Schedule Highlights

We have assembled a list of exceptional speakers for the Institute attendees to include:

Debora Kuchka-Craig is the voluntary Chair of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) during the 2010-11 term beginning June 1, 2010. Ms. Kuchka-Craig is Corporate Vice President, Managed Care, MedStar Health, Columbia, Maryland.

A member of HFMA since 1993, Ms. Kuchka-Craig's involvement with the National Association includes serving on the Managed Care Forum Advisory Council (1997-00), the Board of Examiners (2003-07), serving as chair during 2006-07, the National Advisory Councils (2005-06), the Strategic Planning Committee (2005-07 and 2008-11), serving as chair (2009-10), the Board of Directors (2005-11), the Executive Committee (2006-11), serving as chair 2010-11, and the Audit & Finance Committee (2007-11), serving as chair in 2008-09. Ms. Kuchka-Craig has also served the Maryland Chapter as Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President, President-Elect, and President. She has received the Follmer Bronze, Reeves Silver, Muncie Gold, and Medal of Honor merit awards.

Ms. Kuchka-Craig will kick off the proceedings on Thursday with a General Assembly talk on how HFMA is helping its constituents deal with healthcare reform

Following Ms. Kuchka-Craig, the President and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association, Elizabeth A. Ryan, Esq. will bring the issues of healthcare reform a little closer to home and focus on what is happening in New Jersey and provide insight and tools to help hospitals and their boards deal with the change. As CEO Ryan oversees NJHA, Health Research and Educational Trust of New Jersey, a not-for-profit affiliate that promotes continuing patient safety, quality improvement education and research; the for-profit Healthcare Business Solutions, which provides group purchasing and other business solutions for healthcare providers; and the Healthcare Employees Federal Credit Union. Her responsibilities include oversight of NJHA's operations, in addition to fostering member advocacy and coordinating such efforts at both the state and federal levels.

Previously, Ms. Ryan practiced law in Mount Holly and went on to serve as assistant counsel under former Gov. Jim Florio and Chief of Staff of the state Department of Health. She also was a senior vice president with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. and a regional executive for the American Hospital Association and the Healthcare Association of New York State. She served as a member of New Jersey's Board of Medical Examiners, the Clinton-Gore Transition Team, the legal audit team for the Clinton National Health Care Reform Task Force, and both Governor Corzine's and Governor McGreevey's transition teams. Ms. Ryan received her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University (Cook College).

The Thursday afternoon educational sessions start with a General Assembly lecture by Dr. Yosef D. Dlugacz on value-based health care. He has published widely in health care and quality management journals on a variety of clinical care and quality topics and is a frequent participant expert in national audio and video teleconferences promoting quality and safety. Dr. Dlugacz book, The Quality Handbook for Health Care Organizations: A Manager's Guide to Tools and Programs (2004), has been praised as a valuable text for new quality professionals. His book, Measuring Health Care: Using Quality Data for Operational, Practical and Clinical Improvement (2006), helps educate professionals about the relationship between quality care and financial success. His latest book, Value Based Health Care: Linking Finance and Quality (2010) explores the relationship between quality care and organizational efficiency. It was recently selected for a 2010 Bugbee-Falk Award from the Association of University Professionals in Health Administration and nominated for the ACHE/Hamilton Book of the Year Award. Friends Health Connection, the charitable organization through whom Dr. Dlugacz's talk was arranged, will make him and his books available after the talk.

Friday morning kicks off with a laugh. A general practitioner by training, Dr. Brad Nieder is now more of a specialist in "Healthy Humor." Indeed, he has successfully combined the worlds of humor and health care. He's a lot like the world famous Patch Adams...except he's not world famous. As an undergraduate student at Stanford, Brad was a founding member of the Simps comedy troupe. While a medical student at the University of Colorado, he frequently performed stand-up comedy for both live audiences...and cadavers. He then took his unique style out east when he went to the Medical College of Virginia for his residency training. He's a coauthor of the book "Humor Me," which features his popular poem of wellness advice. And he recently signed a deal with HBO! No...wait, he actually signed a deal with an H-M-O. He lives in Denver and travels throughout the country spreading his message that "Laughter is the Best Medicine."

On a more serious, but not less fun note, Dr. Bruce Weinstein, "The Ethics Guy" will speak on ethics in the hospital and corporate environment. He has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX News, FOX Business, NPR, and Bloomberg Television. His latest book, Is It Still Cheating If I Don't Get Caught? (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, 2009), shows teens how to make the right decisions. The New York Times, USA Today, The New York Observer, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Investor's Business Daily, Family Circle, Real Simple, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the in-flight magazines of American Airlines, Delta Airlines, USAirways, and United Airlines, as well as Newsweek.com, CNN.com, and FoxNews.com have featured his writing or have written about him. There will also be a book signing after his talk.

To round out the Friday sessions, the ever-popular CFO panel will be back. Panelists include: Kevin Brennan, Geisinger Health System; Stella Visaggio, Hackettstown Regional Medical Center; Joe LeMaire, Holy Name Medical Center; and Neil Lubarsky, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.