AGENDA
Revenue Cycle & Financial Strategies Forum –
Southeast
March 5, 2026 | Atlanta, GA
Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Revenue Cycle & Financial Strategies Southeast Forum brings together senior healthcare leaders to discuss practical strategies in revenue cycle management and financial operations. Through interactive sessions covering revenue cycle operations, financial performance, patient experience, value-based care, analytics, and population health, attendees gain practical insights and a comprehensive perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare finance and operational leaders today.
Forum Venue
Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta
3301 Lenox Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30326
Allyson Keller
VP, Patient Connection Center
Piedmont
Carmen Titelman
Executive Director of Coding & Compliance
Piedmont
Valerie DeCaro
VP, Revenue Cycle Management
DOCS Dermatology Group
Dawn Eads
Director, Utilization Management
Saint Simons By-The-Sea
Yta Toribio
SVP, Revenue Cycle Management
Schweiger Dermatology Group
Haley Bolton
VP Patient Access Performance Management
Emory Healthcare
Maria Bouck
SVP Revenue Cycle Management
Eye Health America
Etay Sahar
Market President & Operations Advisor
Genesis Healthcare
Andy Rowles
Corporate Director of RCM CX
Emory Healthcare
Nikeesa Roussel
Program Director
Moffitt Cancer Center
Justin Rykowski
Director of Program Management
Powell Recovery Center
Arvela Heider
Chief Innovation Officer
Community Health Center of Buffalo
Kevin Phipps
Director, Patient Access
Emory Healthcare
Sergio Quiej
Manager, Revenue Cycle
Advent Health
Cindy Otero
Senior Director, Revenue Cycle – NCH Medical Group
Endeavor Health
8:00 REGISTRATION AND WELCOME COFFEE
8:55 OPENING REMARKS & PROGRAM WELCOME
9:00 KEYNOTE DISCUSSION: STATE OF THE INDUSTRY HEADING INTO 2026
• Navigating growth through economic uncertainty & complex challenges
• Forecasting legislative and policy changes & their impacts on healthcare
• Innovative improvements to operations and revenue flow
• Adapting to shifting needs and expectations of employees and providers
• Rapid advancements in technology & cybersecurity
Allyson Keller, Piedmont
Etay Sahar, Genesis Healthcare
Yta Toribio, Schweiger Dermatology Group
Arvela Heider, Community Health Center of Buffalo
10:00 NETWORKING & COFFEE BREAK
10:30 TRACK ONE:
STRENGTHENING REVENUE INTEGRITY: CREATING ROBUST INTERNAL & EXTERNAL AUDIT PLANS
This discussion group will explore how healthcare finance and revenue cycle leaders are strengthening revenue integrity through risk-based internal audits and more strategic management of external payer reviews. Participants will share practical approaches for identifying vulnerabilities early, aligning audit efforts across teams, and turning audit findings into sustainable revenue protection.
Carmen Titelman, Executive Director of Coding & Compliance, Piedmont
10:30 TRACK TWO:
INTEGRATED STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ACCESS, ENGAGEMENT, AND SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN HEALTH SYSTEMS
As demand for behavioral health services continues to outpace capacity, this roundtable will bring together healthcare leaders to discuss integrated approaches that expand access while strengthening long-term program sustainability. Conversation will focus on care model design, digital and community-based engagement strategies, and operational alignment across clinical, financial, and access teams to improve outcomes and support growth.
Brandon Kitay, Consultative Behavioral Health & Population Health Medical Director, Emory Healthcare
11:15 NETWORKING & COFFEE BREAK
11:45 TRACK ONE:
OPTIMIZING COLLECTIONS, ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, AND REVENUE RECOVERY
Maximizing collections and revenue recovery drives stronger financial performance and reduces operational inefficiencies across complex healthcare organizations. This discussion will explore how denial data, trend analysis, and executive-level reporting can proactively identify revenue leakage, reduce denials, lower rework costs, and enhance overall revenue cycle performance.
Sergio Quiej, Multi-State Division PFS Support Manager, Advent Health
11:45 TRACK TWO:
COLLECTIONS & FINANCIAL RECOVERY: ADVANCING REVENUE CYCLE PERFORMANCE THROUGH AI AND TECHNOLOGY
In this session, leaders will focus on how healthcare finance leaders are rethinking collections and recovery strategies through the adoption of AI-driven and digital solutions. Discussion will center on real-world applications that streamline workflows, reduce administrative cost, improve recovery performance, and support a more transparent, patient-friendly approach to payment.
Valerie DeCaro, Vice President, Revenue Cycle Management
DOCS Dermatology Group
12:30 LUNCHEON
1:45 TRACK ONE:
LEADING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE & DRIVING REVENUE CYCLE INNOVATION
Driving revenue cycle transformation strengthens financial performance and positions organizations for sustainable growth. This roundtable will examine how healthcare leaders can manage organizational change, align innovation with strategic goals, engage cross-functional teams, and implement process and technology improvements that enhance collections and reduce denials.
Maria Bouck, SVP, Revenue Cycle Management
Eye Health America
1:45 TRACK TWO:
ENHANCING REVENUE RECOVERY THROUGH STREAMLINED WORKFLOWS & PROCESS OPTIMIZATION
This session will explore strategies to optimize accounts receivable operations while maintaining strict compliance. Attendees will learn how to streamline workflows, implement effective process improvements, and drive team alignment across departments to enhance efficiency and performance.
Nikeesa Roussel, Program Director
Moffitt Cancer Center
2:30 NETWORKING & COFFEE BREAK
3:00 TRACK ONE:
LEADING CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS AND SYSTEM-WIDE INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE PATIENT EXPERIENCE & QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Healthcare leaders will explore strategies for guiding cross-functional teams and organization-wide initiatives to enhance patient experience and advance quality improvement. The session will examine ways to align stakeholders, streamline processes, and implement sustainable improvements that drive better outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Kevin Phipps, Director, Patient Experience
Emory Johns Creek Hospital
3:00 TRACK TWO:
INTEROPERABILITY STRATEGIES THAT IMPROVE REVENUE, CARE COORDINATION, AND PERFORMANCE
This discussion will explore how healthcare organizations are using interoperability and data integration to improve revenue cycle performance, strengthen care coordination, and support enterprise-wide decision-making. Participants will share practical strategies for breaking down data silos, enabling system-to-system connectivity, and translating integrated data into measurable operational and financial outcomes.
Justin Rykowski, Director of Program Management
Powell Recovery Center
3:45 NETWORKING & COFFEE BREAK
4:15 TRACK ONE:
ACCURATE DOCUMENTATION, CODING, & BILLING PRACTICES: STRATEGICALLY FOSTERING A SUCCESSFUL REVENUE CYCLE CULTURE
We will examine how accurate documentation, coding, and billing practices serve as the foundation of a strong and compliant revenue cycle. Participants will explore strategies for building a culture of accountability and collaboration across clinical, coding, and revenue cycle teams to reduce risk, minimize denials, and support sustainable financial performance.chasing dollars” to proactively engineer revenue and optimize organizational performance.
Dawn Eads, Director, Utilization Management
Saint Simons By-The-Sea
4:15 TRACK TWO:
MAXIMIZING REVENUE RECOVERY THROUGH CENTRALIZED PROGRAMS AND TIME-OF-SERVICE STRATEGIES
This session will explore how centralized benefit verification, authorization workflows, and provider-based revenue integrity programs can drive measurable revenue recovery. Attendees will learn strategies for optimizing time-of-service collections, leveraging data to identify recovery opportunities, and coordinating across clinical and revenue cycle teams to strengthen financial performance and operational efficiency.
Cindy Otero, Sr. Director, Revenue Cycle – NCH Medical Group
Endeavor Health
5:00 NETWORKING & COFFEE BREAK
5:30 PATIENT-CENTERED ACCESS & RCM CHANGE MANAGEMENT: IMPROVE PATIENT ACCESS THROUGH EFFICIENT, PATIENT-CENTERED SCHEDULING PROTOCOLS, IMPROVEMENTS TO PROVIDER SCHEDULES
This Emory-led panel will examine how healthcare leaders are improving patient access by redesigning scheduling protocols and provider templates with the patient experience in mind. Discussion will focus on practical change management strategies that align access, operations, and revenue cycle teams to reduce friction, improve utilization, and drive sustainable access improvements without increasing provider burnout.
Haley Bolton, Vice President of Access Performance Management, Emory Healthcare
Andy Rowles, Corporate Director of RCM CX, Emory Healthcare
Kevin Phipps, Director of Patient Experience, Emory Healthcare
6:30 PROGRAM CONCLUSION
Previous Forum Attendees Include:
Assistant Vice President, Finance & Decision Support
Appalachian Regional Healthcare System
Assistant Vice President, Revenue Cycle
Ochsner Health System
Assistant Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions
The University of Texas Medical Branch
Assistant Vice President, Value-Based Performance Management
Ochsner Health System
Chief Executive Officer
Methodist Health System
Chief Executive Officer
MUSC Health
Chief Financial Officer
HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland
Chief Financial Officer
Jackson Health System
Chief Revenue Officer
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Chief Revenue Officer
Baptist Health
Director, Health Information Management
WellStar Health System
Director, Patient Financial Services
UNC Health Care
Director, Revenue Cycle
Grady Health System
Director, Revenue Cycle
Emory Healthcare
Director, Finance
Houston Methodist Hospital
Executive Director Patient Access
Broward Health
Regional Chief Financial Officer
St. Luke’s Health
Senior Director, Patient Access & Denials Management
Franciscian Missionaries of Our Lady Health System
Who should attend:
Executives that will find this program of greatest relevance are those currently working to discover new and innovative methods to advance the healthcare finance industry through active discussion and an open mind to new or different ideas. Job titles of those executives that will find this program to be most applicable to the job function include:
• Vice President of Revenue Cycle Operations
• Vice President of Finance
• Director of Health Information Management
• Director of Patient Access
• CFO, COO, CRO
• Director of Finance or Financial Operations
• Director of Patient Financial Services
• Director of Revenue Cycle
• Director of Coding
• Director of CDI
• Revenue Cycle Manager/Senior Lead
