball, earning accolades at LittleRockParkviewHighSchool

KeithattendedtheUniversityofOklahoma,whereheplayedtightendfortheSooners,winninga national championship in 1985. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988, he quickly made an impact,earningnumerousawards,includingNFCOffensiveRookieoftheYear

Throughout his nine-year NFL career with the Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and Green Bay Packers, Keithwasafive-timeProBowlerandwonSuperBowlXXXIwiththePackersin1996.Afterretiring, he founded PARK (Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids), a non-profit organization dedicated to empoweringunderservedyouthinLittleRock.

Keithalsopursuedacareerinbroadcastingandbecameasought-aftermotivationalspeaker He remainsactivelyinvolvedinhiscommunityandisaproudmemberofOmegaPsiPhifraternity.

FARRAH JONES, BS, RRT, CPFT

DIRECTOR OF RESPIRATORY CARE AND QA, DEWITT HOSPITAL AND NURSING HOME

Farrah has been a registered respiratory therapist for almost 20 years, and for 12 of those years shehasservedinmanagementrolesincriticalaccesshospitals.ShereceivedaBachelorofScience in Cardiorespiratory Care from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and began her careeratDeltaMemorialHospital,wheresheeventuallybecametheDirectorofRespiratoryCare. She then spent 10 years at Arkansas Children’s Hospital as a therapist and clinical research associate.ForthepastsevenyearsshehasheldthepositionofDirectorofRespiratoryCareand QualityAssuranceatDeWittHospitalandNursingHomeinherhometownofDeWitt

Farrahandherhusband,Jarod,havetwochildren,Wyatt,17,andGeorgia,12 Oneofherfavorite rolesis“devotedsportsmom.”GoDragons!

JAMES LAWLER, MD, MPH, FIDSA

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF THE GLOBAL CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURITY & PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER

James is Associate Director of the Global Center for Health Security, a Woody and Paula Varner Professor, and Professor of Medicine in Infectious Disease at the University of Nebraska Medical Center He is also a Deputy Medical Director for the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and the PrincipalInvestigatorfortheRegion7DisasterHealthResponseEcosystemproject.

James’careerhasfocusedonemerginginfectiousdiseases,publichealth,pandemicpreparedness, andglobalhealth Hepreviouslyservedinnationalbiodefenseandhealthsecuritypolicypositions in the White House during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, research positions at the US Military Research Institute for Infectious Diseases and the Naval Medical Research Center, and as Chief Medical Officer for the NIAID Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick. His operational experience includes evacuation of American citizens quarantined on the cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama, Japan, multiple viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in sub-SaharanAfrica,hurricanerelief,andtheNATORole3MultinationalMedicalUnitinKandahar, Afghanistan JamesretiredfromtheUSNavyMedicalCorpsin2017after21yearsofactiveservice

TRISTA SIMPSON, MA SENIOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, HSS,

A TARIAN COMPANY

TristajoinedHSSwithaninternationalcareerinadultandragogyandcrisismanagementtraining She holds a BA in Business Administration and History, as well as a MA in Education Andragogy andPedagogywithaconcentrationinDEI

Trista’sworkexperienceincludesbeingselectedasaDirectorofEducationtodevelopandtraina globallydiversestaffbytheirExcellenciesoftheMinistryofEducationinDubai,UAE.Whileinthe UAE,herteamconsistedofpeoplefromsixofthesevencontinents.Whilethere,shewastasked with transitioning their educational system from a Middle Eastern pedagogy to a world class internationallyalignededucationalsystem.

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Tristahasoverahalfdecadeoftrainingincrisismanagement,whichemploysverbalandphysical de-escalation strategies She has helped develop, train, and inspire participants in 49 of the 50 United States. She also qualified individuals in 8 of 10 provinces in Canada, including indigenous tribalterritoriesinYellowknifeneartheNorthPole.HavinglivedinSpainfor10years,Tristaisfully biliterateinEuropeanSpanishandhasusedthisskillsettotrainandteachintheSpanish-speaking globalcommunityaswell.ShehashelpedgovernmentofficialsinPuertoRicodeveloptheircrisis management skills, as well as members of the largest hospital system in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica–whiledoingitintheirnativetongue.

BROCK SLABACH, MPH, FACHE

CHIEF

OPERATIONS OFFICER,

NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

Brock is the COO at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). He was a rural hospital administratorformorethan21yearsandhasservedontheboardoftheNRHAandtheregional policy board of the American Hospital Association. He serves on the CMS Star Rating Technical Expert Panel as a member of the National Quality Forum’s Measures Application Partnership Hospital and Rural Health Workgroup and on the Board of Directors of the National Rural Accountable Care Consortium and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program He is the 2015 recipientoftheCalicoQualityLeadershipAwardoftheNationalRuralHealthResourceCenterand receivedtheAmericanSocietyofHealthcarePharmacistsBoardofDirectors’AwardofHonorfor 2018. He earned a Master of Public Health in Health Administration from the University of OklahomaandisafellowintheACHE.

CHYCHY SMITH, DRPH, MPH, MCHES

DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF HEALTH DISPARITIES ELIMINATION, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (ADH)

Chychy (she/her) is a passionate advocate for health equity who currently oversees policy and programming to reduce health disparities impacting communities, particularly those that have historicallybeenunderservedandmarginalized

She holds a doctorate and master's degree in public health and is a master certified health education specialist Her work has been recognized with honors, including being named a 2022 Arkansas Business 40 under 40 honoree, 2022 National Leadership Council's Fellow of the Year (Arkansas Chapter), and the 2021 John Ruffin Young Researcher Award from the Center for MinorityHealth&HealthDisparitiesatXavierUniversityLouisiana.

Through her research, advocacy, and leadership, Chychy advances solutions to promote health equityandpositivesocialchange Sheisdrivenbyacommitmenttoequityandjusticeforall

QUENTIN WHITWELL, JD

CEO AND FOUNDER, PROGRESSIVE HEALTH GROUP

Quentinisanattorney,experiencedoperator,andhealthcareentrepreneur,licensedinMississippi andtheDistrictofColumbia.AsCEOandfounderofProgressiveHealthGroup,Quentinhasbeen atrailblazerinsupportofruralhealthcareacrosstheUS Heisviewedasasubjectmatterexpert bytheCentersforMedicareandMedicaidServicesonthetopicoftheprovisionofhealthcarein ruralareasandhasdeployedthefirsttwoRuralEmergencyHospitals Hisadvocacyforruralhealth andbroaderhealthcaremattershastakenhimtostatecapitolsandtheU.S.Congress.

SHANNON WU, PHD SENIOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PAYMENT POLICY, AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION (AHA)

ShannonfocusesontheAHA’sworkonMedicareinpatientpaymentandruralhospitalissues She also leads AHA’s work with the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. She came to the AHA from Cornerstone Research, where she served as an associate working on a wide range of economic analyses for health care litigation matters, including hospital mergers and provider reimbursements.Previously,shehasworkedfortheOfficeoftheAssistantSecretaryforPlanning and Evaluation at the US Department of Health and Human Services and for the Senate CommitteeonHealth,Education,Labor,andPensions.Ms.WureceivedherPh.D.inhealthservices researchandpolicyfromtheJohnsHopkinsBloombergSchoolofPublicHealthandherBA from PrincetonUniversity.

2024 MID-SOUTH

CRITICALACCESS&RURAL HOSPITALCONFERENCE

CONTINUINGEDUCATION

NursingContactHours

9.0 Nursing Contact Hours willbeawardedtoallnurseswhosign-inattheregistrationdesk, requesthours,andcompletetheSurveyMonkeyevaluationattestingtotheirattendanceeachday. EvaluationsmustbecompletedbyAugust23.

Arkansas Hospital Association is approved with distinction as a provider of nursing continuing professional developmentbytheMidwestMultistateDivision,anaccreditedapproverbytheAmericanNursesCredentialing Center’sCommissiononAccreditation

ACHEQualifyingEducation

Byattendingthe2024Mid-SouthCriticalAccess&RuralHospitalConferenceofferedbythe ArkansasHospitalAssociation,participantsmayearnupto7.5ACHEQualifyingEducationHours towardinitialcertificationorrecertificationoftheFellowoftheAmericanCollegeofHealthcare Executives(FACHE)designation.

ParticipantswishingtohavetheCEhoursappliedtowardACHEQualifyingEducationcreditareresponsiblefor maintainingarecordoftheirACHEQualifyingEducation

ACHEIn-PersonEducation

ByattendingtheACHEIn-PersonLearningPanel: The Future of Health Care Financing - The TransitiontoRuralEmergencyHospitalStatus,participantsmayearn1.5ACHEIn-PersonEducation Hours toward initial certification or recertification of the Fellow of the American College of HealthcareExecutives(FACHE)designation

ParticipantsinthisprogramwishingtoreceiveACHEIn-PersonEducationhoursmustsignthesign-insheet, requestcredit,andcompletetheevaluation EvaluationsmustbecompletedbyAugust23.

CANCELLATIONPOLICY

Ifcancellationsarereceivedinwriting10businessdayspriortothedateoftheconference,50%of theregistrationfeeisrefundableRegistrantswhocancelthedayoftheconferenceorfailtoattend mustpaytheentirefee.Substitutions,however,arepermitted.

HOTELINFORMATION

ThePeabodyMemphis 149UnionAve Memphis,TN38103

Toreceivethediscountedrateof$199anight,youmaycallin forreservationsat1-800-PEABODY andnotethe“AHACriticalAccessHospitalConference”orCLICKHEREtobookyourroom The deadlinetobookaroomatthediscountedrateisJuly24at5:00p.m.

PARKINGINFORMATION

Bothvaletandself-parkoptionsareavailableValetis$33+taxandself-parkis$24+tax

2024 MID-SOUTH

AUGUST14-16 |

THEPEABODYMEMPHIS

WEDNESDAY EVENING RECEPTION

Join us for a reception to welcome fellow rural and critical access hospital leaders to the 2024 Conference

Inyourpartyincludingtotalguests+yourself.