Ms. Acres has been an RN since 1978, and a certified case manager since 1998.  As of February 2018, she obtained her credentials as a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and her certification as an Assisted Living Manager (CALM) in Texas.  Clinical practice areas have included acute care and home health care, and case management practice has included group health insurance, home health care, Workers’ Compensation, disability management and consulting, with multiple areas of expertise.   She founded her company, Comprehensive Care Management LLC in 2007, in order to assist seniors and families to develop a care road map, providing education about illness and services for their aging loved ones, and to aid seniors in maintaining their health, independence, while aging with dignity.

Duane Blackwell has been in home health since August, 1997 when he was hired as CEO of Thompson Home Health, a multi-provider Louisiana-based home health company.  At that time, the industry was undergoing a dramatic transition from a cost-based system to prospective payment.  Duane’s previous career in commercial banking seemed a good fit for what was to be a tectonic shift in the way home health was delivered.  In 2003, he assisted in the successful sale of Thompson to an equity investment firm, staying on as CEO for five years following the sale.

In 2008, Duane established SOSO Solutions, LLC, a consulting practice focused primarily on the serving needs of post-acute care providers, including home health and hospice companies.  SOSO’s areas of focus include strategic planning, financial management, the management of change, and sales and business development.  SOSO continues to serve a client base centered in the Gulf South.

In 2015, Duane partnered with Dr. Cordt Kassner and Dr Warren Hebert to establish National Home Health Analytics; a Medicare Clams and Cost Report research and consulting company focused on delivering industry transparency.

A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Duane earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Southern Mississippi.

CEO, National Home Health Analytics

Fred Bentley, Vice President, advises clients on health delivery and payment innovation, providing analytic and strategic insight on issues related to the delivery of care. As an expert in fields ranging from payer strategy to hospital-physician alignment, and post-acute care, he has worked with providers, including integrated delivery networks, academic medical centers, post-acute providers, and long-term care organizations as well as national and regional health plans. Over the past five years, his work has focused on supporting health systems engage in Medicare and Medicaid payment and delivery system transformation initiatives.

Prior to joining Avalere, Fred was a Principal in the Accountable Care Solutions practice at The Chartis Group. In this role, he worked with leading hospitals and health systems in developing strategic roadmaps to guide their clinical innovation, population health, and cross-continuum integration initiatives. He also served as a Managing Director with The Advisory Board Company, managing a team of consultants and analysts who supported provider organizations ranging from physician groups and health systems to post-acute care providers.

Fred holds an MPP and MPH from the University of California, Berkeley and a BA in Political Science from Haverford College

Vice President, Avalere Health

Diane M. Datz, RN, MA has been a hospice nurse and chaplain for twenty-five years. In addition to her nursing credentials, she holds a master’s degree in spiritual psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Sophia University, Palo Alto, California and a certificate in gerontology from Our Lady of the Lake University. Diane has published original end-of-life research in Omega Journal of Death and Dying and is a regular presenter at state and national end-of-life conferences and workshops. Diane also serves as an advisor to TrueSolace, an online platform for grief support. Her volunteer commitments include serving on the Advisory Board of ABODE: Contemplative Care for the Dying in San Antonio, Texas and as a Board member of Texas and New Mexico Hospice Organization. Diane co-facilitates meetings for San Antonio Death Café, part of an international movement to encourage public conversations about death and dying. Diane is also an ordained priest in The Old Catholic Church, Province of the United States. She is currently the Hospice Educator and Regulatory Specialist with HealthCare ConsultLink.

Hospice Educator and Regulatory Specialist, HealthCare ConsultLink

Dr. Friedman has been a HPM physician for 22 years. He is also a certified Hospice Medical Director and a Fellow with the AAHPM. He has a wide variety of experience in HPM, including his present role as Chief Medical Officer for Hospice Austin. His activities include administrative, regulatory, clinical, and provider supervisory duties, in addition to providing education to staff and the community. He has Hospice and Palliative Care experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings.  Dr. Friedman has presented a wide variety of topics over the years. He has significant regulatory experience, including experience with Probe and MIC Audits. He is a member of the NHPCO Regulatory Committee. In addition, he is a Texas & New Mexico Hospice Organization board member, an item writer for the HMDCB, and is actively involved in the Texas MOST Coalition.

Chief Medical Officer, Hospice Austin

Gaboury is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Healthcare Provider Solutions, Inc. (HPS), based in Nashville, TN.  Melinda Gaboury and Mark Cannon founded the company in April 2001 to provide financial, reimbursement, billing and clinical consulting to the home care and hospice industries.

With more than 16 years of executive speaking, educating and most importantly day-to-day experience working with home care and hospice professionals, Gaboury has been a speaker for multiple state and national home care and hospice associations. She is actively conducting Basic and Advanced Home Care and Hospice Seminars throughout the country. She is currently serving on the HHFMA Board and Home Care Association of Florida Board of Directors.  Gaboury is also the author of the Home Health Pocket Guide to OASIS-C2: A Reference Guide for Field Staff.

CEO, Healthcare Provider Solutions, Inc.

As industry tax leader for BKD’s South Region, Paige is charged with growth and development of not-for-profit and governmental tax services in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.  She has more than 30 years of experience providing tax services to a broad range of health care institutions, physician and clinical practices and other not-for-profit entities.

Paige performs comprehensive reviews of not-for-profit activities to identify and help mitigate exposure areas related to private inurement, intermediate sanctions, worker classification and unrelated business taxable income issues.  She has extensive experience with IRS examinations, obtaining favorable determination letters, private letter rulings and closing agreements.  Paige also provides tax, financial and retirement planning services for key executives, in addition to compliance and business tax services.

Paige currently serves on the board and as Treasurer of the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the board as Secretary and Communications Chair of the TEGE Exempt Organizations Council.  She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and American Health Lawyers Association.  She has led several tax-focused webinars and presented to a number of industry organizations, including the Risk Management Association, Government Finance Officers Association, National Association of College and University Business Officers and Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Paige is a 1986 graduate of University of Houston, Texas, with a B.B.A. degree in accounting.

Partner, BKD, CPAs & Advisors

Jillian Hamblin is the Chief Operating Officer of UnitedHealthcare Community & State’s Texas Health Plan. In this role, Jillian oversees health plan operational excellence, project management, appeals and grievances, state inquiries, vendors, and network relations.  She is responsible for the overall member experience for Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare-Medicaid Dual Demonstration, and Dual Special Needs Plan members, including the strategy to address Social Determinants of Healthcare.  She sponsors initiatives specifically focused on combating homelessness and finding competitive employment in the community.  She also serves as the Executive Sponsor for the Project Search program at the Texas Health Plan, a program that provides young adults with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities internship opportunities on their path to competitive employment.

Before assuming this role in December of 2015, Jillian was the Director of Health Services Operations for the Texas Health Plan.  Here she focused on process documentation and improvement, creation and implementation of clinical training programs, employee engagement, and innovation.  Her innovation skills were rewarded as a finalist in the prestigious UnitedHealth Group Stephen Hemsley Innovation Challenge in 2013.

Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, Jillian was the Director of Account Services for a Specialty Benefit Management vendor that focused on quality, safety, and utilization management for over five million lives across the United States and Puerto Rico.   

Jillian received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.  She is very passionate about animal rescue and fostering.  She resides in Spring, Texas with her husband, two children, and two dogs. 

COO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan

Dr. Ket Davis is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana. She received her Bachelors of Nursing Science degree from Grambling State University in 2004.  She attended Grambling State University from 2010-2012 where she completed her Master of Nursing Science with a concentration in Family Practice. She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner since 2012. Dr. Davis relocated to Fort Worth, Texas in 2012 where she became staff at the John Peter Smith Hospital from 2012-2013. She later began working at Metrocare University in 2013. Dr. Davis went on to finish her doctorate training at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in 2017. Dr. Ket currently provides comprehensive medical care & wound care services to the clients at home, in her clinic, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Program Director, Advanced Health Institute

Mr. Khan started his career in 1996 as a U.S. Army Nurse and he was assigned to Brooks Army Medical Center Burn unit at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Khan completed his Master's degree in Nursing from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia and Post Master's from University of Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Khan has 20+ years of experience in Wound management in different clinical settings. Mr. Khan currently works as an Advanced Practice Nurse and delivers care to clients at home, in clinic, nursing home and in assisted living facilities.

CEO, Advanced Health Institute

Adrian Killebrew is a savvy professional whose ability to connect others and build relationships has allowed organizations to establish meaningful business connections nationally. Adrian is a business development executive for Axxess, the fastest growing home healthcare technology company in North America, where he oversees relationships and partnerships with key industry associations, regional consultants, and national vendor partners.  Adrian has been delivering organizational management and business development strategies for over 13 years. He brings expertise from the healthcare technology, wireless, and association management industries working for organizations such as Verizon, Dallas Regional Chamber and Axxess. Adrian is currently in the pursuit of a Doctorate in Management with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership.

Adrian is also the Founder and Executive Director of IRON Dallas. His personal brand is in lock-step with his commitment to investing in the community. He believes in the power of mentorship and professional development and puts that belief into action. He serves on the board of the Dallas Arboretum, TAHCH’s PAC Council and is actively engaged in mentorship programs with Dallas Regional Chamber Young Professionals, Year Up and Education is Freedom. He is an alum of Leadership Dallas, Dallas 40 Under 40, Mayor’s Star Council and serves as the Vice President of the Dallas alumni chapter of his alma mater, Rhodes College. He is not only committed to his own success, but he is equally committed to the success of others.

Business Development Executive, Axxess

Amy L. Knight is a CPA, originally from Oklahoma and now based in Austin, Texas with over 20 years experience almost exclusively in home health and hospice.  Her CPA firm, Knight CPA Group, has extensive experience with all financial issues pertaining to home health, hospice and other healthcare providers including cost reporting, accounting & payroll issues that are specific to healthcare providers.

Owner, Knight CPA Group

Ms. Kocher has 20 years of experience in health care legal and compliance related issues. Her experience includes positions at a large hospital corporation, serving as a compliance officer for a sleep lab/DME company and a compliance director, chief privacy officer and interim chief compliance officer at a medical device manufacturer. In addition, she has represented and advised critical access and long-term care hospitals, physician groups, home health agencies, DME companies, pharmacies (including compounding pharmacies), non-profit organizations, and licensed individuals. As a result, she understands the complexities and challenges that providers large and small face in complying with increasingly varied and complex laws. She is an expert in all aspects of compliance and privacy programs, including developing and deploying policies, procedures and training. Her experience includes implementing the various requirements and aspects of a Corporate Integrity Agreement, responding to and defending audits from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers up through the ALJ level, guiding clients through voluntary self-disclosures, seeking advisory opinions from the OIG, and defending FDA audits. Ms. Kocher developed criteria for and implemented an aggregate spend system, permitting a medical device manufacturer to timely report correct information under the Physician Open Payments Acts (also known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act). In addition, she is experienced in developing and implementing a compliance program to address Foreign Corrupt Practices Act requirements, including Eucomed guidelines. She also has significant reimbursement experience, addressing coverage policy issues, challenging denials, recoupments, and loss of billing privileges, obtaining HCPCS codes, and other reimbursement related issues.

In an acknowledgement of her experience, Ms. Kocher was recently appointed a lecturer in the University of Texas at Dallas’ Bioengineering Department graduate program. Her course helps bioengineering and medical device entrepreneurs identify and navigate risks in commercializing and marketing new and innovative products.

Liles Parker, PLLC

Danny Mack is a philosopher, author, theologian, motivational speaker, life coach, spiritual healer and expert on rock n roll. He is a graduate of University of North Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Leading Age Leadership Institute.  He has started two non – profit organizations.  He is currently the Director of Spiritual and Social Services for Christian Care Hospice.  He has an “edu-tainment” style of speaking that combines the power of education with entertainment. His presentations are full of compelling insight and humor. Audiences leave encouraged, motivated and inspired.

Danny Mack, MDiv, Christian Care Hospice

Lisa McClammy has been a nurse for 21 years. Her nursing career has allowed her to work in multiple areas of nursing including med-surg, ICU, ER, flight nursing, and now in home health. She has been in administration and leadership positions for the last 10 years, serving as the CNO of a small rural hospital before becoming the Director of Patient Care for Lee HealthCare. Lisa is certified in OASIS and coding and is currently the Chair of the Clinical Practice committee for TAHCH.

Director of Patient Care, Lee HealthCare

Linda’s career in home health began in 1976 as a field nurse.  She has been a part of the HealthCare ConsultLink team for over 17 years and is certified in OASIS (COS-C), ICD-10 Coding (HCS-D) and has a love for Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI).  Her passion for quality care has led her to work directly with agencies as a consultant and educator so that the quality of care, as well as patient outcomes, are improved.  She has been a keynote speaker for HealthCare ConsultLink at sponsored Administrator Trainings with focus on QAPI, Conditions of Participation, OASIS and ICD-10-CM.

Education Coordinator, HealthCare ConsultLink

Bill serves as Managing Principal at Simione Healthcare Consultants, leading all consulting, as well as product and service delivery to support home care and hospice business improvement. He previously managed Simione's Financial Consulting division, and has been actively involved in the home care and hospice industry for more than 25 years.

Bill has held many interim management positions over the years, including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Patient Accounting for numerous home care/hospice organizations ranging from single agencies to multi-state organizations and hospital-owned postacute entities. During his interim management positions, he has been responsible for many agency turnarounds, including positioning an agency for acquisition. His key areas of expertise in Finance and Operations include:
• Financial and Operational Reviews
• Budgeting
• Accounts Receivable Management
• Acquisitions
• Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement
Bill is a highly experienced speaker addressing many national home care and hospice organizations, as well as state and local associations. He is a member of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Home Care and Hospice Financial Management Association (current chair of education committee), Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home (former treasurer and current board member), and Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts.
Bill is an active member in his community serving on numerous boards of directors for many organizations, and is the former Board Chairman of Easter Seals Goodwill Industries of Greater New Haven.
He is a graduate of Villanova University with a B.S. in Accounting.

Managing Principal of Simione Consultants, LLC

Allison Smoot, RN, BSN is the DON/Owner of All County Home Health & Hospice in Boerne.  Allison has been involved in the home care and hospice industry for 10 years and has been an agency owner for 7 years. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and is an active member of the Boerne Leadership Council, the Boerne Chamber of Commerce and was nominated by the Chamber as the Business Woman of the Year. Allison currently serves as the Vice Chair of the TAHC&H Hospice Committee and has also served on the Clinical Practice Committee, the Medicare/Medicaid Committee and the Government Affairs Committee.   She currently serves on the TAHC&H Board in the Hospice Auspice.

DON/Owner, All County Home Care & Hospice

Dr. Linda Tavel serves as National Hospice Medical Director for Accentcare Hospice and Hospice Medical Director for Texas Home Health and Hospice in Houston, Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and completed a residency in Family Medicine at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, where she trained alongside chaplain trainees at the Clinical Pastoral Education program. She obtained an MBA from University of Houston at Clear Lake in 1999. She has practiced hospice and palliative medicine since 2001—full time since 2004. Her interests are in performance improvement, patient safety as it pertains to the care of hospice and palliative care patients, and in decision making tools for advance care planning. She also has passions for creating a healing environment. Dr. Tavel is a proud native Houstonian and lives with a Geriatrician, a Web Designer, and a cat.

Texas Home Health and Hospice

Mary Helen Tieken, RN, BSN is the President of Nurses In Touch, Inc, in Floresville. She has 48 years in direct work experience in health care, the last 32 years as administrator in Home Health & Hospice. Mary Helen received her BSN for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing. She is an active member Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society and a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Mary Helen is a former TAHC&H President and currently services as the Secretary of the association. She has been chair of the Hospice and Medicare/Medicaid Committee, Vice-Chair of the Government Affairs Committee and serves on the Program Integrity Task Force. In 2009 she received the Ida Mae Hebert Meritorious Award and was awarded the 2008 Hospice Director of the Year by the Texas New Mexico Hospice Organization.

President, Nurses in Touch, Inc.

Katie Wehri is Director of Operations Consulting for Healthcare Provider Solutions, Inc. (HPS) She joined HPS in 2017 with more than 25 years in the hospice, home health, private duty and palliative care industries and is certified by the Health Care Compliance Association in health care compliance and health care privacy compliance. She was a provider executive for 13 years and began consulting at the national level in 2009 specializing in regulatory and accrediting organization standards interpretation, all aspects of healthcare provider operations, and compliance.  She has worked with multiple state and national associations and has written numerous articles and provided numerous presentations on these topics.

Director of Operations Consulting, Healthcare Provider Solutions, Inc.

Audrey Yetter is a Senior Managing Consultant for BKD, LLP, an accounting firm, in Houston, Texas. She has over 15 years of experience in long term care, including Home Health, Hospice and Skilled Nursing Facilities.  Audrey has a passion for her clients and works diligently with them to provide compliancy and reimbursement services. She has experience preparing and reviewing Medicaid and Medicare cost reports, assisting with provider reviews and audits, and healthcare consulting.

Audrey is a magna cum laude graduate of Regis University, Colorado Springs, Colorado with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting.  Audrey is also a former member of the United States Army where she served for 7 years as an Avionic Mechanic.  She is currently a member of the United Way of Greater Houston Leaders in Giving and enjoys volunteering at local animal shelters during her free time. 

Senior Managing Consultant, BKD, LLP

Meet Your New Nerdy Best Friend…
Beth Ziesenis: Author. Speaker. Nerd.
Although the only real trophy she ever won was for making perfect French fries at McDonald's in
high school, Beth Z has been featured on Best Speaker lists by Meetings & Conventions
magazine and MeetingsNet.
Since her first Commodore 64 computer, Beth has made a verb out of the word nerd. She helps
computer users all over the country filter through thousands of apps, gadgets, widgets and
doodads to find the perfect free and bargain technology tools for business and personal use
through presentations and her books, including the latest title, The Big Book of Apps, available on
Amazon.com.

Avenue Z, Inc.