Three former federal secretaries of health headline the marquee for "The Business of Health Care: Managing Through Uncertainty" conference to be held at the University of Miami. The secretaries will join industry executives and experts for a day that includes three formalized sessions and multiple networking opportunities to address pivotal issues impacting the health sector.
Conference coordinators Steven Ullmann, professor and director of the Center for Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School, and Karoline Mortensen, associate dean of business programs and professor of Health Management and Policy, highlighted the relevancy of the conference theme.
Uncertainty is ever present in the health care system-;and the pandemic has certainly heightened that presence. By convening leaders and specialists across all the major industry sectors, we're able to focus a multidimensional lens on the pivotal uncertainties-;policy questions, technology disruptions, staff shortages, pandemic management, among others-;and that's critical to generating remedies."
Steven Ullmann, professor and director of the Center for Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School
Mortensen emphasized the benefit of combining the expertise of three former health officials on a single panel. Alex Azar and Donna E. Shalala, both former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretaries and now both University business school faculty members, and Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami and a former Mexican health minister, join a midday panel moderated by Mortensen that will seek to generate "A Potential Road Map" through the trail of uncertainties.
"With three former health secretaries, health care policy from a regional, national, and global perspective will definitely be part of a robust, enlightening conversation," she said.
The conference takes place Friday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Donna E. Shalala Student Center on the University's Coral Gables Campus. Five hundred in-person attendees are expected, with 200 slots reserved for students. A networking breakfast and lunch will be held at a special pavilion adjacent to the student center. Sessions will be livestreamed worldwide, but there will be a moderate fee to view the broadcasts.
The opening keynote panel on the theme, "A View from the Field," will be moderated by Patrick Geraghty, president and CEO of GuideWell and Florida Blue. The session includes the participation of Dr. Garfield Clunie, president, National Medical Association; Matthew Eyles, president and CEO, America's Health Insurance Plans; Joseph Fifer, president and CEO, Healthcare Financial Management Association; Dr. Halee Fischer-Wright, president and CEO, Medical Group Management Association; Ernest Grant, immediate past president, American Nurses Association; Molly Smith, group vice president, public policy, American Hospital Association; and Lori M. Reilly, chief operating officer, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The pharmaceutical sector is newly represented this year.
The afternoon panel focuses on innovation and the role of technology.
Moderated by Norma Sue Kenyon, the University's vice provost for innovation and chief innovation officer for the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and UHealth – the University of Miami Health System, the session includes speakers Juan Felipe Ramirez, vice-president of sales execution and data driven organization, Latin America, Boston Scientific; Dr. Conor Delaney, president and CEO, Cleveland Clinic Florida Region; Patrick Hale, executive vice president and CIO, Vitas Healthcare; Judson Ivy, founder, president and CEO, Ensemble Health Partners; and Dr. Jay Wohlgemuth, senior vice president, research and development, and chief medical officer, Quest Diagnostics.
Ullmann described the pandemic as "a wake-up call" and noted that the conference provides the opportunity to explore many of the fissures unveiled in the health care system as a result of its ongoing impact.
"While we're still coming out of the woods from the pandemic, we're fortunate to be able to go back to having a live audience," Ullmann said. "This allows for significant networking opportunities with health care leaders from around the nation, and those have always been a high point of the conference."
For this 12th annual conference, Florida Blue is again a presenting sponsor and major donor.
Get a complete and updated list of topics, panelists, and more.
The Business of Health Care: Managing Through Uncertainty takes place Friday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. Early registration pricing is available through Jan. 31.
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