Agenda
Wednesday, June 24 | Pre-conference activities
Noon
HANYS golf outing | Saratoga Spa Golf Course
Sponsored by:
Tee times will be confirmed two weeks prior to the event and range from noon to 1:30 p.m.
We’re returning to the green to kick off the conference with some competition and camaraderie! Whether you’re a serious golfer or just want to do some casual putting, our golf outing will allow you to relax and have fun before we jump into our main programming. As the saying goes: Work hard, play hard.
All golfers will receive a complimentary boxed lunch.
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Pre-conference session
Inside CMS’ bold new mandatory model: What CJR-X means for joint replacement care
The proposed Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded Model is poised to become a mandatory bundled payment program affecting most U.S. hospitals — making early preparation essential for lower extremity joint replacement services.
With a potential launch in October 2027, the timeline is already in motion. DataGen’s analytics team is proactively evaluating the model’s key technical components, including target pricing and quality measurement, to help hospitals understand what’s ahead.
Join this session to gain early insights into CJR-X and learn how DataGen can support your organization in modeling financial exposure, assessing risk and preparing for success under the new program.
Join this session to gain early insights into CJR-X and how DataGen’s CJR-Xcellence℠ can support your organization in modeling financial exposure, assessing risk and preparing for success under the new program.4 – 5:15 p.m.
Pre-conference session
Enhancing operations in the face of uncertainty
Brian Esser, Vice President, Sg2
Christen Hunt, DNP, MBA, FNP-C, CPNP-AC, Senior Vice President, Clinical Quality Consulting, Kaufman Hall
As headwinds mount, organizations need to assess vulnerabilities and proactively focus on innovative ways to link strategy, operations and quality efforts. Vizient’s subject matter experts will unpack current and future market pressure and discuss innovative approaches to operations and quality with an eye towards sustainability.
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Welcome reception
Sponsored by: 
All conference registrants are welcome.
Enjoy delicious light bites, refreshing drinks and stimulating conversation with your colleagues. Attendees are encouraged to visit our sponsor tables to learn more about a variety of products and services to assist you in your daily operations.
Thursday, June 25 | Conference sessions
7 – 9 a.m.
Breakfast and check-in
Our Conference Hub will be available throughout the day for check-in and information.
8 – 10 a.m.
HANYS board of trustees meeting
This meeting is open to all HANYS members.
10:15 – 11 a.m.
Welcome and presidents’ conversation
Bea Grause, RN, JD, President, HANYS
Rick Pollack, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Hospital Association
Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Erie County Medical Center Corporation
Join us for a candid conversation with HANYS’ President Bea Grause, HANYS’ next president Tom Quatroche and AHA President Rick Pollack.
11 a.m. – noon
The new healthcare landscape
1 ACHE qualified education credit
Marcus Whitney, Founding Partner, Jumpstart Health Investors
Healthcare didn’t arrive at its current crossroads overnight. In this session, we’ll unpack the often-misunderstood history that shaped today’s system, explore how shifting demographics and cultural change are now driving real disruption and outline what leaders need to understand to successfully navigate what comes next. Attendees will leave with clearer context, practical insight and a forward-looking perspective to help their organizations adapt in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
Noon - 1 p.m.
Awards presentation and luncheon
Join us in celebrating our Distinguished Service and Community Health Improvement awardees.
1 – 2 p.m.
Global insights: Why a strategic commitment to human experience is a must for future success
Jason Wolf, PhD, CPXP, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Beryl Institute
As an international authority on patient experience, The Beryl Institute convenes healthcare executives from across the globe to gather their insights, struggles and successes in leading with compassion, equity and connection.
Jason Wolf will share findings from his book “Return on Human Experience: Eight Principles to Inspire Excellence in Healthcare,” including data, real-world stories and actionable strategies from executives across the globe to help you shape a culture where patients, families, staff and communities can thrive now and into the future.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- identify eight key themes driving the future of healthcare experience;
- reinforce the value of sustained investment and commitment to experience excellence; and
- lead innovation efforts while keeping the human experience at the center of care.
2 – 2:15 p.m.
Break
2:15 – 3:30 p.m.
Innovating to sustain healthcare in rural New York
1.25 ACHE qualified education credit
Moderator: Steven L. Kelley, MBA, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ellenville Regional Hospital
Rolland V. "Boomer" Bojo Jr., MSN, BSN, RN, President and Chief Executive Officer, UHS-Delaware Valley Hospital
Steven Goldstein, President, System Integration Strategy, UR Medicine
Dierdra Sorrell, Chief Executive Officer, Clifton Fine Hospital
New York’s healthcare delivery system continues to operate with significant challenges. Rural areas of the state feel this pressure even more acutely. Rural hospitals and health systems are taking innovative steps to strategically advance their organizations and position themselves to serve their communities into the future. This session will feature three distinct approaches and viewpoints, including:
- a critical access hospital replacing its facility and developing a medical neighborhood in collaboration with community-based social and human services organizations;
- shifting of a hospital’s delivery system model to decertify inpatient beds and convert to the new federal Rural Emergency Hospital designation, preserving access to outpatient and emergency services; and
- regional partnerships between an academic medical center-led health system and rural providers to sustain access to care.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- describe strategies providers are using to sustain rural healthcare in New York;
- understand the new Rural Emergency Hospital designation; and
- learn how an academic medical center is partnering with rural providers to sustain healthcare services.
3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Innovative models for appropriate placement of patients with complex needs
1.25 ACHE qualified education credit
Moderator: Jeff Gold, Esq., Special Counsel, Managed Care and Insurance, HANYS
Vic Aufiero, Esq., Vice President, Insurance, Managed Care and Behavioral Health, HANYS
Madeline Grant, Chief Administrative Officer, Harborview Medical Center, UW Medicine
Amanda Laprime, PhD, Associate Professor, Medicine and Director, Intensive Behavior Team, University of Rochester Medical Center
Kelly M. Luther, LMSW, Senior Director, Social Work and Patient and Family Services, University of Rochester Medical Center
Hira Ruskin, Vice President, Operations, Northwell Health
HANYS is the statewide leader in identifying the alarming rise in patients who become caught in limbo in emergency departments and inpatient units for weeks, months and even years after they are medically ready for discharge. With the development of the association’s white paper, The complex case discharge delay problem and our subsequent data analysis, The scope of complex case discharge delays in New York state, we’ve shared recommendations that aim to reduce these delays and achieve more person-centered and equitable healthcare and social care systems for children, adults and families with complex care needs.
Using those recommendations, this panel discussion will focus on overcoming the barriers to appropriate placements for patients with complex needs after discharge.
By the end of this session, participants will better understand the HANYS’ recommendations and key innovative models below:
- brick and mortar places for patients to move to and from the acute care setting — whether newly created, repurposed or restructured;
- permanent senior leadership role in state government to coordinate the various agencies that have overlapping authority for complex patients;
- stronger commitment from non-hospital stakeholders, including insurers, continuing care providers and advocacy organizations to help find and own more available placement solutions; and
- continued evolution of multidisciplinary in-hospital teams to focus on innovative and timely discharge opportunities.
6 – 7:30 p.m.
New president meet and greet | Saratoga City Center
Guests welcome for an extra fee.
Get to know HANYS’ next president, Tom Quatroche, as you relax with colleagues, enjoy delicious food action stations, refreshments and music.
Friday, June 26 | Conference sessions
7 a.m.
Breakfast
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
One Cool Thing
In this round-robin session, HANYS members will have three minutes to present “One Cool Thing” they’re excited about, ranging from new initiatives and innovative programs to small tweaks and process improvements. Hear about your colleagues’ big ideas, ask questions and get inspired.
Presenters and topics:
Michelle Watkins, MS, RN-BC, Nurse Manager, Glens Falls Hospital
Each shift, our medical surgical unit works to learn something personal about their patients like hobbies, favorite activities, family, pets or life experiences. Staff then document this information on a shared form at the nurses’ station. These small moments of connection not only enhance patient experience, but help staff get through busy shifts by bringing laughter, warmth and perspective to the day.
Anne Meore, LMSW, HTR, Registered Horticultural Therapist, Good Samaritan Hospital, Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Garden of Hope is a therapeutic garden on our hospital campus designed with accessibility and adaptability as a central focus, allowing all people the opportunity to reap the physical, cognitive, social and psycho-emotional benefit inherent in the natural environment. We provide horticultural therapy programs that offer hands-on engagement with plants and nature and encourage "take-home" learning by hosting monthly garden-to-table demonstrations in addition to gardening-for-health engagement programs.
Patricia Charvat, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategy, Mohawk Valley Health System
MVHS implemented a new communications platform, Workvivo, that mirrors an internal social media platform. All staff can access it through their phones or computers in their preferred language — a particularly important feature for our organization which is in a Refugee Resettlement City where 20% of the population speaks English as a second language.
Silvanus Michel, MSM-NL, BSN, CCRN, Director, Nursing, NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
To address gaps in blood transfusion documentation compliance, our surgical and neurosurgical intensive care unit introduced a blood transfusion Badge Buddy checklist and embedded transfusion checks into bedside handoffs. The protocol standardized expectations and created a replicable model for other high-acuity ICUs, creating a sustainable, low-cost, replicable safety model.
Olushola Latus-Olaifa, Program Director, Community Health, Institute for Community Health and Wellness, Northwell Health
The Faith Leaders Mental Health Forum centers on collaborative learning between Northwell Health and local faith leaders to develop collaborative faith-based approaches to address the most pressing mental health needs. The forum has catalyzed the development of several evidence-based training resources for the faith and broader community, shaped directly by faith leaders’ feedback, that are breaking down stigma and barriers to addressing mental health.
Louann Peña, Director, Operations, Ambulatory Care, SBH Health System
Using surveys sent after every ambulatory encounter, SBH created a real‑time feedback loop that allowed us to understand how patients and their families perceive their care, identify barriers to throughput and intervene quickly to retain patients. Every comment is reviewed and every low score is investigated. This work uncovered the true drivers of patient loyalty: communication, provider presence, wait-time transparency and care navigation.
John R. LaForge, MBA, BSN, RN, CNML, Nurse Manager, Emergency Department, Sisters of Charity Hospital, Catholic Health (Buffalo)
In the emergency department, the speed at which on-call specialists return consult calls is often a point of contention. To decrease barriers of provider-to-provider conversations in emergent situations, we gave all providers cell phones with the Pulsera app to ease the friction of calls and messages between the on-call stroke neurologist and the ED attending.
Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, MASCP, MT (ASCP) HTL, DLM, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Stony Brook University Hospital
Donning Stony Brook red sneakers, C-suite leaders round throughout the hospital and ambulatory sites, providing staff opportunities to drive improvement discussions that are swiftly acted on to build trust and transparency. Each member of the team has taken on the persona of a Peanuts character, which is displayed at our "Peanut Gallery" where senior leaders sit outside the cafeteria during lunch every Tuesday as an open forum for staff, physicians, patients and families to hear concerns and ideas for improvement.
Hannah Farley, Program Manager, Cancer Services Program of the Finger Lakes Region, University of Rochester Medical Center
Cancer Services Program of the Finger Lakes Region outreach staff have nurtured a relationship with the Amish community since 2019. Consistent, respectful groundwork led to us bringing a mobile mammography unit to an Amish-owned store for four years running, screening dozens of Amish and Mennonite women for breast cancer and expanding to colorectal cancer screening with the use of at-home colon cancer tests.
Kimberly Coolidge, MSN, RNC, Nursing Informatics Specialist, University of Vermont Health - Elizabethtown Community Hospital
This AI‑enabled nursing documentation tool allows nurses to identify what they want to focus on at the beginning of their shift. Throughout the shift the tool continuously pulls from the nurse’s real‑time documentation and synthesizes it into a draft nursing care plan note. Instead of spending additional time rebuilding notes at the end of the shift, nurses receive an organized summary of their care that accurately reflects the patient’s journey and nursing impact.
8:30 – 8:45 a.m.
A few words from our next president and CEO
Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Erie County Medical Center Corporation
Hear directly from Tom Quatroche on his perspective as he steps into his new role, including what he’s most excited for and the biggest hurdles waiting to be tackled.
8:45 – 9:45 a.m.
Safe and effective AI: Governing beyond point solutions
Moderator: Thomas Hallisey, Director, Digital Health Strategy, HANYS
Bethany (Beth) Percha, PhD, MPH, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University
Dwight Raum, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Information Officer, Rochester Regional Health
Our expert panel will present practical guidance on managing AI for safe and effective use in healthcare. We’ll look at the current state, reality versus hype and governance programs necessary to bring value to the organization. The panel will review example projects and ROI to date as part of the overall governance of AI programs.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- understand risk factors in differentiating between AI, GenAI and automation;
- design governance for selecting the most impactful AI use cases and measuring/monitoring results; and
- apply strategies for scaling AI responsibly.
9:45 – 10:45 a.m.
Where to turn when the political climate heats up
Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Political Analyst
Get insider insight into the electoral process, congressional culture and Washington political scene. A familiar presence across the media spectrum, Walter’s range of topics and expertise results in an engaging and compelling presentation that keeps audiences riveted. She’ll not only discuss electoral politics, but also the politics of policy, Washington’s dysfunction and the people and strategies behind events unfolding in Congress and the White House.
